Table of contents for April 2021 in PassageMaker

Raspberry fool is such an easy dessert to make. It’s elegant, creamy, light and so pretty, too. Dollop this magical mixture into your nicest stemware or a clear glass dish for a beautiful presentation. What I love about this easy dessert is that it really highlights the flavor of the raspberry. Plus, it’s 100 percent natural. If you have other berries on hand (strawberries, blueberries, you name it), feel free to use them in place of the raspberries. Fools are quick desserts that are easily adapted. The fool dessert has been around for hundreds of years. The gooseberry fool was first mentioned in the 15th century and remains popular today. The name is believed to originate from the French word fouler, which can mean “to mash” or “to press.” That…

When the U.S. Navy chooses submarine crews, it does so as if it’s tiptoeing barefoot over broken glass. The military puts the candidates through psychological screening, physical tests and endless interviews until recruiters are satisfied that each person is suited to live for months in a claustrophobic and often highly stressful situation. Most recreational skippers, on the other hand, choose their crew over a drink at the club bar. Or, even worse, over several drinks at the club bar. “Hey, we’re heading for the Caribbean next month. Wanna come along?” If there were ever a clearly marked road map directly to disaster, that’s it. I sailed on one long-distance race where several of the crew had been chosen using that truly stupid approach. In fact, I think our skipper may…

Working waterfronts are fascinating places. Whether it’s the lobstermen or a fleet of fishing boats returning with their catch, experienced captains handling their boats is art in motion. Waterman’s Day in Rock Hall, Maryland, celebrates the lives of these working watermen on the Chesapeake Bay, along with the crabs and oysters we love so much. One of the most popular events at the summer festival is the docking competition. Spectators watch in awe as these professionals handle their boats with finesse and precision. But simply saying, “I’ll just watch these pros and do what they are doing” is like learning how to drive by watching the Indianapolis 500. Conversely, don’t think that just because you’re a recreational boater, you can’t dock as well as the pros do. Participants in recreational…

So, you want to become a trawler owner. Congratulations! Now, you’ll need a good broker and background knowledge about how the intricacies of the sales process works. In this new column, I hope to be your guide to those particulars and a whole lot more. I’ve sold hundreds of new and used cruising sailboats and trawlers, and I’m a certified professional yacht broker—a background that gives me unique insight into the trawler lifestyle. It blends freedom, self-su_ ciency and accomplishment into a rewarding experience that owners can share with friends and family. Trawlers provide unlimited opportunities to visit new places and meet interesting people. Tapping into that lifestyle requires determining which trawler is best for the type of cruising you intend to do, and then narrowing your search to the…

Pacific Asian Enterprises, Inc. has announced a brand-new design, the Nordhavn 51, which will follow closely in the wake of its smaller sistership, the N41. Inspired by the N41’s popularity, the Nordhavn 51 will mimic the same production-line structure, which places emphasis on a set, streamlined build order instead of individual customization. The two-stateroom, two-head passagemaker answers the calls from customers who are drawn to the N41 design, but want more room, an additional head and a flybridge. The Nordhavn 51 will more closely resemble other longrange cruising Nordhavns with its separated pilothouse, but the interior will mirror the finishes of the N41. It will be produced as a complete boat that includes stabilizers, a bow thruster and a davit among other items as standard. Powered by twin 160-hp John…

As chief of marina operations at Washington state’s Port of Everett Marina—the largest public marina on the West Coast of the United States—Jeff Lindhout is basically running a small city. He oversees 2,300 slips that need to accommodate commercial and recreational needs alike, with off-season seiners sometimes a stone’s throw from elegant sailboats. More than 5,000 linear feet of transient mooring space floats within easy access of restaurants, a microbrewery, shops, a new convention hotel and other activities. The six-acre boatyard, recently named “Marina of the Year” at The Docks Expo, must be equipped for do-it-yourselfers as well as trained professionals, with the Travelift always in good repair in case haul outs are needed. The fuel dock, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, needs to be run in an orderly fashion…

I have a pen pal from Down Under named Jim who loves to spend his spare time sketching various flavors of character cruisers, large and small. These are pencil drawings, and he is a master at his artwork, instantly transporting a boat junkie like myself to another mental voyage through one of his masterpieces. It was one of these sketches that inspired my design for this month: the Kingfisher 28. Jim had started with a stock design of my own pen, the Kingfisher 33 (featured in Passagemaker November/December 2017). He extrapolated the concept into a smaller and much more character-filled sistership. He plopped a couple of outboards on her stern, an idea that worked for the concept, but did not particularly fill me with a desire to retain that feature.…

There is no shortage of fiberglass products on marine store shelves, but knowing which ones to use is the best way to keep your gelcoat colors rich, true and protected from the elements. Gelcoat is the pigmented resin that colors a fiberglass boat. It’s typically applied in the thickness of a dime. As a resin, it has no real strength; thick applications in corners with sharp bends, incorrectly sized holes or overstressed fasteners often result in unsightly, cracking veins. Gelcoat is also porous; without sealing it against the elements, exposed surfaces can fade, stain or discolor from improper washings with caustic cleaners, acid rain or simple neglect. And because of its petroleum-based formula, gelcoat ages like human skin under sunlight. It will dry out without protection unless the oil-based substrate…

NAME Felicia Schneiderhan AGE 54 HOME PORT Knife River, Minnesota CURRENT BOAT 1980 Marine Trader 38 Mazurka YEARS OWNED 17 Felicia Schneiderhan fell in love the first time she climbed aboard Mazurka in the shadow of Chicago skyscrapers. First, with the captain, Mark, who lived on the boat year-round. And later, with the boat itself. As a writer, she found no shortage of material when living on board (especially in January). She blogged about the experience, which evolved into her memoir, Newlyweds Afloat: Married Bliss and Mechanical Breakdowns While Living on a Trawler. Today, Felicia and Mark and their three “tsunamis”—ages 10, 8 and 6—live on land in Northern Minnesota, and spend summers aboard Mazurka exploring Lake Superior. BEGINNINGS I grew up fishing the backwaters of the northern Mississippi River…

Antares is, on average, the 15-brightest star in the night sky, and the brightest object in the constellation of Scorpius. So perhaps it’s fitting that Beneteau’s latest outboard-powered model, the Antares 11, carries this name. This sporty cruiser is all about bright, open spaces and playtime in the sunshine, from weekend getaways to longer cruises including the Great Loop. At 36 feet, 4 inches LOA, the yacht is the flagship of Beneteau’s outboard-powered Antares lineup. The first Antares models launched years ago in Europe and have steadily made their way into the North American market in the last several years. “The Antares range is over 40 years old and is popular for its weekending abilities,” says Don Smith, Beneteau’s outboard boats sales manager. “The mission of the Antares 11 is…

I felt it before I heard it: a low-frequency vibration that seemed to originate from the unimaginable depths of Earth. I was in my stateroom, the master in the after section of Freedom, getting ready for dinner aboard. “What the … ?” I said and then peered through the starboard portlight, right into the Plimsoll line of a loaded container ship. The ship’s diesels, each the size of a small cottage, thumped rhythmically as a gaggle of tugs shepherded her progress westward up the Savannah River on the border of South Carolina and Georgia. Freedom, tied up at the municipal pier a short distance east of the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, rested quietly in the shadow of the Hyatt Regency Savannah adjacent to the city’s historic district. Designed by John Trumpy…

If you keep your boat in a marina that’s either in a river or at least subject to the periodic intrusion of fresh water, chances are your fenders are, or at some point in the future will become, a mess. They’ll be coated with a sludgy, sticky, darkish sort of crud, and the buildup will be the worst at the very top and at the very bottom. Products like Seapower’s Inflatable Boat Cleaner & Preserver work well once the worst of the grunge has been removed. But what do you do to initially cut the worst of the worst, prior to using products that undeniably nix the niceties, such as oxidation, grease and plain old caked-on dirt? I suggest you fill a pump-up spray bottle with a 50/50 solution of…