Passagemaking with a Nordhavn

GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

The GSSR 2010 has officially ended. I am very pleased to report that all three boats are now moored at the Gold Coast Yacht and Country club in Hong Kong.

At the end of my last blog entry Grey Pearl and Seabird were still sitting in Taiwan. They needed a two-day weather window in order to move the boats from Taiwan to Hong Kong. As we are now deep into typhoon season, the storms seem to be back to back. For a week we monitored the weather reports several times a day, and just when it seemed the storms would never end, a weather window opened.

To our surprise, Grey Pearl and Seabird had a perfect passage from Taiwan to Hong Kong, sliding along on lake-smooth water. The adverse current that slowed me by as much as three knots, wasn’t out there. We have two theories as to why: 1) The bizarre currents, for my passage, may have been stirred up, and accelerated, by the approaching Typhoon. Or, 2) I only thought there was a current against me. In reality, perhaps I was being slowed down due to all the growth on the bottom of my boat. My speedup later in the trip may have been nothing more than some of the crud shaking itself off the bottom of my boat.

Both Grey Pearl and Seabird had divers clean their bottoms just prior to departure, so with no current against them, and with their freshly cleaned bottoms, they ran much faster than planned. From the beginning, they knew that their fast speed might mean arrival at night, however, with the knowledge that a storm was behind them, they decided that a night arrival was the lesser of the two evils. And, in fact, they did arrive at the outer entrance to Hong Kong at 3am, the same time I had. They had a few tense moments, but were lucky enough to have a full moon, and made their arrival look easy.

With everyone now in Hong Kong, there was no hiding from the most treacherous GSSR challenge of 2010…

The #1 question facing the GSSR is, “What next?”

We were now at the end of this year’s cruise, and facing a near-certain end to our group cruising together. Adding to the tenseness, at least for me, is that I’m the villain in this story. We’ve mostly been doing a kind of cruising which I’ll call “adventure cruising.” Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong are modern countries, but we’re in a part of the world where few cruisers ever venture. Every day is a surprise. There are no cruising guides, and we usually don’t know what to expect until we arrive. I remember a year ago that, as I looked forward to our 2010 cruising, thinking our voyage through southern Japan would be characterized by Hawaii-like warm water, beautiful anchorages, white sand beaches, diving, swimming and time spent hanging out. I was totally naive. Other than about 48 hours at one island near Okinawa, we never had the mellow anchoring experience I love so much.

Looking southwest from Hong Kong, I see seas populated by pirates, and countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, which also fit into the “adventure-travel” category. Roberta always wanted to be an archeologist, so being amongst the first to discover new cruising grounds is great fun for her. I, on the other hand, confess to much less adventuring sentiments. Give me a sand beach, clear warm water, a glass of wine, the odor of steaks on the barbecue, a good internet connection, and I’ll have attained boating nirvana.

Last month, I sent an email to Seabird and Grey Pearl saying Roberta and I would be splitting from the group. It was one of the tougher emails I’ve ever had to send. I cannot over-emphasize what a great group we have, and how much better it is to travel as part of a team. Our skillsets and personalities match each other perfectly. It’s like a marriage, if you find one that works, stick with it, because you are a very lucky person.

To make a long story short, Roberta and I have been making plans to put our boat on a freighter and ship her to the Med. Our hope was that the others, Grey Pearl and Seabird, would catch up with us somewhere in the Med, but the Med is a big place, and as we looked at the logistics, it didn’t look likely. There was a real possibility that we were saying goodbye forever.

During our last week in Hong Kong, we all avoided the topic. It was like a big ,ugly elephant standing in the corner that no one wanted to acknowledge. We went through two closing dinners, and yet whenever the subject of next year came up, the topic would switch immediately before anyone could say anything.

Finally, at 5pm, on Roberta’s and my last day, only a couple of hours before our airport departure, I received a call from Steven, inviting Roberta and I to a 5:30 p.m. going-away party on Seabird. Roberta was in the shower, with no idea we were going to a party, and there was still packing to be done, but I agreed immediately. I knew that it was time to confront the elephant in the corner. And Roberta, who is usually not the type to react well to suddenly needing to be somewhere in 30 minutes, while still in the shower, also recognized that this was an important meeting, and never grumbled one word.

Walking in the door of Seabird, I could see Braun already had a guidebook, 'The South East Asia Cruising Guide,' in his hand. For about 10 minutes we made small talk, and as I glanced at my watch, I knew someone had to make the first move. Roberta and I really did need to get to the airport, and it was time for ‘the discussion.’ Earlier in the week I had sent around a link to a story about cruising in Vietnam which I had hoped would somewhat explain why I wanted to mutiny (http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2008-05-23&dayid=378).

Braun cut quickly to the chase, “What if we split next year into two halves? July and August are hot, sticky and miserable. We could quickly move the boats to Singapore, prior to the typhoon season, in May and June, and then come back in September and October for fun cruising in Thailand, then return the boats to Singapore. We could then ship all three boats to the Med together from Singapore.” This immediately made sense, and addressed many issues that had been bothering me. It was an agreement not to go to the places I least wanted to go: Vietnam and Cambodia. It also indicated that the others (Seabird and Grey Pearl) were agreeing to ship their boats to the Med, rather than trying to brave the Somalia pirates on their own bottoms.

I then said that I had heard good things about the Philippines and that we should consider stopping there. This caught Braun by surprise, in that he thought I would refuse to go to the Philippines, and a couple of weeks earlier he would have been right. But over the past few weeks I’ve done a bit of research and decided that the Philippines might not be so bad. There are beautiful beaches and resorts to be found in the Philippines and Malaysia. We could stop along the way and have fun.

The orange markers in the chart above represent actual pirate attacks, and the yellow markers are attempted attacks.

My worry, though, is piracy. Above is the 2010 pirate attack map, taken from this link:

http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualization.googlemap&Itemid=219

These are real, reported pirate attacks during 2010, and this represents only the first half of the year. Everyone tells me we are safe between Hong Kong and Singapore, and many people have told me lately that the Mallaca Straits are 100% safe. However, the facts say otherwise. Each of the markers on the picture above is a real attack. All are against freighters, but my guess is that a lot more freighters move through the area than private yachts. It doesn’t mean that private yachts wouldn’t represent a good profit opportunity.

The bottom line: I agreed to Braun’s plan. I don’t like the pirate risk, but there are three of us, traveling together, and the pirates haven’t been focusing on yachts. Most importantly, it allows our group to stay together and the GSSR to survive.

My only caveat was that I need to understand the issues associated with shipping our boats from Singapore. I do not want to be in a position where the three boats get to Singapore, and there are no freighters that can carry Sans Souci. Three years ago, Sans Souci and Grey Pearl were sitting in Golfito. A freighter arrived that was able to scoop up Grey Pearl, but said ‘no’ when they looked at San Souci’s 120 gross ton weight. Instead, Sans Souci had to sit in Golfito Costa Rica for nearly six months, watching a succession of freighters pass by, none of which could transport Sans Souci. Ultimately, our boat had to be driven all the way back to Seattle on its own bottom. I’ve been there, done that, and am not doing it again.

Here’s a sneak peek at the first pass at a trip plan for the GSSR 2011 that I sent to the group. This is very preliminary and was just sent to start the discussion going. Braun responded with this comment: “Done. The GSSR is together again! Destinations don’t matter, people do. -braun”

So, with all that said, I’ll close out the year a few random pictures from our final days in Hong Kong...

Here's a picture from the strangest incident of the trip. While Seabird was at the dock in Taiwan, a driver commited suicide next to their boat, by tying his hands to the steering wheel and driving into the water, just in front of Seabird. Hours after pulling the car and driver from the water, the winds came up, blowing the car back into the water, driverless. It came within feet of striking Seabird and wound up on the bottom beneath Seabird, requiring Seabird to move so the car could be retrieved from the water, for the second time.

I wanted to see what a marina looked like which didn’t have boat slips, so Roberta and I took this Sampan around the bay at Aberdeen to explore the boats. Whereas we were just ‘being tourists’ these sampans have a real purpose. There is an entire floating city of boats at Aberdeen, with many people living on their boats, both fisherman, and others. The Sampans are their link with shore.

This floating chinese restaurant in the middle of the bay at Aberdeen is enormous! We didn’t eat there, but I hear it is actually fairly good, even if ‘touristy.’

As the Grey Pearl was preparing to depart Taiwan they discovered that their bow thruster had died. With a single engine boat, with no stern thruster, and the bow thruster not-functioning, maneuvering inside the marina, on arrival in Hong Kong would be impossible. Here you see us using rodeo tactics to lure Grey Pearl onto the dock.

Here you see Sans Souci sharing a slip with a 120’ boat. There are a LOT of big boats in Hong Kong.

Seabird is moored just behind Sans Souci.

[Top row: Braun Jones, Carol Argosy, Steven Argosy. Bottom Row: Tina Jones, Roberta Williams, Ken Williams] To celebrate the GSSR’s arrival in Hong Kong we went out for a ritzy French dinner. It was strange seeing everyone all fancied up. Most of the time we wear shorts, t-shirts and look kind of grungy (except the ladies who are always beautiful .)

Before leaving Hong Kong we wanted to see all of the anchorages in the Hong Kong area, so that we would know how much time to allocate to local cruising when we return. Here you see Steven and Carol enjoying the sensation of speed (25+ knots) on the boat we rented.

We used a local captain to shuttle us around to see all the anchorages. Behind him you see two boats pulling a net. This picture was taken after he accidentally ran over the net, and he is looking at the props to see if there is any damage (there wasn’t.) I was very happy I hadn’t been driving at the time.

A giant Buddha statue, sitting high on a mountain.

As we worked our way around Hong Kong we saw many white sand beaches, just waiting for us to come drop our anchors. Hong Kong’s only rule on where you can, or can’t, anchor is: don’t block traffic.

A fleet of fishing boats rafted together.

A small fishing village we passed. Hong Kong is a very unusual place, in that the vast majority of the land is protected from construction. Thus, you can see clusters of huge skyscrapers, then turn the corner and see a tiny fishing village, or nothing at all, and pretend you are a million miles from civilization.

Here we’re approaching an anchorage with a beach. There were already several boats at anchor. I have a couple of memories from this anchorage: 1) We watched as a local boat, probably 70 feet long, with about 20 passengers, pulled in to drop anchor. Before the boat could come to a complete stop, the raucus passengers started laughing and pushing each other off the boat into the water. I couldn’t believe it! They were swimming within a few feet of the boat, while it was still in the process of dropping anchor, with the props still turning. Luckily no one was hurt, but it seemed a very dangerous sitution to me. And, 2) I’ve noticed that all of the swimming beaches have shark nets, including this one. I asked if there had been shark attacks. The answer was, “Not for almost a decade, but there were three people killed here, at this anchorage, in separate attacks. I wouldn’t worry about it though. You can swim anywhere.”

Roberta, enjoying the ride.

Most of the marinas in Hong Kong have no docks. The boats just float all the time. Some have power, but most do not. We were very lucky to get into a good marina in Hong Kong, with normal docks and shorepower.

An overhead look at a floating marina.

Here you see Steven looking very relaxed, given that we are within about 50 feet of a tug pulling a barge, with a freighter bearing down on us from another direction. The channel that separates Kowloon from Hong Kong has a LOT of traffic. I remember that prior to this trip my rule was always that I never wanted to get within a mile of a freighter. In Asia I have had to recalibrate my whole outlook on how close two boats can come to each other.

Prior to our trip I added scuba tank storage in the cockpit of the boat. These brackets work slickly, and fold out of the way completely when not needed. Hopefully, next year, the tanks will get MUCH more use.

You can tell I am starting to think ahead to the Med. Here you see that I put out the passarelle, for us to walk on in boarding the boat. There was really no need to do so, in that we could just step off the side of the boat, but I had never tried our passarelle and wanted to see if it worked. It did!

If this picture looks out of context, that’s because it is! Here you see Roberta and Shelby in Zurich Switzerland. In order to get home from Hong Kong we had to fly to Europe, then New York, and finally back to Seattle. It’s the wrong way around, but Swiss Air is very dog friendly and lets Shelby ride with us in the cabin. All of Switzerland is dog friendly. We had dinner in restaurants so fancy I was surprised they let me in, but none of them opposed allowing Shelby to sit with us at our table. The best thing about this picture is how happy Shelby looks. The weather in Hong Kong was too hot for Shelby. She just couldn't take it. One day, Steven from Seabird, got curious how hot it was, and got out his infrared temperature gun. Here's the email he sent: "Ken: I just checked the temps outside with my heat gun. Teak under the shade: 99 degrees Concrete dock: 148 degrees Bow deck of Seabird: 166 degrees. Too hot for bare feet! Steven "

Check out these blog entries…

Steven and Carol, on Seabird, have been catching up on their blog. Check out their last blog entry: http://www.seabirdlrc.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx?msgid=485656&beid=100618. There’s a bit more about the problem that forced them to turn back on the way to Hong Kong.

Also, Don and Sharry Stabbert, on Starr, have continued cruising Japan. Their most recent blog entry presents a side of Japan that I am unfortunately blind to. For whatever reason, I never was able to bond with Japan as they did. Check out this blog entry (and, all their others), which explain why cruising in Japan is worth the distance to get there, and all the bureaucracy: http://starr.talkspotblogs.com/aspx/m/629684/beid/99755

And lastly, I would like to thank all the special people who made this year’s GSSR trip possible...

As several people said, “Japan has never seen anything like the GSSR.” Three American motor boats cruising Japan is simply unheard of, and Japan is not a country which reacts well to events without precedence. Kazuo Furuno, from Interocean Shipping (http://www.interocean.co.jp/), was our agent in Japan, and made the impossible possible. Anyone considering cruising Japan would be well advised to have Furuno assist them with logistics.

We also owe a thank you to John Rutherford, who helped us in Okinawa. John is a friend of a regular reader of my blog, and with no idea who we were, or what the GSSR was, interceded on our behalf to get us moorage in Okinawa, then took his sailboat out in the rain to guide us safely into the marina.

Another very special person, actually a whole company, that helped make our 2010 GSSR voyage a success was Tim Yuan, and his company Ta Shing. In addition to building our marvelous boats, that brought us so smoothly across the Bering Sea, they gave us a hero’s welcome in Taiwan, a fantastic tour of their factory, many meals, and more.

I also can’t forget the people at Asia Yacht Services who are watching over our boats during the offseason, especially Karen Ball, who served as crew, helping to guide Sans Souci safely though Hong Kong in the dark.

Another unsung hero this year, was Jeff Sanson, and his company Pacific Yacht Management (www.pacificyachtmanagement.com). Prior to Sans Souci’s departure this season, Jeff brought a team of experts to Japan, and spent three weeks ‘tweaking’ the boat. I was then able to step on board, and run the entire season with no mechanical issues, thanks to Jeff’s hard work.

Then, there is Phil Strable, our good friend and helper, who flew to Hong Kong the last 10 days we were there to 'babysit' Shelby onboard Sans Souci while Roberta and I luxuriated for a week at the ultra-ritzy Peninsula Hotel in downtown Kowloon -- then later helped us get the boat cleaned and ready to leave for the winter.

And of course, I can’t forget Roberta’s parents, in their 80s, who traveled across the Atlantic with us a few years back, through Alaska with us last year, and this year helped us make the run from Nagasaki, Japan, to Okinawa. We also had the pleasure of having on board our son, Chris, who speaks fluent Japanese, and was also on Sans Souci last year just after the GSSR's arrival to Japan, and also for the Fubar rally through Baja, Mexico, a few years back.

And of course, the biggest thank you of all goes to our co-conspirators on the GSSR; Braun and Tina Jones and Steven and Carol Argosy, without whose companionship, assistance, and friendship, the GSSR wouldn’t be the GSSR.

Which brings me to all of you, who read this blog. I thank you for taking the time to follow our journey, and for all of the 100s of emails, offering invaluable assistance and encouragement as we’ve made our journey.

And, with that, it’s back to civilian life for me until next year. I don’t plan to do an offseason blog. This year, I won’t be sending anything else beyond this last blog update, except perhaps short updates from time to time as we do trip planning.

So ….

See you next year!

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Start your own blog now! Free!

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:17:33 GMT

Ken, Seven Stars is a Vietnamese shipping company. We have come a long way! One thought: in Japanese, "Hi" means that I am listening to you. In Vietnamese, "Ya" means I am listening to you. It does not mean that I agree with you or that I will do what you ask! Believe me, I've witnessed many a disappointed American who thought that they had achieved an agreement to do something and it did not happen. Ron

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:46:47 GMT

Thanks Ken. You're welcome at my house any time. We leave on our 4th scallop trip tonight. I'll try to send some photos when I get a chance. Got some good snotty weather footage that I will have one of my computer savvy crewmen post for you. Bill

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:13:40 GMT

Welcome home Bill! Congratulations on a successful first voyage with the Kilkenny. I can't believe that a year ago you and I were in Siberia. Can you imagine? It's funny, but when I think back on that whole trip I can remember only the blue skies and fun times we had. I'm not sure when Roberta and I will get back to Kodiak. Hopefully sometime soon. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:33:24 GMT

Hi Ken. Just got in from fishing the new scallop boat. What a seaboat! She may move around a little more than Sans Souci but in a gale the rail of the boat is your cup holder. You know how minimalist I am (this ain't a boat its a computer game) and Kilkenny suits me fine. One engine, one genset a rudder and 75 feet of oak and I'm in heaven. Sounds like you had a great summer although I'm sure it didn't compare to the exotic paradise of the Aleutian Islands. Hello to Roberta and give Shelby a treat for me. Best regards. Bill H.

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:50:44 GMT

Drew: I just received a response today from Seven Stars, about shipping my boat to the Med from Singapore. The price was much lower than expected, and they seemed 100% confident that my boat's weight was a non-issue. Their estimate was terrific and if they can actually deliver my suspicion is that Grey Pearl, Seabird and Sans Souci will be shipping with them to the Med. I hate to sound overly cynical, but I had a horrible experience with another shipper (Yachtpath) where promises were made, and they also claimed that my boat's weight was not a problem, and then later failed to ship my boat, leaving me in a messy situation. One way or the other, I am now comfortable that I can ship my boat from Singapore, so.... I'm Singapore bound! Now to start seeking moorage... -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:58:03 GMT

Ken, You can easily ship a yacht from Singapore to the Med,pretty much at will, there are regularly scheduled routes and trips from the major yacht movers like Dock wise, Yacht path and others. I shipped my 70 foot, 70 ton George Buehler design from Istanbul to Singapore on a Maersk container ship with absolutely no dramas and that is a weekly sailing each way. Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world andthere are major yacht services also so you are spoiled for choice shipping a yacht. All the best - Drew Drew Gardenier M/V Hooligan Raffles Marina Singapore

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:04:53 GMT

Ken, First, the Rangers at Geographic Harbor in Alaska have asked that you not return. Your size, build, and mustache scared that Grizzly. Your close approach to within 20 feet has permanently traumatized the bear and it is no longer able to fish. Shame! - My camera system is a mess on the boat. I'd like better cameras and more of them. - Are you referring to your video system? You may want 360 degree low light level cameras for night surveillance. - I have two new 64 bit windows computers sitting in a closet. I meant to upgrade the ship's computers, but couldn't get the 64 bit serial to usb drivers working. I need to figure that out next year... - The folks at Rosepoint Navigation probably have the answer now. - My sea chest is a bit of a mess. I can't get it open to clean it out. It was leaking and the technicians put the top on it with some sort of glue (I think). I need to figure this out... – Personally, I would not be sanguine about this for a long voyage. I’d cut the top off if necessary and have a new cover with a neoprene gasket made and have it fasten with heavy duty, spring tension catches like those found on some packing cases. Through-bolt them and bed them with 5200. It is my impression that most black tank sensors fail unless they are simple float-type switches. Peggie Hall, the Princess of Poop, probably has your answer (Peggie Hall [peggie.hall@gmail.com] ). Just my reaction to your list. Ron

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:53:20 GMT

Sam: Thanks for the link. I do have a fancy digital recording system on the cameras, and that is part of the problem. The system is too complex. I forget how to use it, and I have trouble training others to use it. What I need is a much simpler system with pushbuttons that are idiot proof. I went to the agcam site, and I didn't see cameras that do tilt/zoom. My perfect system would have 8-12 cameras I can pick from, with the ability to tilt/pan/zoom any of them from in the pilot house. Plus the ability to easily route the video wherever I want. When the system was working (I have cameras around the boat now), I always kept cameras looking at the front of the engines (to monitor the fanbelts and alternators), plus on the fuel pressure gauges, and in the lazarette. If possible, I'd like one looking at the seachest as well. Oh well.... it's all irrelevant, in that with the boat in Hong Kong, my ability to get work done is very limited. Jeff will be going to Hong Kong at some point, and I'll give him some projects to do while there, but I doubt we'll do anything too complex. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:30:04 GMT

as far as things youd like to tweak to work better the camera system is something i had an idea on. a company called agcam makes camera for farm machines. rated to hundred g shock loads they wont get goofy in rough seas or high vibration area. Their standard camera comes with a u bracket fittied with a magnet. this could give you flexability in the engine room under way to have a roving cam to watch certain areas of focus more closely. Do you have any dvr capabilites on board for your cameras? I think itd be pretty neat to do a time lapse for an entire season of what the boats pointed at.

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 13:44:56 GMT

Alan Muskett made me think, by asking this question, "You've certainly had a great experience, would you say you have enjoyed it? Do you feel that there is a difference between adventure travel--which challenges and educates you--versus recreational travel--which involves sandy beaches and BBQ? Given the undercurrent of anxiety regarding piracy, what would you say your objectives for next year's cruise are (other than fellowship with a good group)?" --- Alan: Don’t you have any easy questions? (grin!) The GSSR group consists of three couples, each with two people. That means there are at least six different reasons for being on the boat, and six different sets of goals. Often, when I’m having the least fun, some of the others are having the most fun. For instance, I asked Braun earlier this year what ‘really turned him on’ about cruising and when he was the happiest. His response was that he liked it when we are problem solving. He likes the unknown and exploring. I am on the extreme opposite end of this spectrum. I’d rather have a picture of the slip I’m going into, and zero surprises along the way. Roberta asked me last year, “You really would be happy just going to St Barts, dropping the hook, and spending the whole summer, wouldn’t you?” Sheepishly, I had to admit the answer is yes. The honest truth is that I would rather cherry pick the best places in the world, and have someone else move the boat through the tough parts. To me, ‘good’ is defined as a calm, well-protected anchorage, just in front of a beach with lots of places to tender in for lunch, and near enough to a city that we can tender to the dock for more nice restaurants, or go back to port. There is one aspect of ‘adventure travel’ that I do get excited about. Boating gives you a way to live in other countries that staying in a hotel does not. You get a completely different perspective on a country as a ‘resident’ than as a ‘tourist.’ I am a news junky, with strong political opinions. I’m not particularly interested in history, but do like to study modern cultures. I like to understand the tax system, economics, medical systems, labor policies, educational systems, etc., around the globe. I don’t get particularly excited when arriving at a primitive island where the #1 issue is obtaining clean, fresh water. Sitting around a campfire, with people in grass skirts, drinking from a dirty coconut, is just not me. For Roberta it would be awesome, but to me it seems like a problem from which I can’t learn a lot. Whereas, when we were in Zurich earlier this week, I took great interest in trying to understand how the swiss think, and how their system operates. Long-term, I could see myself getting involved in politics, and I believe there is something to be learned from how different countries have dealt with similar issues. Here’s what I like in a cruising ground: - Minimal bureaucracy. Go where I want, when I want. - Good, well protected, pretty anchorages available - Good availability of beach-restaurants to tender into - Availability of technicians if something breaks (good services; mechanics, haul-out facility) - Good moorage, with floating docks, good shorepower, and lots of fancy restaurants around the marina - Modern country - Safe! No worry about being robbed - Clear, warm water - No sharks, jellyfish, or things that bite! - White sand beaches - Minimal wind No place I’ve ever been scores perfectly on the above list, but many places score high. Japan didn’t offer the pretty anchorages, but the chance to live there, and study their culture made it all worthwhile. Hong Kong looks like it has the potential to rank high in every category (except the one about sharks…) So.. when you ask what my goals are, the answer, for me, and only for me, is ‘to get through the tough parts, and get to the good parts.’ My sense is that Phuket, in Thailand, is an amazing place, with LOTS of great anchorages. It is also close to Singapore, which has all the boat mechanics and haul-out facilities I could want. My personal strategy, which is somewhat inconsistent with the GSSR philosophy, is what I like to call ‘hubbing’. In a perfect world, I’d have someone else maintain and watch over my boat in the offseason, and as part of their job they would move it to someplace new and interesting during the offseason. I’d then step onto the boat and spend four to six months exploring, in about a 500 mile radius from wherever the boat is, and then the season would end, and I’d leave the boat somewhere, and the off-season team would take it over. So.. in other words.. I’d think of the world as 20-30 ‘hub locations’ from which I’d spend 20-30 years exploring. And, the drudgery part of moving the boat across oceans would be dealt with by someone else. Although my priorities don’t exactly line up with everyone else’s, it isn’t a problem. The world is a big place, and we are going a wide variety of places. There are a few places where I won’t go, such as Somalia, but in general, we are going cool places, and as much as I whine, the highlights of the trip have been places I would never go under normal circumstances. The chances I would ever go to Attu Island in the Aleutians, without the others talking me into it, is exactly zero, and yet, I consider it a highpoint in my life, and am thrilled I got talked into going there. The same is true for Geographic Harbor in Alaska. Can you imagine me, on a tender, 20 feet from a grizzly bear? Never happen --- but, it did, and I loved it, now that it is over, and I lived. Anyway… this is all the long way of saying, we are six independent people, with six sets of reasons for being there, and six different goals. You probably have your own reasons for having a boat and your own list of places you want to go. I’d say, “Go there, do that, and have fun!” And, if you can find a way to share it with friends, that’s the best of all possible worlds. There are SO many benefits to traveling as part of a group that if it means sometimes things aren’t exactly as you might have plotted them on your own, it’s no big deal, and as I’ve found, it usually means having far more fun than you ever thought you could. Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:55:39 GMT

Sam asked what changes I have planned for the boat this year... Sam: I would LOVE to do some upgrades on the boat, but don't know what is possible. If the boat were sitting in Seattle, I would definitely do some things, but it is in Hong Kong, and I don't know what the locals are capable of doing. At this point, I'm focused on making sure they can keep the bottom clean and the air conditioning running. My sense is that all significant upgrades will need to wait until the boat is back in the United States. As to what I would do, if I could... Really, the boat is in perfect condition. There are little things that are annoying that I'd like to fix, but nothing that needs doing. - I just saw this link appear on the Nordhavn Dreamers board: http://www.echopilot.com/3d-forward-sonar-screen-shots.htm, and would definitely be interested if there were some better solution for Sonar. - My camera system is a mess on the boat. I'd like better cameras and more of them. - My whole internet setup on the boat (distribution and selection of the internet signal from multiple sources) is a mess. I need to completely redo the network. - The lazarette cooling still isn't right. I'm not sure what the solution is... I shouldn't need to run air conditioning in the lazarette at all times. - The black water system is a major annoyance. The Nordhavn-provided sensor stopped working a year ago, and my Simon monitoring system sensor has now failed. I have no idea how much black water I have, and need a solution. - I have two new 64 bit windows computers sitting in a closet. I meant to upgrade the ship's computers, but couldn't get the 64 bit serial to usb drivers working. I need to figure that out next year... - The interface between Nobeltec and my radar is broken. I'm not seeing arpa targets in Nobeltec, and should be able to. I also can't do radar overlay (which may not be possible). I'll figure it out next year. - My seachest is a bit of a mess. I can't get it open to clean it out. It was leaking and the technicians put the top on it with some sort of glue (I think). I need to figure this out... I'm sure I could keep typing on this list for a week, but there's nothing too serious. If I had to leave today for a 2,000nm passage, I wouldn't hesitate! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:43:58 GMT

Ruaan: Thank you for suggesting that I write a cruising guide to Japan. I've seriously thought about it, but its more of a commitment than I really want to make. That said, I am seriously thinking about doing a cruising guide to Hong Kong. It's a small enough area that in a month or two I do think I could map things out, and visit every marina. And, amazingly, there are no cruising guides that exist. Unfortunately though, now that it appears the GSSR is back together, the focus when we return to Hong Kong will be on moving the boats to Singapore, so I may not get the couple of months I wanted for just 'hanging out' in Hong Kong. We'll see. Overall, I'm cruising for fun, and don't want to do anything serious that makes it a job. Thank you, -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:39:34 GMT

Ron: Your question about shifting to neutral to detect current is a good one, and had me thinking. You are right. That would be a simple, reliable test. I always forget the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid). The only downside is that when the boat drifts, the stabilizers are inactive. This means that whatever swell there is rolls the boat. It only takes a few seconds for everything around the boat to get dumped on the ground. I don't know how anyone EVER went to sea without stabilizers. They spoil you quickly. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:36:37 GMT

All: Roberta and I just arrived home in Seattle. Shelby made the trip fine and is thrilled to be home. It was a LONG trip: Hong Kong->Zurich->NY->Seattle. I'm enjoying my fast internet connection. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:24:54 GMT

Ken; Thank you for taking us all along on your cruising this year! I really enjoy reading about your travels and all the challenges you face along the way. I never had an interest in the mechanics of a boat but your writing is very engaging and entertaining and somehow you make it interesting! Looking forward to the next Blog...

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:46:32 GMT

What -- it's over??!? What are those of us that live vicariously through your blog to do in the "off season"? Seriously, thanks so much for the time and effort you put into sharing your travels and insights with the rest of us. It's always fascinating reading, both the about destinations you visit, and for me, learning more about life aboard, systems and cruising. Safe travels, and I can't wait until GSSR casts off the lines once again. Mark Jacksonville, FL

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:55:14 GMT

Ken, You are always welcome to enjoy the white sandy beaches of Florida! Great to hear the saga continues.

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:29:02 GMT

Ken, thanks for the great blog again. I've enjoyed reading it and look forward to next year. Do you have any plans for changes/upgrades on the boat this year? Sam

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:24:04 GMT

You've certainly had a great experience, would you say you have enjoyed it? Do you feel that there is a difference between adventure travel--which challenges and educates you--versus recreational travel--which involves sandy beaches and BBQ? Given the undercurrent of anxiety regarding piracy, what would you say your objectives for next year's cruise are (other than fellowhip with a good group)?

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:19:42 GMT

Yes! GSSR 2011! GSSR forever! I can't believe you're going to do a third year of this. It looks like a doozy, and particularly look forward to some details on the transshipment to Europe.8

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:39:57 GMT

Dear Ken and Roberta Williams, Thank you very much for taking the time to write your blog. I look forward to the email notices of new entries. Through you, I can sit in Fresno and still enjoy your dream cruise as if I were helping stand watch. I look forward to next year and wish you, your family, and cruising mates safe travels and an enjoyable offseason. Best Regards, Fred Haeberle

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:39:43 GMT

Hi Ken! I'm glad to hear you guys have a provisional plan for next year. Thailand has some very beautiful cruising grounds, it's a chance not too good to miss. You said there are no guide books for Japan, you have the perfect expeienxe o lay dow. The base for one, which can at least beused to get through japan, and I'm sure you can add a tonn of useful information. Think about it, I'm sure it will encourage more Nordhavns to go to these wonderful destination an fulfil there purpose. All the best, Ruaan Locheil, President 41

Comment on: GSSR No. 16 - What Happens After You Reach The End of The Road?

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:38:54 GMT

Ken, I recommend that for the next leg, you call the effort the SOB for Singapore Or Bust. Then you can transition to the MOB for the Mediterranean Or Bust. {;*)) In regard to the question about current, would shifting into neutral have provided any answers or were the winds too great? Ron

GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

Note: The first part of this blog entry is a bit redundant to the quick updates I sent out over the past couple of weeks...

In Taiwan, our boats were tied up at An Ping Fishing Harbor. It’s a small harbor, far out of town, with nothing around it. Nordhavn’s factory, Ta Shing, selected this location because it was a good place to work on the boats. The original plan had been that we’d park the boats and then shuffle off to a hotel while Ta Shing worked on our boats. However, while the others went to a hotel, Roberta and I were stuck on the boat. Shelby (our dog) was not able to clear into Taiwan, so she had to stay on the boat, which also meant we had to stay on the boat.

Karen from Asia Yacht Services

For our two day trip to Hong Kong I had asked Asia Yacht Services (www.asiayachtservices.com), the company that would be looking after our boats in Hong Kong, if they had anyone I could hire as crew for the passage. Roberta and I are fine to do the passage alone, but overnight passages are much easier with extra crew on board. Also, I liked the idea of having someone on board who had been into the Hong Kong port before. They agreed to send two people, including their head of maintenance. First one of these people dropped out, and then the other canceled the night before departure, due to visa problems getting into Taiwan. Instead, they sent Karen, who had sailed extensively around Hong Kong. We were very happy to have her.

Carol from Seabird working on clearing out of Taiwan. Note the smile. She would soon see these same people again, and the smile would be gone

Braun and Tina (Grey Pearl) gifted Sans Souci and Seabird a rubber stamp. I hadn’t been certain what I’d do with it, but it has been very handy in dealing with customs officials. They all expect me to have one, and insist I stamp it on all the official documents.

Only Seabird and Sans Souci would be departing for Hong Kong. Braun and Tina, from Grey Pearl, had decided to fly to mainland China for a three week tour. They would be joining us later in Hong Kong.

Seabird following Sans Souci as we departed the harbor in Taiwan

As we were departing, Roberta asked if she could take over and drive the boat. She wanted practice leaving the dock. She pulled us away from the dock perfectly, and I worked the lines. Before turning over control of the boat to her, I thought I noticed that the thrusters felt weak. I should have said something and gave them a full test. Not having done so would later turn out to be a serious error.

Our first hour out of port was tricky. There were a lot of fisherman, and fishing gear in the water. We had a hard time zigzagging through it. Once we hit open water, we relaxed and settled in for a two day passage.

But, our good moods didn’t last too long…

Normally after departure our boats speak on the radio to discuss speed. It’s normally a short discussion, “How’s this speed feel?” And, the response, “Fine. Let’s give it a try.” However, this time, when I asked the question, Steven (Seabird) said, "My exhaust is hotter than I like. Let’s slow down a bit." Half an hour later I radioed again to ask if the temperature had settled down. Carol said, “Steven’s in the engine room. He’s cleaning the air filter on the main engine.” This seemed very strange. A bit later Steven called back on the radio to say that he had cleaned the air filter and was hoping that it would solve the problem. This wasn’t something I would have thought of. Another half hour went by when I called Steven again, “How’s the heat?” He said it wasn’t improved and the boat was running the hottest it ever had. His entire drive train was significantly hotter than he had seen it before. “Should we be turning around?,” I asked. There was no answer for a bit, and then Steven said, “Yes. It is time to turn around.”

His response stunned me. I should have seen it coming, but didn’t. I assumed that the worst case was that we’d need to run slow. We discussed what might be happening and both agreed that it sounded like he had either collected growth on his bottom or possibly wrapped something around his prop. He needed to get back to shallow water, drop the anchor, and dive under the boat to see what was going on. He suggested that I continue, and then with a little luck he would be able to clean up whatever the problem was and then catch up with me.

A very sad look at Seabird on my chart plotter, as Seabird headed back

By a strange coincidence, I had just been doing a safety briefing for Karen, our new crew member...

I had been explaining where all the safety equipment was, including fire extinguishers, life jackets, life rafts, and survival suits. We were trying to decide whether if there were an emergency, would getting into survival suits made sense? I mentioned that it was an irrelevant issue, in that the beauty of traveling with two other boats was that if anything went wrong we’d be rescued within minutes of hitting the water.

However, this was no longer true. For the first time in over 7,000 nautical miles of cruising, we would be totally alone.

I did think about whether or not I should also turn around...

Our GSSR group has always said that if one of us is stuck at sea, the others would not leave them behind. In this case, we were still close to port, and I’d be in radio contact with Seabird all the way to port. If I continued alone, I would be the one who was at risk, not Seabird. Steven felt there was a chance he’d be able to clean his bottom, and flip around to catch up with me. I wasn’t convinced this was possible, but thought there was a chance he could at least catch up enough to get into radio range. I had high hopes that this would be possible.

Slowing down to wait for Seabird could be dangerous. We had been alerted that a typhoon was coming. We were scheduled to arrive 24 hours ahead of the typhoon, but I didn't want to give up any of our margin for error.

The determining factor, in my decision to continue without Seabird, became our dog. Shelby had a tough time of it in Taiwan. She was stuck on the boat because we couldn’t clear her into Taiwan. Shelby is in good shape for a fourteen year old dog, but she’s starting to show her age. She seemed to be in serious depression and was just lying on the floor looking sad. We needed to get her off the boat. Also, we had spoken to animal quarantine in Hong Kong and they were considering Japan as our last port prior to Hong Kong. They knew we were stopping in Taiwan, but that Shelby wasn’t getting off the boat. If we turned around, and had to spend another week in Taiwan, at some point, Hong Kong would lose patience with us.

Thus, we continued alone...

Unfortunately, we weren’t moving very fast, and I wasn’t certain why. We were averaging only about 7 knots. Our speed was bouncing between as little as 5.5 knots and no more than 7.5 knots. Was the problem crud on our bottom, or was it an adverse current? I had no idea. One idea was to make a 180 degree turn and look to see if we accelerated. However, I had asked Steven whether or not his speed picked up when he turned around, and he said that he did not pick up speed when he turned back.

When Seabird reached shallow water, just before the port, they dropped anchor and Steven dived under the boat. I was very curious to speak with him to find out if indeed our theory was correct, and his problem was growth on his bottom, and if he would be able to quickly wipe it off and rejoin me. I was also curious to find whether or not there was growth on my bottom, or if what I was experiencing was current.

Steven did not call back until we were nearly twenty miles apart. “I have good news and bad news” he said. “The good news is that the problem is that the prop and keel cooler have a inch thick layer of a white chalky substance on them. The bad news is that there is way too much of it for me to clean off. I have already spoken with Ta Shing and they have scheduled a diver to come tomorrow.” All hope was gone that Seabird would be turning around to join us. We would be making the passage alone, and apparently, our problem wasn’t current. We would be doing the rest of the passage at this horribly slow speed. It was now apparent that we would be arriving in Hong Kong after dark.

I felt terrible leaving Seabird alone in Taiwan.

The distance from Taiwan to Hong Kong is 400 nautical miles. One very unusual aspect of the passage is that the majority of the trip is over shallow water, mostly only a couple of hundred feet deep. And, studying the chart, I could see a place that was under 50 feet deep. This seemed perfect as a place to drop anchor and inspect the bottom. I wanted to get out my scuba gear, and have everything teed up, so that we could drop anchor, I could dive, and be back in the boat within 30 minutes. However, when I shared my plan with Roberta, she talked me out of it. We were in 2-3 foot waves, and the bottom would be bouncing while I was underneath. If anything went wrong, with us 75 miles from shore, it would be a nasty situation. We were running fine, although slower than we’d like.

And, Roberta wasn’t convinced that our problem wasn’t current. The simplest way to find out if you are in a current or not is to simply turn around and see if you move faster. Doing this probably meant a 30 minute to one hour delay, and we were fighting the clock for daylight arrival. Plus, it really didn’t matter. Unless I was willing to go under the boat and clean the bottom, it was what it was. We either were in current, or we weren’t, but nothing was going to change it.

I should segue for a minute to talk about how we did our shifts driving the boat….

With three people on the boat, we decided to slice the driving into three hour shifts. Roberta would drive for three hours, then Karen for three hours, and then me for three hours, and then we’d repeat it. This meant that everyone would have six hours to rest between driving.

Prior to this trip I had never met Karen in my life. She seemed competent, but you have to really trust someone to go to sleep on a long passage while they drive. I grilled Karen on her background, and mostly, she had done watches on sailboats, not powerboats. Sans Souci is complex, and was not running 100%. The gunk on the bottom and the adverse current were causing Sans Souci to run slowly, and warmer than usual. I knew that I had to sleep, or I’d be dangerous to have on the helm. I decided that the best answer was to do double shifts with Karen until I knew her better and had a sense of her watch skills. To my delight, she was an outstanding watch-stander. She took the initiative to step outside the pilot house every 30 minutes, to have a really good look for other boats, and paid very close attention to both radars. We had a good team, and sleep would be possible

Once Sans Souci arrived at the shallow water, something completely unexpected occurred. I had expected that the seas might get rougher due to the shallow water, but they stayed the same. What did change was that we started to speed up. In minutes, my speed jumped from 6.5 knots to 7.5 knots, then to 8.1 knots, and onward to 9.8 knots. Wow!!! Not exactly warp speed, but I was very happy with it. Our arrival time whiplashed from arriving at 10pm, to arriving at 4am. I know, for different rpms, how fast the boat should go, and we were getting at least a 1 knot push. This was weird, and not predicted on the current charts. After a couple of hours we slowed down a bit, to 8.5 knots, but then ran at that speed for another 12 hours. We were very pleased on Sans Souci.

On our second day, we were running along the China coast. We never saw mainland china, but always knew it was about 12 miles out the window on the starboard side of the boat. For me, it was a very strange feeling. I NEVER would have thought I’d be driving a boat off the shore of China. What was I doing here?

The currents that were pushing us had accelerated our arrival to the point that we were on track to arrive early, perhaps even in the dark. We needed to slow down.

However, we had a new problem...

Over the past couple of hours, a swell had started. The typhoon was still a long ways away from us, but it was stirring up the water in the Philippines, and some of the swell was working its way our direction. Or, so I thought. All I really knew was that during a two hour period, our relatively calm seas had risen to where a gentle eight foot swell had evolved. We were climbing up one side of the swell, then falling off the backside. It wasn’t at all a problem. As we’d come down the backside of the swell, we twisted around a bit, and were perhaps losing some speed. However, it was what I didn’t know that was worrying me. How much taller was the swell going to get? Eight feet was fine, but twenty feet wouldn’t be. Perhaps the typhoon was accelerating? Perhaps it was no big deal and I was over-reacting? Perhaps I hadn’t slept as much as I should, and was getting paranoid about the approaching typhoon.

I looked Karen in the eye and said, “Are you 100% sure you can guide us into Hong Kong in the dark?” She answered, “No problem.” And, I kicked up the throttle. It was time to move. By speeding up we would be arriving at the entrance to Hong Kong at 3am, in the complete dark. This would not be good, but Karen seemed confident, and I don’t like typhoons, plus, I liked the idea of being in port and getting some sleep.

Under normal circumstances, I can ‘put the pedal to the metal’ on Sans Souci, and all is well. But, with the water around us warmer than most showers, crud caked on the bottom of the boat, thru-hulls partially clogged and caked-over props, my drive train was complaining a bit. I dedicated one of our three monitors in the pilothouse just to monitoring the temperatures of the engines, transmissions and shafts. The engines were the most worrisome. I’m not a diesel mechanic, so I really don’t know at what temperature I should start worrying. I’m accustoming to seeing the engines run 176 degrees, but now they were running 192 degrees. The shafts, which normally run 83 degrees were running 106 degrees. The transmissions, that normally run 125 degrees were closing in on 150 degrees! I phoned friends, all of whom asked the water temperature, and everyone felt I was fine, so, I continued to worry, but kept the speed up.

The swell never rose any further, and actually fell a bit. As usual, I was being overly cautious. Generally speaking though, I’ve gotten in less trouble worrying too much, than when I’ve worried too little.

The final phase of approaching Hong Kong is to run through about 30 miles of islands. I plotted a course that took us alongside a special shipping lane set up for freighters. My intent was to run the right edge of the lane, but stay out of the freighters way.

As we approached my right turn, I had probably ten freighters within a mile of Sans Souci, plus several freighters outbound that were showing on the radar, and some smaller boats heading my way that I was going to need to zigzag through. Roberta had gone down to sleep, so it was just Karen and I at the helm. The freighters tend to move at anywhere from 12 knots of speed to 20 knots. Sans Souci moves only about 9 knots, and whereas I had assumed the current would die, it remained against us, and intensified. I now had at least a couple knots of current against me, and was being overtaken quickly, on both sides, by the freighters. Meanwhile, the first of the two smaller boats headed straight for me. I had planned to pass behind him, but he started shining his searchlight at me. I was close enough now to see that it was towing the boat behind. I stopped dead in the water, causing Roberta to come rushing up the stairs to ask what was happening. And, this was all in about the first hundred yards. The next 30 miles were going to be ‘interesting.’

Soon after turning the corner, I realized that the right side of the shipping lane was lined with fishing boats pulling nets. I would need to run inside the traffic lane, meaning I’d constantly being dodging freighters coming from behind. I didn’t have to wait long to be put to the test. A freighter approached from behind, and I tried to squeeze to the right, but one of the fishing boats was there, and it was well into the traffic lane. It had big poles poking out the side and was pulling a net. I was caught between the freighter and the fishing boat. Once again, I hit the brakes, and slowed to let the freighter pass. I looked at Karen and asked, “How in the heck do you do this in a sailboat at night?”

Soon afterwards, a little tiny boat crossed by bow at lightning speed, passing within 50 feet of my bow. Why? He could easily have passed behind, and not put himself at risk?

During the day this doesn't look exciting, but at night it is a whole other experience.

Then I was passed by a couple of freighters so large that it was incomprehensible. There’s a special horn blast reserved for the danger sign; five short blasts. Trust me, it isn’t fun when you hear that sound from behind you, and look back to see a city-sized freighter on your tail.

There was one bright spot for the run, and I wish I had a picture to share. I put Navnet 3d into 3d mode, with radar overlay, and zoomed in to show about a 1 mile radius. It was beautiful! I could clearly see the traffic lane as well as all the boats around me. It also gave the ‘big picture’ of where all the islands were and what they looked like, and helped orient Karen and I.

Once I had Navnet 3d going, learned to stick to the center of the traffic lane, and started getting the hang of spotting the other ships, my mood brightened, and things didn't seem quite so tense.

At 5:30am the sun started rising, and I could see.

Daylight arrived just as we were pulling into port; the Gold Coast Marina in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

I assume most people know Hong Kong’s history with the British, and the hand-off to China, but if not, check out this Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong. Roberta and I were in Hong Kong for the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997. We have very fond memories of Hong Kong, and were curious to see it again.

Hong Kong is very unique in the world. The population density is higher than in Manhattan, and there is a lot of money running around. Great restaurants abound, and the British history means that English is not a problem.

Entering our marina was a very cool feeling. It was the first time I had seen a ‘real’ marina, with real-live floating docks, and recreational cruising boats, in many months.
\
There are ten or more restaurants at the top of the dock, an ATM machine, a wonderful grocery store, a 7-11 and even a McDonalds. We had shore power connected within minutes.

I felt a little guilty about Seabird, stuck behind in Taiwan, so I sent this email (CLICK HERE) telling him what the marina was like. I wanted him to enjoy Taiwan and not be thinking about Hong Kong.

Soon after though, I decided to be a little more honest and sent this link to some snapshots I took around the marina. The beach is immediately adjacent to the marina.

http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/m/Gold_Coast_Marina

Here’s one funny thing about the marina that we’re in. There are a lot of big boxy boats! Most are steel and look like floating shoeboxes. They are clearly boats, not houseboats, but if you look around the marina you’ll notice that a significant percentage of the boats have no radar, or domes of any sort, on top. I spoke with one owner who said that he was using his pseudo-boat as a condo, and it had 2,500 sq ft, but that he would soon be moving to a larger boat-condo of over 4,500 sq. ft., and that a similar waterfront condo would cost $6 to $8 million! Apparently there are rules about what constitutes a boat, and what constitutes a condo, and a boat must have an engine. So .. there are some boxy 'boats' around me in the marina, but I’ll bet they don’t have a lot of miles on their engines!

And, here’s something else strange about marinas in Hong Kong (not the one we are in!) I spoke with a local boat owner (a 60’ trawler) who mentioned that his marina had no docks whatsoever. His boat is just floating at a mooring buoy! I asked if he had to pay someone $5 to tender him to shore whenever he wanted on or off the boat, and he said, “Nope – it’s around 50 cents”. I thought for a minute, “What about shore power?” His response, “This is Hong Kong. Anything is possible. They ran a power cable out to me, under the water, that pokes up from a pipe.

And lastly, in my previous blog I mentioned that Roberta and I are making plans to move Sans Souci to the Med. I also mentioned that we might travel alone for a year without the other two GSSR boats.

This triggered a couple of questions on the NordhavnDreamers discussion group that I follow regularly (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nordhavndreamers)

I am including here two answers I gave to questions about our plans. They should be self-explanatory.

John asked whether we chose the Med, because it is the 'best place in the world."

--- In NordhavnDreamers@yahoogroups.com, Can Osten <canosten@...> wrote:
>
> Ken has mentioned that they are thinking to move their boat to Med (even
though they spend 3 seasons there earlier). This decision makes me think: Is Med
better than any other place on earth?
>
> Thanks,
> John O.
>

John:

The Med has much to recommend it, and much to recommend against it.

In general, I think the negatives seem to outweigh the positives for many
American cruisers. It seems to me that most of the NAR boats left the Med fairly
quickly and I don't think any of the second Atlantic Rally boats are still in
the Med.

The biggest positive for the Med is that there are a great number of different
cultures and countries, all within a fairly small area, to explore. You can
cruise Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Bosnia, Sicily, Corsica,
Sardinia and more, all with their unique cultures and languages. The truly
adventurous (not me) only need to pop across the Med to add places like Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel and Syria to their world tour. Or, you
can head through the Straits of Gibralta and head for Portugal, the UK, Ireland
and more. There's a lot of history and exploration to be had.

Generally speaking, there are no currents or tides in the Med. Good cruising
guides can be found. And in much of the Med, fishing boats and fishing gear in
the water are not a problem. Piracy is not a problem in the Med.

That said, there are enormous problems with language, electricity and wind.

Theoretically, english is the linga franca, and almost everyone speaks some
english. That said, communications can be difficult. If you have a bit of a
sense of humor, and plenty of patience, you will meet some great people, and can
make anything happen. If you get frustrated easily you'll have a terrible time.
Roberta speaks fluent spanish, and I speak mediocre french, so this helps.

The electricity varies from country to country and even marina to marina. There
is never enough, and it is usually not the right adapter, and the person who has
the adapter is usually not in this week.

And, the wind! I have sat in port for two weeks or more, on several occasions,
as the wind blew 30 knots and higher, relentlessly. I just spent yesterday
studying the 'wind roses' for Greece, and shaking my head.

Lastly, at least for me, the season is short. The Europeans (in the parts of the
Med I have frequented) think in terms of summer being July and August. The
'happening scene' is July August, and then the Med turns off the lights. I'm
exaggerating, but not completely. You can walk the beach in St Tropez on August
31st, tripping over bodies everywhere, or visit again on September 1st, fire a
cannon, and not hit anyone. Of course for some cruisers, this is good news, and
the shoulder months with decent weather, and the anchorages to themselves, are
their favorite.

Were I to pick one place on earth as the best cruising grounds, I'd probably
have to pick the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, which is saying an incredible
amount, given that I don't eat or catch fish, and don't like cold water. It is
impossible to look at my own pictures from our time there and not get emotional.
It's cruising as good as it gets.

As to why I want to head back to the Med... For me, the good days outweigh the
bad days, and the Pacific NW will still be there when I'm ready to sit still.
This is our time for 'seeing the world' and there is a lot of the Med we haven't
explored. We've spent 99% of our time in Europe in France or Spain. We've barely
touched the surface, and want to 'pick up' the other countries, plus we have all
of our favorite places in France and Spain we want to go back to.

But, I wouldn't say that Med cruising is perfect for everyone on this list...

-Ken W

Them, Ron Rogers asked whether or not this means the end of the GSSR...

Ron asked me, "...Does this mean that your part in the GSSR is over?..."

Ron: I really have no idea. The GSSR will reunite in Hong Kong on Monday, and
sometime after all the hugging is done, we'll sit down for some serious
discussion about where we cruise next year. Last year at this time we had no
idea where we were heading, and in fact, we really didn't decide until a couple
weeks after we had all flown home.

We all know that we are headed towards the Med, but there are three different
couples with three different ideas on how to get there. None of us wants to go
past Somalia and deal with pirates. There is some discussion of 'going for it'
using a heavily armed convoy. Those who know me know that this will never happen
(for me anyhow). I'm not a cowboy. There is also discussion of going somewhat
closer to where the pirates are, than where we are, such as Thailand, and ship
the boats to the Med from there. And, there is discussion of shipping the boats
to the Med from where we are now, in Hong Kong.

Polynesia and Australia have not been ruled out, and we may head that direction.
That said, Australia is distinctly dog-unfriendly, so I'm not sure how that
plays out. We might go there and leave Shelby (our dog) at home. I don't know.

I sent an email to the others a couple weeks ago saying, "I'm ok with anywhere,
as long as there aren't pirates." And, they both wrote back saying essentially
the same thing.

I have one extra issue. I don't want to go somewhere where I can't ship my boat.
Longtime readers of my blog may remember that a few years back my boat got
caught for six months in Golfito, and I couldn't get it shipped. We're over 100
tons, and only a minority of freighters seem to be able to carry us. The whole
mess resulted in litigation with Yachtpath that is still dragging its way
through the courts (I won the case, but the appeals process is long and
expensive.) I need to make sure that wherever we go I can either ship the boat,
or I am willing to drive it, to wherever we go next. If I continue on to
Thailand, I need to know that I can ship the boat from there, or somewhere
close.

Overall, we're not burning a lot of brain cells worrying about it. There are
enormous benefits to cruising far-off places as part of a group. I don't know
that any of us would venture as far off the grid, as we have, alone. In addition
to the practical reasons for cruising together, there is the fact that our group
has bonded. The other two boats don't arrive in Hong Kong until Monday, and it
feels funny being here without them. It is more fun to share cool experiences
with friends.

So...

It's a little like a movie, where there are lots of ups and downs, and lots of
things are happening, but you don't worry too much because you know at the end
the guy is going to get the girl, and the nice older couple is going to get to
keep their farm. I know that our GSSR group is going to figure where to go next
year, and that we're going to see a lot of the world together, but damned if I
know how we get there from here. But, we will.

-Ken W

That’s it for today! I’ll post again when Seabird and Grey Pearl arrive in Hong Kong. For now, they are on the move. This link should allow you to track their movement, live, over the next two days:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0QFfdZsomAjanceJLt1fsqyBLUHqnKLD1

I'll be checking it often!

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:38:24 GMT

Tom Groendahl: Greetings! (for those who don't know Tom, he took care of the GSSR boats during the off season last year). We survived one more year, and are now in Hong Kong. The growth in Taiwan was shocking. Tainan is a factory zone and the harbor we were in is right at where a river meets the sea. My guess is that hundreds of factories dump crud into the water, and there was some chemical in the water that was coating our boats. I don't think it was 'just' the water temperature, but I really have no idea. I think it was a combination of heavily polluted water, combined with high temperatures. The water here in Hong Kong is not exactly transparent, but it isn't as bad as what we had in Tainan. And, it seems to be cooler, but far from cool. The water temperature is now 85 degrees, versus 89 in Tainan. I have a diver scheduled to come every two weeks to clean the bottom. It has been about two weeks since the last cleaning, and things don't look too bad. I hope you are enjoying Canada. It must be a huge change after having lived in Japan. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:30:34 GMT

Fred: Seakeepers, as I understand it, provides (or, yacht owners buy?) equipment on private boats that monitors and transmits sea conditions. This allows for constant real-time monitoring of the ocean conditions. The primary recipients of this information are scientists who are doing research on the the oceans for environmental reasons. The equipment looks too bulky to be installed on my boat, and installing anything is difficult given where we are. Were I in the US I might explore it, although I don't know that I'd put a lot of energy into it. There are a lot of freighters that are in motion 24 hours a day 7 days a week, whereas even though I cruise extensively by private yacht standards, we're not really cruising enough to make a meaningful contribution. I average around 4,000 nm a year, which is only about 500 hours of cruising. That's not a lot of data. Thank you, Ken Williams

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:36:04 GMT

Are you a member or have you heard of the International Seakeepers Society? There is a good article in the Aug issue of Yachts International. Their members, who cruise extensively, collect information about sea conditions while travelling all over the world. They use some version of Simon software. Thought you might find it interesting. The link is http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/4def0962#/4def0962/1

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:39:05 GMT

I just thought I would check on the blog and see how everyone is doing. I am glad to read you are all doing well. I see the warm waters are causing a lot of growth on the bottom of your boats, but I was pretty surprised to find out it was an inch. Was it typical sea growth or something special? I am glad to hear that you are finally in a place that is well acquainted with yachts like the SS. My thoughts go out to Shelby.

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:19:27 GMT

Ken, Brooks & Gatehouse and Furuno offer thruhull sensors without paddles and there are experienced dealers in Hong Kong. If you choose to haul in Hong Kong for a bottom job, there are several firms that could perform the task. Knowing the delta between SOG and STW (Speed Through the Water) gives us info on the effect of wind, current, and tide on SOG. One can also compute set, although today's autopilots do that automagicall. Owing to the thickness of a Norhavn hull, I suspect an inside mount would not work. Ron

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:23:22 GMT

Andy: Thank you for the tip. I had no idea these existed. I'm not really certain what the capabilities of the staff are who will be watching over my boat. I don't know that I have the courage to have them drilling holes in the bottom of my boat. I think I'll save this project until the boat is back in the US. Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:10:01 GMT

Re: Speed sensors There are ultrasonic, and also magnetic speed transducers that use no paddlewheel: http://www.panbo.com/archives/2009/10/airmar_cs4500_part_i_reliable_boat_speed.html Also, a triducer: http://www.ybw-directory.com/Marine_Directory/products/consumer/full_review.jsp?r_id=636&category_id=15 Andy B

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:25:26 GMT

Chuck: I had been to Nordhavn's Ta Shing plant several times before, when our Nordhavn 62 was being built, and then a couple of times when our Nordhavn 68 was being built. On past trips I primarily focused on my own boat and didn't take the time to meet the Ta Shing staff or really look at how they build the boats. I'm not smart enough about these things, and haven't visited enough factories to really constrast their methods with industry practices. All I can really say is that they have a very concientous team, with an enormous amount of experience. I think I wrote in my blog that they had 30 people with 25 or more years working at Ta Shing, and it resulted in them calling me to point out that I was low. They have 40 employees with over THIRTY years of employment. Ta Shing has been building boats for fifty years, and knows what they are doing. Overall, I would be honored to have Ta Shing build me another boat. But, that said, it isn't very likely. Roberta and I always say that if we ever build another boat it will be "a lot bigger or a lot smaller." Ta Shing builds the 56 motor sailor, the 62 (which is dead), the 64/68 series and the 72/76 series. I don't see us ever moving up to the N76. It really isn't much bigger and wouldn't make sense. The N68 is at the grey edge of what we are comfortable operating with just the two of us. If we were to move to a larger boat, it would need to be large enough that we could add crew and maintain some privacy. We're very curious to see the new 120. Realistically, I don't see us moving to a larger boat until we are too old to run a boat alone. Maybe once we are into our 80s we'll start looking at a larger boat. We don't like the loss of privacy of having crew around. More likely, but also unlikely, we discuss from time to time the idea of a smaller boat. One of our favorite summers was taking a little 28' power cat through the Bahamas. It was a little rocket ship (40 knot speed) and we could squeeze onto any dock. We had a blast with it. We've also talked about something like a 47' Nordhavn or a 55' Nordhavn. Complexity, maintenance and cleaning on a boat rise exponentially with the size of the boat. Ultimately, I'm kind of lazy. I'd rather fiddle with my computer than wash the boat. But of course, if we got a smaller boat, then we'd have a lot less space, and things like the hot tub would have to go. So... I seriously doubt we'll ever make the decision to downsize. We've got a boat that seems "just right" for us. But, it's always fun to think about other boat sizes! Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 18:58:30 GMT

Bruce Thomas: I have lots of fancy electronics, but no hull speed indicator. How are these implemented? An old fashioned paddle wheel? All I have is my speed over ground and course over ground. With these I can usually guesstimate my hull speed, but not always. If I were in the US I'd probably have a hull speed indicator added, although, I think I asked once and the problem is that the paddle wheel type senders foul quickly. All advice appreciated, -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:01:30 GMT

Ken, I am curious about your problem distinguishing hull speed from speed over the ground vis a vis knowing if the current is adverse. Is there a knotmeter on San Souci? You dont mention comparing gps speed over ground versus hull speed to know whether or not you have adverse current.

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:25:02 GMT

You didn't have too much to say about your time at the Nordhavn plant. Did you learn anything new. Ready to upgrade? :)

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 05:00:57 GMT

Greetings Cliff! We will get to New Zealand sooner or later. I've heard only great things about the cruising. Our present thinking is that Shelby's too old to put through quarantine (she's 14 years old). At some point she won't be with us any more and we'll head to Australia and New Zealand, but for now, there are plenty of places that are less picky, and we'll just explore those. So... see you in a few years. Thank you, Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:54:55 GMT

Ken, Thanks for sharing your adventure. I am hoping you may come down through the Pacific to New Zealand for your next adventure. New Zealand has several excellent cruising grounds, Bay of islands, Hauraki Gulf, Marlbough Sounds and Fiordland. Also there are several islands south of New Zealand worth a visit but you would have to get permission to go there. New Zealand has an excellent service industry with top quality tradesmen. However Shelby would be a problem and would probably have to be left behind or go into quarantine. My interest is purely selfish in that I would hope to get a glimpse of your great ship. Cliff

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:58:45 GMT

Alan: I don't believe there is an "Asian Attitude," but do believe that Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong do each seem to have a unique attitude. In Japan, we saw almost no recreational cruising. The little we did see were sport fishing boats, and not many of them. The entire concept of dropping anchor and 'hanging out' or boats as floating motor homes, does not seem to exist. There are no laws prohibiting it, and the industry does seem to be emerging, but it's very small. We did see some sail boats, but most seemed focused on local regattas, not on cruising. In Taiwan, I was told by both an American diplomat, and a senior Ta Shing executive, that private ownership of yachts is forbidden. I did see a few private sailboats, but there is no power boat market as far as I know. I asked "why" and was told that the fisherman have a very powerful lobby, and don't like the private yachts. Whether or not this is true, I have no idea. In Hong Kong, the recreational cruising market seems to be alive and well. I don't have a sense of how popular it is, but marinas are very visible, and the concept of anchoring does exist. A couple of locals have sent me coordinates of their favorite anchorages. I do not know if most of the cruising community is British or Asian. On the docks I have mostly seen crew, not owners, so I'm not sure who the owners are. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 15 - The Road to Hong Kong

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:17:14 GMT

I wonder, Ken, if you have any observations about the Asian attitude toward recreational boating. It seems from your writing as if they are somewhat mystified with the concept--a paucity of marinas, concern about your motivation, etc. It seems to be a culture that just doesn't embrace the idea of cruising, and maybe even the idea of recreation in general.

GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I am pleased to report that Sans Souci is now happily sitting at the dock in Hong Kong.

The final hours of our arrival were tense. I’ll write more about it when I write my real blog sometime in the next week. As I’ve mentioned in the past, it is always a priority for us to arrive, after a passage, in the daylight. On the passage to Hong Kong this was tricky because of the currents. Our estimated arrival time varied wildly as the currents had their way with us. We usually can pinpoint our arrival time within a few minutes, and adjust speed to hit our forecast, but on this passage my estimated arrival times swung by as much as 12 hours. Ultimately, we became worried about the approaching typhoon and decided to pull out all stops and run as fast as we could to Hong Kong, even though it would mean arriving at night. The last 30 miles of our arrival was spent in total darkness, dodging between a multitude of city-sized freighters, fishing boats pulling nets, and tugs pulling barges. The radar was totally useless and running the boat required two of us, with 100% focus on looking out the windows.

Here’s one moment from early in our night…

I was surprised by a little tiny boat, perhaps 15-20 feet long, which never appeared on radar, suddenly crossing my bow. The boat shot in front of me, with amazing speed, while I was in the main traffic lane, within 50 feet of my running it over. I was in shock that I could have missed it, and that the captain on the little boat would have been so stupid. I absolutely had the right of way. The boat was lit, but was dimly lit, and to be honest, in the freighter lanes I wasn’t expecting tender sized traffic. I mentioned the incident to a local and they said that the Chinese boats will sometimes deliberately cut in tight to your bow in an effort to have another boat boat clip off any bad luck spirits that might be trailing along behind their boat. Whether superstition played a role or not, I do not know. But I do know that it was a bad way for me to start the evenings cruise through heavy traffic, at night, on entry to Hong Kong. Or, perhaps it was a good occurrence, because you can bet I was highly focused on every light around me after that incident!

More when I get some time,

Ken Williams
www.kensblog.com
Nordhavn 68, Sans Souci

PS The typhoon became a non-event, missing Hong Kong entirely. I think one of the reasons there are so many stories floating around about boats that are caught in typhoons is that there are lots of false alarms. After a while you start thinking of Chicken Little, and that the typhoon will always miss you … until it doesn’t.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 04:15:24 GMT

Michael: If you look at my most recent blog you'll see some commentary on our plans. The bottom line is "I haven't the vaguest idea what we are doing next year". Thus far, the momentum has been towards Sans Souci shipping directly from Hong Kong to the Med, with Seabird and Grey Pearl continuing to Singapore, and then meeting us in the Med a year later (2012.) Recently though, Roberta and I have decided we love being in Hong Kong, and don't really want to leave. We don't know what this means, but there's a lot of discussion of us hanging out here for a bit. We are thinking we might come back to Hong Kong in May/June for some local cruising, and then ship the boat to the Med. While we are here in Hong Kong we can fly to Phuket to sightsee. I doubt we will take the boat to Phuket, as I don't think we'll be able to ship it to the Med from there, although this has not been ruled out. I'm phoning different freight companies, and have an email out to Seven Stars Shipping, to see what they have to say. As to piracy.. there are some pirate attacks still happening around Singapore. I've said before that I would pass on traveling through any waters where there are pirates. Check out: http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=visualization&controller=visualization.googlemap&Itemid=219 You'll see a bunch of attacks this year around Singapore, all against freighters. Which, might or might not mean we are safe. I'm not so enamored of taking the boat that direction that I want to find out. Flying to a resort seems simpler (and, shipping the boat to the Med from Hong Kong). Anyway... hopefully sometime in the next two weeks we'll make some decisions. Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:51:55 GMT

Ken & Roberta, Have you considered visiting not only Thailand but some part of Indonesia ? There enough people around here moving in these waters. Singapore has a lot of freighters passing through and it could be your port for shipping to the Med. But, Hey, you might be missing some nice places like Sir Lanka too. There is enough history around here to fill many of your blogs for years to come. Enjoy tremendously your trip from the first day. Enjoy the rest in HKG.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:55:41 GMT

Hello Ken. Nice Boat!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:27:17 GMT

Warren: Talkspot.com is doing very well, and my site uses Talkspot. We're at nearly 60,000 websites now! About 10,000 sites were done on an older, now obsolete, version of our system. We gave everyone a year's notice to upgrade, and many did, but some didn't. Those sites which didn't elect to move to our new system are now gone. Thank you, Ken Williams

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:25:25 GMT

Mxcoder: We have only been in Hong Kong one week, but have now had two typhoon warnings. My recollection is that there are normally 20 or so typhoons a summer, and most miss Hong Kong, but once in a while... So, the marina will be watching over my boat (actually www.AsiaYachtServices.com) and will add additional lines each time that a typhoon threatens. As I'm typing this, a typhoon is heading our way, but has already made a turn, and will miss Hong Kong. We're seeing some rain, but that's it. Overall, I'm enjoying the respite from all the heat! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:45:49 GMT

LeifJ: We haven't noticed the time change, other than it is annoying when I try to do business at home. I don't overlap with them at all on business hours. If I'm awake and at my computer, everyone I know is sleeping. We're almost done with this year's cruising. Soon we'll be off the boat, and back to Seattle. I'm sure I'll be jet lagged for a week! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:25:36 GMT

Hi Ken I havn't posted any comments before, but now! I have followed your adventures since you set off from Seattle and actually also before when you croosed the Atlantc as well! I sitting in Sweden and usually you post your blogg 'after' my time, so I have to wait until the day after to read. But now it suddenly stuck me that you are before my time!! And I can't remember that you have mentioned the you crossed the date line. And nothing of changing the time as you advanced more and more to the east. Have these time changes affected the life on board?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:47:12 GMT

How is everyone handling the storm?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:57:45 GMT

What happened to Talkspot.com. All the web sights say that the sites have been deactivated.Really enjoy your bog.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:19:17 GMT

Mike: Thank you for the heads up! The water here in the marina seems fairly clean, but we're a fair distance out of Hong Kong central. We've chartered a small fast boat for one day next week, just to zoom us around to the local beaches, so we can get a feel for what the cruising and anchoring is like. Whether or not we come back to Hong Kong sometime in the next few months, to do some cruising, will depend on what we see. Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci is in Hong Kong

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:56:40 GMT

Many years ago our destroyer escort anchored in Hong Kong and man of war jellies cloged the intakes. Also we were told that if you get splashed with the water go directly to the dispensary. At that time many people lived on thier junks and all waste went in to the water....hope all is better now.........

GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Sans Souci has completed the first day of two day passage to Hong Kong. We’re currently running along the south coast of China, in heavy freighter traffic, and smooth seas, about 15 miles offshore.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s update, we are in the unusual circumstance of racing towards a typhoon. This is a time when I'd like all the speed I can get, but the boat has been running at only 5.5 to 6.5 knots.

Seabird turned back to port, and discovered their props were caked with crud. At first, I couldn’t decide if our boat had the same problem, or if we were in a current.

I was fairly certain it was our boat, not current. When Seabird turned around I asked if they sped up, and they hadn’t. Also, our engines were running hotter, and burning 15-20% more fuel, than usual.

It was impossible to relax without knowing, and I started looking for a shallow place where I could dive under the boat. The run from Taiwan to Hong Kong is over mostly shallow water. Some is 400 feet deep, but the middle third is under 75 feet deep. If I held out I could drop anchor and clean the prop. However, the seas were too rough for diving, and Steven mentioned that he got slammed diving under Seabird. Roberta was convinced our problem was current, and didn’t want me beneath the boat in rough seas, 100 miles from shore. As the person who needed to do the swimming, I liked her thinking.

Before I had to make a decision, I received an email from another Nordhavn owner (Milt Baker) with the chart above. I had googled to try to find current information for the South China Sea and struck out, but Milt read my blog and hunted it down. In the chart above, the index along the right hand side is the current speed. We were in the worst possible position for current. The good news was that we were working our way southwest and the adverse current would be reducing to 1 or 2 knots soon.

Actually, it turned out even better than this. When we hit the long, nearly 75 mile long stretch of shallow water, the current turned for a bit and was pushing us. We accelerated from 5.5 to 10 knots in minutes! The high speed only lasted a few hours, and then dropped to no current for another eight hours (allowing us to make 9 knots). I noticed that during the time we had no current, or a pushing current, the water temperature dropped significantly, from 88 degrees all the way to 73 degrees. This was very welcome and the entire boat ran much happier on the cool water.

We are now following the South China coast, and have a 1 to 2 knot current against us, which we expect to continue for the rest of our run. We’re making 7.1 knots and estimate arrival about 18 hours from now into Hong Kong.

It is amazing to think that just out our starboard window is China, and we started in Seattle. I’d have never thought it possible! The only disappointing thing is that our friends on Seabird and Grey Pearl aren’t with us. The radio seems dead without them to talk to and share the experience. They’ll be along in a few days, but it would have been nice to finish the season as a team. We miss them!

We should start feeling the effect of the typhoon sometime later tonight, but I’m confident that we are far enough ahead of the storm that any impact will be minimal. And, hopefully, I’m right!

Sans Souci’s present position can always be found by going to http://www.kensblog.com and click on the menu entry for “Current Location.”

Thank you,
Ken Williams
www.kensblog.com
Nordhavn 68, Sans Souci

PS Many of you have sent emails and posted comments on my blog. I apologize for not responding. There are only three of us on the boat and it is tough to find time to get on the computer. I'll answer everyone when we're safely in port.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:32:15 GMT

Ron Rogers: The approach to Hong Kong was wild. I haven't seen it during the day, and perhaps during the day it is easy, but at night it was anarchy! I wouldn't do it again for any amount of money (at night). The local, a lovely young lady named Karen, was incredibly helpful. She mentioned that she has run the approach at night in a little sail boat several times. I can't imagine it without all my fancy electronics. It was handy being able to ask her, "How far does that net stretch back?" Or, "Should I stay in the lane, or try to run the side of the lane?" And, that old favorite, "Is that boat coming at me?" Karen was awesome and her help is much appreciated. On a daytime run I think I'd have been fine without her, but for a night arrival, she was needed. As to Shelby... Shelby has a horrible desease which has a bad record of being fatal. It's called old age, and they still haven't found a cure. She's now 14 years old and not moving as fast as she used to. She's not handling the humidity, and rolling motion of the boat very well. It's a sad situation, but we all get there sooner or later. Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:19:30 GMT

Eric: Thank you for the tip and the kind words. We will be going into Kowloon for a week at a hotel and be seeking every great restaurant we can find. Finding a great italian restaurant is always a priority. Even though we've hardly been off the boat, Roberta and I have already fallen for Hong Kong. We both said last night that we want to rethink the schedule with a goal of spending more time here. As to budget ... go to http://www.nordhavndreamers.com .. there are links to popular topics on the Nordhavn Dreamers message board on Yahoo. The topic of budgets for boats has come up many times and there is a long discussion by me on the topic. To paraphrase my thinking.... The biggest cost is depreciation, but then after that you have insurance, and moorage. Fuel is actually fairly tiny in the schmeme of things. Then there are the potentially huge items that you control -- such as upgrades, crew, agents, dockwise etc. Maintenance is a bit of a wild card, and depends on how much you can do yourself, and how lazy you are. I like to know how to do everything, but then get out of all I can. I rank high on laziness. Someone is washing the boat as we speak, and it isn't me. Thus my maintenance budget is much larger than others. Look at the nordhavn dreamers board, and then let me know if that answers your question. I'd err on the side of buying less boat than you can afford. If you can afford an 86, consider a 63 or 68. Boats are prone to hidden surprises (blown transmissions, unexpected moorage costs, etc). I know too many people who were clobbered by surprise bills and had to sell their boat. Boating is a lot of things, but cheap isn't one of them. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:32:27 GMT

Hi Ken, Your blog is rich with information that is both relevant and technically juicy. I am also a vicarious viking of sorts, thanks for inviting us to your world. If you get a craving for really good Italian food, go to the Grand Standford Intercontinental hotel on Kowloon, it's in the basement. I would like to ask a somewhat personal question re. your travel budget. I have the means to obtain a Nordhavn and like most I have researched to find the best balance in a good sized boat that I won't grow out of with just myself and my young son for the time being. I know you have been asked before but could you please provide an idea of what your operating expenses for the last 5000 miles or so. This would give me a better idea of what to expect for budgeting purposes on a 68,72 or 76 Nordhavn. Thanks and enjoy HK.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:14:26 GMT

Ken My little week end runs in my little 30 footer are so tiny to what you have accomplished....congratutaion on arriving in Hong Kong. I have only recently accidently stumbled upon your blog while researcing the Great American Loop.....a dream someday. I have enjoyed following your progress and I have been also enjoying reading your blog archive. Looking forward to todays update on your crossing Bluenose'r from the Maritimes Scott

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:28:16 GMT

Thank heavens you in safely before the typhoon. It is supposed to miss Hong Kong by passing to the South - perhaps as close as Macao. Hopefully Shelby will buck up when ashore. Was your Hong Kong local of assistance in finding your way in? It looks like a very complex approach over and above the traffic! Sleep well, Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:26:16 GMT

John K: Thank you! We're all going to sleep now. The last four hours, arriving in the dark into Hong Kong, were tense. I've never seen so much traffic and most of it seemed to be pointed at us. I would never attempt a night arrival into a major port again. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - One down, One To Go

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:37:48 GMT

Hey Ken, I just watched your Spot all the way to the dock, congratulations on making it to Hong Kong! I know is must be bitter-sweet as you throw the lines on this last leg of the 2010 GSSR without Grey Pearl and Seabird at your side but rest assured that those of us who are living vicariously through you are with you in spirit. Now, go walk Shelby, fill up the hot tub and crack open a bottle of wine, you have earned it. - jdk

GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci Alone at Sea

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The GSSR is underway, although, not really.

Sans Souci is now underway, six hours into a two day passage, and running ALONE.

Grey Pearl was planned to stay behind in Taiwan, because Braun and Tina decided to do a three week tour of China, and then come to Hong Kong.

Sans Souci and Seabird left port at 07:30 this morning (it is not 2:30pm), and noticed within an hour of leaving port that Seabird’s engines and transmission were running much hotter than usual.

Seabird had to turn back. The suspicion was that growth had formed on Seabird’s keel cooler (which provides cooling to the engine) during the week we sat at port, in 90 degree water in Taiwan.

Sans Souci thought about turning back, but continued on. Our thinking was:

Seabird would be within radio range for most of the run back to Taiwan, and we could speak to them if needed
There’s a typhoon coming. By continuing forward to Hong Kong we’ll arrive at least 24 hours ahead of the typhoon. If we go back we’ll be stuck in Taiwan for several days, or more likely a week, waiting for another weather window.
We are running fine, and have our dog on board. In Hong Kong, Shelby (our dog) can walk around on land. She has been sick for a week and desperately needs off the boat. There is no way to clear her into Taiwan, whereas she is already approved for Hong Kong.

I just spoke to Steven (Seabird) and he took Seabird back into shallow water and dived under the boat. He could see immediately that his prop had an inch of a white chalky substance caked on his prop. The water was too rough for him to clean the prop or see his keel cooler. He made the decision to return to port in Taiwan, find a diver, and wait until after the typhoon.

Meanwhile, Sans Souci is struggling a bit. There is a current against us, and we have slowed to 5.5 knots. At this speed, our ‘time to get to port’ has risen by another 12 hours. Argh! Hopefully this is a temporary phenomena and we’ll get back to speed sometime in the next 24 hours, but I’m not hopeful. We have one crew person on board, from Hong Kong, who mentioned a sailboat that tried for Singapore last week, and had to turn back due to the strong current.

More when I know more.

Thank you,
Ken Williams
N6805, Sans Souci
www.kensblog.com

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci Alone at Sea

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:23:25 GMT

Ken, Hope all is well, see your making progress... Hope you not having to use all 680 HP! LOL Before you answer knock on some wood, but did you get all you're gremlins exterminated in Taiwan? Is Simon happy now? Now that your boat voyage is starting to come to a close for this year, any thoughts to upgrades over the winter months? I assume that you're going to need haul out and a bottom job before long, or is it holding up well? I wish they had a script on the spot webpage to calculate speed between readings? Thanks, Chris PS. Side question how is the Sat TV and Vsat holding up this year? Good signal and speed throughput in Asia?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update - Sans Souci Alone at Sea

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:35:26 GMT

Godspeed to you Ken! May the currents behave themselves better soon. Hope Shelby feels better too.

GSSR 2010 - Quick Update

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Roberta and I have enjoyed our week in Taiwan, and are now preparing to depart tomorrow morning, early, for Hong Kong.

We have hardly left the boat this week. Both Roberta and I wanted some quiet time on our computers, plus Shelby, our dog, has been sick. We didn’t clear her into Taiwan, so she has been stuck on the boat all week, and seems depressed. She will be clearing into Hong Kong, and we’re confident that as soon as she reaches land she’ll perk right up.

The run to Hong Kong is a long one; a 375 nautical mile passage, which will take us two full days.

Once we are running, our location may be checked at any time via this link:

http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/m/Current_Location

There is one worrisome detail...

A tropical storm is headed our direction, called Conson.

You can track it on this site: http://www.typhoon2000.ph/

We are set to arrive into Hong Kong a good 24 hours before it is scheduled to hit. I don't have enough history with these things to know if there is any chance it will arrive faster than planned, or the odds that it will be upgraded to a typhoon. We use a professional weather router (http://www.oceanmarinenav.com) who we will consult before making the final call on whether or not we depart. If there is any risk, we won't depart.

More from Hong Kong!

Thank you,
Ken Williams
www.kensblog.com
N6805, Sans Souci

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:50:05 GMT

Derick: Here's the answers to your questions. I hope this helps! -Ken W 1. When you took delivery of the boat did you find the propeller performance correct and optimum or did you make modifications to the Hung Shen OEM specifications? *** I wasn’t smart enough in those days to know about things like “propeller pitch”. I was new to owning a trawler and wouldn’t have thought about it. I don’t remember any issues whatsoever with the prop, nor did anyone else on the boat ever mention anything. My guess is that the new owners after me decided the prop was over (or under) propped, and tried re-pitching it. 2. If you did make any modifications do recall what they were and or who did the modifications (company name, location and approximately the date)? *** Nope. This is the first I’ve heard that it was re-propped. 2. Do you recall Max RPM at full throttle and was it 2100 rpm? *** I don’t recall. Most of the N62s have the Lugger engine, so the Nordhavn message board might be the best place to ask this question. My vague recollection is that 2,100 rpm was the limit, and I cruised between 1,650 and 1,800 rpm, but it has been so long that this could be completely wrong. 3. What was your preferred cruise speed, rpm and fuel consumption. *** I don’t remember. Generally, I was never worried about fuel consumption, and always wanted speed (the Atlantic crossing being the exception). Maybe I’ve mellowed with age, but I remember cruising fairly fast on that boat; around 8.5 to 9.1 knots most of the time. My book on the Atlantic crossing might have some of the stats from the trip. I think we averaged 8.25 knots. I also think the boat had a floscan unit, which wasn’t very accurate, so I was seeing consumption that was misleadingly high. 4. Did you add the hydraulic pump to the tail of the Twin Disc transmission after you purchased Sans Souci 1. The shaft coupling won't pass by the bottom of Hydraulic pump so it appears I will have to remove the pump to pull the shaft. *** No. That said, James Knight did a major overhaul of the boat in Florida. I don’t remember what all was done, and definitely don’t remember anything having to do with the hydraulic pump or the props. James might remember if there was anything with the pump. You might want to call him. Mickey Smith managed the project, and also might have some memories. 5. Since I am going to this much effort, I am changing the cutlass bearing, drip less seal and checking the shaft. What brand shaft seals are you using on Sans Souci 2? *** I use the Tides dripless shaft seals on Sans Souci. Thus far, I love them. It is MUCH nicer having a dry bilge. I still don’t completely trust them. I constantly monitor their temperature, and worry whenever it varies. So far, all has been fine. They ran around 60 degrees in the Aleutians, and are now running 105 in the 90 degree water here. *** Sorry not to have more information. I was pretty green when I had that boat, and delegated virtually all of the maintenance details. Boating has been a learning experience for me, and I’m still learning! It sounds like someone who owned the boat after me decided to ‘improve’ it, with dubious results.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:36:19 GMT

Hello Ken, I hope all is well in Hong Kong. Did you head closer to the coast to get out of the currents that were hindering your speed? Again, I want to thank you for taking the time to call me the other evening, you were very generous to do so. I don’t want to be a pest to you, but you are extremely knowledgeable person regarding long rang cruising vessels and particularly with Sans Sousi 1 . I have had to pull Sans Souci 1 out of the water to deal with this vibration/cavitation problem before causing any potential damage. At this point I have hit a wall and cannot go any further without more information. I may have found the cavitation problem. It appears that one of the blades is not correctly pitched and may be causing air/bubbles to be introduced into the prop and this could be where the noise is coming from. Unfortunately all that the prop company can do is put the prop back to the Hung Shen OEM specifications (41” x 24”) which I found in your original paperwork. However I don’t know if this specification was optimum or if you modified the propeller after taking delivery of Sans Souci 1. If you would so kind as to answer a few questions it would greatly help my situation: 1. When you took delivery of the boat did you find the propeller performance correct and optimum or did you make modifications to the Hung Shen OEM specifications? 2. If you did make any modifications do recall what they were and or who did the modifications (company name, location and approximately the date)? 2. Do you recall Max RPM at full throttle and was it 2100 rpm? 3. What was your preferred cruise speed, rpm and fuel consumption. 4. Did you add the hydraulic pump to the tail of the Twin Disc transmission after you purchased Sans Souci 1. The shaft coupling won't pass by the bottom of Hydraulic pump so it appears I will have to remove the pump to pull the shaft. 5. Since I am going to this much effort, I am changing the cutlass bearing, drip less seal and checking the shaft. What brand shaft seals are you using on Sans Souci 2? I would sincerely appreciate any expertise and knowledge you can provide. Emailing to the address below is fine or if you would prefer to talk on the phone just let me know when it is convenient. Sincerely, Derick one of the baffled owners of Sans Souci 1 dwoolverton@bellsouth.net 904 509 9693

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:22:59 GMT

Ken, I am posting you as it is probably the best way to contact you while you are under way. I hope that yours and Roberta's trip is going well. Since taking delivering of your former vessel in December of 09 we have experienced what seems to be an intermittent cavitation that occurs above the propeller tips on the underside of the hull above 1500 rpm going foreword. It occurs only after moderately or aggressively reversing the vessel such as in maneuvering situations. When you open the hatches in the aft cockpit the noise is most predominate on top of the propeller Sometimes it will go away by sitting overnight and other times by aggressively throttling forward. Shaft alignment has been adjusted. The vessel is going to be hauled on Wednesday for routine bottom work and to hopefully resolve this problem. Do you have any idea's as to what may be causing this problem? Thank you, Derick 904 509 9693

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick Update

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 09:16:34 GMT

Hi, Just want to say that I have been reading your blog on this trip and last years trip and am really enjoying them. I'm sure you know, but if you make it up to Shanghai, the World Expo is going on until October.

GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

At the end of my last blog we were on the island of Miyako. We had never planned to go there, but were forced to stop by weather.

Our three boats tied to a wall (as usual) in Miyako

As it turned out it was a cool little island, and we enjoyed being there.

Miyako is surrounded by a huge reef

For us, the highlight of our visit to Miyako was that there were four other foreign boats at the port. We have seen virtually no foreign boats in over 2,500 nm of cruising Japan. In Yokohama we saw one Australian racing sailboat, and in Nagasaki we saw one French sailboat. Within minutes of tying up we hiked to the other side of the port to introduce ourselves. Two of the boats were from South Africa, one from the Netherlands and one from Australia. Like us, they were retired couples out cruising the world. As they were northbound we gave them what cruising tips we could, regarding Japan, and loaded them up with the paper charts we wouldn’t be using any more. The couple from the Netherlands mentioned that they had cruised over 80,000 nautical miles and were cruising the same route we had in reverse order, headed across the Bering Sea to Alaska and Seattle.

An excerpt from our dinner menu in Miyako. The biggest problem we’ve had with menus is that they are all in Japanese. Even translated, the menus can be scary!

From Miyako to Ishigaki is a 85 nm run, which takes us about 11 to 12 hours to complete. As we always like to arrive in daylight, we wanted to depart Miyako right at the first light. At 05:30am we were underway, and estimating a 16:30 (4pm) arrival time into Ishigaki.

Soon after leaving Miyako I realized that the engine room was running warmer than usual…

Sans Souci’s engine room generally runs around 115 degrees, but was suddenly running 135 degrees. The excess heat in the engine room triggered a couple of different alarms. The engines were running hot, as were the transmissions and shafts.

I quickly observed that the exhaust fan wasn’t running. Sans Souci’s engine room has two intake fans and one exhaust fan. At 135 degrees, the engine room would be fine, but I wanted to cool it down if at all possible.

Sans Souci has fancy controls for controlling the engine room fans: http://www.phason.ca/pdfs/vtc1d.pdf. They allow me to set the fan speed based on the engine room temperature. My first thought was that someone had bumped the control and it wasn’t running. This began 20 minutes of fussing with the fan control, and a fair amount of child-inappropriate language. Nothing would get the fan to start.

My body reacts poorly to extended stays in high heat. The combination of heat and a rolling sea means sea sickness.

So… seasick, and overheated, I took a few steps to try and cool the engine room. I killed the generator that was running in the engine room, and transferred the load onto the generator that is in the lazarette (the room behind the engine room). I also backed off on RPM, slowing the boat down, and started the air conditioning in the engine room. To give maximum cooling to the engine room, I shut off all air conditioning inside the boat.

Both the air temperature and water temperature around us are miserably hot. The water is 89.6 degrees, and the air temperature is over 100. I’m not sure what the humidity is, but it is hot, miserable and sticky. I always say that I am a warm water cruiser, so I’m not complaining, but warm water comes with a list of both pros and cons.

Diverting all air conditioning into the engine room had almost no effect on the engine room temperature (it gave about a 3 degree drop in temperature), but it had a tremendous impact on our comfort inside the boat. Because we were bouncing along, we needed to have the doors shut. By definition, boats are watertight. This meant we were stuffy, hot, sticky AND seasick inside Sans Souci. With 20/20 hindsight, my ‘brilliant idea’ to deploy the air conditioning to the engine room wasn’t quite so bright.

And, also with 20/20 hindsight, it isn’t clear why I installed the variable speed fan controls. On a boat, simpler is better. There are very few instances where having total control over fan speed is better than a simple on/off switch.

Our arrival at Ishigaki was a bit messy…

Prior to arrival our agent had worked with a local agent to find us a place to tie up our boats. We had a diagram showing where we were to put our boats. The diagram showed that we would be tied up to a dock normally used for cruise ships and freighters, which under normal circumstances might have given us cause for concern, but we know better than to expect anything resembling a marina these days.

Ishigaki is a Hawaii-style resort island primarily for Japanese tourists. As we approached the harbor we were passed by a constant stream of jet tour boats, each with a giant rooster tail of water protruding from the back. This triggered a radio debate over whether the rooster tails are functional, or strictly show-biz. We could not agree, although I remain convinced that the rooster tailed plumes of water are strictly for show.

As we approached the wall where we were to tie up, I noticed that it was in the main channel, and that as boats would pass by, waves several feet tall would wash along the wall.

The local agent was standing at the top of the wall, smiling and waving for us to tie up. I took one look at the wall and called out on the radio, “GSSR. I believe we have a problem. There are waves washing along the wall. If we tie up we are going to get clobbered!” Steven and Braun (Seabird and Grey Pearl) took one look at the wall and said, “No way! We need to find something else.” The agent was still waving and smiling. I decided to go close to the wall, and explain the problem (which given the language barrier wasn’t easy). I pantomimed waves and a boat being slammed into the wall. I then pointed at a different place on the wall, where I thought there might be less wave action, and headed for it. Meanwhile, Seabird and Grey Pearl went in search of a friendlier piece of wall for us to tie to.

[

I did succeed in tying to the wall, but we were being tossed about by each wave. The local agent continued to smile, but was looking worried. No sooner had I tied my lines than a group of Coast Guard people drove up in a car. They came over to the boat and looked at how we were being bounced off the wall, and said, “Must move. Very dangerous.” I couldn’t have agreed more.

While tied to the wall, Jeff Merrill, Nordhavn salesman extraordinaire, and his son, Jonn, jumped onto my boat. They had arrived in Ishigaki the previous day in order to join our group for the trip to Taiwan. Now they were on my boat, and we were floating, wondering what we were going to do now.

And, we knew we didn’t have much time, as it would be dark in an hour….

“Steven. Braun. Are you guys finding anything?” I shouted into the radio. The agent had gotten back into his car and driven away. I had no idea where he had gone, or how to contact him. What now?

“Ken, we aren’t finding anything, and have no depth information on our chart. You’ll need to direct us,” came the response. No depth information??? We had known that Seabird and Grey Pearl’s electronic charts were weak, but they were following me, so we knew it would be ok. However, now we were in unplanned territory with them out of sight, wandering through the large port, with no idea how deep the water was.

And, there were lots of shallow places…

Using the radio, and tracking their position via AIS, I was able to warn them about depths as they moved through the labyrinthian port. For instance, Braun would call and say, “Sans Souci. I am pointing directly at a wall. What is the depth along the wall?” I’d answer “Four feet,” and Braun would go in search of another wall.

Meanwhile, I was also exploring. Only someone who knows me could appreciate how stressed I was. It is not my style to go wandering through a strange port, with tight places, boats zooming all around me, and no idea where I’m going, with darkness falling. That is not Ken-style. It is also decidedly not my style to look for an empty place to tie up to.

Roberta and Jeff Merrill signaled to me to enter a small breakwater which appeared to have no room for anything. They insisted there might be a small place that we could tie up. I entered, turned a corner, and saw an opening between two boats, which just might maybe hold Sans Souci if I exactly side-stepped in. I precisely lined up the boat and went for it, with no idea whose place I was going into, or what the owner would say if they returned.

After tying the boat, I inquired on the radio what had become of Braun and Steven. They responded that they had found a wall to tie to. I then phoned our agent in Tokyo and asked him to help straighten out the mess.

Within 15 minutes, the local agent drove up. He had already secured approval for Seabird and Grey Pearl to remain where they were. But, to me he said, “You must move.” I passed on this message to Roberta who said simply, “No. Ask him to find out who owns this spot and offer them money to let us stay. I’m not moving.” I then radioed to Braun and Steven to ask if there was room for Sans Souci where they were. They said it was doubtful. There was a place behind them, but it had an anchor line going into the water where the center of my boat would go. They thought I’d be likely to wrap it around my prop trying to tie up.

And, it was starting to get dark…

The agent didn’t speak much English so I tried my best pigeon English, “Can’t move. Must stay. Will pay good money.” It took a while for this message to get through, but finally he took me to the harbormaster’s office. The harbormaster looked out the window at where we were and couldn’t believe it. We were twice as big as any other boat in our part of the harbor. After a few minutes of exchange in Japanese, the local agent turned to me and say, “No problem. Can stay.” I reached in my pocket for the wad of bills, and he said, “No money. No money.” I couldn’t believe my luck!

My first priority was to repair the broken exhaust fan. I wasn’t sure if the fan had failed, or if the problem was the control. A voltmeter quickly identified that power was getting to the control, but not finding its way to the fan. Perhaps it is because I come from a computer background, but I just couldn’t believe a computer-based control could fail. I kept re-reading the programming instructions for the control assuming I was somehow botching the operation. Finally, I just decided, “Why do I care about this control? I’m a warm water kind of guy. In warm water, why would I ever not want the fan running as fast as it can?” I grabbed the wire cutters, clipped the wires going to the control, hot-wired the fan, and it came to life immediately. The perfect fix.

Once installed on Ishigaki, it was time for some sight-seeing!...

Ishigaki is Japan’s southernmost island, and a major tourist destination. That said, it is a largely undiscovered paradise, and my perception was that it had been hard hit by the current economic recession. The hotels felt empty. The only serious activity we saw were the dive boats. Incredible. I don’t know how many dive boats go out each day, but I’ve never seen a resort destination with such an active diving community. I wanted to go out on one of the dive boats, but never had the opportunity.

The island is circled by a reef, which quickly discourages any idea of taking the boat to anchor in front of a sand beach. And, of course, all the bureaucracy required to take the boat to anchor makes it more trouble than it is worth.

Roberta and I decided to take a day and just ‘go to the beach.’ We figured we’d be typical tourists and go to a large beach resort and take our towels. Roberta googled to find the best beach on the island, ‘Sukuji.' We found a taxi, and 45 minutes later were dropped off at a path leading to the beach. The cab driver (who of course spoke only Japanese) motioned to ask if we wanted him to wait. We sent him on his way, which would turn out to be a serious mistake.

Lining the path to the beach were a series of signs…

The sign about the poisonous jelly fish was a definite mood killer.

As was the beach. The tide was low, and the beach wasn’t at all impressive.

So, we decided to head to the resort for lunch. When we arrived, we couldn’t find anyone in the lobby of the hotel. After a bit of looking around we found the desk clerk, who was very nice, but also very lonely. She explained (as best she could) that the restaurant was closed on Tuesdays. We said, “Can you call us a cab?” Which, she did, and after waiting 45 minutes for a cab, we gave up on the beach.

We did find one impressive hotel on Ishigaki, the ANA Intercontinental. In the photo above you see Roberta and Carol looking at the spa menu. The female side of our group booked a spa day, which had them very happy. The resort had a golf course, and I came very close to booking a round, but the heat and humidity talked me out of it.

Ishigaki was our last port in Japan…

To depart Ishigaki, for Taiwan, we needed a few things….

As Ishigaki was our final port in Japan we needed to clear out of the country. Typically there is some sort of exit document which says that we cleared out properly. This clearing document is sometimes asked for at your next country.
We needed to take on fuel. This would be a bit complex, in that we had cleared into Japan as ‘domestic boats.’ As domestic Japan boats we had to pay taxes on the fuel we bought, but if we cleared out of Japan first, we would be able to buy fuel tax free. To give a sense of the difference, as international boats our price per gallon was $2.65, whereas as domestic boats we would need to pay closer to $4.25 per gallon. Multiply this savings by several thousand gallons of fuel and you see why it was important to clear out of Japan first and THEN buy fuel.
We needed a two day clean weather window. Our passage to Taiwan from Japan would take us two full days. We are getting into typhoon season, and don’t want to take chances.
I asked Jeff Sanson, of PacificYachtManagement.com, in Seattle, to come to the boat to assist Roberta and I with the two day (two night) passage to Taiwan. Roberta and I could do the passage alone, but passages are MUCH easier with three people on board. Plus, I wanted Jeff to help me do some maintenance on the boat.

Once we started looking at the weather, we discovered that a storm was approaching, and that we either needed to leave immediately, or wait at least a week for another window. We had to wait for Jeff to arrive, but as soon as he was off the plane from the United States, we needed to move.

We knew we had a lot of logistics on departure day, which I wasn’t liking. We have a top priority goal, for all passages, to arrive in daylight. And, as we started detailed planning for our last day, I hit a snag. Customs in Ishigaki advised us that Sans Souci could not start the process of clearing out of the country until all crew were onboard. Jeff’s plane did not arrive until 1:30pm. In other words, Sans Souci had a lot to do, and we couldn’t even start on it until late in the day.

I sent this message to our agent, Furuno:

Furuno san:

Perhaps we should do something like this:

Do the customs work for Grey Pearl and Seabird at 10:00 and let them start taking fuel. Then, start the process for Sans Souci.

There is an ugly storm coming. We need to depart as early as is possible.

If it helps get us moving, fuel me before the customs work and I'll pay the extra for the taxes. I would prefer that to a multiple hour delay.

Thank you,
Ken Williams

I knew that my willingness to pay the extra price for fuel would send the clear message that we needed to push the process. And, I wasn’t kidding. A storm was coming, and we needed to get to Taiwan before the you-know-what started hitting the fan.

Also keeping us busy was ‘route planning.’ Usually, our route is fairly straight forward, but in this case, we wanted the most up-to-date weather information possible before making our decision. Taiwan is a huge island, roughly 200 nautical miles long. We were on the northeast corner, targeting a destination on the southwest side. We could ‘go around the top, and down the west side’ or ‘go around the bottom, and up the west side.’ To know what the right answer was, we needed to know where the weather was better for us.

There was also an issue with respect to the first few miles of our route. I am very conservative in route planning. There was a shortcut we could take, exiting Ishigaki, by taking a very narrow passage, that would save us 10 nautical miles, or about 90 minutes of cruising time. Spread over a two day run, this is irrelevant, and I wouldn’t normally consider the short cut. ‘Narrow little passages’ are not worth the effort. However, we were pushing like crazy to assure a daylight arrival in Taiwan, and the passage could be important. Thus, we asked a couple of ‘locals’ about the passage, and both said, ‘It’s easy. Ferries do it all the time.’ Based on this, I re-plotted the route, and planned us to go down the narrow route. If you look at it above, and try to imagine our boats, which require at least 8 feet of depth, navigating the passage, and trying to fit under the bridge, you will see why I was concerned.

Fueling the boats did not go as planned….

My boat was the first to take on fuel. I needed about 1,500 gallons, and it was delivered by truck. A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from our agent asking what kind of fuel we wanted; MGO or MDO. I had no idea what the difference was, so I asked various friends, and readers of my blog. The final decision was for MGO.

As the fuel truck was giving me fuel, after about 500 gallons had been put into my tank, the driver suddenly stopped pumping, looked upset, and started looking at paperwork. I had no idea what was going on. He then turned to me and said, “Wrong fuel. Going to get new fuel.” Actually, I’m paraphrasing. It took me 10 minutes to decipher that this was what he was trying to tell me. I asked many times what fuel was in the truck and he kept saying K-U. I wrote MGO and MDO on a piece of paper and he said K-U. I was very worried that he had just poured gasoline, or something that would destroy my engines, into my tanks, and called my agent. He spoke with the driver, and called me back, but this didn’t seem to clear up any of the confusion, so I sent this email:

Furuno san:

I am very confused.

In the United States there are only two options at most fuel docks; gasoline or diesel. So, in the United States I order diesel for the boat.

Earlier, you asked whether I wanted MGO or MDO and I relayed this question to my experts in the United States. I received the response that I must get MGO and that MDO would be harmful to my engine.

I responded to you requesting MGO.

What has the truck put into my tank? If it is the wrong fuel it could harm my engine.

We have two issues:

1) What is in my tank now, and is it harmful? Do they need to take the fuel out that they put in?
2) My tank is only partially filled. What should they put in?

Thank you,
Ken Williams

Braun Jones, from Grey Pearl, is the GSSR’s fuel guru. Braun is exceptionally opinionated on fuel, and speaks the most Japanese amongst our group (which is not saying much). Incredibly, all of us stood in the hot sun, pouring sweat, for nearly three hours, trying to sort out whether or not I had taken bad fuel. Given how important it was to depart Ishigaki immediately, each minute that passed was painful.

Ultimately, we discovered that fuel on Ishigaki fits into two categories: K-U and A-Ju (I’m sure I have the spelling wrong on these, but the phonetics are close). We wanted K-U, which was what he had put in my tank. So, thankfully, there was no issue.

Our agent sent me this email once the fueling resumed, which busted me up …

Hi Ken san

Pleased to hear all cleared now.

My heart restarted breath and pumping blood now.

Best Regards
Kazuo Furuno

Here is Braun taking fuel. His process is very interesting. Braun has some ‘gum’ which detects water. He put the gum on the end of a stick, and asked the fuel truck driver to dip it to the bottom of the fuel truck. If there is water in the fuel, the gum changes color. Braun also asks for some fuel in a clear jar, so that he can look at the clarity of the fuel.

Finally, we were all fueled, Jeff arrived at the boats, customs cleared us, and it was time to go. We were leaving later than we liked, but we were leaving. At roughly 16:00 (4pm) we left the dock.

And, then we hit another road block…

Our short cut was a disaster. The passage was narrow enough, and clearance under the bridge a close enough call, that we had to crawl our way along slowly. And, as we neared the final third of the narrow passage, we looked around, and all we could see were breaking waves. We were confident that the exit did exist, but we were going to need to push our way through waves, unable to alter course by more than a foot or two, for fear of going aground on the reef.

No way! If we had taken the time to scout the passage with our tenders we might have gone for it, but there was no way we were going to risk putting a boat on the rocks. And being the lead boat, I was the most likely candidate. We turned around, which in itself, in a passage barely wider than our boats, was a serious challenge.

We were finally underway, but darkness had hit. We were sad to leave Japan behind, but thrilled to be back on the road.

The passage to Taiwan was uneventful. We had two days of smooth seas. The only negative was a pervasive adverse current that averaged two full knots against us. When we departed Ishigaki we computed our arrival time into Tainan, Taiwan as noon. Once in the current, we realized that arriving in daylight would be touch and go. And, the current never did give us a break. Most of the passage was made at 6.5 knots.

As we approached Tainan we got to play our usual game of ‘dodge the freighter.'

Koahshiung, Taiwan

All of our efforts to ‘push’ paid off, and despite several setbacks we arrived at 16:00 (4pm) with plenty of daylight.

Our goal in Taiwan was to visit Nordhavn’s factory, Ta Shing. The entrance to the harbor is not on our charts, so Ta Shing had arranged for a fishing boat to guide us into the harbor.

As we were meeting up with the guide boat, we were suddenly approached by TWO coast guard vessels. We’ve grown accustomed to being visited by the coast guard, but these seemed particularly aggressive, and I didn’t know if I should stop or not. One of them came very close to me, and seemed to be boxing me off from continued movement. I was caught between our guide boat and the coast guard. However, once they were close I could see they were smiling and waving.

I should explain a bit about Nordhavn and Taiwan, and why we are in Taiwan…

All three of our GSSR boats are made by the same company, Nordhavn.

Nordhavn boats are made to cross oceans, which is a very specialized niche. There aren’t a lot of Nordhavns out there. I’m not sure of the exact count, but I think it is around 500. Nordhavn boats tend not to sit still. Regular readers of my blog might think Roberta and I cover a lot of distance, but compared to many Nordhavn owners we are total slackers. Nordhavn attempts to keep track of the distance traveled by their boats, and with only some of the boats having turned in their stats Nordhavn has already logged over FOUR MILLION miles. That’s an amazing record. Nordhavn does have competitors, but essentially owns the market for world cruising power boats. And, even though not all Nordhavn owners will ever cross an ocean, all owners like the idea of knowing that they are on a boat which can stand up to heavy seas, should they ever get a nasty weather surprise. Roberta and I are typical owners in that when we bought our boat we never would have believed that we might someday cross an ocean. We had owned a succession of boats, and had close calls on more than one occasion. We wanted a boat that we could trust. I was asked recently by someone whether they needed a Nordhavn for running up and down the West Coast of the United States, and I responded that the West Coast of the US is more than capable of surprising you with bad weather. Before buying brand X, I asked them to think about what it would mean to be caught offshore in a boat they weren’t certain could handle the seas, and whether saving a few bucks was really worth it.

Anyway… enough of that…

Nordhavn , behind the scenes, is really three companies. There is the company which most of us think of, based in Dana Point, that designs, promotes, commissions, sells and markets the boats. But there are also two other companies; Ta Shing (http://www.tashingyachts.com.tw), based in Taiwan, and South Coast, based in China, which build the boats. Some of Nordhavn’s models are built in Taiwan and some in China. All three of our GSSR boats were built in Taiwan, so we wanted to ‘come home’ to see our boats' birthplace. Whereas this meant a lot to us, we hadn’t realized that it also meant a lot to the factory.

To our tremendous surprise, we are the very first boats in Ta Shing’s 34 year history to return to the factory. For Ta Shing, this is a very big deal, and they are incredibly excited. Our first sign of this was an email, where they said they would host a party in our honor.

Tim Yuan - Ta Shing CEO

The GSSR's reputation must precede us. One party wasn't enough. We had two!

Here's a video showing our arrival:

If you don't see the video above, try this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLAUv05NglU

Within minutes of our arrival, Sans Souci’s air conditioning failed. In 100+ degree heat, horrible humidity and 90 degree water, it doesn’t take long without air conditioning before you need to DO something! I discovered the main a/c breakers had tripped. These are hidden back behind the steering gear, where I can barely fit. I reset the breakers, only to have them fail again a few minutes later. I reset them again, and they failed again an hour later. Ta Shing had brought in a generator to provide shore power to our boats,. Perhaps there was something strange about the power? I tried swapping to our own generator, and it did seem more reliable, but still failed randomly. I was totally stumped. Sans Souci installed a new air conditioning system (new chillers) just prior to the trip. What in the heck was happening???

On our second day in Taiwan, the a/c system continued to fail, and I asked Ta Shing if they could give me a hand. Our first experiment was to swap the breakers. Perhaps the breakers had failed. I was fairly certain this wasn’t the issue because I have two chillers and both breakers were tripping. It didn’t make sense that both breakers would fail together. Swapping the breakers accomplished nothing.

We then put an amp meter onto the circuit and saw that the chillers were taking 30 amps, but I have 20 amp breakers. The chillers were supposed to only be taking 15 amps, so something wasn’t right. I made the call to try swapping to 30 amp breakers, to see what would happen. I thought this would be a quick easy project, but it meant swapping to thicker wires. Worse of all, it meant shutting off the air conditioning. The entire boat spent most of the day with zero air conditioning.

Roberta and I are stuck on Sans Souci, whereas the other GSSR owners are staying at a fancy hotel. All three boats are taking advantage of being at the factory, by getting some work done. Seabird is getting new headliners. I’m not sure what Grey Pearl is having done, but see lots of repair people on the boat. Roberta and I really hadn’t planned much for Ta Shing to do. Our list was simple; one fiberglass repair, a water leak (a/c condensate) in a hallway, and a broken swim step (a wave in the Bering Sea ate our swim step). Roberta and I couldn’t move to the hotel because of our dog; Shelby. We’re not importing her to Taiwan, so she can’t leave the boat. We don’t want to leave her on the boat alone.

With no air conditioning, this issue suddenly took on major new meaning. The boat was uninhabitable ALL DAY, and yet we couldn’t leave the boat. I have never sweated so much in my life. And, I can’t imagine what it was like for Ta Shing’s technician. He was stuck wedged into a tight place in my lazarette, trying to run new wires to my air conditioners, for most of the day.

At the same time as he was doing the rewiring, we also pursued one other strategy. I hadn’t realized it, but air conditioners are pressurized with refrigerant based on the water temperature that the boat will be run in. Our air conditioners were installed in Seattle, at a time when the boat was bound for Alaska and the Bering Sea. That’s a much different environment than the 90 degree water we were seeing in Taiwan. I spoke with the original company that installed the chillers and they suggested removing some of the refrigerant from the system. While the rewiring was going on, a refrigeration guy was working on tweaking the chillers.

Finally, after a very long, hot day, we turned on the chillers, and the current draw was down by a third! My guess is if we had just removed some of the refrigerant, we wouldn’t have needed to swap the breakers or upgrade the wiring. The good news is that Ta Shing took great care of us, and the system got fixed. I NEVER want to be in this climate without air conditioning again!

All of us have been excited about getting a factory tour…

I wish I had more pictures from the factory tour, but Ta Shing has a ‘no photos’ policy. So, even though I took both my camera and a video camera, I wasn’t able to get any pictures. Our tour guide snapped a few photos, and I was able to talk him out of a few for this blog.

We were able to see several partially completed Nordhavns. I was particularly pleased to see three Nordhavn 68s in production, including one that was nearly complete, one that was about half complete, and another that is freshly into the mold. I was also able to tour a Nordhavn Motorsailer, and a nearly complete Nordhavn 76. Very fun! I was a little surprised to see that all three of the N68s in production AND the N76 were single engine. I had thought that on the larger boats the majority of owners would opt for twin engines. Strange.

[

Probably the thing that most surprised our group is the extent to which the boats are hand-crafted. In the picture above we are standing in front of a pile of teak logs. All cabinetry is made at the factory by hand. Ta Shing’s history as a boat builder actually extends back over 50 years, and they are VERY proud of their woodwork. Our guide mentioned that they have over 30 employees who have been with Ta Shing for over 25 years!

Here’s me sitting in front of an N68 hull. I couldn’t resist asking whether or not they had ever heard of one of their hulls cracking. The good news was that our guide said, “No.” I also asked how many boats Ta Shing had built. The answer: Twelve Hundred. They are exclusively Nordhavn these days, but had a long history building fishing boats and sailboats (the Mason line of sail boats amongst other brands). Wow!

The fiberglass hull is formed of many layers of fiberglass and resin. Here we see one of Ta Shing’s staff hand cutting one of the MANY fiberglass sheets used in making a hull.

I was curious about fuel tanks and wanted to see what is inside one. All of Ta Shings tanks are fiberglass, with internal baffling which helps stop the fuel (or water in water tanks) from sloshing around as the boat is pounding through waves. In the pictures above you can see the structure inside the tank, as well as the holes in the baffles which allow someone to crawl through the tank for cleaning. Actually, these photos are a little misleading in that there are additional panels which go onto the baffles that need removed if someone is going to enter a tank.

Here’s a picture that will be very sad for some of you. As we were driving between Ta Shing’s two facilities, we passed the field in the picture above, and our driver said, in passing, “That’s where they store the mold to the Nordhavn 62.” We immediately begged the driver to stop so we could see the Nordhavn 62 mold.

Roberta’s and my first Nordhavn was a 62, and both Seabird and Grey Pearl are Nordhavn 62s. I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that deep down many of us believe it is the finest trawler ever built. Nordhavn announced that they were phasing out the Nordhavn 62 several years ago, and that the last boat had been built. However, orders keep coming in. There are now thirty-eight Nordhavn 62s that have been built. It’s a nearly 20 year old model, and has been replaced by newer models. Perhaps the last order has come in. I hope not.

My overall thought on touring the factory…

I have been to the factory before, but this visit has been completely different. My past visits were to take a quick look at my boat and then fly out of town. With this visit we’re spending a week almost literally living with the factory staff (they have been on my boat all day, every day, since we arrived).

Boats are built by people, not factories. I have never met a harder working group, who cared more about the product. They have been studying our boats to see what they can learn that might help them build boats better in the future. Their attention to detail, and the fine craftsmanship they exhibit is incredible.

I don’t know that I’ll ever build another boat, but if I do, I hope that it will be built by Ta Shing! I can't thank the people I've met at Ta Shing enough! Thank you Tim, BK, Al, Kuli, George, Douglas, Rachel, Lillian and everyone who's name I've forgotten (but, not all the great work they have done!).

And, here’s a few pictures that didn’t seem to fit anywhere else…

OK, I have to ask. What's the argument for putting the toilet paper OUTSIDE the stall?

Jeff Merrill's son Jonn, standing on the bulbous bow of Seabird

I didn't clean up this picture at all. It was an amazing sunrise (or, was it a sunset? I forget)

Sans Souci in Taiwan

Roberta, putting out lines, as we approach Miyako (It's raining!)

Despite the smiles, this picture is quite serious. Braun and Steven are pointing at a likely GSSR destination for 2011: Vietnam. Instead of also pointing, I was making the Japanese symbol for "No!" The GSSR group has become our family, and I can't imagine us cruising without each other. But, that said, the group may temporarily split up next year. It's an uncomfortable topic, but I really do not want to go anywhere where there even remotely could be pirates. Also, if we get too far off the beaten path, I won't be able to put Sans Souci on a freighter, and there is no way I'm taking Sans Souci, on her own bottom, through Somalia. Don't be surprised if Sans Souci arrives in the Med a year before Seabird and Grey Pearl.

And lastly…

Here’s a Nordhavn blog that you might find interesting.

http://www.eliana76.com

It belongs to Rick and Debbie Heiniger who recently purchased a new Nordhavn 76. Their boat (Eliana) was just delivered to Dana Point, and I’ve been enjoying reading Rick’s tales of taking delivery, and the new boat commissioning process.

That’s all for today (perhaps even tooooo much),

Thank you!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:02:07 GMT

B asked, “I would like to ask you about your opinion about N68 compared to N62 in terms of seaworthiness and ability to handle rough seas comfortable. …Has Nordhavn managed to retain the "salty qualities" while moving upscale to yachts?...” That’s a very fun question, and one which different Nordhavn owners might answer differently. I’ll take my stab at it, but hope that someone with real knowledge will jump in with their answer. I’m not sure what defines “salty qualities,” so I’m going to slice the term into a few categories: seaworthiness, comfort in rough seas, sturdiness, construction quality and design. Seaworthiness – There is an entire science that defines seaworthiness, and it is called the ‘stability curve’. Simplistically stated, this is the amount by which a boat can be tipped and still come upright. I do not have the data, and am not qualified to interpret it, so I cannot give you an analytic answer to this question. Stability is not a simple topic, and has tons of variables. For instance, sailboats can be tipped virtually upside down and still right themselves, whereas power boats have much lower tip angles. This doesn’t necessarily mean that sailboats are more stable. You also need to look at the amount of effort required to tip a boat. Each wave contains some finite amount of energy, and the energy required to tip a 100 ton powerboat is higher than the energy required to tip a 10 ton sailboat. So, given that I cannot answer this question mathematically, I’ll give an opinion. It is my opinion (and, it’s only an opinion) that the N62 wins over the N68, on the stability test. But, I suspect that the difference is so close that it is irrelevant, and to a large extent, it is defined by the particular N68. An N68 with twin engines and an Atlas scores much higher than a single engine N68, because there is much more weight below the waterline. An N68 with full tanks scores higher than an N68 with empty tanks. If I were to guess at it, I’d say that in terms of stability (on a scale of 1 to 10), if a well made ocean-going sailboat is a 10, and a typical Bering Sea Fishing boat a 7, then a trawler would be a 5. On this same scale a typical planing hulled boat would probably be a 1 or a 2, and the semi-displacement boats (like Fleming) might be a 3. My guess is that we are talking a tenth of a point difference between the N62 and N68. The bottom line in my opinion is that Nordhavns are as good as it gets for a production trawler (excluding Dashew’s boats anyhow), but we shouldn’t kid ourselves and think we are ready for the Bering Sea in January. Comfort in rough seas – Comfort is correlated to weight, hull design, and most importantly: stabilizers. Good stabilizers can make any boat very comfortable. You asked me to specifically compare the N62 and N68, and having owned both I do have some basis for comparing them. The N68 wins this comparison. I suspect much of this is simply due to weight. It’s like comparing a sports car to a Cadillac. The N68 outweighs the N62 two to one. Also, my perception is that the ‘pivot point’ is farther back on the N62. The N62 bow pitches far more than the N68 bow in the same seas. Sturdiness – Boats get slammed in heavy seas. All of the stability in the world won’t help you if the refrigerator goes shooting across the room when you take the first wave, or the fuel pickup tube snaps. This is the area where Nordhavn’s really excel. Anti-chafing is part of their culture. The factory understands that the boats are going to be picked up and shaken repeatedly by waves. There are no statistics kept on sturdiness, so it doesn’t appear on product spec sheets, but it is the #1 reason to buy a Nordhavn. I had a conversation with another Nordhavn owner once who had an interesting way of looking at this topic (Scott Strickland). Scott said, “When someone tells me about the big seas they were in, I ask them ‘What broke?’ If they can’t tell me something that broke, it wasn’t really heavy seas.” Never underestimate the power of the sea. If you get into truly heavy seas, something is going to break. It might just be a chair that gets flung across the room, or it might be something more serious, but you are unlikely to come through completely unscathed. One way to look at a quantitative measure of sturdiness would be to take a 30 foot steep wave, and shoot different boats down it, and count how many things break. I suspect Nordhavns would rank at the top of the class. As to the N62 versus the N68, both are built in the same factory, by the same people, with the same culture. I doubt there is any difference, other than that the N68 might have more ‘stuff’ to break. My recommendation, whether or not you own a Nordhavn: Don’t go out in bad weather. Construction Quality – I’m defining this category as all of the little details which my wife cares about and I tend to overlook. We were at the Nordhavn factory recently, and stopped to watch a woodworking team laboring over the wood frame that cases in one window. It was a layered wood frame that was beautiful, handmade and being labored over by multiple people. I have no idea how many hours of work went into that one window frame, but I’d guess ‘days.’ It was a real work of art. I remember thinking, couldn’t they have just framed the window in steel and saved a lot of effort? So, I’m the wrong person to ask this question. All I can say is that those I know who care about this topic tend to ‘ooh and ahh’ when looking at the quality of the joinery and other polish details on Nordhavn boats. Design – I assume your topic of saltiness includes the overall ‘look and feel’ of the boat. On this competition, the N62 wins over the N68, in that it looks more like a traditional fishing boat. The N68 is beamier, and looks more megayacht-ish. That said, both look very different from any of the ‘normal’ boats out there. Both are salty looking. Anyone looking at my N68 is going to quickly see the life rafts, the beefy anchor, the monster davit, the thick stainless rails, the weight (that makes it solid in the water, while boats around me are bobbing like corks), the thick hawseholes, the cleats that mean business, and the overall functional appearance. The N68 may be comfortable, but no one’s going to mistake it for a typical ‘party boat.’ Does this answer your question? Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:26:11 GMT

Hi Ken, The question about whether rooster tails are just for show actually depends on the propulsion system used. Surface drives (for instance Arneson drives) will give you a rooster tail whether you like it or not. Jet propulsion, however, does not necessarily give you a rooster tail. A lot of smaller vessels like jet skies and small jet RIBs have a rooster tail, but that is probably just to help other boats see them. The Norwegian Navy has developed a 160 foot stealth missile fast patrol boat capable of 60 knots+ using Rolls Royce gas turbines and jet propulsion, and those boats certainly have no rooster tail;-) One of these boats are currently being tested by the US Navy. Anyway, I would like to ask you about your opinion about N68 compared to N62 in terms of seaworthiness and ability to handle rough seas comfortable. Having been onboard your N68 in Dana Point a couple of weeks before commissioning was complete, I know the "yacht feeling" of your boat. The N62, however, is more similar to the fishing boats of my native Norway where both the Nordhavn name and hull shape originally came from. So what is your verdict; Has Nordhavn managed to retain the "salty qualities" while moving upscale to yachts? On a final note I would like to commend APE on its ability to consistently deliver high quality products from China and Taiwan. I was recently hired as President of a group of companies manufacturing the majority of its boats (RIBs) in mainland China. We had a lot of problems with quality caused by hiring "fisherman’s wives" and loosing them as soon as they were trained. A lot of the migrant workers were more committed to quality, but -as I was once explained by my local manager at the factory- it's hard to make good boats when you have never seen the ocean... Keep up the good work of allowing all of us stuck on land to live through you and your blog;-) Regards, B

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:18:16 GMT

Hi Ken & Roberta, I too am an avid reader of your blog as I sit here in my office and toil away wishing I was "adventuring" along with the GSSR Group. Every experience including the Coast Guard mixups, weather reroutes & associated agent discussions, I would even take on the engine room at 135 degrees in rolling & pitching seas in exchange for my daily office grind. But I do have to say it sort of helps knowing that you also have difficulty and challenges and that not every day is peaches & cream. I learn a lot from your blogs and one day when I have saved enough and worked hard enough I will be out there too, but until that time I will just have to live vicariously through your blogs, so don't change a thing. BTW thanks for the warning for next years "happy" Med blogs with pictures of beautiful beaches and bodies, I will prepare now to beat my head into the computer screen repeatedly. Shelli

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:01:04 GMT

Ken, I would much rather be cramped down in a hot engine room working on the AC units and engines, than sitting in an office all day! So, I wish I was stuck in a hot engine room being able to see the world (well not at that moment) experiencing new and exciting things. You can say that you cruised through Japan now and mark that off the list, along with all the red tape that went with it. Thanks for taking us along for the ride, Chris Hallock

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:38:14 GMT

Chuck: Always great to hear from you! Here's a funny story from 'behind the scenes.' Roberta has received a couple of emails saying, "It sounds like you aren't having much fun." She said that I should be more cheery on my blog. I said that it is an adventure story, not a travelogue, and she said that if it was always depressing to read my blog, people would stop reading. I said she was wrong, and as always, she disagreed. I then asked her how the Donner party books sold... Hopefully my blog hasn't been depressing. We're having fun, but it's a different kind of fun. We're exploring, and that comes with a certain amount of confusion and complexity. My goal next year is to get the boat to the Med, find a pretty beach, with a good pub, and perhaps a bikini or two (or, perhaps none), and drop the anchor. It will be a 'funner' boating experience, but I suspect it will make for a really dull blog. Oh well... it is what it is. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:43:50 GMT

Ken, Thanks for an absolutely great post! Both entertaining and an education regarding the challenges of international cruising... it's a pleasure reading them.

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:25:00 GMT

Michael: I agree with your wife (that we need a dog sitter and a hotel). It's not that easy though. We don't like having a stranger on the boat overnight while we're at a hotel. In addition to the normal worry about giving a stranger access to all our possessions, there's the issue that boats are more complicated than homes. Power management is a part of life on a boat, and I don't know how to train someone in all the things that I do automatically on a daily basis. In Hong Kong we're flying a friend in, for a week, just to watch Shelby. I'm a little uncomfortable with leaving him with the boat, because of the potential technical issues .. but, think it will be fine. We'll see. Thank you!

Comment on: GSSR No. 14 - The Kids Come Home

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 13:44:12 GMT

Ken, my wife suggests a locally hired dog sitter to stay aboard paired with a nice hotel suite.

GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The three GSSR boats (two N62s and an N68) are currently underway between Japan and Taiwan, headed to Nordhavn's Ta Shing factory in Tainan, Taiwan.

As I type this we are about 12 hours into a 48 hour passage.

We're excited about seeing the factory, and the boats that are currently under construction.

We will be the first Nordhavns ever to return home to their birthplace, and the factory has quite a party planned to greet us.

Our position can be tracked in real time at the following link:

http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/m/Current_Location

There is a storm working its way to our location, and we'll be rounding the southern tip of Taiwan, with 20 knots of wind in our face, at 01:30 local time (16:30gmt on July 2nd). Thus far it has a relatively smooth passage, other than a constant 1 knot current which we are very tired of.

More when we arrive.

Thank you,

Ken Williams
N6805, Sans Souci

PS I'm several days behind on my blog. I'll work on it when we get to Taiwan. Ishigaki, our last port, was a long series of problems of one type or another, so I think we're all very happy to be moving again. Ishigaki seemed to be bad luck.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 22:10:11 GMT

Hi Ken.... I have emailed you as well. I have been cruising in japan every year for about the last 10 years. As long as the paperwork is done, then you will have no problems. Of course as most people in japan do not speak English, some local assistance is always good to help you along. The cruising here is magnificent, scenery and history spectaular and the people are awesome, and I have captained and assisted motor yachts from 80 to 300 feet in length in these waters... we do this every year.... in 2009 we had 6 mega yachts cruising in Japan, 2010 is slightly less with 4. Megayachts are even more complicated than smaller yachts as any foreign vessel over 100ft is treated basically like a container ship or oil tanker. But this is because yachting is not their core business in Japan! However the rules are there for a reason, and with 5 marinas that can take over 300ft yachts and many many more that can take up to 120ft yachts, there should be no problem for smaller vessels cruising Japanese waters. As for anchorages, there are literally thousands and thousands of them, but as a foreign vessel, yes, you will have to get permission to access them. For your information I am currently working with the Japanese government on formulating a "cruising permit" for private pleasure yachts, which if successful should ease the paperwork burden for yachtmens and large yacht captains and crew. You have probably discouvered that the Japanese culture is very different from the west. When we visit countries such as this, we have to respect that. too many people think that things should be done in the same way as the west, but this is just as rude as foreign people coming to my country and not having any respect to the way we do things! I am glad you found friends and had an enjoyable cruise through Japan... if you go back, please contact me at my email address (sent separately) for some free advice and assistance!!! Best regards Nigel www.superyachtlogistics.com

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:52:36 GMT

ken have really found it diffecult to believe that you have had a wonderful experience over in japan I would not find it enjoyeable that everytime they (Japan coast guard)seeks to move you relocate you or tell you you can not anchor here is fun. nother country nother wathever your blog witch I have followed seems to always have diffecult time while cruising in that country.I would not find it enjoyeable at all. even if the people of that country are some of the nicest people in the world. hope your travel to your ships mother country is good and the gov't there is not worried about a few personnel water craft taking some liesure time in there nice bay's.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:45:50 GMT

Ken, You likely are already aware of this development but in case not, this would be an ideal additional radar for navigating fish pots and other objects at relatively close ranges... http://www.northstarnav.us/Products/Broadband-Radar/ Regard, Tom

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:44:18 GMT

Can you see the Japanese coast guard behind you? :)

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:22:32 GMT

Hope the passage is smooth and gentle... Be sure to check out what they've done to the flybridge of N8607, if that hull is still there. From the recent pics on Nordhavn.com, looks like there has been a resculpting of the flybridge to open up a sun deck area or something? Maybe Jeff Merrill can elaborate. As always, thanks for taking the time to share the adventure.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:17:27 GMT

Sorry to hear that you had problems at Ishigaki. Can't wait to read what happens next, thanks for the update.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 - Quick update on position)

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:43:35 GMT

Ken, I hope you can get a bit of video on the arrival if possible, that would be great, as I assume that there will be a lot of workers out to greet the GSSR's arrival.

GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

A couple of weeks before our GSSR group’s arrival to Okinawa, Japan’s Prime Minister announced his resignation. The reason: During his campaign he had promised to move a marine base off the island of Okinawa, but had been unable to deliver on that promise. The Americans said "no" to that idea.

Note: This section of the blog gives a quick overview of Okinawa, its role in WWII, and the presence of US military in Okinawa today. As you read it, I'd ask that you keep in mind that I am a software developer and ship’s captain, not a historian, so if there are errors, I apologize. At the bottom of my blog post, on the website, is a comments section. Please correct me there.

Okinawa is a small, skinny, 60 mile long island, that is home to nearly two thirds of the US troops in Japan. Counting their families, roughly 50,000 American military are based in Okinawa. This is small, as compared to Okinawa’s overall population of 1.6 million. However, the Americans are very visible on Okinawa.

In fact, Okinawa was once an American territory. At the end of WWII (1946) the US took possession of Okinawa from Japan, and didn’t return it until 1972. They even drove on the 'right' side of the road, something the Japanese quickly corrected once Okinawa was returned.

Okinawa had been part of Japan for hundreds of years. However, until modern times, Japan maintained a very hands-off relationship with Okinawa. In the 1600s, 1700s and half of the 1800s, Japan had cut itself off from the outside world, allowing foreign contact only at Nagasaki,and Okinawa. Mariners, who were forced to Japan by weather, found that they were not allowed to leave. Japan wanted no contact with foreigners, and wanted their secrets kept.

Okinawa, which had a long history of good relations with China, was allowed to maintain most of its independence, so as not to damage the valuable China trade connections.

After Commodore Perry opened trade with Japan to the West, in 1853, Japan made the decision to integrate Okinawa with Japan, taking steps to introduce the Japanese language and culture to the Okinawans. The transition from Okinawa, as essentially being an independent nation, to being part of Japan, was a painful process with tense relations at times between the island and Japan.

Okinawa had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time during WWII. Its proximity to mainland Japan made it a perfect location from which the Americans could attack Japan’s mainland. Japan understood this, and started preparations for an expected attack on Okinawa long before the Americans arrived there in April of 1945.

The Battle of Okinawa (codenamed Operation Iceberg) lasted for 82 days...

The Americans brought overwhelming force to bear, but I don’t believe there was ever much doubt about the final result. The Americans surrounded Okinawa with the largest Naval armada ever assembled, over 1,300 ships. I forget the number of bombs dropped on Okinawa, but my recollection is that it was well over a million, or more than 2 bombs for each inhabitant on the island.

The statistics from those 82 days are staggering. More people died than at Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined:

107,000 dead Japanese and Okinawan soldiers
150,000 dead Okinawan civilians (1/4 of the total population)
12,000 dead American soldiers, and 38,000 wounded

The Japanese soldiers on Okinawa fought to the death, literally. They had been taught that capture by the Americans meant certain torture and death. Thus, rather than be captured, there were mass suicides. Mainland Japan needed to stop the Americans, or at the very least delay them from taking Okinawa, and surrender was not part of their thinking. One theory as to why the Americans dropped the atomic bombs just a few weeks after the completion of the battle at Okinawa is that the U.S. felt it had no choice, and that Japan either needed shocked into surrender, or a very long, very bloody, battle would ensue with many, many casualties. There are those who would argue that the dropping of the A-bombs in actuality saved many lives.

During our time in mainland Japan the Okinawa situation (the controversy over the American military bases there) was much in the headlines. I remember reading one article that horrified me. It said that one of the reasons that Okinawa wanted rid of the Americans was that they were tired of the crimes and rapes committed by the American soldiers. The article included several quotes from Okinawa residents that mentioned rapes by American soldiers, and had pictures of a massive demonstration against the U.S. military.

This depressing theme of Americans as rapists appears often in the articles and press I read about America's role in Okinawa. This story from Japan’s very first contact with America, on Okinawa, bothered me immensely:

“…Ironically enough, Perry's initial contact with Okinawa was not only the first moment of contact between the United States and Okinawa, but also the first time that U.S. military forces committed crimes against the Okinawan people. Shortly after docking, an American sailor broke into the house of an Okinawan woman and raped her. Upon hearing the woman's screams, several villagers gave pursuit, and Board either fell into the port or was drowned. Following this incident the villagers involved in this incident were punished for their role in the sailor's death, and Perry presented the woman who was raped with a few yards of cloth as compensation for the assault. This incident of violence against Okinawan women represented a theme that would return again later when Okinawa was placed under United States occupation….” (source: http://www.uchinanchu.org/uchinanchu/history_early.htm)

Once on Okinawa I did further research, and discovered that this issue has been blown out of proportion, and the real statistics are much different than what one reads in the paper. There have been incidents over the years, including a much publicized case in 2008, but recent research has shown that the American soldiers have been extremely well-behaved, and that, depending on which article you read, are half as likely, or even a 10th as likely, to commit a crime, as compared to a local Okinawan resident.

For those who are curious, here are a few links to articles on the subject (the Japan Times article is well worth reading):

I particularly recommend this article from the Japan Times on the subject:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20080226zg.html

The word does seem to be spreading that the Americans are not the crime risk the headlines would have you believe. However, there are other issues causing the Okinawans to want the Americans off the island. The American military bases occupy a significant chunk of the useable land on Okinawa. Plus, there is a real safety issue. There was an accident in 1959, where a military jet, on a training mission, crashed into an elementary school killing 17, and wounding 279, mostly children. Other highly visible fatal accidents have occurred. Surveys indicate that essentially all Japanese and Okinawans do understand that the US presence is important to the security of Japan, but then the surveys also indicate, just as strongly, that they want the bases out of Okinawa. This is not an issue with easy answers.

And with all that said…

Okinawa today is unlike any other part of Japan. I’ve often heard it described as Japan’s version of Hawaii, and this is somewhat true.

Here’s a few random observations about our time in Okinawa:

It is very touristy. Most of the tourists are Japanese or Taiwanese, although because there are so many Americans living on Okinawa, it feels more western and casual than the rest of Japan. We had no problem taking taxis, or even finding western food. Our first night was spent at a Mexican restaurant sipping margaritas. It almost felt like home!
There are no subways or trains. There is one short monorail line, but that’s it. Imagining Japan without mass transit is like imagining a boat without a rudder. It felt unnatural, and made it very annoying to move around. Traffic is horrendous, and even short cab rides can take 30 minutes to an hour.
Despite what one reads in the press, we observed absolutely no tension between the Okinawans and Americans. If anything I’d say that relations between the Okinawans and the Americans seemed superior than relations between the Okinawans and the Japanese. We had a terrific time, and were treated like friends everywhere we went.
Gambling is one of the big draws on Okinawa, and there are huge casinos along the waterfront. I didn’t go into one, so perhaps they are nothing more than large pachinko parlors. I’m not sure. I did see the word ‘slots’, but I also saw articles saying that there is an effort to legalize gambling (which I assume means more kinds of games) in Okinawa, as a way of increasing tourist revenues, and to offset lost income if the American bases ever do move (unlikely any time in the foreseeable future)
Tipping was interesting. In mainland Japan there is no tipping. I tried on many occasions to give cab drivers a little extra, and was always rebuffed. Okinawan tourists are primarily Japanese, who I’m sure do not tip. It’s not in their culture. So, as a test I tried tipping everywhere I went. The tips were warmly received. In one case I called a cab, and then realized we didn’t need it. When the driver appeared, I gave him $8 (the estimated cab fare) and waved him away. In Japan I absolutely guarantee the driver would not have accepted the money. In Okinawa he took it happily. I can’t say if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I note it only out of cultural interest. My theory on tipping is that it is a reward for good service. However, mainland Japan has no tipping, and has the best service I’ve experienced. When you summon a waiter in mainland Japan they tend to run, literally, to your table.
I noticed a lot of tattoo parlors. This is not unusual for a tourist town, however it is VERY unusual for Japan, especially when the locals partake. I noted many Okinawan girls with tattoos. Contrast this with an ad I saw for a bathhouse in mainland Japan which said very forcefully, “No one admitted with any tattoos or body jewelry.”
McDonalds is open 24 hours, and has Egg McMuffins. Yes. This is a silly thing to have noticed, but is noteworthy. Generally McDonalds in mainland Japan doesn’t serve breakfast. Egg sandwiches for breakfast are a western thing. This is just one of many indications of Okinawa’s western influence.
Economically, Okinawa appears to be a step down from mainland Japan. I didn’t see any poverty, but clearly (or, at least in my opinion), there is a gap between Okinawa and Japan economically speaking.
The ladies loved Okinawa, because it was the first place in Japan where they found a hair stylist who seemed to ‘get it’ with respect to the maintenance requirements of western hair.
I spoke with the wife of an American soldier who mentioned she had just had a child. I asked whether or not the child would receive a Japanese passport, and she said yes. Her daughter would be dual passported, as American and Japanese. With 50,000 military personnel serving in Japan, that's a fair number of new citizens each year.

Anyway, I’ve said far more than I should have about Okinawa so, with all that said, it’s time to go back to talking about boating…

Those who have been reading my blog for years know that I was excited about this cruising season because I knew we would be cruising amongst hundreds of little islands. My blog entries early this year glowed with the prospects of warm water and anchoring off pristine white sand beaches, tendering in to visit small Japanese villages which would be as they were hundreds of years ago.

I don’t think I could have been more naïve.

The Japan of my dreams is not the Japan we cruised. Japan is many wonderful things, but they are different things than what I had thought or hoped for. My error. We’re days from leaving Japan, and only this week did we find that perfect anchoring experience I had been seeking. In fact, I started to title this blog entry ‘DAY ONE’ because we were finally dropping anchor in an idyllic setting. Roberta convinced me this would be tacky, and disrespectful to all the great experiences we’ve had thus far, and the amazing people we’ve met. My apologies for having ever considered the idea, and Roberta is right. But.. I can’t deny that there is a side of me that feels that way.

Zamami Island

Twenty-three miles from Okinawa is a small set of islands, called collectively the Kerama Islands (also with a role in WWII, but I have already said enough on that topic). Our goal after Okinawa was to drop anchor at Zamami Island, one of the Kerama islandss. Zamami offers some of the clearest water and best diving in the world.

Our group was a little tentative about venturing out to Zamami though, because of all the coral. The same coral that makes diving so pretty can make anchoring a nightmare. We all had visions of wrapping our anchor chain around a coral head, and losing our anchors. Also, the winds were fairly high (20 knots from the south) which limited the number of locations where we could drop anchor and be protected from the winds and swell.

Ultimately, we identified a large bay, Agnoura-Ko, which was described as a typhoon hole, and had a coral bottom, but offered large mooring buoys we could tie to. There would be no need to drop the anchors at all!

We had never seen the mooring buoys, and didn’t know what to expect, and were a little uncertain as to whether they would be available when we arrived, or how we’d tie to them, but, we headed to Zamami anyhow, with high hopes that we’d figure something out.

On arriving at the bay, we were quickly able to verify that the mooring buoys were large, empty and could hold us. However, we were surprised at how much swell and current there was in the bay. As a typhoon hole, one would think that we’d be seeing dead calm. However, we were seeing that even if we successfully tied to the mooring buoys, we’d be spending the night bouncing around with the swell.

Grey Pearl has a couple of friends on board, so they approached a mooring buoy first, and put one of their guests (Wayne) onto it. Wayne was able to run a line back to Grey Pearl, who then tied up, and dropped their tender while the rest of us waited. The plan was that Grey Pearl would help our boat and Seabird to get a line to the buoy. However, as I was standing on the bow waiting to drop a line to Grey Pearl’s tender, Roberta was at our helm running the boat. She was being pushed around by the current, swell and wind, and didn’t like it. She signaled me back inside the pilothouse and said, “This isn't good. We’re getting out of here.”

Grey Pearl was already tied up, Seabird was tying up, and now Roberta wanted to leave, and we had no idea where to go. I agreed with her though. The bay was open to the south, and there was no way we were going to get a calm anchoring experience. So, we decided to break ranks with the group, and venture into the unknown. I jumped on the radio to say, “GSSR. This is Sans Souci. We’re going in search of a place protected from the south where we can drop anchor.” We didn’t wait to see what the others thought, but just took off. Looking at the charts we identified a place that had a very narrow strip of bottom that was 50 foot deep and had protection from the south winds.

Our thought was that the water was so clear we would be able to see the coral, and drop our anchor somewhere where our odds were the best at retrieving it later. In the worst case, unwrapping a chain from some coral would be a good excuse for some diving. On arrival at our narrow strip of land, we discovered that the chart was wrong and the deep water came closer to shore than we liked. We kept advancing towards shore, well beyond where the chart was saying the depth should be 50 feet, but my depth gauge was claiming 95 foot depth. Finally, the water shallowed sharply, but my depth gauge showed the water as only 12 feet deep just a couple hundred feet in front of my boat. I was unsure where the tide was at, but with the wind projection 100% from the south in all forecasts, I decided this was a manageable risk.

Looking down from the bow, in 50 feet of water, I could clearly see the bottom. It looked like sand to me. I could see coral nearby, but thought I’d be fine.

It was then I did something very out of character for Sans Souci….

Roberta and I are very disciplined in our anchoring. We have a procedure we stick to. But, Steven, on Seabird, and I, had talked a few days before about different anchoring techniques. Roberta and I normally work hard to stretch out a nice, neat, straight line of chain on the bottom, extending from the anchor to the boat. However, Steven mentioned a friend whose theory is that it is better to dump one big pile of chain, and avoid having the chain draped across coral that might tangle it. With hundreds of feet of heavy chain, in light winds, the boat isn't going anywhere.

With a forecast showing 15-20 knot winds from the south, solid protection to the south, and sitting in dead calm water, I said, “What the heck, I’ll try something new.” So, I dropped a large pile of 300’ of chain. The boat wasn’t going anywhere. And, if the wind changed direction, I’d have plenty of time to do something different.

On the radio, I spoke with the other two boats, who were wondering what had happened to us. I relayed that Roberta and I had found a patch of white sand, in crystal water, and dead calm. Meanwhile, the others were being bounced around by the swell on the mooring bouys. I expressed my sympathies, and Roberta and I immediately jumped in the water to swim and enjoy life.

After our swim, as we were climbing onto the swim platform, I looked across the bay, and Seabird was heading our way, with Grey Pearl not far behind! It took a bit of exploration to fit both boats on the narrow bit of sand, but within an hour, we were all happy and smiling ear to ear.

Sans Souci at Anchor. The line dropped down is there for us to hang on while cleaning the waterline

A look at one of Sans Souci's stabilizers, beneath the water, just to show how clear the water is

A quick look at how calm the water is

Seabird at anchor off Zamami

The weather report looked unchanged for the next three days, so we all settled in for what we believed would be three days in paradise. Barbecues were fired up, tenders dropped, water put in the hot tub, dive gear put on deck, and corks popped.

The next morning, at 6am when I looked out the window, I noticed a large Coast Guard boat across the bay. My immediate reaction was, “%$%#@. They’re here to chase us away!” When they hadn’t moved a half-hour later I got on the radio to the other GSSR boats. Braun (Grey Pearl) said they had come in at 5am, and hadn’t moved. I speculated that they were just waiting for us to wake up.

For the next few hours, none of us ventured outdoors. Finally, about 10am, I got on the radio to say, “Sans Souci has decided to take the bullet. I’m going on deck to dig out the dive gear.” Which, I did. And, nothing happened. Either the coast guard had no interest in us, or was waiting for the right time. We never found out as they left the next morning.

One way or the other, I was going diving. I had noticed that my chain had straightened itself out. Sans Souci was now sitting in 95 feet of water, with the anchor (hopefully) where I originally dropped it, in 50 feet of water. I didn’t quite understand how the chain was able to be stretched with virtually no wind, so I asked Steven if he wanted to tag along as I dived the anchor.

My hookah system has around 300 feet of hose, and can handle up to four adult divers. So, I put out all the hookah hose, and Steven and I hit the water. After a bit of a struggle untangling all the hose, we started working our way towards the anchor. The water was so clear we could always see the chain on the bottom. We followed it to the anchor, and as the water rapidly shallowed, just before reaching the anchor, we saw it. It was laying on its side, not at all dug in, with perhaps 10 feet of chain still circled around it. We were hovering about 30 feet away from the anchor and I signaled that we should swim to it. Almost immediately, we reached the limits of the hookah hose. It was a very frustrating moment. We did everything we could think of but there was no way to reach the anchor. The hookah hose was too short. Oops. We had to swim back to the boat. I did have scuba tanks, and could easily have ‘real-dived’ the anchor, but there was really no need. I had seen the anchor, and knew its status.

I thought about re-dropping the anchor, but it wasn’t needed. The wind was blowing off shore, and there wasn’t much wind. We weren’t going anywhere, and if we did, I was 99% certain the anchor would immediately set itself.

Our second day at anchor was as great as it gets. Roberta and I decided to dive in the water and clean all the scum off the waterline. That doesn’t sound much fun, but it is. In the clear warm water (82 degrees) these sorts of projects become a delight. We then cruised around the bay on the tender, discovering a long sand bar, which we goofed around seeing if we could cross (we didn’t).

Back on the boat, I checked the weather...

Ouch!!!! The weather had changed. A storm was coming, and it was going to make our next run impossible. We had planned going to Ishigaki, which would be our last stop in Japan. This would require a 30 hour non-stop run. However, the weather report was suddenly claiming that we would be making this run in 20-25 knots winds, directly in our face, with the swell coming straight at us, on 5 second intervals, and waves of 8 to 10 feet. This is not my idea of a good time. I quickly sent a note to our weather router, hoping he would tell me I was reading the situation wrong.

I then alerted the other two boats. My interpretation of the weather data was that a storm was going to hit within the next 18 to 24 hours, and pin us down for at least three or four days. Zamami was a nice spot, but we needed to get moving. Friends were meeting us in Ishigaki and we had to get there. That said, there is no such thing as a schedule on a boat. Ultimately, the weather decides when we move, not us.

There is an island, about 155 miles (a 20 hour run) from Zamami, en route to Ishigaki, called Miyako. At one time we had thought about going there, but had made no plans. Perhaps there was enough time to make Miyako before the storm hit? I contacted our agent, who reminded me that Miyako is a closed port, and he would need to work on getting us Coast Guard approval, as well as contact the port and arrange moorage. Closed ports normally require seven-day advance notice to receive approval, but when the seas are rough, approvals can be granted quickly.

As I was having these discussions, Roberta was in the galley starting on dinner. I spun her up to speed, and said, “We may be leaving in the next 30 minutes.” This came as a bit of a shock on all of the boats, but as we collectively studied the weather reports, reality set in. We had to move immediately. I sent a firm email to our agent saying, “Alert the coast guard and Miyako that we are coming, because we are pulling anchor in the next 30 minutes.”

And, we did…

We departed Zamami just before dusk, and cruised all night to Miyako. Our agent worked miracles again, and cleared all obstacles to our arrival in Miyako. We had a very smooth run, and the moon even decided to honor us with its presence.

Sans Souci, Seabird and Grey Pearl, at the Ikema Fishing Port, Miyako Island

We arrived at Miyako within an hour of the storm hitting, and are now stuck here for at least three days while the storm passes.

Lastly....

There is a culture to Japan that I have been terrible at capturing. I'm not as good at mingling with the locals as are many others, and it comes through in my blogs. On the other hand, Don and Sharry Stabbert, on Starr, are producing the kind of blog I wish I was capable of writing. I would encourage everyone with an interest in Japan to read their last few blog entries. Their blog can be found at: http://starr.talkspotblogs.com. Their story of eating semi-live squid is incredible, and the type of thing you'll NEVER read on my blog. Enjoy!

That’s it for today!

Until next time...

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:51:25 GMT

Colin: I've never thought about whether or not what I do is 'the right thing,' but here's what I do... There are two different kinds of bottom cleaning: Cleaning the waterline, and 'really' cleaning the bottom Roberta and I clean the waterline whenever we have the opportunity; meaning we're somewhere with warm water and sitting at anchor. We just circle the boat with a rag. Usually I also have something stronger, like a brillo pad (some sort of mild abrasive). We never use soap. I suppose we could, but it isn't necessary. We try not to scrub any more than is absolutely necessary, because the goal is to remove the crud, not the paint. 99% of the time we only need the rag and hardly have to scrub. This last trip was an interesting example. We've been in warm water for a month. Towards the beginning I dived in with the intent to clean the bottom, but there wasn't much crud, so I did only one side (starboard) and then quit. Three weeks later in Zamami, Roberta did the port side, which took her about three hours, then I dived in to help her with the port side. We were done in 20 minutes. Apparently the little bit I had done a few weeks earlier was enough to have dramatically slowed the growth. A very little effort goes a long way. Seabird also cleaned their waterline, and the prop. Both of us noted that the boats seemed to run much better afterwards. Now, as to 'really' cleaning the bottom... It's just the same process - take a rag, and something abrasive, and do the minimum possible. You don't want to accidentally remove paint. The problem is that there is a LOT of bottom, and it is underwater. A hookah is usually the answer. I wouldn't know because other than playing around from time to time, I've never cleaned the bottom. On the N68 it would be a full day job of very hard work. In central america (Mexico to Costa Rica) there was always someone in the marina begging to clean the bottom, usually for $75 to $200. They would use my hookah, and it would be done. In the colder climates, the growth takes much longer to form (if ever). Here is Asia, I haven't found anyone willing to dive, and if we had the right opportunity, I might try. Hopefully I'll be able to get the boat hauled out in Hong Kong, and it can be done properly. In Zamami I dived under, and the bottom looked good, but I suspect it is like the starboard side of the boat, where if I don't wipe it down soon, crud will start growing quickly. Anyway... On your N40, the bottom is a lot smaller, and if you are in warm enough water to dive in from time to time, you'll find it a fun, and easy job. Just don't over-scrub. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:29:13 GMT

Hi Ken, As always, thanks for the fascinating blog. Now, a really stupid question! When you clean the waterline, what do you use, and how hard do you press/scrub? I am just about to do my first ever diving course to get a basic qualification and will get some sort of hookah rig I think. I guess this is the only time I will prefer my N40 over your N68, although after the task is done, I would revert to envy as there is no room for a hot tub on my little boat! Keep safe, Colin

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:58:28 GMT

Jerry: Sorry to hear your father and brother had to go through the battles. It is impossible for me to comprehend that kind of violence. Their efforts are much appreciated, and I hope both came through uninjured. And, as you said, the waters around here remind me of the Bahamas. Zamami was everything I had hoped for, and more. It was SO depressing to have to leave. Oh well...there's still a lot of trip ahead of us. We still have two more countries to enjoy! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:16:06 GMT

You might not be a historian but you did a nice job of including some interesting historical facts in your blog. Well done, thanks.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 13 - War in the Pacific, and Paradise Found

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:11:59 GMT

Great history lesson Ken. My dad and his brother both fought in the battles you described. The photo of the beach and clear waters looks like something from the Bahamas. Thanks Jerry

GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

My apologies for not sending a blog entry recently. The GSSR group has been busy and I’ve had trouble finding time to sit down and write something.

This map shows our route since my last blog.

When last I wrote, we were at the north end of Amami Island in a wonderful little anchorage. However, the GSSR rule, when in potentially dangerous areas, is: “Move when the moving is good.” We are in a part of the world where we have long passages across rough seas. And, unfortunately, we have a schedule to keep. We’ve tried to keep all dates as loose as possible, so that we have the time to wait for good weather before moving, and sometimes this means moving, even if you want to sit still, just because the weather says you can.

Taking on fuel in Nagasaki, from a barge. 103 yen per liter (about $4.50 a gallon). Very convenient!

Our run from the north end of Amami to the south end was very unusual for the GSSR, in that we moved the boats 40 nautical miles even though the weather reports were saying “Stay put!” The prediction was for 30 knot winds from the east, and we were on the west side of the island. Thus, we figured that by hugging the shore on the west side of the island, we’d avoid the high winds and seas, and have a smooth ride south. This allowed us to make progress on a rotten weather day, and it worked! We had flat calm seas, until we hit the south end of the island and turned into a channel that bisects the southern portion of the island. Once we were exposed to the wind we did see some rough seas, but only briefly.

If you do not see the video above, then click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSxpXUfyS6A

I haven’t done any video lately, so I thought I’d share this quick video showing how aggressive some of the freighters can be.

In this video, a freighter has approached us from the rear, running about 14 knots to our 8 knots. The channel was fairly narrow, so we couldn’t easily get out of the freighter’s way. Also, technically speaking, in a passing situation, it is up to the passing boat to maneuver around us. If the freighter needed us to move, it should contact us, or signal, that it would like us to move aside. Instead, it was aiming straight at us, and seemed to be saying, “I’m coming. This is your problem. You figure it out.” We tried to contact the freighter via channel 16 on the radio, to ask its intentions. No response. Finally Steven, from Seabird, got on the radio, and stated firmly that we had the right of way. The freighter seemed to get the message, and swung slightly to starboard to avoid us, but then when coming along side of our group, instead of passing, it made a sharp turn and cut straight through the middle of us, only to then pass me on the starboard side. We were shocked that the freighter could turn so sharply. But, why the theatrics? The bottom line in our opinion: He wanted to remind us who the boss was.

On arriving at our anchorage we realized that some sort of construction was blocking the entrance to the bay where we were supposed to moor the boats. We could have worked our way around it, but in studying the charts, the anchorage was tighter than we had thought. There was a small 45 foot shelf, with a steep drop to 100’ depth. Plus the bottom showed on the chart as coral. This position had been previously approved by the coast guard, so we knew that we should take it even though it looked challenging. However, in studying the charts we noticed another place, just across the channel that looked much better. The weather was turning nastier and nastier, and we were expecting to be locked in by weather for two or three days, so we wanted a good location.

We made the decision to slightly alter where we would drop anchor, and headed to the new location. We didn’t think it would be controversial, in that we were well out of anyone’s way, and very close to our designated anchorage. With the wind rising and the rain slamming us, we dropped anchor.

The anchorage was far from perfect, but the best in the area. Seabird and Grey Pearl were able to drop in 40 feet of water, but I had to drop my anchor in 86 feet. The bottom was gravel, which I was worried would be able to hold my boat, and in 86 feet of water, I couldn’t get the scope I wanted.

After anchoring, we settled in for the expected three days of bad weather, and I decided, “If we’re here for a while, why not fill the hot tub?” We then started relaxing and working on dinner. At which time, I noticed the coast guard entering the bay, with their lights blaring. I haven’t been mentioning it in the blog, but we can barely move without the coast guard coming to see us. This time I had the misfortune to be the boat anchored farthest out, so they came to my boat.

One of the coast guard officers came aboard Sans Souci, and politely but firmly said, “No permission this anchorage. Must move. Now.” The storm was kicking into high gear, and I didn’t want to pull anchor, so I convinced him, with neither of us speaking the other’s language, to come to the pilot house and look at the charts himself. I wanted him to see what we were looking at. He looked at the chart, and pointed at where he wanted us. It was in the main channel, in over 100 feet of water, and completely unprotected. I pointed out that we were expecting 35 knots of wind, heavy rain, and that it would be too dangerous a location. Roberta, standing behind me, looked him in the eye, and said “SAFETY!”. He pointed at another location, once again, over 100 foot deep, and I tried to explain that we can’t anchor that deep.

The coast guard officer was getting more and more frustrated with me. He said, “How deep can anchor?”. I called Seabird and Grey Pearl on the radio, with him standing beside me, and relayed the question. With a big wind coming, we needed at least five times as much chain out as our depth. I had 400’ of chain, implying I ‘might be ok’ in as much as 80’ of water. I didn’t know how much chain Seabird and Grey Pearl had, but thought it might be less. Or, at the least, I knew that they would know to apply pressure for the best possible anchorage. “50 foot maximum depth” came the answer back from Grey Pearl. Roberta looked the coast guard officer in the eye again, and repeated “SAFETY!”. And, of course, the rain was falling harder, and the wind was helping by voicing its opinion from outside the pilot house. The coast guard officer scrolled around my map a bit, and was starting to see it through my eyes. “I call boss” he said.

In no way do I want to sound critical of the Japan Coast Guard. They have been extremely attentive to us, and controlled/monitored our every move. I think this is partially because as our agent said, “There has never been anything remotely like the GSSR in Japan before.” They just don’t have rules or procedures for what to do with us. And, I think they are a bit worried about us. The seas here can be nasty, and they are accustomed to seeing freighters out in the deep water, but not smaller boats, and certainly not private power boats. They don’t know what we can handle and what we can’t. Sometimes, such as when they try to get us to anchor in 100’ depths they are over-estimating our abilities, and at other times, such as when I received repeated calls during anchoring at the upper end of Amami in 25’ of water, they were convinced we would go aground and were under-estimating our abilities. One of the coast guard officers, when I mentioned on the radio that I was traveling with two other boats said, “Oh. I know that very well. We have very thick file on you. You go very many places in Japan.” In every case they have meant well, and have wanted to help, but Japan is very rigid, and rules are rules.

As I was debating anchoring locations with the coast guard officer, and explaining on the radio to Seabird and Grey Pearl what was going on, I suddenly heard water flowing on the roof, and remembered I had left the water in the hot tub filling. It was overflowing onto the fly bridge! I needed to shut the water off, and couldn’t imagine how to explain it to the coast guard. The best I could do was to point at the roof and say, “Onsen. Too much water. Right back.” I dashed to the roof as the coast guard officer looked at me dumbfounded.

He couldn’t contact his boss, and our agent wasn’t answering the phone. We both agreed there was nowhere our group could safely go. He finally said, “I am leaving. If I am not back in 30 minutes, you can stay here. But, please leave when weather permits.” Victory! I assured him we wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He then explained that other boats would not expect us to be where we were and that we must light the boats brightly. I explained that we have anchor lights and AIS. He said that it was not enough. I agreed to his request, and he went back to his boat, and drove off. He did not return.

The weather pinned us down, as expected. However, there were breaks in the storm where we were able to enjoy ourselves. I wanted to try out my dive gear and Steven and I dived under his boat (Seabird) to clean his bottom. I then invited over Braun and Steven to experiment with my hookah. I have several hundred feet of hose, and it splits up to four ways, allowing us to dive together, and stay down as long as we’d like (within reason). The water temperature is 80 degrees, so we were able to dive without wetsuits, and had a blast just goofing around.

Our next leg would take us from Amami to Okinawa...

From Amami to Okinawa is a 155 nm run. This would take us about 19 hours, meaning we would need to run overnight. We prefer to avoid the overnight runs, and identified an island half-way in-between, called Okino Erabu where we could stop for the night. Unforunately, Okino Erabu is a closed port, so we needed permission to enter, and permission takes seven days. This meant contacting our agent, who contacted the coast guard, to beg for permission for us to enter on short notice. It also meant contacting the port to find a place for us. And, it also meant having a solid two day weather window, which was the toughest challenge. We identified one, but then the weather worsened. Then we identified another, and the weather worsened again. I am not accustomed to having to declare our intentions and ask permission. With the changing weather forecasts we have found ourselves frequently getting permission, only to change plans a few hours later. I am constantly contacting our agent saying, “Thank you for getting us permission. However, we have changed our plans. Again.”

On Sunday, I noticed that there was a brief break in the weather, possibly long enough for us to go straight to Okinawa. It was a short window, and if we missed it, we would probably be socked in for at least four or five days. It was not a perfect window, and the waves and wind were close to our minimum standards to travel in comfort. We don’t like wave periods under six seconds, or waves over six feet. The projection was for six foot waves on six second intervals. Acceptable, but far from perfect. We checked with our weather router (Bob from ocmarnav.com) who agreed with our assessment that we needed to leave that night or not at all. His assessment of the weather was slightly better than ours, which was great news. Also, I was able to plot a course which ran us down the east side of the islands en route, with the wind/waves coming from the west.

Because the weather was forcing our timing, there was no time to alert the coast guard that we were underway. We just pulled anchor and started to move. Within minutes the coast guard was on the Radio. “Sans Souci. This is Kagoshima Coast Guard Radio.” They wanted to know where we were going. I explained that we were headed to Okinawa, direct. They accepted the response, and seemed happy. I worry that our being here is stressful for them.

Further complicating all of this, we had no place to go in Okinawa! We had spoken to every marina in Okinawa, and were told that none was large enough, or deep enough, to hold our boats. The best we could find was a large commercial port which would allow us to tie to a wall. Being tied to a wall is miserable. You can’t get off the boat safely. There is no electricity, and the wall is covered with sharp objects which destroy your fenders. And, in this case, the wall wasn’t even available for a couple days, and there was no place we were approved to drop anchor.

One of my blog readers, Sid Lampert, happened to read about my problems finding a marina in Okinawa and suggested I contact the Ginowan marina. I looked on the chart, and depths in the marina, according to the charts, run only about 3 feet. Sid put me in touch with an Okinawa-based American friend of his, John Rutherford, who has his sail boat at the Ginowan marina. John said he was 100% certain the marina could handle our boats, causing me to contact our agent, who contacted the marina, who said, “No way.” I spoke to John again, and he said, “Nonsense. Just come to the marina, and I'm sure we can find room for you.” I relayed this to our agent, who contacted the marina, who echoed their earlier comment, “Don’t come. No way.”

So … when we left the anchorage in Amami, we had no idea where we’d wind up, but we did have confidence that it was going to work out, somehow. I wrote to John Rutherford, who I’d never met, but seemed to know what he was talking about, and basically said, “We’re coming. I hope you can help us.”

I also wrote to our agent to say, “We’re headed to Okinawa. Help! Call the port and get us onto the wall, or find us a place to drop anchor. We need a place!”

Our run to Okinawa was perfect. The seas were exactly as predicted, and we had a good run. The bad weather was supposed to hit at 3pm, and we arrived at 3pm, just as the wind started rising, and the rain started falling.

Braun (Grey Pearl) called John Rutherford to alert him that we had arrived, and John Rutherford, who barely knew us, agreed to take time off from work, go to his sail boat, and guide us into the marina in the rain.

As we were waiting for John Rutherford to guide us, an email popped in from our agent with the good news that we now had permission to tie to the wall in Naha port, five miles away. I still didn’t know if John Rutherford could deliver on his promise to get us into Ginowan, but we decided to give him a try.

The entrance to the marina is at the back of a poorly marked, coral lined, channel. John warned that there was zero-depth water all around us, and that we should enter one at a time, staying close to the tail of his sail boat. I entered first, noting that there was 10’ depth inside the marina, even at low tide. The charts were wrong. Yay!

Ahead of me I could see a beautiful floating dock, and I started working my way towards it. As I started my final approach, I noticed several guys on the wall just short of the floating dock signaling me to approach, and that’s when I realized that life was not to be perfect. They wanted me to tie to the shipyard wall. Sadly I realized that there had been a miscommunication, and that we would NOT be in the marina at Ginowan, we would be tied to a concrete wall, covered with critters, with fender eating crud, and no easy way off the boats.

After a long night at sea, it was a tremendous letdown. That said, my sense was that a wall at the Ginowan marina was probably 100 times better than a wall at a commercial port in Naha. And, after I thought about it, it wasn’t really so bad. I could drop the tender and use it to shuttle to the floating dock, whereas at the port, I’d have an impossible time of getting off the boat. I relayed the bad news to the others, who were equally disappointed. I also sent an email to our agent, who still assumed we were tying up at the Naha port, 5 miles away.

As Seabird was tying up behind me, two customs officials rushed down the dock, to ask who I was, and why I was here. I phoned our agent, and put him on the phone with the customs officers, who chatted briefly and then pronounced, “Wrong port. Leave now.” Crap. The storm was starting to kick into high gear. We were exhausted. And, now customs was insisting we leave.

Usually, all the official’s we’ve met have had a good sense of humor, and are trying to think of ways to help us. These guys had no sense of humor, and wanted us gone asap. I’m not someone who wants trouble, and wanted to leave immediately, despite the bad weather. One of my worst fears is to someday be imprisoned in some foreign jail. I had just been asked firmly to leave by a customs official who looked irritated, and was standing by my boat. I was tired, grouchy, and wet from the rain. It wasn’t good. So… I handed my phone to Braun, and said, “Help.” I thought maybe since I was striking out, he might be able to give it a fresh try.

Braun called our agent, and fully explained the situation, and why it was difficult for us to leave, and why we needed to be at Ginowan. Our agent then called another agent who is local in Okinawa. The local Okinawa agent was still standing at the port of Naha, waiting patiently for our arrival. He immediately contacted the coast guard, and customs, and the word filtered down that we should stay put. About 20 minutes later our local Okinawa agent drove up, and said he had everything smoothed over, and that we could relax. He also said that we really dodged a bullet by not going to Naha. The commercial port is open to the sea and has tremendous swell, particularly with a north wind, such as we were having. He thought that our boats would have been slammed continuously into the wall, and that whereas we had complicated his life a bit, we made the smart decision.

So, with all that said…

This blog entry is getting overly long, so I’m going to save my comments on Okinawa for my next blog. I’ll say only that Okinawa is VERY different from mainland Japan, and that I have much to say about Okinawa, and Okinawa’s role in WWII.

In closing, I want to extend my deepest thanks to those who have taken such good care of us, including Sid Lampert, the blog reader who connected us with John Rutherford, Furuno, our agent, who has tolerated our unending changes in schedule, the Ginowan marina, Miyagi from the marina, who lent us his car, even though he doesn’t know us, and John Rutherford who has been unimaginably nice to us. When I asked John why he went so far out of his way on our behalf, all he could think of to say was, “Boaters need to take care of other boaters.”

That’s it for today.

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:22:38 GMT

As I stated below, in my reading of the Australian accident investigation of Jessica Watson’s collision with a Panamax coal carrier bound for China, I found citations confirming that English is in fact the required language of the sea. The IMO requirement embraces certain standard phrases and I thought that some of you would like to know them. I found one website where you do not have to pay for them: < http://www.puertohuelva.com/concursos/IMO/SMCPResA918-final.pdf > You may wish to download this document so that you might be able to converse with vessels whose bridge staff have a very restricted knowledge of English. That was the situation on the Chinese vessel Silver Lady whose second officer did not stop his vessel after the collision. Ron Rogers

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:36:17 GMT

Earlier, there was a qurestion about whether English was the "lingua franca" of marine navigation. This excerpt from the Australian investion of Jessica Watson's colliusion with a ship makes it clear that Emglish is the required language of the sea. "The VDR audio data indicates that the ship?s second mate appeared to comprehend what was being said to him. However, the data also clearly shows that others, including Ella’s Pink Lady?s skipper and Brisbane Harbour Control, were unable to clearly comprehend what he was saying. It is a requirement of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Seafarers? Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Code that all watch keepers have knowledge, understanding and proficiency in the English language24 and for standard phraseology to be used as much as possible in order to reduce the risk of important safety messages being misunderstood25. It is also a SOLAS requirement for all bridge-to-bridge and bridge-to-shore communications to be carried out in English26. On 9 September 2009, it appears that the second mate was able to understand messages received in English over the VHF radio. However, he demonstrated that he could not effectively use the IMO?s Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) to make his own messages clearly understandable. Hence, it is likely that his training and certification in this area did not meet the requirements set out in the STCW Code." Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:56:45 GMT

that 5 short indicates disagreement and/or danger seems to be pretty standard, at least in the US. I'm still trying to figure out how to get tailgaters on the highway to back off... -sam

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:58:18 GMT

5 or more blasts is disagreement and you are saying following that course of action is dangerous. That equals "NO" in my book. You have correctly interpreted the reason for the Adniralty Court decisions. I would sound the horn as CYA when in doubt. There have been collisions owing to the wrong vessel hearing a transmission intended for another and acting upon it. Also, never place your radios on scan as they will default to 16 just when you are exchanging critical bridge to bridge communications with another vessel. This happen to me on the Chesapeake and we werre almost run down by a barge pushed by a third tug who was mistaken arranging a pass with a third vessel. This is why IMO vessels have separate radios for 13 and 16. Now we have DSC channel 70 which can also take you off your selected channel. On some brands, this can mean even channel 16. The USCG is trying to get manufacturers to correct this since it is probably doable in software. Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 18:34:03 GMT

Ron: Great research. Thank you. The reference discouraging the use of VHF for collision avoidance surprised me. When reading in detail, it is more clear. There are times when it is appropriate to use VHF and times when it isn't. For instance, two ships 6 miles out from each other, who both speak good english, and have clearly identified each other, can and should arrange passing via VHF. Whereas, if 'time is of the essense', there is any confusion about the identities of the ships involved, or language is a barrier, then sounding a horn is more likely to obtain the intended result. In our freighter situation, there was almost certainly a language barrier. Both he, and we, had AIS, so we knew who each other were. The freighter never sounded his horn, and I'm not sure what I would have done if he had. The channel was narrow enough that I didn't want him passing. If he had requested to pass, I suppose I would have found a way to get out of his way, or I would have sounded the danger signal (I don't recall if there is a horn signal for saying 'no,' other than 'danger'.) As it turned out, the freighter proved that there was plenty of room for maneuvering in the channel, and that our group was being overly conservative. Of course, my rule of thumb is that if you have to think about whether the channel is too tight or not, it is too tight. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 16:40:03 GMT

International Telecommunications Union (ITU). ITU regulates all use of radio spectrum by any person or vessel outside U.S. waters. ITU rules affecting radio, which have treaty status in the U.S. and most other nations, are published in the ITU Radio Regulations. The ITU has established three VHF marine radio channels recognized worldwide for safety purposes: Channel 16 (156.800 MHz) - Distress, safety and calling Channel 13 (156.650 MHz) - Intership navigation (bridge-to-bridge) Channel 70 (156.525 MHz) - Digital Selective Calling International Maritime Organization (IMO). IMO regulates the outfitting and operation of most vessels engaged on international voyages, except warships. Most IMO radio regulations affect all passenger ships and other ships of 300 gross tonnage and upward. IMO rules affecting radio are promulgated in the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention which has been ratified in the U.S. < http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/apps18.htm > In the Japan section of the "World VTS Guide" - everything is in English. That suggests that English is the "lingua franca" for ships over 300 gross tons. < http://www.worldvtsguide.org/MenuPages/JapanMenu/JapanPorts.html > Finally, Admiralty courts have recently held that negotiating passage via VHF is to be frowned upon and reliance should be placed upon horn signals per the Rules of the Road. < http://tinyurl.com/23hgosq > Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:35:25 GMT

Rita: Thank you. All is now under control in Okinawa and we are enjoying our time here. Yesterday was spent being 'tourists' plus doing various boat maintenance projects. Monday we plan on visiting the Karema Islands (Zamami) and doing a bit more exploring. Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:28:45 GMT

Sam and Ron: You've raised great questions that I don't know the answer to. My belief is that channel 16 is the standard calling channel worldwide, and that all mariners are supposed to be monitoring 16. That said, I can't swear to it. We also tried channels 13 and 14 which are commonly used by the freighters. We think the freighter was monitoring channel 16 and understood us, but was deliberately ignoring our communications. It may have been coincidental, but when Steven made his very authoritative speech about right away, it was when the freighter turned slightly to port, and we thought he was going to comply. Instead, it was him positioning to let us know we had irritated him. I did a bit of googling to see if I could find an international reference designating channel 16 worldwide as the hailing or calling channel, and could not. So, perhaps it is not a world standard, although, channel 16 seems to have been adopted in all of the other countries I've visited thus far (the med, central america, caribbean, etc). Generally, at sea, I've had better luck contacting freighters on channel 13 (bridge to bridge communications) than on channel 16. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:00:33 GMT

Ken, on a similar note to the first, what makes you think that they were monitoring 16 as opposed to 8, or any other channel for that matter? I've definitely tried calling working boats before and they were very clearly not monitoring 16. Thanks for the blog post. Best, SWM

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:17:03 GMT

Ron: Perhaps you know the answer to this. I 'think' that english is mandated as the common language for all port communications around the world, but perhaps it isn't. I'm not sure. I know that in aviation (or, think I know) that all communications with control towers are supposed to be in english. Anyway... Perhaps you are right that the freighter captain did not know english AND did not know the rules of the road. That particular incident was not uncommon. The Japanese freighter captains are aggressive drivers and it is best to stay well out of their way (which is impossible in mainland japan). -Ken W PS I toured the Japan Underground Navy operations center here in Okinawa today. Amazing!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:53:20 GMT

Ken, our Acton Town Council member, Jackie Ayers is on Okinawa for the next year or so with her husband's work commitments. Maybe she can be of help to you. Her email address is : airspecial@..... (Note: email address removed by moderator) She and her husband and son have been there for the last 6 months or so, on the base, and might be able to help you. She is one of the greatest members of our town council

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 12 - A Little Bureaucracy Goes A Long Way

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:45:15 GMT

Excellent video with great narration. Why did you think that the deck officers on the freighter spoke English? When I was in China on the bridge of a huge river boat, I learned that they believed that the vessel with the biggest horn has the right of way and they demonstrated this time after time. If you ever go to a breakfast buffet in a Japanese-owned hotel, expect to be elbowed out of the way by Japanese businessmen. It was their regular practice in China. Otherwise, they were polite, but distant. So I would expect size and "elbows" to be determinant at sea. At least he didn't blast you with his horn. {;*)) It will be interesting to hear how American tourists will be received in Okinawa - especially after the Prime Minister's resignation over his acquiesing on the USMC basing agreement. Thank heavens for fellow boaters! This is not the first time that they have come through for you. Ron

GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

The GSSR group departed Nagasaki Japan at 05:30 headed to Amami island, 263nm south, in the Ryukyu Island chain. The passage, at 8 knots, requires 33 hours (a day and a half) to complete.

None of our three boats, Grey Pearl, Seabird or Sans Souci, had any crew aboard. It is just the three couples running the boats. Sans Souci does have Roberta’s parents on the boat, but they are better described as ‘passengers’ than as ‘crew.’

All of us have made overnight passages with just ourselves, but not so many that it isn’t a big deal. Actually, I can’t speak for Grey Pearl and Seabird, but definitely, here on Sans Souci, running overnight with just Roberta and I is a challenge. Normally on longer passages we bring some crew, or friends with boating experience, onto the boat to help run the boat. In fact, I have a rule on Sans Souci which is that two people should be in the pilot house at all times. With crew, this is possible, with just Roberta and I, there is no way we can do this. When she is driving the boat, I need to be sleeping, and vice versa.

With just the two of us to run Sans Souci, we take turns on three hour shifts. I forego the normal hourly engine room checks, and instead do thorough engine room checks every three hours at the shift turnover. Sans Souci has a monitoring system (Simon) which is constantly monitoring over 200 points of information around the boat, and blinks a light at the helm if anything seems wrong. Simon has normal temperature ranges, pressure ranges, tank levels, etc pre-programmed in, and does a very good job of spotting anything that seems wrong. There are cruisers who are comfortable with leaving the helm unattended, but I am not one of them.

I asked Grey Pearl and Seabird what their system was for shifts when making overnight passages. Both said they are loose during the day, and take 3 hour turns at night. Sans Souci is unusual in that Roberta and I took our turns even during daylight hours. I’m not sure which is better, but liked the idea of forcing each of us to rest every three hours.

As I’ve mentioned before, leaving Nagasaki was not easy for the GSSR group. This was truly a leap into the unknown. Japan has spoiled us. We have mostly been in marinas with all the comforts one could want. We have usually been close to shore, in protected waters, with no real weather worries. With our venture into the Ryukyus we are back in the open Pacific where mistakes can be costly.

We wanted the best possible weather forecast for our departure, so we delayed leaving Nagasaki for several days.

Prior to our departure, as I mentioned in my last blog, we studied the weather, and were patient. We wanted an easy passage…

Our first twelve hours at sea were about as comfortable as we could have hoped. Our only annoyance was the frequent need to dodge fishing gear in the water, such as the one pictured above. Running over one of these can mean a line or chain wrapped around your propeller, and a potentially dangerous situation. Our three boats used the calm seas to practice our radar skills, trying to perfectly tune the radars so we could easily dodge the fishing gear (we tend to call them crab pots, although most are flags marking the ends of long lines with fish hooks, hanging beneath the water, or on the bottom.) At first none of us could spot the flags, but after an hour of radio discussion amongst the boats, all of us had the radars picking up the flags.

At dusk the wind started picking up, as did the current, and the swell. Within a 30 minute time span our day changed dramatically. At first, my thought was, “Darn. All of that work we did to tune the radars is now irrelevant. With this wave action, we’ll never be able to spot the crab pots.”

Quickly, the situation worsened, and I started realizing that we had bigger problems than just crab pots. We were being tossed around far more than anything in the weather forecast. Our expectation was for seas of only three to five feet, and wind from 10 to 15 knots. But, I was seeing 20+ knots of wind, and the waves sure felt larger than five feet. I didn’t know how tall because I couldn’t see them. In the worst of luck, we had a moonless night. I don’t know if the moon didn’t come up, or if clouds obscured it. All I knew was that everything was pitch black, there were crab pots out there with my name on them, and an invisible dog seemed to have us in its teeth and was shaking us like a play toy.

And, the worst of all is that I was getting sick. I am prone to seasickness, but handle it easily through scopolamine patches which are applied behind the ear. The bad news is that I hadn’t put one on. When I can avoid it I don’t like putting anything into my system, even aspirin. Thus, with a calm weather prediction I had elected not to apply a patch. And with the waves already on us, it was too late. Once you are sick, you are sick.

For those of you who have never been seasick, it is a miserable feeling. I was lethargic, couldn’t think straight, and felt like puking. All I could think about was lying down and closing my eyes. The goal of moving around, doing engine room checks, even sitting in the captain’s chair, seemed impossible. But, I had no choice. Roberta wasn’t going to be able to safely run the boat the entire time by herself. I needed to do my shifts and ‘tough it out.’

As the hours ground on, and the wind stayed over 20 knots, and we kept getting pounded, our group spoke on the radio to ask ourselves how our interpretation of the weather had gone so wrong.

Here is what we decided…

Our boats were heading due south. The wind and swell was coming from our port beam (left side). Meanwhile there was a strong current pushing us from our starboard (right) side. In order to make forward progress I was having to steer a heading that was 16 degrees farther to the right than the direction I wanted to go. To understand what I mean, imagine you are crossing a river, in a canoe. If the river is flowing as you cross the river, unless you adjust by paddling upstream, you are not going to go straight across. You are going to wind up downstream. You will ‘drift’ downstream while working your way across the river. In order to adjust for the strong current, our boats were having to steer up into the current, in order to maintain our course. 16 degrees is a large adjustment, and my back of the envelope math indicates a current of about 2 to 3 knots. This current was running directly into 20+ knots of wind coming the opposite direction, with the effect of exaggerating the waves, and creating sloppy seas.

It is possible to compute the speed of the current. For those of you who want to try, check this article:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/seamanship-articles/19077-set-drift-made-simple.html

Here are the variables that you need to work out the math:

Our course over ground: 180
Heading we had to steer: 196
Speed, based on rpms (what we would have done in calm conditions): 8 knots
Attained speed: 7.2 knots

I also believe that the shallow water around us was adding to the confused seas. This is an area of many islands, and the depths have been alternating between a couple thousand feet deep and seas only a couple hundred feet deep. As water shallows up, it can change the wave pattern. I’ve been in waves over 20 feet tall, and had a nice ride. I remember while crossing the Atlantic sitting in the salon watching waves around us that were taller than our boat, and not thinking it was a big deal at all. Out in open ocean you tend to get big gentle rollers. As long as they are far apart, all is fine.

My guess, and it is purely a guess, is that we were in 10 foot breaking seas, that were close together, perhaps 7 seconds. With the wind hitting us on the left, and the current from the right, we were caught as the meat in a wave sandwich. East coast boaters are very familiar with what we were experiencing if they have ever tried to cross the gulf stream with the wind running against the current. The washing machine effect of the resulting waves is not fun.

I do not mean to imply the seas were dangerous to the boat. We never felt unsafe. There is an old saying about these boats, “You will give up long before the boat does.” In this case, my Nordhavn boat was doing fine, but my stomach is made of weaker stuff. Roberta’s parents were also not looking happy. Her dad, John, looked green, and I worked at convincing him to go to bed and relax. My primary concern was that he, or Nova, Roberta’s mom, might take a bad tumble down the stairs. At one point, Nova was trying to simply get off the settee in the pilot house, and struggled for several minutes watching for an opportunity to stand up. It was an uncomfortable situation to say the least – if not downright worrisome.

Shelby, our dog, also was struggling. Her restroom is outdoors on the upper deck. She has a dog door to get outside, and I was worried that she’d go outside and start sliding across the deck. I didn’t think she could fall overboard, because we have an extra rail meant to keep her from going overboard, but it’s not a perfect system. Then again, when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, so we were just hoping she could figure it out. We kept an eye on her, though, each time she went outside.

The tough weather lasted for about 10 hours, without incident, other than me exporting the chili that Roberta made for dinner off the port side of the ship. Yuck.

As to Roberta herself, she has never been seasick. She is a very lucky person!

Once reaching Amami, we chose our anchorage based on where we thought we’d be the most protected from the wind and seas. On the east side of the island, we found a long deep channel that had a good anchorage at the back. The coast guard reference we have said that the channel should only be attempted by boats with ‘local knowledge.’ However, we found it easy, and the charts correct. I used my sonar for the entry, and we anchored in 25’ of beautiful, well-protected, clear water. The skies were overcast, so we didn’t really get the beautiful anchorage experience I had hoped for, but overall, it was a near-perfect anchorage. We barbequed hamburgers and corn on the cob which made for an easy, wonderful dinner on the upper aft deck, then were in bed by 8:30pm. We slept non-stop for almost 12 hours…

And, on a different topic…

I’m very sorry to report that Abby Sunderland, the 16 year old now circumnavigating is lost at sea as I am typing this. Here’s the latest report from her blog, posted by her team:

Update on Abby

We spoke with Abby early this morning and learned that she had had a very rough
day with winds up to 60 knots and seas 20-25 feet. She had been knocked down
several times but was handling things well. The wind had subsided to around 35
knots which she and Wild Eyes are quite comfortable with.

We were helping her troubleshoot her engine that she was trying to start to
charge her systems. Satellite phone reception was patchy. She was able to get
the water out of the engine and start her up. We were waiting to hear back from
her when American Search & Rescue authorities called to report having received a
signal from her emergency beacon (EPIRB). We initially thought that the signal
was sent automatically from her water-activated EPIRB and that it had been
activated during one of her knockdowns. As we pulled the paperwork from her
EPIRB registration, we learned that the signal had come from her manually
activated EPIRB.

We were referred to Australian Search & Rescue and while we were on the phone
with them another signal came in from her handheld PLB (Personal Locator
Beacon). Her water-activated EPIRB has not been activated so we are hopeful that
the boat is still upright.

We are working closely with American, French and Australian Search & Rescue
authorities to coordinate several ships in the area to divert to her location.
There are several ships in her area, the earliest possible contact is 40 hours.
We are actively seeking out some sort of air rescue but this is difficult due to
the remoteness of her location. Australian Search & Rescue have arranged to have
a Quantas Airbus fly over her location at first light (she is 11 hours later).
They will not be able to help her other than to talk via marine radio if they
are able to get close enough. Hopefully, they will be able to assess her
situation and report back to us.

Abby has all of the equipment on board to survive a crisis situation like this.
She has a dry suit, survival suit, life raft, and ditch bag with emergency
supplies. If she can keep warm and hang on, help will be there as soon as
possible. Wild Eyes is designed for travel in the Southern Ocean and is equipped
with 5 air-tight bulkheads to keep her buoyant in the event of major hull
damage. It is built to Category 0 standards and is designed to self-right in the
event of capsize.

Thank you for all of your kind emails and calls. We appreciate your prayers and
support.

We will update as soon as there is some news.

Laurence, Marianne and Team Abby

Hopefully by the time you read this blog entry she’ll have been found alive and well.

And, lastly…

I posted in my last blog entry a video from Scott and Cindy Stolnitz who are in French Polynesia. They are continuing the do interesting things, as evidenced by this email Scott sent me yesterday:

Google: Mopelia, Von Luckner, Shipwreck

There is lots of stuff on the wreck of the German WW1 vessel "Seeadler"
I believe it to be the inspiration of the WW2 John Wayne movie "Sea Wolf".
There has been a recent book published on Von Luckner. I think it's called "Voyage of the Sea Eagle".

Fascinating guy:

Lost the vessel due to anchor slipping or breaking the chain here in Mopelia.
LOTS on him on the net, definitely worth the look see.

We've gotten the local family here (only 10 people) to give us a map of where we hope to find, both anchors, some chain, 105 mm gun, shells, bow windlass and crank shaft. She was an American built "Windjammer" that was captured by a German U-Boat and renamed from "Pass of Balhama" to "Seeadler". (Sea Eagle).
His second 105 mm gun is mounted in the Park Pomare in Tahiti. His German Battle Flag at a museum in Auckland.

He was a true "gentleman warrior". He prided himself as never taking a life. Once by error, a "shot over the bow" killed a British sailor and he was in tears and distraught. He would invite his captive Captains to dinner and treated the crews very well. He was finally caught by the Kiwi Navy and interned for the war.

However, as a civilian in Germany (where he was a hero), Hitler tried to have him murdered as he hated the Nazi Party and what Hitler was doing to Germany.
His public popularity is all that saved him and he lived under house arrest during WW2. The last major battle of WW2 was shaping up to be in the German city of "Halle" where Von Luckner lived. He went across allied lines of his own accord and helped negotiate a cease fire with General Terry Allen (US Commander) and the German Generals in charge. Again, he was credited as a hero by the German people (and Americans as there were lots of POW's in Halle).

The Russians caught him at the end of the war and George Patton personally had him released and sent to Sweden with his wife.
Definitely worth the look.

We moved the boat over near the 65 foot wide pass!...YIKES and will do our second and many more dives in search of....

We did find 100 feet of anchor chain, we now have a map to find the rest. Hope to get lots of photos. There is a photo of Randy Repass (owner of West Marine) snorkeling on the shallow anchor. The other one is 70 feet deep.

KIT,
Scott and Cindy Stolnitz www.svbeachhouse.com

As I type this, we are back underway moving from our anchorage on the north end of Amami island to a different one on the south end.

That’s it for today.

Thank you!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:26:31 GMT

Ah, so! Much movy, no bloggy. is everything OK? Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:32:00 GMT

Thanks Ken.... we'll be watching from here in Anacortes

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 18:09:01 GMT

Dave: Yes. It was a 40 mile ride, and despite bad weather worked out to be fairly calm. We had the wind coming from the southeast and we were sheltered by the island. When we turned the corner towards the end, to turn into the channel between islands, we got blasted by the wind and had some lumpy seas, but overall it was a nice day. We're at anchor now. I might write a blog entry about yesterday, so I don't want to say too much. But, we have already had some wild times! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:01:44 GMT

Abby has been found and is well. Hopefully she will be safe soon.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:29:31 GMT

Thanks Ken....using the Google Maps Distance Calculator, zoomed in on Amami Island, that looks to have been a 40 mile move. Handy online tool...

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:33:49 GMT

Dr. Steve: Thank you for the information. I'll include it in my next blog entry. I'm not ever moving again without my patch! I'll google the bracelets. I always assumed they were 99% placebo. Tough to believe they really work. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:32:07 GMT

Dave: The anchorage we were in was the head of a long channel (Look at Kasari Wan on the east end of Amami), and look at our Spot track to see where we were. The reference book said we could go there "only with local knowledge." It was a bit tricky getting in, and was a bit tight when we got there, but it was shallow enough that we could anchor close together. We were in 22 feet of water, with 125 feet of chain out. We were slightly inside each others' swing circles. It was actually a very nice anchorage, and I think we all wish we were there now. We're in an even tighter anchorage, in deeper water, and gravel on the bottom. 30 knot winds are coming, and we're hoping the anchors hold... -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:10:31 GMT

David: We have moved since that blog entry was posted. Our anchorage here is a step closer to Okinawa, but not nearly as nice. The weather will be nasty for the next three days, so we're pinned down. I wish we were back at the other anchorage... The coast guard was just here. A long story but they demanded we move, and I had to convince them this was the only safe spot anywhere around. Will write it up in a blog tomorrow. Thank you! Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:42:24 GMT

Ken said... "On the east side of the island, we found a long deep channel that had a good anchorage at the back." Ken, it may be me(!), but it looks to be on the west side to me? Great blog; thoroughly enjoying your beautiful writing style. 'Hope the tum is more settled now the hook is down!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:06:32 GMT

Ken.....good post, thanks for that. Watched via the Spot Tracker over this recent passage. SPOT being a couple-hundred dollar piece of equipment their system works very well. Having spent an entire career fishing in the Bering Sea I'll tell ya that being out there traveling at night without 1000w lights would not be any fun at all. Question...having read your blog posts for quite some time now, I've never seen you guys raft-up in an anchorage where its flat-calm...like this picture in this post....reason for that ?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 11 - The Chili Was A Bad Idea

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:22:47 GMT

Hi Ken, been following your site for a long time, thought I would offer my 2 cents on motion sickness. As an ER doctor and boater with lots of motion sick prone passengers over the years, i have tried EVERY nausea medicine made, literaly, including patches. For preventing and treating never found anything better than the "Relief Band" the electrical version, about $100. I keep 3 aboard my boat at all times. We use them in my hospital, Aspen Valley Hospital, for post op anesthesia nausea. If you get sick best medicine is Zofran (ondansotron) dissolve in the mouth tablets which will put the breaks on even the most severe vomiting and relieve 80% of nausea. Those two things are worth having. If you need some of the pills I would be happy to mail them to you and you can buy the relief bands on line. Safe travels, Dr. Steve Ayers, Aspen Colorado

GSSR 2010 No. 10 - Just a quick note

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

I'm happy to report that the GSSR group is leaving Nagasaki after three weeks here. As I type this, I am firing up engines.

This next leg is a long one; 250 nm of open ocean heading almost exactly due south. We'll be traveling for 33 hours, which makes it a bit of a grueling run.

Our passage can be tracked in 'real time' at:

http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx/msgid/515951

I'm looking forward to being back at sea!

Ken Williams
N6805, Sans Souci

PS I'll do a real blog entry when we arrive.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 10 - Just a quick note

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:23:01 GMT

Tom: Thank you! I'm working on a blog entry now about the passage. With a little luck I'll get it out today, although we are supposed to start engines again in an hour, so I need to type quick. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 10 - Just a quick note

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:28:59 GMT

Looks like you are at anchor deep in the inlet. You seem to have made good time !!!

GSSR 2010 No. 9 - Where do we park?

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

Our group is still in Nagasaki. We have made plans to depart a couple of times, but have had troubles figuring out where to go, plus have had weather issues.

As I mentioned in my last blog we will now be leaving mainland Japan, and traversing an island chain called the Ryukyus that stretch nearly 700 miles between mainland Japan and Taiwan.

Our original plan was to 'island hop' our way across the chain, seeking out pretty bays to drop our anchors. However, as we have started studying the islands, we’ve realized that this was naïve thinking. The islands are volcanic, with rapidly dropping depths and few protected bays. Many of the islands do have a port, but the ports are usually nothing more than a breakwater sheltering a wall, where there is little room for anything more than a few fishing boats. A single, medium sized, sailboat might be able to enter the ports, but we are three large power boats, and there is nowhere to put us.

We have very little information about the islands, and fear arriving at an island, after a long day at sea, only to find that there is no place to safely anchor.

Roberta’s and my son, Chris, flew to Japan last week, because he wanted to visit one of the Ryukyu islands, called Yakushima. Unfortunately, we had to break the news to him that the weather wouldn’t allow us to depart Nagasaki. Yakushima was showing high winds and severe rain. Chris was very disappointed because he has dreamed for many years of someday hiking Yakushima. The island is mostly uninhabited, and is a World Heritage site. Thousands of tourists flock to Yakushima each year for hiking.

I did a little research and discovered that a high speed ferry runs the approximate 100 nautical miles from Kagoshima Japan to Yakushima island in just over two hours. From Nagasaki it is possible to take a train or fly to Kagoshima. It wouldn’t be easy, but we had a way to get Chris out to Yakushima, and we had our own reasons for wanting to visit the island.

We wanted to look at the port on Yakushima in person...

In the picture above you see Ambo port on Yakushima. You’ll note that there is nothing that looks like a normal marina. Other than on Okinawa (which is another whole can of worms I’ll talk about later in this blog), none of the Ryukyu islands have anything resembling a marina. The best we can hope for is a wall to tie to, or a protected anchorage.

It isn’t visible in the picture above, but towards the center there is a small well protected area where fishing boats are tied to a wall. Unfortunately, there is no space for our boat within the fishing port.

However, I did see a wall that I thought we could tie to. At the time I took this photo, I assumed we were in great shape, and that the GSSR boats would be coming to Yakushima. However, when Roberta and I were departing Yakushima we took another look at the port. The winds were up a little, but not particularly high. At 20 knots of wind, the wall where I had thought we could tie up was being battered by a good four foot of very active swell. At the least we would be uncomfortable, and if the wind should come up a bit more, our boats would be slammed into the wall. Yakushima has another larger port, Myanoura, but I was told that Myanoura is not as well protected, and the swell is much worse.

This was a bit of a life-changing moment for the GSSR, in that it was when the fact was really driven home that my vision of island hopping was not really practical. Yakushima is one of the largest islands in the Ryukyu chain, and Ambo is one of the larger ports we were likely to see. If Ambo couldn’t offer shelter from the seas, what chance did we have at the smaller ports? Our powerboats are quite unusual in these waters, where normally the world divides three ways: small fishing boats, freighters, and a handful of small sailboats. There are inner basins in many of the ports, which do provide good shelter to the fishing boats, and if we were smaller, or if there were just one of our boats, we might be able to fit. Or, if we were freighters, the swell, when tied to a wall in the port, wouldn’t be a huge problem.

Roberta and I rented a car and drove most of the way around the island. We did not see one boat at anchor, and did not see one bay where we felt the boats could be safely anchored.

Overall, it was a disheartening experience.

There was one major bright spot. While Chris was hiking up the mountain, Roberta and I roughed it at the 5-star Sankara resort and spa. It felt good to be back on land for a couple days!

Back at Nagasaki, our group met to discuss our strategy for the Ryukyus...

Whereas we had originally planned to cross the islands with short hops, we now decided we’d be smarter to focus on watching for good weather windows and run around the clock stopping only at the larger islands. The first of the larger islands, which can offer good shelter, is called Amami, and is 250 miles from our current location.

We can run from Nagasaki to Amami, direct, in just 31 hours.

Both of the pictures above show today's weather for the same region.

The first picture shows the wind speed. The arrows show the wind direction, and the number of ‘feathers’ on each arrow show the speed of the wind. Each feather represents 10 knots of wind. From Nagasaki to Amami most of the arrows have only a single feather, meaning the winds are running just 10 knots. And, nicely, the wind is blowing roughly the same direction we are moving. Looking at the wind chart alone it appears like a very good ride.

However, the second chart tells a slightly different story. The second chart tells us what direction the waves are coming from, how tall they are, and how far apart they are (their frequency, or period.) The color tells us the height of the waves, with the darkest brown being 12 foot waves, and the darkest of the blue representing calm seas. Most of our run would be in the ‘green’ zone, which corresponds to seven foot waves. The large arrows on the chart tell me the waves will be coming from the east, and by moving my mouse around on the image (which won’t work for you) I can find the timing between waves. Waves that are far apart are much friendlier than tightly spaced waves. Ideally, we’d like waves to be 10 seconds or more. In this particular case, the waves are 6.5 seconds apart.

Because our run will span 31 hours, looking at a single slice of the weather is inadequate. We need to analyze the weather all along our route, and look at each six hour period, and where we’ll be. And, of course, we need to leave a wide margin of error, because the timing of storms and the location of storms can vary wildly. If there is storm activity in an area, you need to assume it can drift your direction at any moment.

Looking at this weather, our analysis was that we could make the run, but that it had the potential to be an uncomfortable ride. If we were commercial fisherman, or professional captains running freighters, we wouldn't give it a second of thought - this would be a good weather report, and we'd be headed to sea. However, we’re not commercial anything. We’re doing this for fun, and can pick our weather. Why get beat up if we don’t have to?

Further complicating our decision is that we are in a wonderful location. We are at a charming marina, with a floating dock, and shorepower, in the heart of Nagasaki. Outside our boats are a wide array of restaurants, all the shopping we could want, many entertainment options and we’re within a few blocks of a train station. Our willingness to head to sea in dubious conditions definitely corresponds to the level of fun we are having in our current location. Also, once we leave Nagasaki we are not likely to see a floating dock, or shore power for two months!

Ultimately, we decided to sit still until we see the calmest seas possible. This is not a race.

And as an example of how reality can vary from fantasy…

Okinawa is the ‘big island’ in the Ryukyu chain. I had always assumed that finding a marina there would be easy, but our agent has sent several emails saying he was having a hard time. Then, a few days ago, he sent this message:

Marinas in Okinawa

Contacted 4 marinas to check mooring in Okinawa but finally received positive reply only from Okinawa Marina (26 19.08N 127 50.53E). Other 3 marinas could not provide good berth for 3 boats due to lack of space.

Okinawa Marina would agree mooring 3 boats from 6/19 -29 subject to your confirmation.

- Draft is not enough for Sans Souci. Sans Souci will be grounded on low tide.
The Bottom of the marina is mud mainly but not guarantee.
- Water is available but no electricity.
- Triple banking.

I checked the charts for the Okinawa marina, that our agent refers to, and it shows on Nobeltec as 3 foot 3 inches at the entrance, and 3 foot 11 inches inside the marina. Sans Souci is over 7 feet deep. Grey Pearl and Seabird are over six feet deep. The bottom line is that only one marina will have us, and none of us can get into it. Argh!

Our agent has been incredible, but my first reaction was that he wasn’t digging deep enough. Plus, I just spoke with the owner of a 51’ sailboat who was recently in Okinawa and he was absolutely convinced that one of the marinas, called Ginowan, could handle our boats. Normally, I’d call the marinas myself, but with the language barrier, that isn’t possible. After a bit of frustration I started looking for someone on the island who spoke English who could help. I started googling for English speaking dive shops and fishing charter boats, and found an American who runs a sportfishing boat out of Okinawa. He was a wealth of information. To make a long story short, he basically said that our agent was right. There are no marinas in Okinawa that can handle our boats. The draft on our boats is too deep.

Our only option in Okinawa will be to tie to a wall, in a commercial shipping port. This has many downsides. Often the ports are well out of town. There are waves to contend with, and it is very difficult, and dangerous, to get off the boats. There is no shore power. Our fenders get destroyed by the walls. The esthetics are horrible. There is often no easy way to get to town. It can also be expensive. The commercial shipping ports don’t really want small boats against their walls. Our agent has to hire a local agent, who tries to get us permission to tie up. In one city we paid $7 per day to the port, but over $500 per boat in local agency fees!

Usually within the ports are areas that are reserved for the local fisherman. These tend to be the most protected areas within the commercial ports. You are still tied to a wall, but at least there is less swell. We’ve been told that if you ask the local fisherman nicely, they will often give you a place within their area of the port. However, with three large boats, and no ability to speak Japanese, our ability to pursue this option is limited.

Ignore my whining, things are actually pretty darn great…

The picture above lifted my spirits immensely. It’s the holy grail of cruising, or at least for Ken-style cruising. Thus far, we’ve been cruising mainland Japan, where the waters are mucky, and virtually every square foot of water front is paved over. It’s nice having big cities around us, and marinas with shore power, but the truth is, I could have gotten that in Seattle. Mainland Japan is also tightly controlled. We’ve seen very few anchoring opportunities, and the Coast Guard has had strong opinions on where, or if, we can anchor. Even if we were to drop our anchors, the water has been too dirty, or too cold, to inspire much of a desire to dive or swim.

We’re heading south, and the water is starting to warm up. When we left Osaka the water was at 56 degrees, and here in Nagasaki it is up to 73 degrees. I don’t know the water temperature in Okinawa, but suspect I will be very happy. Of course, with warmer water comes the risk of typhoons, which is a concern, but we believe that the port at Okinawa will offer good protection from typhoons.

The picture above is from Zamami island about 25 miles from Okinawa. It seems to have plenty of great locations for anchoring, and whereas I was originally thinking we would spend a couple of weeks in Okinawa, I’m now thinking that if the weather permits, I’ll be spending as much time as possible anchored in the islands. We will want to go to Okinawa, and there is a compelling story to tell about Okinawa’s role in WWII. But, unless our wall turns out to be nicer than I’m predicting, or the weather limits our options, I’ll be enjoying life at anchor.

And, as I think about leaving mainland Japan…

Over the past thirty years, I have been to Japan many times for various reasons, and thought I had seen Japan, but really most of what I saw was the airport, the inside of taxis, the inside of a hotel, and a few shrines. Cruising here is much different. Instead of visiting Japan, we are living here. We don’t speak the language, and will never be Japanese, but we’ve seen far more of Japan than the average tourist or businessperson ever does. In fact, we've probably seen more of Japan than most Japanese have ever seen.

One interesting thing about Japan is how much it is all the same. There are some regional differences, but generally speaking, if you are downtown in Sapporo (northern Japan) or Nagasaki (southern Japan) you aren’t going to see much difference. By comparison, I remember a game I used to play during my working days, when traveling on business. When we were stuck at the airport for hours killing time, waiting on a flight, we would look at the other gates, and try to guess where the plane was going. Just by how people were dressed, their demographics, and how they carried themselves, you could have a pretty good idea if they were headed for Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Las Vegas, or many other American cities. We weren’t always right, but I don’t think I could play that game, at all, in a Japan airport. I’m not arguing that it is good or bad, but there is a uniformity to Japan that does not exist in the United States.

Other than my concerns about the Japaaese economy I am very impressed by Japan. There is very little poverty and as an American, the crime statistics are somewhat embarrassing. For instance, in one study I read (from 1990) Japan annually has only 1.3 robberies per 100,000 people, versus 233 per 100,000 in the United States. The Japan murder rate is 1.1 per 100,000 people, versus the United States at 8.7 per 100,000. Whereas it is hard to relate to the statistics, you immediately sense the safety when walking on the streets. I have never felt unsafe walking anywhere, or riding a train, in Japan.

I do not understand why there is so little crime in Japan, but wish they had a way to export it.

One possible answer is the minimal drug use. For instance, in one article on the topic I found this comment:

“…Drugs aren't very common in Japan. In the mid 1980s, Japanese officials were worried that their country was experiencing a major drug epidemic when the number of cases of suspected heroin possession nationwide jumped from 29 cases to 36 cases. An official embarrassed by the "high" numbers pointed out that the numbers only represented suspected cases, not arrests or convictions, which were much fewer.

In 2010 the Japanese government health ministry estimated that 2.76 million Japanese (2.9 percent of the population) had used illegal drugs. Japan has the lowest levels of drug abuse in the developed world.….”

Whereas there is relatively low drug use, alcohol consumption certainly exists. There are pubs everywhere, and drinking is part of the local culture. I saw one report that said, “…although alcohol consumption is now decreasing in most industrialized countries, it has quadrupled in Japan since 1960…”

My opinion: "it's the culture." The Japanese have a very high sense of honor, politeness and quality.

Anyway… back to boating…

I just finished a book by Captain Richard Philips, called “A Captain’s Duty” talking about his experience with pirates off Somalia. I highly recommend the book, although it is probably not something I should be reading while contemplating cruising in the region.

I was curious if he had any insight as to things he would do differently. Although I avoid danger, there is no such thing as a truly safe cruising ground. Somalia does not have an exclusive patent on piracy. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, bad things can happen. It doesn’t hurt to do a little research on these things.

ICaptain Philips and his crew all survived the attack and subsequent kidnapping. He did a lot of things right. And, of course, having the Navy Seals on his team helped the story have a happy ending.

I hadn’t realized that he had been approached by a different set of pirates the day before the primary attack which is the subject of the book. He was several hundred miles out to sea when he observed a suspicious group of boats approaching from seven miles out. They were a pack of small boats, too far out to sea, and moving too fast, to be anything other than pirates, and they were coming right at him. The pirates were moving at 20 knots, and his top speed was 16, so it was just a matter of time until capture. He was able to evade them by faking a radio conversation with a navy warship. The pirates ran rather than risk capture.

I had just read about this incident, when I read this message board posting, about a similar approach, on the Passagemaking Under Power discussion group earlier this week:

“…On launching day May 20th we faced the decision what to do about Venezuela. Do a strait run through pirate alley to Margarita, do a dog leg via Los Testigos to Margarita or, go up to Grenada and then follow the 12th Lat west and bypassing Margarita with the cheap diesel, cheap rum, cheap beer, cheap everything, or pack it in, sell the boat and hide up in Canada in the bush. We've done the straight run Trinidad-Margarita-Trinidad three times in the past. Every time at night past the most dangerous section, the coast of the Peninsula de Paria between Boca Grande (the entrance to the Gulf of Paria by Trinidad) and west toward the Venezuelan city of Carupano. This is the most active section in Venezuela with piracy. Just in April this year a yacht got hit and the skipper got shot. Another hit was in Dec. 2009. The Caribbean Safety and Security Net website: http://www.safetyandsecuritynet.com is a good site to get information about problems in the Caribbean islands.

After some serious discussion with my wife, we came to the decision to risk it one more time the old fashion way using following criteria:

1. Run this section in the dark of the night
2. No running lights
3. Constant radar watch
4. Only when big ships approach then switch on running lights for necessary time
5. Change the amber bezel of our pilot house roof mounted strobe light to the blue one (for plowing snow in Canada)
6. Keep both flare guns handy with plenty of flares
7. Put new batteries into the cattle prod
8. Dig out the can of bear deterrent spray
9. Check out the function of our pilot house roof mounted award winning ambulance, fire truck and police siren with the wail-yelp-pierce and horn
10. Stay calm, no panic, create a diversion in case it happens.

I love point 9 myself. The test was positive as the boatyard dog took off like a rocket when the horn opened up. The plan, when having a pirate contact, is to stop for a second and turn the bow toward the pinero of the pirates, switch on the powerful 10" search light on top of DD, switch on the blue strobe and the red strobe on top of the mast and fire up the siren. In case this does not change their minds, then we would run toward them. Remember, at night every cat looks grey. The Diesel Ducks got a very official look, especially in the dark. Okay, when this does not change their minds, then we'd run like heck and start defending ourselves.

So on May 20, we launched at Power Board Yard in Trinidad at noontime. We had alrady cleared out with Customs and Immigration and at 17:00 hr we were on our way. At 19:00 hr in the dark, we crossed the borderline to Venezuela on a direct curse to Isla Margarita. Two commercial freighters passed us during the night and we switched on our running lights during this process. At about 05:00 hr in the twilight of the morning, a pinero crossed our bow. I switched on the blue strobe for a moment and the pinero took off like a flash. At noontime on May 21st the anchor went down in Margarita and I quietly exchanged the blue bezel strobe light for the amber one. …”

And this seems a good time to change the subject, so I’ll mention something for the techies…

The shore power at our current marina in Nagasaki is only 100 volt, and there isn’t much of it. Plus, Sans Souci has dual 50 amp power connectors, and there are only 30 amp plugs. Grey Pearl and Seabird were able to make the power work by using a dual 30 amp to single 50 amp connector. I don’t have one, and have been without shore power for the entire 17 days we’ve been here. We’re running air conditioning, so I’ve been running the 20kw generator around the clock.

I just checked my fuel consumption. Sans Souci has consumed 225 gallons since our arrival, and this is over a 17 day (or, 408 hour) period. Doing the math, this works out to .55 gallons per hour for the generator. This is less than I expected, and is not bad. I’ve had to change the oil a couple of times, and would rather have shore power, but we’re doing ok.

And lastly...

I’ve been corresponding with, and following, the blog of Scott and Cindy Stolnitz who are now in Polynesia, on a sailing catamaran. They just posted a video of themselves swimming with the sharks in Bora Bora that is very cool, and very frightening.

http://svbeachhouse.com/videos/view/fins_of_bora_bora/

Halfway through the video you’ll see something you’ve probably never seen before. Cindy grabs the tail of a LARGE shark and lets it pull her around for a bit. Don’t EVER expect to see video of me doing anything like that!

That’s it for now. More when we head back to sea.

Thank you!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

PS Steven Argosy on Seabird just posted a blog entry. He has a picture in his blog, of Roberta cleaning Sans Souci, that is very funny:

http://www.seabirdlrc.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx?msgid=485656&beid=85292

Also..

Starr is still cruising Japan, independently of Sans Souci, and just published a very entertaining and educational blog:

http://starr.talkspotblogs.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx?msgid=629684&beid=86065

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 9 - Where do we park?

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:25:08 GMT

Paul: I did not do the underwater camera. I thought about it, but convinced myself that the lens would constantly need cleaning. Instead, I have a small camera that dangles from a long cord that I use to look at my props, when in clear water. It works ok, but far from perfectly. Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 9 - Where do we park?

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 09:08:32 GMT

Hi Ken and Roberta Just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for and interesting, informative and inspiring blog. I did want to ask you one thing if that's ok? Did you have the underwater camera fitted (seem to remember it being listed in the boat spec) and if so do/have you used it? Safe passage Paul

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 9 - Where do we park?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:01:46 GMT

Gil: Sea snakes???? I don't do sea snakes! Thank you for the info on Okinawa. It has been frustrating to be on the boat for nearly two months, and not really having been at anchor. You cannot imagine how much I am looking forward to heading south to the warmer clear water and being at anchor. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 9 - Where do we park?

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:20:02 GMT

SUBJECT: Okinawa Ken, More years ago than I would care to remember, I was stationed in Iwakuni, and Okinawa with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (Flight Surgeon primarily flying in F4 squadrons, and crew in the annual Around Miyajima Sailing Regatta). I distinctly remember snorkeling many beautiful coves on the Western shore of Okinawa, North of the Kadena Air Base at Naha. Given your wind and current maps, some of these should provide ideal anchorages. I also remember visiting a beautiful botanical park, further northwest of Naha, perhaps a 2 hour drive, with ancient Koi, and an ocean research station that we were able to tour. That facility was anchored in perhaps 50 feet, less than 100 yards offshore, and looked like a futuristic cross between a modern drilling rig, and a James Bond villain domicile. Yes, the water was clean, clear, and comfortably warm for snorkeling. As for the sea snakes... Well, they never actually bothered us. Talk to the American dive master for local knowledge. Hope this helps. Bon voyage. Gill

GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

This is just a quick blog update to let everyone know that we are still at the dock in Nagasaki. The GSSR group will not be moving again until the end of next week.

We had planned to leave this Saturday, and even plotted our route and reserved a couple of marinas, but then Braun from Grey Pearl sent an email to the group that began like this:

“…Question – are we leaving Nagasaki too soon?...”

The group is at a bit of a major milestone. This is really our last stop in what I’ll call ‘Mainland Japan.’ When most people think of Japan, they are thinking of the four main islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.

We will be heading into the 1,000 km long ,169-island chain, known as the Ryukyu Islands, that are part of Japan, just as the Aleutian Islands are part of the US, but somewhat analogously, due to geographic separation, and their independence until modern times, the Ryukyu islands are very different from the Japan we’ve been cruising in.

Some of the distinction is historically based…

The Ryukyu Islands’ history is ‘messy’ by all standards. For most of the past thousand years, the islands were an independent nation, with strong ties to China. Then, in the 1600s, they were captured by Japan, but kept partially open, in order to maintain trade with China. Disputes arose as to whether the Ryukyus belonged to China, Japan, or were an independent nation. U.S. President Grant somehow got involved, and was called upon to arbitrate ownership of the Ryukyus, and against the protestations of many Ryukyu residents and China, gave the islands to Japan. WWII was very hard on the Ryukyus, where Okinawa became the battleground for perhaps the bloodiest battle of the war. More people died at Okinawa than from the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. After WWII, the US demanded long-term military bases in Japan, and grabbed something like 40% of useable Okinawan land for US military bases. The Okinawan citizens were not happy with Japan for allowing the US presence, and it has been a controversial topic ever since, and is particularly tense this year.

I do not know what greeting our group will receive in the Ryukyus. It is tough to read the history on the internet and know how this will play out in terms of the reception we will receive. Okinawa and Ishigaki (Ryukyuan islands) are popular vacation destinations for the Japanese, so I suspect all will be fine.

Crusing the Ryukyu islands will be a challenge…

All of the Ryukyu islands are closed ports, except perhaps Okinawa, meaning that we need to apply to visit each one independently. Our agent asked that I identify our route so that he could start the paperwork. I really didn’t want to be pinned down to too firm a schedule, because of two big picture issues:

1) The Ryukyu Islands are mostly tiny islands with no protected bays. Although typhoons typically arrive later in the year, they can, and do, occur in June. We need to always be thinking about where we’ll run to hide if a typhoon strikes. Weather in general is going to be a huge issue because most of the islands have no place to hide from any kind of rough weather.

2) We know that there are some great anchoring opportunities to be had in the Ryukyu Islands, but we’re not sure where they are. We want the flexibility to extend our stay at the good places and bail quickly on the bad ones.

Below is a tentative schedule I gave to our agent:

Approx. Date of arrival	Location	GPS Position	Days	Anchor or Tied to Wall
June 3	Yakushima	30° 25.878'N, 130° 34.311'E	1	Don't care
June 4	Nakano Shima	29° 50.497'N, 129° 51.228	1	Don't care
June 5	Takera Jima	29° 9.506'N, 129° 12.410'E	1	Don't care
June 6	Amami Shima	28° 25.662'N, 129° 37.977'E	5	Anchor
June 11	Amami Shima	28° 10.724'N, 129° 17.441'E	5	Anchor
June 16	Okino Erabu Shima	27° 23.724'N, 128° 39.855'E	1	Don't care
June 17	Okinawa	26° 13.611'N, 127° 39.738'E	10	Marina or Wall
June 27	Miyako Jima	24° 45.627'N, 125° 16.288'E	1	Don't care
June 28	Ishi Gaki	24° 20.101'N, 124° 8.613'E	5	Prefer marina or wall, but there may also be anchoring possibilities

I accompanied the schedule with this disclaimer: “I put in my best guess at dates, however, the one thing that I can promise is that there will be weather delays, and that this schedule will shift.”

The islands selected were the largest we could find along our route, or the ones with the greatest chance of offering some shelter.

This is the response I received:

“…Have contacted Kagoshima Coast Guard and asked them to give us further information to anchoring/mooring points according to your voyage plan.
Frankly speaking they are not sure good anchoring/mooring point at these small islands such as Nakano Shima, Takara Jima, Okino Erabu Shima. So Coast Guard told that leave decision and judgement to captain for anchoring and mooring or drafting at these islands depending on weather. …”

It’s an understandable response. We picked the best sheltered islands we could find, but there isn’t much to pick from. The Aleutian islands were much friendlier with respect to having protected bays.

Contrast this to our situation in Nagasaki. We have good electricity and are on a floating dock. Our boats are docked a block from the train station, in the heart of a major modern city. We have all the shopping and restaurants we could possibly want within walking distance.

Anyway, to make a long story short. Our cruising is about to take a dramatic change. We’re moving into the unknown, where things might be really great, or they might be really horrible. We don’t have the vaguest idea. The only thing we know is that they are going to be incredibly different.

Anyway, that’s enough on that topic…

My last blog entry, which talked about one of our GSSR boats losing power on the way to Nagasaki, attracted some terrific comments. If you haven’t already, you may want to review them by CLICKING HERE (http://www.kensblog.com/aspx/blob2/blobpage.aspx?msgid=463430&edit=true&beid=80709). There are some interesting comments on fuel systems and anchoring.

And speaking of anchors…

The captains of the GSSR group had lunch together this week, and we started speaking about ‘The Med’ (short for the Mediterranean) which we are working our ways towards. At this point, the Med seems very far away, so it was just idle chit-chat, but the topic of med mooring came up.

Roberta and I had our prior boat, a Nordhavn 62, based in France, near Monaco, and had some experience with med mooring. It’s something that is fairly common in Europe, that generically refers to a way of mooring your boat by backing up to a wall, with nothing between you and other boats on your side except fenders.

Your stern is attached to the wall by lines, and your bow held in place either by an anchor, or by lines that extend to the bottom of the marina.

Med mooring can be quite difficult, particularly in high winds, and in some places, such as St Tropez, it’s a popular tourist attraction just to watch the mega-yachts attempt med mooring as they frequently bounce off each other.

I mentioned at lunch that I had always done the 'lines to the bottom of the marina’ form of med mooring, and had never had to tangle with dropping anchor and backing to the wall. Braun (Grey Pearl) had also had his boat in Europe and gave some details about his med mooring efforts. One of my biggest questions has always been, “How far in front of the slip should I drop the anchor?” Braun said that it is no different than any other form of anchoring. You need enough scope (the ratio of chain-length to depth) to be able to set the anchor. In other words, probably at least five times the depth in chain. In 40’ of water, you would need to pull away from the wall a couple of hundred feet, drop the anchor, then back up to the wall, moving exactly straight, so as not to tangle surrounding anchors. This is tougher than it sounds, particularly when in high-wind, and backing into a slip so tight you need to roll the fenders as you squeeze your way backwards.

Then Braun mentioned something I hadn’t heard of – floating the anchor. I thought I understood med mooring, but Braun added a new wrinkle. Apparently in some marinas, such as Monaco, there are so many anchors under the water that tangling anchors is a real problem. Thus, to simplify anchor retrieval, they regularly send down divers to put air bags on your anchor, and float it to the surface. I’ve never seen this done, so your guess is as good as mine as to the details of the process.

And, this is all a long preamble to a strange coincidence…

Yesterday I received a phone call from a friend who is a delivery skipper.

He had been delivering a boat from La Paz Mexico back to Seattle when he hit rough seas along the west coast of Baja. He was getting beat up in 30-40 knot winds and high seas, and wanted protection from the wind.

He was near an island, but it had no great places to anchor. The best protection he could find was a location in 120 feet of water. This meant dropping a lot of chain. When the storm passed, and he started retrieving the chain, the worst-case scenario occurred, and the windlass (the gadget that pulls up the anchor) failed completely. He was in the middle of nowhere, on a large boat, with a very heavy anchor, deep down, and no way to pull it up. It was far too heavy for him to retrieve by hand.

To my friend's credit, rather than just cut loose the chain, he took the tender to shore and started seeking a diver. He then took a couple of large fenders, deflated them, and had the diver take them down to the anchor. Once attached to the anchor they were inflated, and a few moments later the anchor floated to the surface.

There are lift bags which are made for this purpose, and I’m now thinking I should buy one (or two) and keep them on the boat. An example: http://www.turtlepac.com/photo-gallery/underwater-lift-bags.html

Very cool, and how often do you hear two floating anchor stories in the same week?

And, here's a few pictures from around Nagasaki...

L to R: Me (Ken), Roberta's mom (Nova), our son (Chris) and Roberta's dad (John). Roberta and I have been cruising alone on Sans Souci until now, but will have guests for the next week

If you have a really good microscope you can find Sans Souci in this picture. We are RIGHT DOWNTOWN in Nagasaki

For two hundred years the only part of the Japan open to trade with the outside world was Nagasaki. One of the many tourist attractions is to tour the homes of the westerners that used to live here to trade with Japan

Life isn't always exciting on Sans Souci (that's a good thing!)

Scenes from the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park.

And lastly….

Starr backing up to Grey Pearl, to say goodbye

I’m sad to report that our friends Don and Sharry Stabbert, on Starr, have departed Nagasaki without the rest of us. The GSSR has now trimmed down to just our original three boats (Grey Pearl, Seabird and Sans Souci.)

Starr only arrived in Japan a few weeks ago and wants to spend more time in Japan before leaving. Their goal is to cruise the western coast of Japan this year, while our group continues on to the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Starr will be producing blog entries (http://starr.talkspotblogs.com) and I’ll be eagerly awaiting each of their blog updates.

That’s it for this blog entry. We’ll be back at sea next week, and as I always say, my blog feels like a tug o’ war between myself and the readers. If all goes well, I have nothing to write except “Another day spent working on my tan, barbecuing, and sipping an adult beverage.” However, I suspect the Ryukyu Islands won’t allow me the pleasure of writing boring blog entries. Sometimes I win, and sometimes the blog wins.

Until next time,

Thank you!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:35:23 GMT

ken, on the topic of used oil could one clean the oil and feed it back into the fuel tanks to be used by the engines? from memory, which is not to be trusted(!), i believe the second owner of a N68 talked of this. a centrifugal separator could possibly be used. as to whether centrifugal is better than the racor system and whether is makes sense cost wise would another thing. i think theres a few nordhavns that use alfa laval (centrifugal) instead of racors and the new detroit diesel series 60 uses a centrifugal instead of paper filter for oil. jon

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:30:00 GMT

SUBJECT: RE: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float? Hi Ken, I have used an anchor float system successfully for years. I use it to raise a stern anchor, or in the case of a windlass failure. It is so simple and effective, I’m surprised more skippers don’t use it. This ring, with a fender attached (I usually attach two) will float the anchor right to the surface. Then all you have to do is pull it aboard, without lifting the weight of the anchor. In the case of a stern anchor, the rode is mostly nylon line, so weight of the rode is not a problem, and can be pulled in by hand. In the case of a windlass failure, the weight of the chain is of course another matter, but with the anchor floating, much of the weight of the chain is also suspended, so using a hand crank on the windlass requires much less effort. There is no diver required here. By just placing the ring over the rode, and then motoring at an angle past the anchor, the float is taken down the rode until it pulls the anchor out of the ground and floats it to the surface. Bob Adams 805-379-2100 From: blog-36871-comments@talkspotblogs.com [mailto:blog-36871-comments@talkspotblogs.com] On Behalf Of ken@kensblog.com Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2010 1:22 AM To: Passagemaking with a Nordhavn Subject: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:19:44 GMT

Jeff: I agree with your assessment of Rocna anchors. Most of my friends with Nordhavns have swapped to Rocna, which says a lot. I'm on my second Rocna, having upgraded from their 110kg model to their recently introduced 150kg. And, you can bet that if they introduce a 200kg model, I'll be looking to see if I can fit it onto the boat. As to the swivel.. I hadn't realized they were controversial, and had I known then what I know now, I probably wouldn't have ordered one. I don't know that I'm worried enough about it to remove the swivel, but there do seem to be a lot of people with concerns. My email was flooded after I first mentioned that I added a swivel. Thank you - Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:03:22 GMT

Ken, As Scuba divers, we have 5 lift bags. 1 x 200 lb and 4 x 75 lb. We use them to free a stuck anchor in coral AND, to keep the chain above the bommies where we would other wise wrap up. You can custom tweak the amount of the air in the bags with your octopus. We just disconnect them as we reel in the hook. You do have to dive to set them and tweak the air right. To us, this is an essential technique for cruising in coral or crummy twisted up junk and lots of odd ball stuff anchorages (as you mentioned in your post)..... We'll be posting a new video if the internet allow tomorrow.. I'll send out a notice. "Fins of Bora Bora".....Fun with Lemon Sharks (including my tail ride!) under water.... KIT, Scott and Cindy Stolnitz s/v Beach House.....Maupiti, French Polynesia

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:01:45 GMT

Jon: As to the generator usage on Sans Souci… I currently have nearly 5,000 hours on my two gensets. That’s a lot of hours! It’s seven months of around the clock usage spanning the two years since taking delivery of the boat. Or, as I think of it .. that’s 25 oil changes! I really do dislike changing the oil, although I just changed it a couple days ago and this time everything went 100% smoothly. 20 minutes from start to finish. That said, I now have all of my buckets full of used oil, and have no idea how to get rid of it, or get some fresh buckets. A major pain in the tail. When shore power is not available, I occasionally will run the generator periodically. I can get by with running it as little as six to eight hours a day. However, there are some things on the boat that require the generator, such as the washer/dryer, the oven and the air conditioning. Air conditioning is the big one that usually mandates running the generator around the clock. For instance, we are now in a part of the world where it can be rainy and humid. This means keeping the boat closed up and running air conditioning, which means I need power 24/7. Over the past couple of years I’ve gotten lazier, and now am of the opinion that when I don’t have shore power I might as well start the generator. It costs only about 1 gallon per hour of fuel, and generators are cheap enough that if I burn one out every ten years, that isn’t that big a deal. Were I building a boat today, I’d go for simplicity, and design in almost no batteries or inverters. I’d run an inverter, or an uninterruptible power supply, for the pilot house electronics, and count 100% on generator or shore power for electricity. My boat is overly complex electrically. KISS method (Keep is Simple) should dominate thinking in boat design. I did a lot of work to run my boat off batteries, and now they are just a pain, and the inverters a source of heat. I do think I would buy another Atlas. It is complex, but necessary for hooking to shore power in much of the world. That said, I’d think long and hard about it, because I can do 90% of all I need to do with a battery charger, and as I said – simple is good. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Mon, 31 May 2010 19:47:08 GMT

Scott: I did some googling and couldn’t find anyone offering an LED-based anchor light. Your math explains why – there is a non-linear relationship between the lumens requirement and distance. If I’m interpreting your math correctly something like 25 times as much light is required for 6 mile visibility than 2 mile visibility. That’s a LOT of LEDs! When this season ends I’ll come up with a list of off-season projects, and I know that finding an LED anchor light will be high on the list. As you suggested, I’ll call OWL, and other people that make the lights. Perhaps I can talk one of them into experimenting with one.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Mon, 31 May 2010 19:31:31 GMT

Ken - As a true believer of the superiority of the Rocna anchor, I wanted to give you a thought. Our vessel, an Outer Reef 80, uses it as a main anchor and I have been extremely pleased with how quickly it sets and how well it holds. I also was talked into using a swivel and had a definite problem. When raising the anchor once when it was holding tight and placing some more load on it to release, when the anchor surfaced the swivel had almost failed. At the attachment point where there is the pin, it had jammed on the anchor shank and had separated almost where the pin would not have stayed attached. In speaking directly with the swivel manufacturer, they visited the boat and suggested the following solution to keep this from reoccurring. After you attach the swivel, place two SS hose clips around the upper part of the shank just below the pin. By doing this the swivel cannot slide down the opening in the shank and become jammed. It has worked for use so far - knock on wood. In all my years of cruising I have never had an anchor that has performed better and I would recommend the Rocna to anyone who does serious cruising. Hope the rest of your travels go well - Jeff

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Mon, 31 May 2010 18:13:31 GMT

ken, have you come to a conclusion as to whether it makes more sense to run a generator full time instead of installing inverters/batteries and use this space for extra fuel? i would guess that the nordhavn 64/68 and larger is about the size of boat where this applies. do you run your generator(s) 24/7 now? jon

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sun, 30 May 2010 09:41:20 GMT

Did you happen upon the owl series? I wonder if they couldn't put together something for the 5 mile. Below is the math for the COLREGs. I wasn't able to find anything from the USCG on specs quickly. Its amazing how big the jump is from 2 miles to 5 mile on the lumens required. ---------------- (a) The minimum luminous intensity of lights shall be calculated by using the formula: I = 3.43 x 106 x T x D2 x K-D where I is luminous intensity in candelas under service conditions, T is threshold factor 2 X 10-7 lux, D is range of visibility (luminous range) of the light in nautical miles, K is atmospheric transmissivity. For prescribed lights the value of K shall be 0.8, corresponding to a meteorological visibility of approximately 13 nautical miles. (b) A selection of figures derived from the formula is given in the following table: Range of visibility (luminous range) of light in nautical miles D Luminous intensity of light in nautical light in candelas for miles K = 0.8 I Range Lumens 1 0.9 2 4.3 3 12 4 27 5 52 6 94 NOTE: The maximum luminous intensity of navigation lights should be limited to avoid undue glare. This shall not be achieved by a variable control of the luminous intensity. ---------------------------- http://www.bebi-electronics.com/specs.html#compnum Their 2 mile owl light. http://www.bebi-electronics.com/owl.html Between the Ipad and activecaptain.com it looks to be an amazing tool.. err toy. If you want a US spec on shipped over i'll email you and we can figure it out.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sun, 30 May 2010 01:37:17 GMT

Scott: I just did some googling, and apparently there are still no suitable LED anchor lights. I would love to make a change, but all the LED anchor lights I have found thus far are limited to boats 65' and under. In my case, the low power consumption is less important than the ability of LED bulbs to last virtually forever. I never want to have to climb the mast to swap a bulb! As to my ipad.... I have no luck. Roberta says I can't have my ipad back until we get back to Seattle (August). She said I can buy a new one, that will be just for me, the second we get home. It isn't fair! Her argument is that I just want to have fun with the ipad whereas she is watching the news, which is more serious. And that serious use trumps recreational use. Argh. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 21:47:06 GMT

Well it took a week but somehow I got reading and read every single post. If only it was billable time. For not owning a boat I'm not sure why but it captured my interest. Did you ever find a 5 mile led anchor light? Did you ever get your iPad back from the wife? I had the same problem with mine.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:32:25 GMT

Marv S: Great info. I know that sooner or later I’ll need to deal with anchoring to med moor, and am not looking forward to my first time. I’m sure I’ll botch it up and provide great amusement for the crowds on shore. Why does the diver go to the trouble to unshackle the anchor? I would think this adds a lot of extra work, and that the lift bags can easily accommodate both the anchor and the chain. Your point on the constant tension on the anchor is an interesting one. In normal anchoring, my guess is that there is zero tension on the anchor 99% of the time. Whereas in the med tie, the constant tension is needed to maintain a precise distance from the wall. This means the anchor needs to be set perfectly and to hold. Thank you for a very informative post. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:31:58 GMT

Ken, I spent a lot of time in the Medi on a 148 footer. Medi tie is very different than anchoring as there is a constant load on the anchor rode at all times otherwise your boat bangs into the sea wall off your transom. Also a long ramp is necessary from the fantail to the quay. The tide is only a couple of feet in Medi throughout the year so tidal variations are not a big concern. If a boat has been moored for a while and other boats have come and gone, a diver is required. And if there is a blow, additional anchors have been dropped, usually they are dropped from a dingy. The anchor is tied to the side of the dinghy and the rode is stored in the dink. It is a fun exercise. The bottom of the harbor looks like a bowl of spaghetti of anchor lines. The day before one leaves a fresh anchor is put down with the dink, on top of every body else's rode. The diver unshackles your anchor the rode winched in, and with lift bags the diver brings the anchor near the surface where it is reattached to your boat either with a temporary line or the anchor line so it can be winched back into the anchor chocks for stowage and reshackling. Oh yes, when the boat leaves the next day one does not want to drag the anchor otherwise a number of anchor rodes from other vessels will be lifted along with your anchor. Warm wind and gentle seas. Marv S

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:31:28 GMT

Marje Butler Great story! Thank you, Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:30:44 GMT

Ron Rogers: I should have asked more questions about the details, and how the diver was able to inflate the fenders. Here’s my assumption based on our conversation… My friend said that he had to put slits in some large fenders. I asked him how large the fenders were he used, and he said that he used two of the large inflatable fenders, that are approx. 18” by 5’. He mentioned needing to put slits in them. My guess is that the slits were to easily fill the fenders with air once the diver attached them to the anchor. I’m assuming that the fenders were filled with air from the divers regulator. The amazing part of this story is that the diver was able to do this in 120 feet of water. From my friends comments I’m assuming there was only one diver. At 120’ a diver has only about 10 minutes on the bottom before he needs to start on his way back. That’s not a lot of time to attach two fenders and fill them. I’d also assume that air was an issue. At that depth I wouldn’t want to be using any of my precious air to fill fenders. I forgot to ask whether or not the chain was unshackled or if it came up with the anchor. My guess is that there wasn’t time to unshackle the chain, and it had to ride up with the anchor. This adds a LOT of weight. I did ask what the diver charged - $300. My friend’s name was kept anonymous because the owner of the vessel may read my blog, and I don’t know if he has been told yet about the incident. This just happened a couple of days ago. I’d hate for someone to read about an incident on their boat from my blog before they hear about it from the delivery captain. Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 18:30:03 GMT

Dreamsfloat Joe: I think anything that floats could be used to lift the anchor. In the case of my friend he had to destroy some huge fenders in order to use them to lift the anchor. As soon as I get to somewhere where I can, I’m going to buy some real ‘lift bags’ which are meant for this purpose. I’m not sure what is different about them, or how expensive they are, but they seem like something that would be handy to have on board. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 11:56:34 GMT

Hi Ken, My brother introduced me to your blog several years ago. I have sincerely enjoyed reading and bedside sailing with you and your host of friends and family. I live in North Bend, close to your morage(sp) in Seattle. My brother is in North Carolina! That being said, I am not a sailer, but grew up having fun on a pontoon boat in the Wisconsin River and I am a simple windersurfer. The wonderlust that you have gives me great pleasure as I encourage all of my students and friends to take adventures whenever possible. O.K. I have an anchor story that will make you laugh. (not anything like the floating anchor though) We had a dog, Hank, yellow lab, our 'first child.' He loved swimming, fetching, eating, fetching, etc. At a lake that was pretty baron of trees and branches, Hank wanted to play fetch. We told him to find a stick. Well, after a short while of unsuccessful hunting, he returned with a fetch item clutched in the side of his mouth. A bell anchor from the fishing boat pulled up on the shore! He was still young and full of all sorts of energy and creativity. We all fell to laughing as he was persistent about the idea of fetch. I look forward to your next posts and hope you have successful mooring in the islands. Good weather and good luck!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 08:46:18 GMT

How did the delivery captain adapt a scuba tank to inflate his fenders?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No. 8 - Do anchors float?

Sat, 29 May 2010 05:24:30 GMT

Hello and Happy Memorial Day Weekend Ken, Family, Friends and GSSR Group Members! Happy to read all is well! Your get San Souci ready to cruise man, did an outstanding job, from reading your blogs. About 'Floating Anchors': Ken, is San Souci to large a yacht for you to use an "Anchor Ball (Inflatable Vinyl Bouy)" in assisting you retrieving your anchor? One example of an "Anchor Ball (Inflatable Vinyl Buoy)": http://www.fishing-catalog.com/docks/dock_cushions.htm I look forward to reading about your exciting times ahead. Hope they are all 'Good' exciting times! Thanks for blogging. Enjoy your journey,

Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

The last time I sent out a blog update we were sitting happily in Fukuoka. Or, at least Roberta and I were. The crews of Seabird and Grey Pearl had headed off to So. Korea for some sightseeing, and Starr had stayed an extra night in Moji. I had some business to do, so I spent much of our time in Fukuoka staring at my computer screen.

The high-speed ferry between Fukuoka, Japan, and Busan ,South Korea

A street scene taken in Busan by Steven Argosy of Seabird

Both Steven and Carol, and Braun and Tina, sent emails encouraging us to come over to S. Korea. They promised great western restaurants. However, Steven sent me this picture, which tells a slightly different story.

Braun and Tina (Grey Pearl) visited Seoul and traveled to the DMZ, while Steven and Carol (Seabird) remained in Busan.

I was very curious what it would be like to be in South Korea now…

In the unlikely chance that some of you may not know what is happening, these are tense times. The North Koreans recently sunk a South Korean ship. North Korea has threatened war if the South Koreans retaliate. It’s a sad situation which is likely to get worse before it gets better. That said, our group felt that the prevailing sentiment in South Korea was optimistic, and that it is just a matter of time until the Koreas reunited.

The dome you see in the background behind our boat, Sans Souci, is Fukuoka’s 'Yahoo!' Baseball Dome.

We all go to a baseball game!

Steven Argosy (Seabird) and Sharry Stabbert (Starr) are rooting for the Tigers, Osaka's baseball team.

Of course this meant we had to go see a baseball game. At home we are Seattle Mariners season ticket holders, where, on those rare occasions that we are actually in Seattle, we watch our team’s hero, Ichiro Suzuki, play. It was impossible not to be amused by the fact that we were now in Japan watching the Hanshin Tigers (from Osaka) play the Softbank Hawks, (Fukuoka's team) as an American pitcher was pitching to an American batter.

The Japanese fans have American fans beat. Each of the outfield sections had its own band, and the fans sang non-stop. The noise level was deafening! A couple of times, the audience blew up balloons and let them fly all at once. There were even cheerleaders! Very cool!

Another day we all visited a small nearby island called Nokonoshima. There is a ferry -- ten minute ferry ride -- to this island from Fukuoka. The ferry is above to the left. The claim to fame for Nokonoshima is a beautiful garden. We took some time to stroll through this garden and to take in the fragrant smells from all of the flowers.

The gardens had a full golf course, except played with croquet mallets. It looked fun, but I didn't try. It was really more like a combination of croquet and miniature golf.

Each time we think our boats are tied up in the best place imaginable, it just gets better. Our boats are docked just beneath the ferris wheel you see in this picture.

I haven’t spoken much about boating-related technical issues. This is because there haven’t been any! The boats have been running flawlessly.

That said, there are a few brief technical topics that might be of interest (feel free to skip ahead)...

Electricity has been a bit of a headache, although not as bad as we anticipated. The dockside shore power pedestals have mostly had the same connectors as in the U.S. The biggest problem is that the marinas aren’t really set up to accommodate boats our size. For instance, in Fukuoka, there were 50 amp connectors on the visitor dock, but after tripping the breaker a few times I did some investigating and discovered that the power for the entire dock, including all four of our boats, was flowing through a single 40 amp breaker.

It took some creativity to explain to the marina what our problem was, but once they understood they immediately called an electrician to come fix the circuitry. Unfortunately, the power was not fixed until the day before our departure. We felt bad leaving after they had gone to all the trouble to bring in electricians.

Sans Souci has an international power adapter, called Atlas, which is great at times, and a pain at others. On the positive side, it always delivers 100% clean electricity to the boat, at a consistent 240 volts. It will accept single or triple phase electricity and virtually any voltage I’m likely to find, worldwide. This flexibility comes at a price though.

In the photo above you can see that I am drawing 33 amps from shore power, but only 18 amps is available inside the boat. Where is the missing electricity?

There are a few answers to that question:

1) The input voltage is only 203 volts. This seems to be the standard here in Japan. When boosting the voltage from 203 to 240 volts, 15% of the potential amperage is lost. Let’s assume for a minute that I really had 50 amps available from my shore power cord. If the voltage were 240, then this would equate to 12 kilowatts of power (240 x 50,) whereas at 203 volts, only 10.1 kilowatts are available.

2) You’ll note on my display that it mentions a power factor of .94. This says that only about 94% of the incoming electricity was useful. This happens when electricity is 'dirty.' In other words, the theoretical 10.1 kw coming into my boat is really only 94% or about 9.5 kw.

3) Lastly, in the photo above, if you run the math, I am drawing 33 amps at 203 volts, at 94% efficiency, which means I was consuming about 6.3kw from the shore power cord. On the output side, I am seeing only 4kw (240 volts times 18 amps. This loss is called 'inefficiency' and comes from the Atlas unit itself. A full third of the available power is being lost during conversion! Where is it? Electricity cannot simply disappear. The answer is 'heat.' There’s actually a formula that can be applied to figure out how much heat is being thrown out by my Atlas. I 'lost' 2kw, and the formula for converting kilowatts to btus (a way of measuring heat) is 1kw = 3,412 btus. In other words, I’m dumping 6,824 btus of heat into my lazarette, via the Atlas.

Sorry to bore you with all this, but for at least me, if not most of you, it is an interesting topic. Providing electricity for the boat, when traveling international, is a very important topic, and one we spend a great deal of time puzzling over.

As long as I’m talking tech…

While we were sitting still in Fukuoka I decided to change the oil in on the 20kw generator.

I expected that it would take 15 minutes, to an hour at most, but the project wound up taking much longer.

Sans Souci has an oil change system that makes changing the oil amazingly simple, and that’s a very good thing because there’s a fair amount of oil that needs changing. There are actually six different pieces of equipment: two main engines, two generators and two transmissions.

Each of these six pieces of machinery has a hose attached for draining or filling oil. I can press a button and transfer the oil in or out without every getting my hands dirty. I also carry two oil tanks, one for oil that is new, and one for oil that is used. By twisting a couple of levers and pressing a button I can quickly and easily swap the oil.

Or, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work….

To change the oil in the 20kw generator, I set the levers and pressed the discharge button, but no oil would come out. I double checked and triple checked the levers. I was trying to move the oil from the 20kw generator into an oil bucket.

After a bit of frustration, I called Steven on Seabird to see if he had any ideas for me. Steven checked the valves, and agreed I had it set up correctly. He then suggested running the generator for a bit to warm the oil. That worked and the oil suddenly started flowing. In a few minutes the generator was empty.

I then pressed the button to put the new oil into the generator, and once again, nothing. Steven and I checked the valves, and rechecked them. We were trying to pump from the ‘new oil’ tank to the 20kw generator and it just wasn’t working.

Our theory was that the pump needed primed. I had just sucked oil out of the generator, so this didn’t seem completely right, but something was happening and we had no other theories. We then tried pumping clean oil backwards from a bucket into the ‘new oil’ tank. No luck. It wouldn’t pump at all. After another hour of messing about and total frustration, it suddenly worked! Oil started flowing and the generator oil was changed. Neither of us has any idea what was wrong, or what we did to fix it. But, the generator is now happy again.

Anyway, on to more interesting topics…

The run from Fukuoka to Nagaski is about 110 nautical miles. Our boats can make 200 nm in a 24 hour period, so it’s not a long run. That said, we’ve been trying to run only during daylight. There are narrow passages where we need to precisely time our arrival due to currents, and there is frequently fishing gear in the water that we need to dodge around.

We had planned to make the run to Nagasaki over two days, with a stop halfway between to anchor. We asked the Coast Guard to suggest a location, and the place they identified was a closed port. This meant we had to apply for permission to anchor, which was granted.

On arrival at the anchorage, we could quickly see that we were exposed to the wind, and the wind was predicted to rise overnight. We saw a nearby fishing harbor that offered greater protection. We thought it would be tight, but that we could make it work. After a bit of work to cram all the boats in, we finally got the four boats anchored and were just settling in when I opened my email to find this message:

“Ken san

Just had calling from Hirado Coast Guard that 4 boats arrived and anchored off Kawachi port.

However current anchoring point is on the route to entering Kawachi port and
Fishing boats transit the route.

So Coast Guard asked you to shift to Off Senrigahama (Pls see attached map)
for safety. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance.

Best Regards
Kazuo Furuno "

We had anchored carefully and were not blocking anything or anyone, but didn't want to argue. None of us were in the mood to move the boats, especially to somewhere less safe. But, we moved anyway.

Luckily the forecasted storm didn’t arrive and we actually had a very smooth night as it turned out.

Here's a picture of Sans Souci's anchor coming up. Note the swivel. It is supposed to rotate the anchor into a good position for coming over the bowsprit. The use of a swivel was controversial, and apparenlty they can be problematic. Many readers of my blog wrote to advise me not to install one. Thus far, all is good.

On our run to Nagasaki we had the first serious problem of the entire GSSR trip thus far….

About two hours into our second day Grey Pearl came on the radio to say that their main engine had quit. Braun went on to say that his backup (wing) engine and his generator had also quit. He had been transferring fuel and had noticed air bubbles starting to appear in the filter. His theory was that he had gotten air into the fuel system and would need to bleed the fuel line.

About 20 minutes later Braun got the engine running and we were back under way. However, about 10 minutes later Braun was back on the radio. The main engine had quit again.

We were in a vulnerable position. We were still a four hour run from Nagasaki. It was around 10am and a big storm was expected to hit at 3pm. None of us wanted to be offshore when the storm hit.

Braun tried unsuccessfully for another half hour to get the Pearl’s main engine started, without success.

Don, on Starr, came on the radio to offer to tow Grey Pearl while Braun worked on the engine. This would allow us to continue making forward progress while Braun diagnosed the problem. I asked Don his plan for towing the Pearl, curious to learn how he planned on doing so. I had no idea whether or not Don had ever pulled another boat. Personally I’ve never pulled anything larger than a tender, but I do know some of the theory, having studied for the Coast Guard exam on towing. Don’s response quickly established that he not only knew how to tow, he REALLY had his act together. He had a tow line already sitting on deck, already shackled up. To my amazement Grey Pearl had a towing bridle set and within 15 minutes we were back underway, making six knots. This group is incredible to travel with!

Then began 'diagnosis by radio' with Braun, Steven, Don and I all kicking in ideas. Fifteen minutes after towing started Braun had the wing engine going, and after another fifteen minutes the main started up. Starr towed the Pearl for perhaps another 30 minutes, just to verify that all was really well, and indeed it was. The Pearl ran smoothly the rest of the way to Nagasaki, and our belief is that it was nothing more than air in the fuel lines. I’m not sure whether or not the problem is completely resolved, but as I type this we are safely in port.

We arrived only about one hour later than our original projection, and within minutes of tying up, the storm hit. Since then, we’ve had non-stop rain and moderate winds.

Roberta on deck getting lines and fenders set for arrival in Nagasaki

We are at the Dijema Wharf, in the heart of Nagasaki. We were able to find the marina using Google Earth, because it was the only marina we could find in the area. It is a very cool, very central, wonderful place to be, but it is a marina with only twelve slips spread across two peers. Prior to our arrival we were told that all four boats would need to tie to a nearby concrete wall, and that we would have to raft to each other, without electricity. The marina can only accommodate boats up to 35 feet!

As we were approaching the marina we received the good news that Grey Pearl and
Seabird could tie up at the end caps on the dock. This would leave only Sans Souci and Starr to tie to the wall.

The wall is not meant for a boat like Sans Souci. In this photo you can see how the wall looks. The water rises and lowers seven feet, and the lower four foot of wall is covered with sharp fender-eating crud.

Starr took one look at the wall and knew it wasn’t going to work. I tied to the wall, and then looked to see what had come of Starr. After a bit of begging they had convinced the marina to stuff all 75’ of Starr into a 35’ slip, with a storm coming! Starr had found ways to relieve the pressure on the floating dock by running lines to the nearby quay, and to the dock posts. The cleats on the dock itself are tiny and useless for boats our size.

Braun came on the radio to suggest I move off the wall, and I declined. It had been a long day and Roberta and I weren't in the mood to move the boat again. Plus, I studied how Starr was tied, and it looked complex. I wasn’t sure I could tie Sans Souci similarly. Braun responded, “It took some selling to persuade the marina that you can move your boat. You might want to jump on it before they change their minds.” The rain was starting to pour, and I was getting soaked. I said, “I’ll take my chances and see how it looks in the morning. Ask me again after I’ve gone through a tide cycle.”

It was a tough decision to stay on the wall. My worry was that the sharp clams would cut through my fenders. Also, getting on and off the boat was a HUGE challenge. To allow for the large tide swings I couldn’t tie the boat snuggly to the wall, and to complicate life, Roberta’s parents (in their 80s) are arriving on Tuesday. We’d never be able to get them on and off the boat. That said, I was worried Sans Souci would rip apart the fragile dock if the storm got worse, and I wasn’t sure I had the skill-set to tie the boat solidly as Don had.

Early the next morning, all of the other boats were back on the radio offering to help me move. This time I couldn’t resist, and we moved the boat. This really is a special group. We’re in heavy rain, with strong winds, getting drenched, and these guys are offering to assist me with a really complex boat-moving and tying project.

We did move the boat, and securing it in its new location did turn out to be as big a challenge as I had feared. Roberta and I would have difficulty tying the boat without the group’s help.

It is now early evening and the rain has headed off any interest in sightseeing. I’ll report on Nagasaki in my next blog.

Thank you!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Fri, 28 May 2010 09:50:53 GMT

Hey Ken, With the release of the iPad in Japan today, you can pick up one for yourself! That way you can get your finger prints all over it! That way Roberta won't mistake it for hers, I mean your other one! (grin) Chris

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Thu, 27 May 2010 04:40:06 GMT

Hal: I 'had' an ipad. Roberta has stolen it as her personal portable tv. Seriously. I tried to use it the other night and she yelled at me for getting the glass dirty on HER IPAD. How did it get to be her ipad? I bought it, and she teased me for buying it with no idea how I'd use it. Argh! As soon as she isn't looking I'm going to steal it back and try to download the ipad navigation software you mentioned. Thanks for the tip! -Ken W PS Steven just got an ipad for his birthday (Seabird). Maybe he'll let me play with his from time to time.

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:43:44 GMT

Ken, knowing you have an iPad, I wonder if you've seen the Navionics iPad app with charts for the south china Sea, Korea and Japan waters? An app store search on Navionics Japan will pull it up. Hal

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Tue, 25 May 2010 22:13:26 GMT

Jon: One more comment on fuel management on Nordhavns... I haven't heard it talked about, but I regularly move fuel around on my boat to 'balance' the boat. I would imagine other Nordhavn owners do the same. The boat can get unbalanced many different ways. For instance, when I'm towing the tender, instead of having it on deck, it is heavy enough that the boat can lean 3 or 4 degrees. This puts extra strain on the stanilizers. Thus, I'll move some fuel around to rebalance the boat. The same happens when I pull a lot of fuel from one tank or the other -- I might need to rearrange the fuel in order to get the boat flat. -Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Tue, 25 May 2010 22:03:59 GMT

Jon: Regarding your question about day tanks on Nordhavns... I only know the N62, N64 and N68, so I'm not sure about other Nordhavn models. My belief is that ALL Nordhavn's have one supply (or day) tank, or possibly two. On my N62 I had a seperate supply tank for my main engine and for the wing engine, whereas on my N68 I have a common supply tank for both main engines. Personally I believe that there should be two independent supply tanks, so that you can isolate your backup engine from your main engine. Who would design an airplane with both engines feeding from a common fuel system? Why Nordhavn decided to consolidate to one supply tank I do not know. If my fuel gets contaminated, both of my mains will quit. I cannot isolate. Nordhavn's guys are smart people, so I'm sure they have a rationale, but were I ordering a boat I'd certainly ask why there is no isolation. All of the boats have multiple fuel tanks, located in different parts of the boat, with a fuel transfer system for moving fuel from tank to tank. On my N62 the day tank was plenty big to handle a day of running. On my N68 it is only 80 gallons (about 8 hours of running). I prefer a larger day tank and set my valves so that most valves are closed, and I have total control, via fuel transfer, of where the fuel is. I treat my starbard engine room tank as a large day tank and move all fuel there before using it. This accomplishes several things. 1) All fuel is polished before used. 2) I'm not fiddling with the valves that have to do with the primary fuel system. And, 3) Most runs are done with all fuel in place before I leave the dock. Nordhavn's newer boats have a very simple but powerful fuel system. - Tanks feed from the bottom as they should. - There are fuel cutoffs outside the engine room (as their should be). - I can move fuel anywhere. - The tanks are well baffled. - I have the power to decide how I want to configure the system. Every owner tends to have their own system and it gives them the power to set things up as they want. Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Tue, 25 May 2010 20:07:02 GMT

ken, do nordhavns use only one day tank to feed diesel to everything: main engine, generators, wing, kabola ... or two? i always assumed they had more than one day tank, i suppose from reading somewhere about the wing engine having its own separate fuel system. i've read about the high reliability of marine diesels and that bad fuel is the main reason for problems, never read about both engines, main and wing, being stopped by air in the fuel lines. thank fully it didn't put them in danger. jon

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Tue, 25 May 2010 01:44:54 GMT

Captain Williams: I just got off a N 55 that has an anchor swivel. During one "raising", the anchor didn't "swivel" as designed--it was brought up to and onto the bow sprit much too fast--not by me by the way--which didn't allow time for it to swivel into proper position. Consequently the anchor jammed between the roller and the support structure. We tied the anchor into position as it was and motored on to the next lock. The way the anchor was jammed is hard to explain but by looking at your bow sprit, anchor and support structure, it will be easy to see. The anchor shank is shaped like an "I" beam. Take paper and pencil and write a capital "I". I will be simplistic here---there is a vertical line that you will cross, top and bottom of the vertical line. with horizontal lines. The top horizontal "line" became wedged between the roller and the support structure. The anchor shank, the "I" part of the anchor shank, was solid against the roller and the top of the horizontal "line" was solid against the support structure. And wedged it was!! There was no way we could physically lift it out of it's position and the windless would just "jam it tighter." So.............how to get it loose? We studied the situation for many minutes. During the "studying" I leaned on the anchor shank to catch my balance and it moved slightly. We discussed this and determined that by "rocking" the shank, we just might be able to "pop" it loose. I asked the captain/owner if it would be ok to do so and having no options, he agreed. The captain/owner and the other gent aboard moved away, far away I might add, and I rocked the "heck" out of the anchor shank and it did pop loose. We untied the anchor itself and it "swiveled into position", we then lowered the anchor shank off the bow sprit, let things quite swinging and brought it, very slowly!! into it's "up and locked" position. Lessons learned: 1. When the anchor is clear of the water, stop hoisting and let it swivel into proper position and then ease it onto the bow sprit. 2 There is critical need for a spacer between the roller and the support structure. This will has to be fabricated, the support structure disassembled, spacer inserted and support structure reassembled and tested. Hope this helps. Don Cochrane

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Mon, 24 May 2010 22:58:23 GMT

D Traver: You've asked about fuel/air seperators, and the honest answer is "I don't know." Worse yet, I can't tell you if I have them. Ouch. I hate it when there's a hole in my knowledge! Sans Souci's fuel system is really quite simple. I have three large fuel tanks, each of which feed to a small 80 gallon supply tank. From the small tank, fuel is gravity fed/pulled through a dual racor filter, and then to the main engine. My fuel transfer system is completely independent. I can transfer fuel between any two tanks, and it is passed through a single racor as it is transferred. I tend to do all fuel transferring while sitting at the dock, rather than risk anything going wrong. Of course, on long passages I don't have that luxury. There are a lot of valves in the fuel transfer system but I do my best not to fiddle with them. Incorrect setting of valves is probaly the #1 cause, by a mile, of Nordhavn's running out of fuel (more common than anyone will admit). I run with two of the fuel tanks completely isolated, and treat my starboard engine room fuel tank (950 gallons) as a giant day tank. This system has worked flawlessly for me for many miles. Braun was doing fuel transfer while underway. Actually, he was polishing the fuel. One possibility is that a valve was left open to some tank that was empty. Another is that there is a crack in some line somewhere. We had dinner last night, and we're all still at the theory stage. I did own an N62 for eight years, so one would think I'd know the system on the 62, but I've long forgotten it. -Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Mon, 24 May 2010 09:45:46 GMT

Hi Ken, I would expect that in boats rigged for heavy weather, fuel/air separators would be part of the standard kit? If they are, do you have any insight on why Gray Pearl suffered fuel/air problems during calm running; or if they're not installed, is there a specific reason for that? Regarding Spectra line: In cordage, static (non-stretching) line is really only static in comparison to dynamic line. From my rock climbing days, I recall Spectra stretching about 2%, although under your extreme circumstances ( a big, wet line pulling a massive object) I have no idea what the stretch would be. I seem to remember Chapman's saying a little stretch is vital in a tow.

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Mon, 24 May 2010 01:00:45 GMT

Ron: Excellent post about towing, and 100% consistent with my training. Starr's towing of the Pearl was not done "by the book", but worked exceptionally well anyhow. Thus, I don't want to be critical, because all I have is book learning, whereas Don (Starr) has real world experience, and this was indeed a successful tow. My sense is that Don went into it with the attitude of "How do we quickly get the Pearl moving so that we are making headway while he solves the problem?" We knew that speed was of the essense. If we had had more time, the tow would have been done differently. In this case, it was intended as a one-hour tow in calm conditions, and I think all of us were surprised by how well it worked. If Braun hadn't been able to resolve the problem, and we'd have had 100+ miles to go, I'm confident the chain would have come out (to provide catenary), and a towing bridle rigged. -Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Mon, 24 May 2010 00:38:47 GMT

When towing, it is important to use a bridle from the beginning on both vessels. The bridle on the towed vessel is to spread the load among as many cleats and bits as possible. As you recall, on the NAR, the ring down by the waterline was to be used for towing, but attaching the line would be interesting. I suppose one could use the anchor line snubbers if they are heavy enough. The bridle is more convenient. The towing vessel needs the bridle to maneuver! The tow line slides on the bridle and allows the tow boat to turn without resistance from the towed vessel. Tugs get around this by having the towing bit (or windlass) well forward of the rudder stock and the towline can slide left and right on surfaces made for this purpose. Single screw pleasure boats must use the bridle, Twin screw pleasure boat could try to use their engines to maneuver, but are better off relying on the bridle. With vessels of this size, a galvanized thimble can slide on the bridle. Smaller vessels can use large sailboat blocks. Tow boats using Spectra use line so big that its weight creates catenary. Sometimes, chain can be incorporated into the center section of a towline to give it weight. In a storm, chafe can become the major enemy. Chafe is why some texts suggest the use of chain as a bridle on the towed vessel. You will always see this when ships are being towed. Finally, the towing boat must watch engine temperatures as the boat was not designed for this duty. Sea conditions and engine temperature will dictate speed of advance. I suspect that the 62 is a relatively easy tow as she has less windage than other Nordhavn designs. In extremis, two tow boats can join on the same tow line. You will see this in the commercial world as well. Of course, this method requires excellent seamanship and constant attention. Rendering assistance to another vessel in distress is an obligation under law mitigated only by a captain’s judgment that rendering such assistance will jeopardize his/her vessel. In which case, standing by the vessel in distress is the preferred alternative. Ron Rogers

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 14:45:56 GMT

Hi Ken, Great Blog entry, very useful information on towing. A question on a different topic though. For your anchor washdown, do you use seawater or fresh water from your tanks, and what type of pump is installed? We are in the process of installing a system on Locheill, our 40' trawler. We connected up a line from the freshwater tank that runs off the standard water pump that supplies the taps inside, but the pressure is not very useful, so we are considering to install a high pressure pump that we will fit to an unused seacock. Thanks very much, Ruaan

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 11:28:10 GMT

Adam: I should have given a bit more information on the towing in my blog entry... It's past midnight here in Japan, so I'll respond quickly, then read my response tomorrow and see if it is somewhat coherent. I'll ask Braun and Don tomorrow for a few more details. I was leading the group when Braun lost power, so I was a good mile in front of Grey Pearl. I turned back but never went within about a quarter mile of Grey Pearl while she was being towed, so I really am basing my comments mostly on our radio dialog. Grey Pearl does have a tow ring, at the water level, but it wasn't used. Braun had a bridle that he used that was strung from the bow hawse holes by the anchor. In Don's case, he used one of the aft side hawse holes. He said that if it were going to be a long tow (meaning more hours) he would have rigged a bridle and used both of his stern hawse holes. Don mentioned that he had 600' of Spectra for towing, but it looked to me like he was towing the Pearl from only about 200' away. Although there was a storm rapidly approaching we were running on totally calm seas, which is probably why we didn't have a problem. My recollection is that Spectra doesn't stretch. Don was towing the Pearl without much slack (catenary) in the line. For a proper tow, you would want to put a bunch of weight in the middle of the tow line, and have a longer tow line. [Note: As I said before, I've never actually towed a large boat, so correct me if I have this wrong] Don did maintain some slack in the line, and drove Starr from up on the fly bridge so he could watch the line. Starr easily pulled the Pearl at 6 knots with no apparent strain on the tow line. Once the Pearl had her engine running, Don pulled the Pearl at 8 knots. Don made it sound easy, and said he had no problem pulling the Pearl. -Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 11:10:02 GMT

I’m loving every word, and following every move! I especially like the “mechanical systems” of it. Thanks Ken for writing and sharing so well; -Howard.

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 10:56:57 GMT

Ken, would love to have more details on exactly how you all achieved the successes described in this post. On the towing issue, it's hard to see but looks like the Pearl's bridle somehow connects down to the bow towing eye at the waterline. Is this correct? Can you tell us more about how the bridle was constructed and where it connected? And where did Starr tie off the towing line? Regarding your moving of the boat, can you describe how the lines were tied off, and especially what order they were tied in and what maneuvering you had to do while they were being arranged? It would be interesting to know the lengths of line you needed as well. Thanks for another fascinating entry! /adam

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 09:27:15 GMT

Jerry: We discussed once, a very long time ago, what we'd do if we were ever presented with a situation where one boat needed towed. We all agreed we would offer the other a tow. Starr is new to the group, and actually, will be leaving us here in Nagasaki. We had never had this discussion with Starr. Once Don started towing, he said to the group, "I've got it under control. The other two of you should race ahead to port and get to safety." There was an awkward pause after he said this. It did make sense. All I could think of to say was, "No. We'll hang out here. It would be wrong to leave." It wasn't a particularly bright response, but it was an honest one. We then did the math and discovered Seabird and Sans Souci weren't really being heroes. Starr was pulling Grey Pearl at 6 knots. On our own Sans Souci and Seabird would have moved at only 8.5 knots. We only had about four hours to go when all of this happened, and would only have gotten to port about 40 minutes faster than we would by staying. We weren't really risking our lives by hanging around. It was actually a very strange situation, in that we wanted to help, but felt powerless. On the Pearl, Braun was working hard in the engine room, and we had very little data. We wanted to help, and were discussing theories, but with no information to go on we really couldn't accomplish anything . Tina (Braun's wife) was drivnig the Pearl, and she gave us what informmation she had, but really, she was as in the dark as we were. It was really just between Braun and his engine with the rest of us left to wild guessing about what was happening. Anyway.. I'm digressing. The quick answer to your question is: There is no way any of us would have left another boat disabled at sea, even with it being towed. It just wouldn't happen. Overall, it was a valuable exercise, and boosted confidence. My "takeaways" were that: 1) I should travel with a towing line and bridle already rigged 2) Towing really is practical! I had some doubts that it was. 3) I need to better understand how to bleed my fuel system. I "kind of know" but I've never really done it. I should have this skill nailed, and I don't. Thank you! Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 09:14:37 GMT

Salty Dog: There's a bit more to the story. I was worried that I was putting the readers to sleep, so I left out some critical details. I have two manifolds on the oil change system. 1) The oil tank manifold. This has hoses to a NEW oil tank, and a USED oil tank. It also has a hose which is open-ended for filling, or taking from a bucket. And, lastly, it has the connection to the pump. 2) The engine manifold. This has hoses to all six engines (2 mains, 2 gensets and 2 transmissions) plus a connection to the pump, and a hose that can be used for taking from or dumping to a bucket. Historically I have not used the USED oil tank. Just prior to my arrival in Japan, Jeff, my mechanic, topped off both the new and the used oil tanks. I have three theories. 1) This is the most likely, and is what you suggested. The new oil tank is full, and the vent is clogged. The vent is under the seat in the cockpit, which is crammed with life jackets. I'm betting the tank is full and we blocked the vent. 2) Perhaps all was fine all along, and I just didn't give it enough time. We were worried about burning out the pump motor, and when no oil showed up after two minutes, we killed the pump. We then primed it by sucking in oil from a bucket, but nothing worked UNTIL we did two things. First, we opened the valves to BOTH the new and used tanks, and second, we gave it more time. I monitored the temperature of the pump using the IR gun. After a couple minutes it was at 120 degrees. A minute later it dropped to 95 degrees. This told me oil had started flowing. We're running the generator around the clock now. There's no power in this marina. I'll change the oil again in a couple days, and report back on what happens. -Ken W

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 08:38:53 GMT

Ken as far as the problem with your oil change system not pulling the new oil, does your new oil tank have a vent?

Comment on: Gssr 2010 No. 7 - When it rains it pours

Sun, 23 May 2010 08:32:45 GMT

Fantastic read Ken. A couple of questions or comments. The dilemma of a boat breaking down while traveling with a group such as yours has always been an issue when we cruise with others. When does one decide to move ahead due to weather and when does one decide to stay to assist. I know the idea of danger for the disabled vessel is most likely the deciding factor, but what if Star had not offered to tow the other boat. What then........there are numerous scenarios but I'm curious what thoughts were going thru your head and the others? At the dock is another issue totally, but in the ocean with an approaching storm, is there a pre discussion about, for example.......each Capt will make his or her desison on their vessel and so on...hope this makes sense to you what I'm trying to say or ask. We love the company of other boats but like the independence too. Also, I really like the technical stuff regarding your operating systems and how things are working.......I know that there are others reading the blog.........but as a cruiser who depends on self help and diagnosis..your information is wanted. Thanks

GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Fri, 14 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

Over the past three days the GSSR group of three boats has run from Hiroshima Japan to Fukuoka, a distance of about 180 miles.

We normally plan trips assuming our group moves 200 nautical miles per day. However, in Japan’s inland sea there is too much traffic, and too many fishing nets in the water, to consider running at night. We did run around the clock in northern Japan, but it was a very tense experience.

For our first night we found a nice bay to drop our anchors. (33 57.339 N, 131 49.727 E).

Seabird dropped their anchor out in the middle of the bay, away from the other two boats. This was good boating, but wound up putting them in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We had a long day running and were tired, so almost immediately after dropping anchor all of the boats settled down to start dinner, and turn in for the night.

And, that’s when our evening got interesting…

Roberta and I were sitting on the couch watching a movie when I heard Carol’s voice on the VHF radio (we all monitor the radio at all times, for communicating between the boats). I ran up the stairs to see what she wanted. It seemed strange that she was on the radio because it was dark and we had all settled for the night.

“GSSR group, the coast guard is visiting Seabird. Steven is talking to them now. I’ll be back on the radio with more information when I have it,” said Carol. I said in response, “Carol, are they smiling? Or do they seem tense? What are they asking?” No response came, and I didn’t want to transmit anything more.

Out the window we couldn’t see what was happening. All I could see a the dark shape on the water where Seabird was anchored, with Seabird's anchor light going, and a red light at water level which told me there was another boat tied to Seabird’s side.

The Coast Guard had been alerted of our precise travel plans, including where we would be anchored. It didn’t make sense that they waited until after dark to visit. Roberta and I assumed the Coast Guard would be coming to our boat next. There was nothing we could do, so after watching out the window for a while, we went back to watching our movie. Finally, at least a half hour after the first broadcast by Carol, she was back on the radio saying, “GSSR fleet. The Coast Guard is just finishing. We think they are happy now, and that they will not be visiting your boats. However, they do want to photograph your boats.” I asked if Grey Pearl was listening, and Braun said, “Oh yes. We’ve been glued to our radio.” I wanted to ask Carol for more details, but it was obvious that it was the wrong thing to do. So, instead we just said “Good night” to each other.

The Coast Guard pulled away from Seabird and shined an intense searchlight at Sans Souci (our boat). Roberta and I didn’t know what to do, so we just ‘laid low.’ A few minutes later they started taking pictures with a bright flash. They then went over to Grey Pearl and did the same.

We were quite relieved when we saw them driving away…

The next morning, as we left our anchorage for day two of our cruising, curiosity got the best of us, and both my boat and Grey Pearl grilled Seabird as to the prior night’s event. Carol said that the Coast Guard had been very nice, and primarily seemed interested in her’s and Steven’s immigration status. Our boats are fine to be in the country for an extended period, but we personally need to leave the country every 90 days. Steven and Carol had exited the country to go to China, but for some reason the Coast Guard was having trouble finding the stamp in their passports. The language barrier was not helping, as neither side could speak to the other. Finally, the Coast Guard found the stamps they were seeking, and all was fine.

When I mentioned the incident to our agent in Japan. His response was quite interesting.

“…We have phone calls from each district Coast Guard every day about your cruise planning.

Today had calling from Tokuyama Coast Guard and asked us to submit ‘General Declaration’ as attached.

Coast Guard have strong interest in GSSR cruise which is no similar case in Japan.…”

Very few foreign boats have cruised Japan. That said, we're by no means the first, so I don’t quite understand all the attention we are receiving. I think we've attracted more attention because prior visitors have been small sailboats, whereas we are four large powerboats. Also, my blog is widely distributed, and I suspect a fair number of Japanese may be reading, curious to see what I say about their country. Or, most likely, Nordhavn’s are cool boats. I think the Coast Guard is just curious to see our boats, and meet the people crazy enough to have traveled across the Bering Sea.

Anyway… Our second night en route also had a challenge…

We would be transitioning from Japan’s inland sea back to the Pacific Ocean. There is a long 14 nautical mile passage through which this exit takes place. The passage, called Kanmon Kaikyo is reasonably wide, but heavily traveled. It is the primary passage for all freighter traffic entering or exiting from Japan’s inland sea, and has one particularly narrow portion, under a bridge, which can have currents up to six knots. To give a sense of how significant this is, our boats only travel around nine knots. In a high current situation, we have difficulty maneuvering, and there is a risk of losing control of the boat.

It is actually not our boats I worry about most in the high current. The passage is heavy traveled by freighters, who also have issues coping with rapidly moving currents. If our boats and a freighter collide, it doesn’t matter which of us couldn’t handle the current. It is the little guy who loses. Studying the current guide we could see that the narrow passage had to be transited at either 10am or 5pm. To be honest, the fact is that we probably could transit the passage safely at any time, but our GSSR philosophy is to always err on the side of maximum safety.

This is one of many freighters that aggressively passed me and crossed my path. This one actually wasn't that bad. There was a green one that cut over in front of me so closely that we definitely came within 50 feet of each other while running at full speed.

As we approached the entrance to Kanmon Kaikyo, Steven mentioned on the radio, “Guys, look around. This is the most freighters I’ve ever seen in one place!” Neither Braun or I commented, but Braun was probably thinking the same as me. Back in 2004, Grey Pearl and Sans Souci crossed the Atlantic together. As we made our final approach to the Strait of Gibraltar, we were surrounded by freighters. In that case, it was an even stranger feeling, because out in the Atlantic you can go for days without seeing another boat. As we approached Gibraltar, it was a totally bizarre feeling to suddenly be sharing the ocean with others. It felt like an invasion of privacy.

Interestingly, the freighters were as afraid of going under the bridge (where the current was the highest) as we were. To leave room in the center of the channel for any freighters brave enough to transit before the current dropped, we pulled to the side of the road. It struck me funny to see all the giant freighters, and us, all clinging to the side of the channel, waiting for the current to slack.

Just on the far side of the bridge was a small dock we were going to tie to, in the town of Moji…

Finding a place to moor the boats for our second night had been a long tough battle. There are no cruising guides for Japan, or at least none in English. We studied the charts and looked for a place to drop anchor. We sent some suggestions to the coast guard, all of which were rejected. We considered combining the second and third day runs into one 12 hour day, but felt this would be cutting it too close. If anything went wrong we could be in a messy situation. We asked the coast guard to suggest alternative locations, and they approved an anchorage for us, which I happily accepted. However, when I met with Steven and Braun for our trip planning, we studied the charts and realized that the anchorage was in open ocean and completely unprotected. The coast guard wasn’t focusing on the fact that we have tiny boats, when compared to the freighters. If the wind kicked up while we were at anchor we’d have a miserable night, or worse.

When we rejected the anchorage we sent our agent a list of points inside the 14 mile passage, visible on Google Earth, where there were breakwaters (walls we could tie to.) We gave this list to our agent and he started dialing the ports seeking permission for us to tie up. After a LOT of work on his part, he found a wall for us.

We thought we had it wired until we really studied the coordinates where we were approved. We thought we were inside the breakwater, but then realized that we had been assigned an unsheltered location inside the passage, where the wakes of the freighters going by would slam us into the concrete wall. The photos above show how we’re using Google Earth for trip planning. It isn’t exactly a cruising guide, but it is amazing!

I felt bad about going back to our agent, for the third time, to reject the place he had found for us. He was a very good sport about it, but I suspect he was not very happy with us. After some digging, he found us a place inside a breakwater, at a town that turned out to be very cool, “MOJI”. The only downside was that we would need to depart the town by 7am the next morning. No problem. Once again I checked the current tables, and the right time for departure was 5am. We would be long gone.

I actually don’t know what Moji’s claim to fame is. Roberta and I were tired and hiked around town only briefly. It was clearly a town where I would have wanted to spend a week, but it was not possible.

Day three of our run to Fukuoka was unremarkable. The only interesting bit is that we were back in open ocean. We had been spoiled by being inside the inland sea, with calm water. Back on open ocean we have waves to deal with again. They weren’t much, only about four foot tall, with a gentle 15-20 knot breeze to stir them up. It was quite different after all the calm of the inland sea. I even felt a bit seasick for a minute. It was like old times!

Here we see our first view of Fukuoka. It will be our home for the next week.

On a completely different topic...

I was thinking yesterday about how sorry we'll be to leave Japan. I whine sometimes about cruising here, because I don't like not being able to communicate, I wish I had even one good crusiing guide, in english, and I haven't yet found the tropical beach experience I'm seeking. With that caveat, there are some awesome things about cruising in Japan which should be mentioned:

1) There is no crime. Actually, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly seems true. We feel safe walking anywhere. I wouldn't hesitate to leave the boat unlocked. I haven't seen any grafitti anywhere.

2) The people are amazingly nice to us. Don Stabbert (Starr) and I were just talking. He mentioned that yesterday he was working outside his boat and had two different people offer to take him and Sharry to lunch, then had someone knocking on the side of his boat later in the evening, just to offer to buy them dinner.

3) Everything works here! The subways run on time. The buses run on time. There are ATMs that work.

4) We have 3g cards for internet. We have internet via cheap 3g cards that give us all broadband to the boats essentially everywhere.

5) It's easy to get parts shipped here. We've had no problems shipping things in or out of the country.

6) Japan is a first-world country. In some ways this has been a disappointment, in that old Japan doesn't really seem to exist anywhere, or at least it is hard to find. On the other hand, there are modern cities everywhere. We've had no trouble finding grocery stores, restaurants, pubs, or anything. From where I'm sititng on the boat I can easily walk to at least two different huge shopping centers.

7) There are plenty of ports everywhere. We were worried that we wouldn't be able to find a place to moor our boats, but I think it's actually been easier here than about anywhere we've been.

8) It's a good jumping off point for siteseeing to other countries. It's a couple hour flight to South Korea, Taiwan, Shanghai or Hong Kong.

9) There is a lot of history and culture, much of it interlinked with our own US history. And, although old-Japan can be hard to find, it is here. There are ryokans and onsen everywhere.

And, MOST importantly...

10) Japan has been nice to our dog! We had to do some paperwork, but overall Shelby was no problem to bring into Japan. She's walked all over Japan, and even ridden the trains. She is having fun!

And lastly…

The GSSR 2010 group of boats sitting at the dock in Fukuoka. I wish I had an aerial photo, you'd see how out of place we look in the marina.

See the ferris wheel in the background. There are ferris wheels everywhere in Japan. We were parked under one in Hiroshima, and now under two different ones in Fukuoka. I have a theory about ferris wheels that I shouldn't relate, because I really have no idea. My theory is that they are integral to dating here. Keep in mind that most people use mass transit, not cars. There are no back seats on subways or trains.Roberta says this is nonsense, and they are just used as highly viisble ways to attract people to shopping centers. I don't know which of us, if either, is right.

Fukuoka is Japan’s gateway city to South Korea. There is a fast shuttle, called the beetle, that goes back and forth to Busan South Korea every few hours. It runs at over 40 knots and gets there in just two hours! Roberta and I were scheduled to go with the others to visit So. Korea today, but I had some business issues back home that I needed to deal with, so we’re staying on the boat. I just received my first email from Steven Argosy who is already in South Korea, and he made it sound pretty great.

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

PS Congratulations to 16 year old Jessica Watson who became the youngest person to sail around the world today! Roberta and I have spent the afternoon watching her arrival on Australian tv, after following her blog for the past eight months. As happy as I am for her, I'm very sad to see her blog end! Here's a link to some videos about her journey: http://tinyurl.com/2aa4efp

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Wed, 19 May 2010 18:34:13 GMT

Good morning John M. Yes. Cruising in Japan has been very difficult in many ways. That said, I "think" our biggest problem is unique to us. We are now four huge boats, all flying giant american flags. At least one or two foreign cruising sail boats pass through here each year, and once every few years a power boat passes through, but no one notices them. Most don't have AIS, and don't have an agent. They just pass through quietly. We are big boats, with AIS, an Agent, a blog, newspaper coverage and even a book! I think someone senior, in the military or the coast guard, decided we are trouble, and wants rid of us. Suddenly, every port we want to go into is closed. We are filing paperwork to go into closed ports, but essentially what it means is that we are very limited in where we can go, and everyone knows every move we make weeks in advance. As I've said before, it's their country, and I want to be good visitors in their country, and do everything they want us to do, and nothing more. But, at this point, it's really bugging me. I've never been in a country before where there are tight limitations on where we can anchor. Oh well ... we're working the problems through, and having fun anyhow. It's a great group and I think this group could go anywhere and have fun. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Wed, 19 May 2010 15:20:30 GMT

It seems that even with all the preparations that you made in advance, you are having many problems in Japan. With all the hassle, it might be something that I would not want to do. I'm glad that you are having a great time in Japan and you do a great job of giving us a glimpse of a beautiful country. I just think that it might be more hassle than I would want to do. Stay safe!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Mon, 17 May 2010 18:07:43 GMT

Darn! That hadn't occured to me (that Jessica's videos wouldn't be displayable in the US). Try this: Google 'jessica watson' and then choose the VIDEOS tab when you get the results. The sad thing is that it is like watching last year's Super Bowl. Fun when it was happening, but less exciting now. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Mon, 17 May 2010 10:30:56 GMT

Jessica Watson's video says it's unavailable in my country (USA). Any other workable links to see her video?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 No 6. - Hiroshima to Fukuoka

Sun, 16 May 2010 14:22:19 GMT

Ken, This blog might interest you. A couple from our church created a blog about adopting a boy in China. They have some pictures of the area. Its at www.youbelong.net/croyboy I enjoy your adventures from an old KQ fan.

GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

You may recall from my last blog that our boats entered a commercial marina in the town of Takamatsu. It was a wonderful town, but our mooring situation was a mess. The boats were tied to a concrete wall, and were rising and lowering about eight feet with each swing of the tide. This, coupled with the wind pushing us off the docks, meant literally risking our lives each time we wanted to transfer between the boats and shore.

Our next big destination after Takamatsu would be Hiroshima, a distance of 100 nautical miles (nm.) This was farther than we really wanted to go in one day, yet our incident with the coast guard had us nervous about where we could and couldn’t stop.

To test the water, I sent our agent, Furuno san, a list of possible anchoring locations, as well as the location of a marina. My worry was that the coast guard was going to limit greatly our ability to explore the inland sea.

To my pleasant surprise, the coast guard looked at the list of locations and said that all were fine, but that the locations I had chosen were likely to have problems with current and vessel traffic. They suggested a couple of other locations, all of which were acceptable. Our group discussed whether we’d rather anchor or go into port, and anchoring won! We chose a point half-way to Hiroshima and decided to drop anchor for the night.

We departed Takamatsu at 7am, for the short 50nm run to our anchorage at an island called Innoshima. The run was easy with nothing interesting to report.

The anchorage was fabulous, and the sun was shining!

Roberta and I were lazy and didn’t tender into town. The others did, but there wasn’t much to see. No problem. I was happy to be lazy.

I called Braun on the radio to ask if he wanted to consider diving. The water was murky and cold, even though the air was warm. Braun asked, “Why?” and I didn’t have a better reason to give than that it might be fun to do. He reminded me how cold the water was, which quickly cooled me on the idea. At the start of our trip the water was at 57 degrees. It has been warming quickly, and is now at 62 degrees. The warmer water is a mixed blessing. As it warms the chance of typhoons will increase, but at least we'll be able to swim and dive.

While the others were in town, I spent the afternoon plotting our course to Hiroshima. The coast guard’s cautioning me against high currents had caught my attention. My first pass at a route to Hiroshima had us zigzagging through the islands, and once I studied the currents I realized this wasn't going to work.

Here's a website which helped me figure out the currents at each point on the passage:

http://tinyurl.com/33o4n5z

I identified a short-cut, which would get us to Hiroshima in 53 nm, with little current most of the way, but one tight passage which could be a real problem. I also found a safer, longer (76 nm) route, which would be less interesting, but had few points with the potential for high current. I was fairly confident we would be safe on the shorter passage, but didn’t want to make the decision alone, so I asked the others onto Sans Souci to look at the routes.

Specifically, I wanted them to look at the narrow passage which is at: 34° 11.706'N, 132° 32.259'E

On the charts, and in the coast guard books, it looked tight and dangerous. However, when I looked at it in Google Earth, it looked like a piece of cake. Google Earth has been an incredible help for us in trip planning. I was able to click on a camera that was right at ground level and see the actual passage, using Google Street View. Some of the others in our group had never spent time with Google Street View and were blown away. The passage looked easy and we made a group decision to 'go for it.'

We departed at 7am, with a goal of arriving at 3:30pm.

Our short cut route turned out to be wonderful. We were zigzagging between islands, in nice wide passages, with plenty to see at all times.

I’m no expert, but I have some theories about Japan…

Japan is comprised of a series of islands, with virtually all cities near the water, and most inland regions unbuildable due to steep terrain. Japan’s primary means of moving manufactured goods, fuel, produce, etc is via freighter. In the US we also move goods by freighter, but overland methods of moving freight, such as trucking and trains are also heavily used. The US has only a fraction of the number of commercial shipping ports that Japan has. In Japan, it seems there is another commercial port every few miles. The waterways in Japan are dominated by freighters and fishing. Many factories are located on the waterfront, with this giving them easy access to the freighters.

There is very little recreational boating in Japan, and our interest in cruising for fun confuses the Japanese authoirities. The waterways are their lives. It’s how everything moves here, and it’s where a significant chunk of their food comes from. The idea of ‘playing’ on their busy waterways just seems odd to them. The coast guard doesn’t understand why we want to find a quiet cove, drop the hook, open a bottle of wine, and fire up the barbecue. They have no objection, but it’s not an observed behavior, and in this highly disciplined society, they don’t really have a set of rules or conventions with which to deal with us.

Along our route we observed an endless stream of factories and ports. One sad thing we noted was many freighters sitting at anchor, floating high in the water (meaning empty bilges), and factories seemingly sitting idle. It was another depressing reminder that things are tough all over.

And, as long as I am speculating on things I know very little about…

Japan’s economy hit a road bump a decade ago, and has been struggling to recover ever since. To stimulate the economy the Japanese government has funded a decade-long construction boom. This has resulted in an economy that is hard for me to judge. It feels vibrant, but there are also some worrisome details. Out of curiosity I looked up the national debt to GDP ratios for a few countries, and noted that the US’s ratio is at about 90%, Greece’s is at about 120% and Japan’s at a staggering 192%. What does this mean? Don’t ask me, I’m a software developer, turned ship-captain, not an economist. Interesting food for thought, though.

We did observe some Japanese military vessels. We will soon be in Okinawa, which has a large American military base. There is also a base near our present location. Japan is in a geographically difficult position, surrounded by countries with which they have had tense relations (China, No. Korea and others). The presence of US military bases in Japan are controversial, and there is talk of America’s military leaving Okinawa. I don’t know the issues, but know that it will be an interesting time, historically speaking, to be in Okinawa.

The tight channel I had agonized over turned out to be a non-event. Here we see how it looked on my chart plotter and how it looked in ‘real life.’

Our arrival at Hiroshima, AT PRECISELY 3:30 -- which was my original prediction of our arrival time -- was much simpler than we thought it would be. The Kanon Marina is not accustomed to boats our size, and emails had been going back and forth where the marina was promising to close the marina for our arrival, and send out guide boats to escort us into the marina one by one. Diagrams were sent to us explaining the tight turn just inside the entrance. As it turned out, the approach was easy, and the marina is perfect. It has easy access to buses, a dozen restaurants in front of the marina, and a very nice, helpful, staff.

I included this photo of the boats in the marina to show that recreational cruising does exist in japan. It isn’t non-existent, it just doesn’t exist in nearly the quantity that we see it in the Pacific NW, or on the east coast.

Roberta and I wanted to visit downtown Hiroshima, and discovered that we had arrived in the middle of the Hiroshima Flower Festival. There were parades, live music, dance competitions, food booths, and much more.

Our son, Chris, lived in Japan for seven years and advised us to be careful biting into pastries, because sometimes there is a ‘surprise’ in the middle. Here we see a booth selling Octopus beignets. Yum! (… Nah, definitely not something I’d eat!)

Most menus in Japan are only in Japanese, but many restaurants post models of their food in the windows. The models are so exact that it is impossible to tell that they aren’t real food. Chris, though, says that he has a saying, which he insists is true, “Plastic food outside means plastic food inside.” We think that he is probably right!

And, to turn serious for a moment…

On August 6, 1945, at 8:15am, Hiroshima became the first city in the world to feel the impact of an atomic bomb.

I had been curious about how we might be received by the local Japanese in Hiroshima, but it has not been an issue at all. Instead, Hiroshima wants international visitors to visit their memorials, and wants the world to focus on the horror that occurred, in the hope that it might help discourage the future use of atomic weapons. In a hallway of the Peace Museum there is a book I enjoyed looking through. Every world leader you can imagine had a letter, acknowledging their tour of the memorial and their hope for world peace. I wish it were that easy -- which it isn’t -- but at least the sentiments are honorable.

Hiroshima today is one of the most charming cities we have visited in Japan. There is no indication whatsoever, other than the memorial, of the events 65 years ago.

We have spent our time here enjoying the great international restaurants, shopping, and walking tours of the city. Here you see the Hiroshima Castle.

And, on a completely different topic…

We were happy to be able to celebrate Steven Argosy’s (Seabird) birthday.

During the birthday dinner the discussion turned briefly to the topic of, “Where are we going, and what is the plan for cruising next year?” Traveling as a group has exceeded everyone’s expectations. I can’t envision ANYTHING that would split the group, other than a disagreement over where to go. This year’s destination (Hong Kong) isn’t controversial, but next year, our destination is not so clear, and the year after that, there is the potential for major disagreement. It’s a bit of a touchy topic, so we didn’t spend much time on it, but my sense was that momentum seemed to be that we’d run the boats to Singapore in 2011, then evaluate the safety issues in the Gulf of Aden, and most likely load the boats onto a freighter (Dockwise) for delivery to the Med. That said, we have a lot of miles to finish this year’s cruising, and trip planning for next year is not only wasted effort, it’s bad luck. What will be, will be!

And, to speak about someone else’s cruising for a change…

I’ve been enjoying reading the blog (http://osoblanco64.blogspot.com/) of Eric and Annie who are cruising with their young son named Bear. They just crossed in their Nordhavn 64, Oso Blanco, from Mexico to the Marquesas.

An excerpt from their blog…

“…Anchored in a small, calm bay a short distance from the main town on Nuka Hiva, Bear and I decided to go snorkeling in the heat of the afternoon. Karl nosed the dinghy near shore and Bear and I jumped out with our snorkel gear in tow and went ashore. I stashed a few things on the beach then we put on our snorkel gear and headed to the water. Just as we were about to step foot into the surf, Bear said, "Look Mom! A spiny dogfish!" Bear had experience catching spiny dogfish, a small type of shark found in the Pacific Northwest, on a rod in Alaska. I looked where he was pointing. Yep, that was a shark. Nope, not a spiny dogfish. It was a small (two and a half foot) black tip shark and it was in the surf just a few feet from shore with its dorsal fin sticking up out of the water.

Just then, four French sailors were launching their dinghy and saw our astonishment at the shark discovery. In their broken English they said, "No worry. Man here said no bite. Just black tip. No tiger shark in this bay." Then they launched away from shore.

Bear and I stood there alone, stunned and nervously laughing at our situation. We radioed to Eric on Oso and asked him to send Karl to retrieve us. As we stood on shore awaiting our ride to safety, it occurred to me that we were going to have to swim out to the dinghy, through the shark infested surf - and Bear was going to have to do it as well. Don't panic, don't panic. "OK Bear. Here's the deal. We have to swim out to the dinghy. That shark is small. It can't kill us. We're going to be fine. We'll just wait until Karl gets as close as he can and we'll put our flippers on and kick real hard out there. Our flippers will scare the shark away." A wary Bear, who suggested that perhaps its mother was around, kept it together - until it was time to launch. I had one foot in the water and he yells, "There it is!" And he was on the verge of tears. He scared the bee-geebies out of me but when I looked around I didn't see it. He said it wasn't there but it could be. I scolded him to not "cry wolf" and sternly said, "OK, let's go." And guess what? He came. We plunged into the water and scurried out to the dinghy. Bear scampered up the ladder with his fins still on - I've never seen him move so fast. We got in the dinghy, laughing and sighing. …”

I always speak of my dream of being anchored off a white sand, tropical beach somewhere. Eric, Annie and Bear are cruising in the land of my dreams. I'm following their blog closely. Sharks? Ouch!

And, I’ll close out today’s blog with ...

Here are some pictures from our site-seeing expedition today to the nearby island of Miyajima, a tourist destination where people go to see the friendliest deer I’ve ever seen. They wander everywhere in the town! Oh, and there are beautiful shrines and ryokans, too!

That’s it for today, and as always, thank you for all your comments!

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Thu, 20 May 2010 17:36:23 GMT

Hi - Your stepmom, Sandra signed me up for your blogs. I have enjoyed your journey and look forward to your updates. Thanks for the adventure. Sharon (from Virginia, formally CA.

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Wed, 12 May 2010 15:05:56 GMT

Hi Ken. Looks like you folks are having a good time. We are in lovely Sand Point Alaska delivering fish. Last time I was here I was living under slightly more elegant circumstances on Sans Souci. Many of the people you met here have asked me to pass on a "Hello". There is a French couple here who are travelling in a converted tugboat called Le Manguier, Mango in English. They left from Corsica and traveled over the top of Russia via Northeast Passage and down through the Bering Strait. They soon will head to Kodiak. I seem to get sought out for local knowlege a lot these days by cruisers. It makes my work more fun as I get to meet people from all around the world. Your blog must have been good advertising. So, have fun and a big hello to the rest of the Gang.

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Tue, 11 May 2010 02:22:48 GMT

I adore getting these updates by mail. I cannot remember How I came upon them, but am always pleased to see them. This posting was particularly interesting. Hiroshima pictures were so beautiful - especially Hiroshima Castle. I trust you heeded the cranky monkey signs. I saw a woman in Gibraltar get snatched by the hand by a feisty monkey. It chased her (both of them screaming) down the monument. If you think of it next time - what is the arch in the water? Thank you. - I looked at the photo of your friend on his birthday. I suggest you hide the camera as your birthday approaches. : )

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Sun, 09 May 2010 08:43:18 GMT

As usual, a very nice informative blog. Thanks for taking the time, you must enjoy putting them together and I and many others enjoy reading them.

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Sun, 09 May 2010 02:50:24 GMT

Mike: I agree - the picture of me taken from Steven's birthday party was terrible! That said, I fared better than the birthday boy: http://starr.talkspotblogs.com/uploads/49799/Stevens_Birthday.jpg Grin. -Ken Williams PS Leaving tomorrow morning for a three day run to Fukuoka Japan!

Comment on: GSSR No. 5 - Hiroshima Japan

Sun, 09 May 2010 01:45:48 GMT

Ken, Try to make sure your eyes are open when they snap the shutter. Those bottles of wine on the table make it look like you had one too many! Nice shots of Hiroshima. Its amazing how it could be rebuilt into the city it is today in a relatively short time. Glad to read your adventures again.

GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

I am very pleased to report that the GSSR group has FINALLY departed Osaka and this year’s cruising is underway!

I don’t know about the others, but neither Roberta nor I slept much the night prior to departure. We had forged a comfortable life in Ashiya. We know the bus schedule, the train schedule, the restaurants, where to shop, and have somewhat settled in, and even planted a few roots. Once we leave the dock, we’ll be starting all over again.

Our excitement about departure was dampened by the need to say goodbye to several friends at the marina.

Kokoro, from the marina, is an amazing person. She has her captain’s license, and was a big help to us. She presented Sans Souci with an inscription, that she said translates as 'Leader.'

Olivier Verne is a french baker who was walking his dogs along the dock, when he befriended our group. Why am I not surprised that a Frenchman wanted to pose with all the girls?

Our last view of Ashiya

For the next few weeks we’ll be cruising Japan’s inland sea…

The Inland Sea is 200 miles long, and averages about 20 miles wide. It is called the Seto Nakai in Japanese. There are over 3,000 islands in the Inland Sea! On a map, it is reminiscent of the cruising we’ve enjoyed in the Pacific NW.

That said, there are major differences. I looked up the Inland Sea on Wikipedia and noted this comment:

“…Today the Inland Sea serves its coastal areas mainly for two purposes: first, international or domestic cargo transportation, and second, local transportation between coastal areas and islands on the sea….”

In addition to a huge amount of freighter traffic, the inland sea is heavily used for fishing, and ferry traffic. We constantly have to be on the alert for nets and other fishing gear, in the water.

Here’s a typical scene from our radar display. This is covering only a four mile radius, and if you look closely you’ll notice that there aren’t many boats with AIS (a system that lets us know what direction other boats are going, and how fast they are moving). You can see our four boats at the center of the radar display, and also see the freighter on a collision path with our group.

To further complicate the cruising, we don’t know the 'rules of the road.' We know the rules we were taught in Captain’s school, but the USCG rules and the Japan rules seem to differ.

Seabird nearly had a VERY serious incident...

Our boats were running a very narrow channel, with a 2 knot current, between two islands. We were running single file, with Grey Pearl in front, then Sans Souci, Starr and then Seabird. As I went through the nearly one mile long channel, I was concentrating on sticking to the center of the channel, and thinking about how lucky I was that there were no other boats around.

As Seabird was in the channel they were passed by a passenger ferry on the starboard (right) side. Steven (Seabird’s captain/owner) was 'amazed' that a passenger ferry would pass in such tight quarters, but then it got much worse.

As the ferry passed Seabird, it suddenly made a sharp turn to port crossing directly in front of Seabird’s bow, to enter a harbor on Seabird’s port side. To avoid a collision, Steven had to immediately slam the boat into reverse. The two boats came within about 20 feet of each other. It was a VERY close call, and completely unwarranted. Had the ferry captain relaxed a few minutes he easily could have entered the port without endangering anyone.

This is an extreme example and I do not mean to imply that anarchy exists on the Inland Sea. This is a very busy waterway, and my sense is that there are very clear rules for conduct. We just don't know what they are. In particular, we’re trying to understand how we know who has the ‘rightaway’ in varying circumstances.

Overall we had nice weather for our first day at sea. That said, the wind has been high. Also, the current and the wind are directly against each other, which adds to the likelihood of choppy seas.

Here you see Grey Pearl running, and you’ll note that the seas are flat and we’re running comfortably. This is with running DIRECTLY into a 30 knot wind. I’m not completely certain why we’re getting such a good ride. Steven said that it is because the fetch (the distance the wind moves across the water to stir up waves) is limited, and I’m sure he is right. However, at home in Seattle, the Puget Sound is roughly the same size, and when moving straight into 30 knot winds, it can get ugly.

Braun added another thought to the conversation: “Don’t forget guys. Our perspective of rough seas has been forever changed by crossing the Aleutians.” True!

And on a different topic…

Here’s an interesting picture. It’s a scene from Navnet 3d showing us cruising the islands.

There’s a couple of items to note on this display.

1) I’m using Navnet’s 3d mode with the satellite images overlayed. I always thought of 3d as a silly gimmick only good for selling chart plotters. However, having actually used it on this run, I like it! I wouldn’t use it as my primary mode of navigation, but it does add value. I run three displays while running the boat. The monitor on the port side is dedicated to radar, the center display to Nobeltec, and on the starboard side I have Navnet 3d.

2) The pink splotches you see are the radar overlay. Once again, I’ve never used this mode, considering it a gimmick, but I’m also ready to say that it seems to have value. At a glance I can see that the chart is correctly aligned, and also get a quick reference to the location of other boats around me.

And, while you are looking at the chart above…

You see to our right a nice bay inside the island. We saw this on the charts and it seemed like a perfect place to anchor for the night. Prior to our trip Roberta had researched anchorages on the internet and found a Japanese government site with the location of all the designated anchorages in the Inland Sea. This bay was on the list. Thus, we entered the bay and dropped anchor.

The winds were still high and we wanted to find a location within the bay that would give us some protection from the wind. This put us into a small corner of the bay where we had problems getting far enough away from each other

With the anchors dropped, it was time to celebrate our first night at anchor. On all of the boats the barbecues were being lit, and dinner started, when…

I had just poured myself a glass of wine, and was relaxing when we heard someone knocking on the boat. It was the Japan Coast Guard!???

I went to the back of the boat and there were two coast guard agents in a tender. They didn’t speak much English, but asked me, “American?”. I said “Yes. American.” They were smiling and friendly. I thought they just wanted to say hi. But, instead one of them said, “Do you have Japanese crew?” I explained that I was the captain. He said, “Must move. Closed Port.” Ouch! We had been up most of the prior night, it was getting dark, and we were exhausted. I asked, “Move where?” He said, “Other port.” This wasn’t looking good. The nearest other port was 12 miles away. We’d be exhausted, entering a strange port, in the dark, in high wind. It would be a much different evening than planned.

Grey Pearl has on board, as a guest, a Japanese businessman whom we met in Yokohama last year. I realized the situation was becoming serious, and swapped tactics. I pointed at Grey Pearl and said, “We have a Japanese person on that boat. I don’t understand you. Can you go there?”

As the Coast Guard was moving to Braun’s boat, I quickly explained the problem on the radio. We are cleared into Japan as domestic boats. My assumption was that the Coast Guard didn’t know this and that we’d be able to resolve the situation by showing them our paperwork. As Braun and his Japanese guest went down to speak with the coast guard, all of us on the other three boats sat by our radios tensely waiting for news.

After what seemed an eternity, but was only about 45 minutes, Braun came on the radio to say that it wasn’t going well, but that they were working on it. I phoned the agent who we use in Japan to see if he could help. He said that he had already been contacted by the Coast Guard and was on the phone with them. He sounded under pressure.

Our wait continued while our agent, our Japanese businessman friend, and his contacts, all pleaded on our behalf so that we could stay there at anchor for the night. For some reason we had created quite a stir!

Finally, Braun was on the radio. A compromise had been reached. We could stay the night, but could not go ashore or leave the boats.

I asked our agent what happened, and still don’t completely understand. Apparently some Japanese ports are 'open' and some are 'closed.' True Japanese boats can enter either. Our boats have been cleared into Japan as Japanese domestic boats, but this apparently didn’t qualify us to enter closed ports.

And, the fact is…

We had no idea whatsoever that we had entered a port. As far as we knew, we were anchored in a pretty little bay, with no commercial port in site. Now, we’re totally confused about where we can and can’t go. What’s a port?

One thing we have discovered is that the word 'anchorage' as I interpret it, and the word 'anchorage' as Japan interprets it, are completely different. To me an anchorage is a pretty bay, offering protection from the wind, where one drops the hook to barbecue, hang out, swim and sleep. I’m coming to understand that there isn’t much recreational cruising in Japan, and when the charts refer to an anchorage, they are referring to a place where commercial boats can seek protection from typhoons.

I pushed our agent (our representative in Japan) for a description of the difference between a closed and an open port, and in particular whether or not ports were closed for military reasons. It was apparent from how everyone was behaving that we had found ourselves in the center of a big controversy. “No. Not military, “ he said, and I do suspect he was right. So...I just don’t know. We’re now not certain what we can, and can't, do.

As we went to sleep, still monitored by the coast guard, Braun came on the radio to say, “I’d like everyone to forget about the events of the day, and spend a minute just watching the sunset. It will remind us of what’s really important in life.” A perfect comment to end the evening.

When I awoke, the Coast Guard was sitting behind the boat. Our agent had already received a call asking when we’d be leaving. As we departed, the Coast Guard followed us from the marina.

So that no one misunderstands, I want to be very clear...

I am not complaining about this incident. We are guests in Japan and thrilled to be here. We’re working hard to understand what the rules are, and want to represent the best of American tourism. We’re hoping that our visit will encourage others to cruise here, and want to figure things out, in hopes of making it easier for those we hope will follow. At times, it is easy to forget that we are guests in their country, and that it is us who must adjust to their rules and customs, not the other way around.

As I type this we are sitting at port at Takamatsu…

Our Japanese businessman friend was able to arrange moorage for us at a nearby commercial port, in the town of Takamatsu.

Tying up at Takamatsu was a bit of a challenge, although easier than I expected. We had 30 knot winds blowing us off the dock. Sans Souci has big beefy thrusters and twin engines, so I can’t say that it was pretty, but we had no trouble getting to the dock.

The tricky bit was tying the boat to deal with the tides. We arrived at high tide, and knew the water would be dropping by two meters (about seven feet). With the wind blowing us off the dock, I needed the lines tight enough that Roberta and I could get off the boat. However, if the lines were tight, then when the tide started falling, Sans Souci might find itself dangling in space. Not good.

Steven from Seabird showed me the trick. The lines can be tight, if they are kept long. I ran a couple of long bow lines forward, plus a couple of stern lines back, and we were about as good as could be.

We went into Takamatsu for lunch…

Takamatsu is famous for their udon noodles, and we wanted to give them a try. Our Japanese friend said that there are even “udon taxis” which regularly escort tourists to tours of five noodle houses in an afternoon. The noodles were indeed excellent!

The noodle house makes their own pasta fresh as they see guests walk in the door. The noodle-chef was slaving away working hard on his noodles when I walked over with my camera. Immediately, he picked up the noodles, and within seconds adopted a perfect smile.The way he did it busted me up. It was the act of a man who has had his picture taken thousands of times by tourists. He knew what to do, and nailed it on the first take.

And to close out this overly long blog, here are a few pictures from the beautiful Japanese garden here in Takamatsu which we had the pleasure of touring today.

Lastly, one more item....

Many of you have been responding to my blog postings by hitting reply on the email. This sends your comment ONLY to me. PLEASE do not do this. Especially, do not send me back my own blog as part of your response. It takes a lot of expensive bandwidth to download. Instead, please use the link to go to my blog and post your comments at the bottom of the blog entry, OR click 'reply to all' in your email program, which will cause your comments to be posted directly onto the blog.

Your comments are the best part of my blog, so please comment - but, avoid sending the comments directly to me. Posting them publically will be more fun for all of us.

Thank you,

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Wed, 05 May 2010 13:44:55 GMT

Hi Ken, just emailed you awhile ago. Hopefully i can have some of your knowledge about cruising in Japan. We should be there around July, it be good to see you around. Meanwhile i am keeping my eyes glued to your blog.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Wed, 05 May 2010 08:37:43 GMT

Hi Ken & Roberta, hope you're both well, that marina you're at at the moment seems to have a complex on site. Could you give us a heads up on what it's like inside? If your past blog's are anything to go by you would probably have checked out the restaurant first, so what's the food like?:) I was going to pass a few glib comments on the errant ferry skipper, but I didn't know whether my "British" sense of humour would carry, (they were on the lines of white head band with a red circle in the middle), so I thought better of it.:) Regards to both, Buz ( A new Nordhavn Dreamer who's jealous as hell, being that I'm up to my eye's in tiling the bathroom at the moment):(:(

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Tue, 04 May 2010 13:40:58 GMT

Wow Ken!!! That is some cruising! It is amazing that the coast gaurd was so addiment about you guys putting down anchor for the night! Who have thought! Roberta looks lovely as always especially in the gorgeous Japanese gardens! All is well on Mercer Island the remodel of the salon has begun and is looking great! Can't wait for you to see it when you come home! All my best and happy cruising, Annie

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Tue, 04 May 2010 04:02:57 GMT

G'day Ken Great to hear that you are once again underway. We will be watching your progress with interest. Our trip toward you guys is speeding up although we are coping some horrible weather on the North Australian Coast. We are still experimenting with the blog when we get the time. Hopefully the Coast Guard incident is just a small glitch in the system or just an over zealous Coast Guard Captain. Fair Winds Garry and Wendy Spirit of Sobraon

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Mon, 03 May 2010 15:01:20 GMT

Hey - Ken and Roberta - How fun to hear of your first day at sea---Never a dull moment! It's fun to enjoy your trip vicariously---Certainly the easiest way for us!!! I love the picture of you, Roberta, on the red bridge. Very cool! Miss you guys and wish you continued good cruising. Your are representing all of us Americans in the best way possible. Thank you for that. Gloria Buchan

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:22:03 GMT

Ron Rogers: I agree with all you said. Before the trip I had to find Taiwan and Hong Kong flags. Hong Kong was not too difficult, but Taiwan was nearly impossible. I finally found some cheap, horrible quality Taiwan flags, but as they are all we could find, they are what the group will be flying. I hope it doesn’t rain for our arrival or I’m sure the ink will all wash out. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:21:29 GMT

Bruce Thomas: Last year, for the Aleutians, we did have a commercial fisherman on board who had been to the Aleutians many times. For Japan, we have an agent who has been terrific. He has handled all communications with the ports and the coast guard. (This seems a good opportunity to give him a plug…) Kazuo Furuno Interocean Shipping Corporation Phone : 81-3-3570-5398 Fax : 81-3-3570-5345 Email : furuno@interocean.co.jp Website : http://www.interocean.co.jp/ The coast guard is tracking us extremely closely and is in regular communications with Furuno-san. Braun and Tina (Grey Pearl) have had a local Japanese boat owner on board who knows the local waters, although he has a captain, so he has been able to help with ports, and with dealing with the coast guard, but not navigation related issues. He has left the group now. Overall, we’re not too worried about it. This is an experienced group, and we’ve had no problems. I’m 99% certain that Steven’s incident would have cost the ferry captain his license if the coast guard had seen it. That incident I don’t see as japan related. Every country has some percentage of overly aggressive drivers who are dangerous. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:20:51 GMT

Frode: Thank you! -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Mon, 03 May 2010 06:20:01 GMT

Jerry: Thank you for asking. Let me know if you have any trouble getting your blog going, or, we have a live person (usually my son) on chat to answer questions, all day during the week – just look on www.talkspot.com. As to the boat and the repairs… Jeff (www.pacificyachtmanagement.com) did an amazing job. I was worried, because he did quite a bit, and he didn’t really have time to do a proper checkout on the boat. Thus far, none of the boats has had a mechanical issue. Seabird’s generator stopped charging the battery, after he replaced the alternator boat, but he decided that he had put the belt on too tight, and that fixed it. This sounded totally wrong to me when he first suggested the belt as the problem, but once he loosened the belt, all worked fine. Jeff replaced most of the belts and hoses on my main engines and generators, as well as the hoses on the hydraulic cooling and seachest intake systems. I was positive there would be some leaking from the hose clamps or worse – but, zero problems. Life is good on Sans Souci, and as I type this we are in a beautiful anchorage, the sun is shining, and I’m filling the hot tub. -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 12:08:22 GMT

Ken, I think that Frode is correct - logically. Foreign visitors fly the host country's flag on the starboard yardarm as a courtesy flag. BUT, you are not a foreign vessel, you are a domestic vessel that shouldn't even have to fly the "Q" flag when entering a Japanese port. You should be flying the Japanese flag from your stern. As noted below, there may not be clear law on this: "Courtesy and National Flags As a gesture of courtesy, cruisers should fly a foreign nation’s flag when they enter and operate in its waters. 1. Rule No. 1—There are no real rules. Customs observed in various foreign waters differ from each other. We’ve seen cases where not flying or flying a courtesy flag improperly causes some awkward moments; you may be regarded as impolite, but nothing more. In others, it’s local law to fly the flag. Officials can—and do—impound passports or assess fines until the proper flag—which, of course, can only be purchased locally at great expense—is flying on board. If in doubt, inquire of other cruisers and observe other craft from your country for guidance. 2. Do not fly a courtesy flag until your vessel is properly cleared by customs and immigration. Until clearance is complete, fly the yellow Q (quarantine) flag. 3. On a mastless powerboat, the courtesy flag replaces any flag that is normally flown at the bow. 4. If a powerboat has a mast with spreaders, the courtesy flag is flown at the starboard spreader." Ron

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 11:58:03 GMT

Dear Ken, Thank you much for the informative and entertaining serial. Better than a saturday afternoon at the movies watching Buck Rogers. And you are geographically in outer space. As I read your adventures with the language and cultural barriers, I keep thinking that an armada with your resources should have a person with local knowledge on board. Whenever we charter, for example in Tonga, or St Lucia, or even in the Mediterranean, we like to hire an onboard cook or guide to go with us. Privacy can be an issue, but seems like a minor one, given the opportunities from having an onboard 24/7 resource with you. Looking foward to more chapters in your unique experience.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 11:05:07 GMT

Hi Ken and all the rest of GSSR.....I am pleased to finally get to follow the next chapter in this continuing story of the "wrong way gang". Related to Fred K's comment about flag use.....as "domestic" Japanese boats, would it be legal/simpler and/or ethnicly proper to fly only the Japanese flag? After all, it seems as of right now you are Japanese boats, pure and simple, and maybe the coast guard would only spare you a glance in the passing. Also, is Starr also documented as a "domestic" boat? Great blog and great pictures! Thanks! ---Frode---

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 08:43:22 GMT

Wow, so glad you are up and moving again. We have really missed reading about your travels. How is the boat running after the repairs and maintenance issues while you were away? I thoroughly enjoy the technical stuff you write about (owning and living aboard our own vessel) We signed up for Talkspot 2 years ago but have never really started a blog. After reading your adventures over the years I finally got the guts/nerve to develop one for our family and close friends. I recently spoke on e mail to your son who helped us thru some kinks. Thanks! Be safe out there! Jerry

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 08:11:36 GMT

Bill: Thank you, and best wishes getting something published. I'm surprised the story didn't run as it does seem a topic that people are interested in. Thank you, and you did great posting your comment! -Ken W PS To everyone reading this.. if you would like to receive blog comments via email, you can. Just hover your cursor over the main menu for my blog and look for the option that says 'email options.' There are some amazingly smart people who read my blog, and if you miss their comments you are missing the best part of the blog!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 08:06:04 GMT

Fred K: I thought I knew the conventions on flying our flags, but your question has me wondering if I am right. We'll see what other readers say. My belief is that flying your own country's flag is appropriate, but that it should be supplemented with the flag from the country you are visiting. On Sans Souci we are flying the American flag on the back of the boat, and the Japanese flag on the top of the boat. There's also a custom that when you enter another country, and have not cleared customs, you fly a yellow quarantine flag. Thank you, Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 06:43:49 GMT

Ken, I hope I am posting according to your instructions. What a thrill ride, to be cruising in such exotic locale sitting in comfort at home. Your combination of marine and cultural insights can't be beat. The Boats and Blogs" piece I wrote, in which you are included, has been submitted to PassageMaker for quite some time. The economy and competing media possibilities has slowed down the marine publishing business a bit. So, I am going to base a followup to your original work that might make an interesting sidebar for the piece upon publishing. Keep my cabin dry.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 4 - Life on a boat is never boring!

Sun, 02 May 2010 06:24:50 GMT

Wow, kind of a tough start. Reminds me of one of my cruises where my wife informed me that she wasn't having fun when we finally docked the boat. I thought that might be the end of our boating but it was just temporary. I noticed on one of your photos that Grey Pearl or Seabird was flying an American flag at anchor. In North America, I believe it is customary to fly the host country flag. Do you know what the convention in Japan is? Could this be a small part of the reason for the Coast Guard giving you a hard time? Hope all goes well going forward.

GSSR 2010 no 3 - Shelby goes to a hotel

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

I mentioned in a prior blog that I had attempted upgrading the nav computers on Sans Souci, only to give up in frustration.

My goal had been to replace my 'antique' three year old XP system running Nobeltec, with a new four-processor 64 bit Windows 7 computer running Maxsea Timezero. It would be overkill, but an argument can be made that computers paid for the boat, so the boat should at least deserve a proper computer.

Prior to beginning I installed Maxsea Timezero on the new computer and tested it. It performed beautifully. I then removed the old computer and started swapping wires. This is where the problems occurred. The computer is buried deep in a cabinet with wires that disappear into a hole in the wall, and then reappear on the other end of the pilot house, behind the helm, in a place I can’t get to. Somewhere amongst all the wires are devices that transform the signals from one format (serial) to another (usb). These converters require drivers, and to obtain the drivers I have to jump through two hoops: 1) I need to know what brand, and model, the converter is, and 2) The drivers for my fancy new computer actually have to exist, and be downloadable. To make a long story short, I had troubles with the first of these two items, and then failed completely on the second. To install the new computer, I need to swap the little converters to ones that have drivers available for my computer. Of course, this assumes I can track down the little buggers, which are well hidden.

Thus, my fancy new computer is now a very expensive paperweight. I’m not worried. The next time I’m sitting somewhere for more than a few days, I’ll dig in again and get it solved. There was really nothing wrong with my old Nobeltec system, and it is now back in its place.

That said, I’m mentioning this only because my failure somehow convinced Don, on the boat parked behind me, Starr, that I knew something about computers and Nav systems. He was independently wrestling with the same battle as me! However, unlike me, his fancy new computer was easily accessible, as were all the wires.

Don was trying to install another Maxsea product, called Maxsea Easy, or also fondly known by its other name, Maxsea 12.6.3. After trying to convince him that upgrading wasn’t worth the effort, or perhaps even possible, he convinced me that he really didn’t have a good system to revert to. His XP computer was dying and he needed to move forward. His story, though, has a happy ending. I did get Maxsea Easy to install, although the screen came up garbled. I tried all the ‘obvious’ things: reinstalling Directx, reinstalling video drivers, etc. Nothing worked. So, I decided that maybe I should try installing Maxsea Time Zero, and that went horribly. It wouldn’t work at all.

(Note: Yes. I know this is a boring topic. No worries, I’m about to change subjects entirely. Hang in there, or skip ahead.)

This led to a series of emails and phone calls to Maxsea, and ultimately to a conversation with an incredibly helpful tech support person! Believe it or not, Maxsea gave this answer, “To run Maxsea Easy on 64 bit Windows Vista, on computers with Intel video cards, you need to find an old version of Intel's XP device driver. They have a bug in their recent driver that wasn’t there in the old driver.”

As long as I had the tech on the phone, we discussed Maxsea Timezero. It turns out I had been trying to install their official released version rather than the upgraded version from their website. I used the latest from their website, and it worked immediately. We still had one battle, in that Don didn’t have any AIS data showing, so after time spent tracking down AIS data, and verifying the data, we finally determined that another $250 add-on module was needed. Once we had that resolved, we could finally study what we had accomplished.

Maxsea Timezero, as pretty as it is, was a wasted installation. Maxsea Timezero's charts for this part of Japan are of horrible quality, and have huge data errors. I gave the Maxsea support representative a hard time about the quality of the charts, and he made his best feeble attempt to defend them, but the bottom line is, “they are a work in process.” On the other hand, the C-Map based charts used by Maxsea Easy are beautiful! Great coverage. Allegedly, Nobeltec Max Pro also uses c-map charts, but I’m not sure. My charts on Nobeltec don’t seem as good as what Don has on Maxsea Easy, so, I’m not sure what is going on.

And with that topic out of the way…

Roberta and I decided to get off the boat for a few days and go into downtown Osaka. We’re at a marina in a small town called Ashiya about a 20 minute train ride out of Osaka. We thought it would be fun to stay at a hotel, and just walk around town exploring.

I remember thinking that once we returned to Japan we’d never be in cold water again. Thus far, that hasn’t been true. All we’ve seen is rainy days and cold. It feels like a long way to go to wind up back in Seattle. One hint that all the rain is fairly standard for southern japan is that many of the pedestrian shopping streets have rain shields over them. and most cars have little rain shields above their windows.

Roberta and I spent two days walking around Osaka, hitting the popular tourist spots. One fun note; not only has Osaka copied Seattle’s rain, they’ve also copied our fascination with Starbucks. I have no idea how many Starbucks there are in Osaka, but would guess the number at 100 or more!

We couldn’t find a hotel in Osaka that would take dogs, so poor Shelby had to go to a kennel. We’re very nervous about putting Shelby into a kennel because of a bad experience we had a few years back while cruising in the Bahamas. We put her into a kennel in Nassau for a few days, so that we could stay at a fancy resort. The experience almost killed her, literally. She came back ill and terrified.

We found a place in Ashiya that was incredible – the Serenity Pet Resort and Hotel. It’s so nice I thought it was a real hotel at first. An awesome place, with a nice yard for the dogs, and an incredible staff.

Shelby had a great time! And, above you see the nice card the staff put together for us as a souvenir of Shelby’s stay at the hotel.

And, to flush out the rest of this blog …

I thought you’d enjoy seeing the high-tech toilet we had in our hotel room. This is the control panel. In addition to being able to control the seat temperature, which runs from “hot” to “well done”, you can control the auto-wash (don’t ask), the artificial flushing sounds, and even do a powerful deodorizing!

And, this concludes my final pre-cruising blog…

My hope is that the next time I post a blog we’ll be at sea, and the GSSR 2010 will be started. That said, we’re on a slight delay getting started, so my best guess is that we won’t actually start cruising until the end of next week.

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no 3 - Shelby goes to a hotel

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:42:58 GMT

What happened at the kennel that almost killed poor Shelby?

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no 3 - Shelby goes to a hotel

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:21:08 GMT

Hello Ken... You don't know me, but I've been following your blog since the beginning of your trip last year. I never really left a comment. I'm not sure why, I guess I just thought I didn't have anything to add. I read what you said about trouble getting the navigation drivers installed, in addition to trouble with your Windows 7 Computer. I have some suggestions you may consider. For starters, about the USB driver issue. You said "The drivers for my fancy new computer actually have to exist, and be downloadable." That's not entirely true in reference to Windows 7/Vista. Obviously the drivers have to exist, but these days you can have USB drivers run through a "Virtual Machine." That means that if you have a USB device for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, probably even ancient Windows 98/95, you can make a new installation and give the USB device direct access to that operating system. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about ~ check out the VirtualBox project at http://www.virtualbox.org It is completely free and can be run with Windows machines as the "Host." You merely need a Windows XP Install CD or a .iso image file of whatever operating system you wish to install. From my understanding, I think it may also be possible to run a 32-bit operating system on a 64-bit machine, which may also be a good way to get around that conflict. I think the only real catch is, they haven't implemented good DirectX support (last I heard). That could be an issue with your 3d nav software. However, 3d is going two different directions, OpenGL and DirectX. There is a similar project to VirtualBox that has good DirectX support, but it's commerical. It's called "VMware." www.vmware.com There's also "Virtual PC" by Microsoft, but I've never really read into it and have no idea how well it would work. There's also "Wine" for the linux operating system which emulates windows programs, but you would have to make your computer dualboot, and there is no guarantee of success, so it's probably overkill to try. There is also NDIS wrapper, which is a program for Linux which can "wrap" windows XP USB device drivers, but again, it's also probably overkill because not only would you have to have Linux but also you would need software to use the USB devices (which may exist.) I apologize for the long winded explanation, I just wanted to be sure I covered what you need. I'm just some guy that played your sierra adventure games as a kid. After looking up what happened to you, I found reading about your trip fascinating, as I know very little about boats or the hardware behind them. Wishing you and your family the best, Ronnie, Knoxville, TN. Website: www.kahootbird.com

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no 3 - Shelby goes to a hotel

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 01:25:35 GMT

L.O. Ken and cruisers! MAXSEA looks Great (1st image), hope it works! Hooray for Shelby! Have fun and enjoy your journey! Thanks for sharing your photos and blogging!

GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings all!

We’ve now set a schedule for this season's cruising. There’s an old saying about boating, which states that ‘cruising schedules are best etched in sand at low tide,’ and I suspect this year’s schedule is no exception.

For what it is worth, our schedule is:

4/26/10 Depart Ashiya
5/1/10 – 5/7/10 Hiroshima
5/10/10- 5/20/10 Fukuoka
5/22/10- 5/29/10 Nagasaki
5/30/10- 6/4/10 Yakushima
6/11/10 – 6/22/10 Okinawa
6/25/10 – 7/1/10 Ishigaki
7/4/10 – 7/10/10 Tainan, Taiwan
7/12/10 - Arrive in Hong Kong, China

The important date on this list is next Monday, the 26th, when we are slated to depart the marina which has become been home to our boats over the past six months. It will be sad leaving here as we've settled in, and become somewhat spoiled. We know the bus routes, have favorite restaurants, know where to shop, know people in the area, etc.

Bellport Marina hosted a party on Sunday where they invited a Shinto priest to bless all of the boats, and offer security for the summer cruising.

The event was taken quite seriously, and we were expected to participate. There was a fair amount of ceremony and I was concerned that I might somehow make a mistake by bowing incorrectly. At first, I fought participation rather than risk offending anyone, but ultimately gave in.

I have assumed that our blessing would cover us all the way to Hong Kong, but received an email indicating that our coverage is limited.

"...Good morning.

On behalf of all of Bellport members I would like to say many thanks for your participation in the blessing of the fleet.

I think you & crews of all the American boats, owners & family were very surprised to experience the Japanese style blessing.

So, four American boats can safety sail within 20 miles from bellport. However, over the 20 miles, no effect & reach to pray to the God of sea.

Pls try to safely sail over 20 miles by own your risk.

We members of Bellport intend to provide any support & help to you.

Pls contact us in anytime when you need help.

Again, we deeply hope you to have safe & joyful sailing until reach to home port...."

As near as I can tell, the 20 nm limitation is plenty for most recreational cruisers in Japan. When Starr (one of our GSSR boats) was clearing into Japan, I spoke with a group of Japan Coast Guard officers who were walking down the dock. I shared with them our plan to cruise to Hiroshima a 'short' 150nm away. I was curious if the coast guard might know a couple of good anchorages along the route. It took a bit for them to understand what I was asking, and when they did, the answer was, "Sorry, but we cannot help you. We only cover the local area."

To be fair, I'm not sure that American recreational cruisers aren't also somewhat limited in scope. I gave a speech a few weeks ago at the Seattle Yacht Club, and there was an awkward moment when I was talking to the group, and mentioned that one of my goals for the evening was try to convince the group, many of whom cruise to Alaska every summer to go the extra 500 miles across the Gulf of Alaska to Kodiak. It's an awesome place, and yet undiscovered by most Pacific NW cruisers. My comment elicited some strange looks from the crowd, which caught me by surprise.

And, on a completely different topic...

As many of you know, I like cool new technologies. I always like to have the newest electronic toys, which sometimes is a good thing, and sometimes is a disaster.

Here's something which turned out better than expected:

I had an Ipad on backorder long before I had any idea why I wanted one. When mine arrived on the first day, Roberta teased me as I eagerly opened the box. Now that we're on Sans Souci, I haven't been able to get to my own ipad. Roberta has adopted it! We quickly discovered that it can be used with the wifi system on the boat to connect to our television at home (via a Slingbox) in Seattle. The ipad has become an ultra lightweight television that Roberta carries with her everywhere on the boat. We're both news-junkies and like staying current. The ipad gives us complete access to our TIVO at home, and we can even watch Netflix through it. Very cool!

And, as to the weather...

I keep hoping for good weather for our departure, but so far, all we've seen is grey skies and rain. Argh!

That's it for today. Roberta and I will be off the boat exploring Osaka for the next three days!

Ken Williams
Sans Souci, Nordhavn 68
www.kensblog.com
And, if you are interested in my books, check out : http://www.lulu.com/kenw

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 04:54:10 GMT

Hi Ken. Thanks for mentioning our home, Kodiak, in your presentation. It's kind of a place less traveled. All the people who come here love it though. As you know, Josh and Natasha left N40 Samba in our care this winter. They will be back May 10th to continue their explorations. This year they plan to run out the Peninsula and into the Aleutians. We will be out there fishing and we are making plans to rendezvous with them somewhere for dinner and vodka. They are great people and really put their 40 to good use. We join the Shinto priest in wishing you all a good voyage. Say hi to the rest of the Gang for me.

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:00:07 GMT

Thanks, Ken. I'd love to hear more on the comparison once the boats are all underway and you have a chance to compare speed/fuel burn and also any comments on ride differences, although that will be difficult since you won't be on Starr. Sam

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:00:16 GMT

I did the same thing you did, Ken. Got my iPad on April 3rd wondering what to do with it. Now I'm sitting in the St Francis hotel in San Francisco. This morning I fired up a wake-on-lan app to turn on my main home computer then used a RDC app to login and read my mail and your latest blog post Logged off home fired up safari to comment on your post.. Isn't technology great!

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:12:42 GMT

Sam: Maybe I'll make that the topic of some upcoming blog. Here's the quick answer... I haven't spent much time on Starr so my opinions are very preliminary. That said, I do have an initial impression, and it is very favorable. Everything on Starr seems easy to get to. There is a trend in modern yacht construction to emphasize beauty over functionality. My favorite boat recently was a coast guard ice breaker I was on, where every wire was visible, and clearly labeled. I like easily maintainable boats, and am happy to trade-off beauty for it (something Roberta would disagree with). Let's start at the beginning. Prior to ordering our N68, Roberta and I were in contract negotiations for a Northern Marine. Unfortunately, when I started asking around about them, the word on the street was that they deliver boats late, over budget and to make things worse, were close to financial collapse. For these reasons I did not sign the agreement and returned to Nordhavn. I am obviously a Nordhavn fan, but there were some very appealing things about Northern Marine. The Northern Marine boats are true custom boats. Prior to starting construction they model the interior in plywood, so you can walk around it. The same for the engine room. The entire build process assumed frequent interaction with the buyer and lots of tweaking. A friend of mine who built a 78' boat with Northern Marine had his own office at their factory and was involved in every detail of construction. On the other hand, Nordhavn is a production boat. Visits to their factory are encouraged, although these are for the most part 'social calls'. Some details can be worked out at the factory, but frequent owner involvement during construction is frowned upon. Nordhavn's goal is to know what they are going to build prior to starting production, and then have a precise schedule, and budget, which they can manage to. This strategy of 'semi-custom boats' has worked well for Nordhavn, and they are still in business, whereas Northern Marine is gone. I actually did ask Nordhavn if I could hire an independent firm to mockup my lazarette so that we could decide where to put everything for maximum maintainability, and they rejected the idea. Instead they said the factory would place all of the equipment, look to see if it fit, and then move as necessary. This turned out to be a disaster, and some things, like the batteries, were 100% un-maintainable. For the second N68, the factory knew what to do, and all was fine. In my case, I yanked the batteries, and moved them. I'm saying this poorly, but the bottom line is that 'if you have no budget or time constraint, and are doing a totally custom boat, there are fine details that can be polished that aren't practical in a production or semi-production boat environment.' To put this to hard math, I was estimating that my boat with Northern Marine was going to cost nearly double the cost of the Nordhavn, for virtually the identical boat. Overall, if you survey Nordhavn owners on satisfaction, and Northern Marine owners, you'll find both are delighted with their boats. That said, every Northern Marine owner I spoke with grumbled about horrid cost and schedule overruns, and I did hit some who had perpetual problems with their boats that Northern Marine couldn't seem to solve. So .. back to your original question... Starr seems a very maintainable boat. I struggled trying to upgrade my nav software, primarily because of problems with tracking down wires, and inability to run wires from the computers to the helm. I cannot get behind my helm. The access "hole" is only about 18" by 18" and I can't possibly fit through it. Whereas Don has no trouble getting to the back of his electronics. Similarly in the engine room. All of his equipment is easily gotten at. To be fair, I have a lot more "stuff" than Starr. Twin engines takes more space than single engines. My Atlas system takes an enormous amount of space, and adds tremendous complexity. If I built another boat I'd still opt for dual engines and an Atlas, but they do occupy a huge amount of space. I'm always jealous when in the engine room of any single engine boat, because of all the space availability. Anyway.. hopefully this answers your question!? -Ken W

Comment on: GSSR 2010 no. 2 - A little insurance goes a long way (kind of)

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:14:11 GMT

Ken, now that Starr has arrived I'd love to hear your impressions comparing your Nordhavn to the Stabbert's Northern Marine. How do the interior spaces compare? And I'm really interested in how the performance compares when passagemaking. How does the quality of the systems and installations compare? Any other comments about the two boats? Thanks, Sam