Ocean Voyaging - Ocean Navigator

09 Jan

Out of Sight

Jesse OsbornHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Seamanship & Navigation

My young sons and I were about to sail my 50-foot yawl, Empiricus, from Ketchikan to Seward, Alaska. Moving back to my hometown of Seward from my current home in the southeast part of the state with my boat would mean crossing the Gulf of Alaska. “It’s just wind and waves out there, boys,” I assured my sons: Isaac, 10 and Steven, six. “We just have to keep the ocean out of the boat and stay onboard. We’ll be fine.” READ FULL ARTICLE >>

08 Dec

Orca Do’s and Don’ts

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

With all the reports of Orcas attacking boats in the vicinity of Gibraltar and the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, former sailor Runi Alves put together an orca information web site, with maps of where attacks have happened, press accounts and a member's messageboard for exchanging info. The site also has an orca "Do's and Don'ts" page. A best practices list based on previous orca attacks on boats. If you're headed or the Strait of Gibraltar or the Atlantic Iberian coast, might be a good idea to review the list. In a related orca note, sailor Florian Rutsch has been reported…

09 Nov

Win an Icom handheld!

Ocean NavigatorHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

With high quality phone cameras in every pocket and on every boat, there’s no excuse for not taking some great photos. The ON Photo Contest will be awarding a handheld radio (provided by Icom) to each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, and will announce the winners in the Jan/Feb ’24 issue. Send your photo (high res and one entry only please) and a brief description to tim@maritimepublishing.com. To be considered for the photo contest your email must have the subject line “ON photo contest.” Get clicking! The Icom M94D DSC VHF has built-in GPS and AIS. …

16 Sep

New trophy named for first (real) circumnavigator

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

The question of who was the first to sail around the world is usually answered: Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese captain and navigator who led a Spanish fleet west from Spain in 1519. The rub here, of course, is that while the Spanish effort Magellan commanded did complete the first circumnavigation of the earth, Magellan himself was not there for the awards ceremony. He was killed in the Philippines by local warriors led by Chief Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan. It was the Spanish captain Juan Sebastian Elcano who completed the first circumnavigation in September 1522 after taking command of…

16 Aug

What’s the share price on that sloop?

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Industry & Company News, Ocean Voyaging

The advantages of owning a yacht come with some obvious costs and responsibilities, too. When you're the sole owner, it's up to you to handle everything that comes your way. One solution to what can be a substantial burden for some people is co-own a vessel and spread the costs and responsibilities around. Sometimes, however, one member of the group takes on a larger share of the work. This inequality of effort can be okay for a time but sometimes it can raise its head as an issue in the partnership. A new product being offered by Dream Yachts Sales…

13 Jul

Transpac Ocean Navigator class winner

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean VoyagingJ 125, Ocean Navigator class, Transpac 2023

With only few boats still to finish, the results of the 2023 Transpac are largely set. This year's race had 52 entries in 9 divisions. As a co-sponsor of the race, Ocean Navigator magazine was honored to have our own named class. And the winner in the Ocean Navigator class was Nereid, a J 125 owned and skippered by Standish Fleming and based in San Diego (also the headquarters for Maritime Publishing, ON's parent company). Fleming and his crew of Bill Blazer, Damian Craig, Jeremy Davidson, Richard Graef and Charlie Jenkins not only finished first in class on corrected time…

07 Jul

Transpac racers close in on Hawaii

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

The Transpac race fleet (Ocean Navigator is a co-sponsor of the race) is hurtling downwind, closing in on Hawaii. As this is posted, according to YB tracking, one multihull, the Mod 70 trimaran Orion owned and skippered by Justin Shaffer, has finished. The bulk of the fleet is still on the ocean, though, doing their best to sail well and win or finish as high as they can in their class. Race tracking is a great way to see what's happening with boat position, boat speed, current rank in class, distance to finish and more. Also, the wind overlays from PredictWind…

29 Jun

First Transpac fleet starters on their way

Ocean NavigatorHome Page Hero, Ocean Voyaging

Los Angeles, CA -- Under clear Southern California skies, 6 to 10 knots of wind, and just a hint of fog out on the western horizon, the first wave of the 2023 Transpac fleet is on their way towards Hawaii. Nine entries in Boatswains Locker Division 7 and six in smithREgroup Division 8 crossed the start line today. One Hawaiian-based entry in the latter class – Russ Johnson’s Jeanneau 52.2 Blue Moon – only arrived last night and received permission to delay their start until the next group sets off on Thursday. A team who is taking on this race…

17 Jun

All female crew aims for Jules Verne Trophy

Ocean NavigatorOcean Voyaging

The record for sailing around the globe as quickly as possible is one that has inspired sailors for many decades. Sailing a multihull at the edge of control day after day requires more than usual drive and toughness. Now The Famous Project, led by sailors Alexia Barrier and co-skipper Dee Caffari, has announced that it aims to break the record for the fastest circumnavigation, and set a world-first record for an all-female crew. From the press release: Alexia Barrier has unveiled her ambition to break the Jules Verne Trophy with an all-female crew. At a VIP event at UNESCO in Paris on Tuesday…

02 Jun

Ocean Navigator photo contest sponsored by Icom

Tim QueeneyHome Page Hero, Ocean VoyagingON

With high quality phone cameras in every pocket and on every boat, there’s no excuse for not taking some great photos. The ON Photo Contest will be awarding a handheld radio (provided by Icom) to each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, and will announce the winners in the Jan/Feb ’24 issue. Send your photo (high res and one entry only please) and a brief description to tim@maritimepublishing.com. To be considered for the photo contest your email must have the subject line “ON photo contest.” Get clicking! The Icom M94D DSC VHF has built-in GPS and AIS. …