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Welcome to the Southern Ocean

Collision in the Southern Ocean - photo by JoAnne McArthur  .

The Southern Ocean is much in the news this week, as many kinds of craft head down there while summer brings the mildest possible conditions.

That's still not very mild, and neither are the events that are occurring in the frosty waters. That 'on-the-edge-of-the-law' whale action man Paul Watson from Sea Shepherd is doing plenty of complaining about one of his vessels – Ady Gil, the former Earthrace – being rammed by the Japanese: see the video!

Mild is not the word either for the weather sailing-teen Jessica Watson is experiencing as she heads for the Horn by headsail only and with no heater; and in another story, shredded sails have meant the end of a dream for a Swiss sailor who set out for the Antarctic from Cape Town. Then there's that indomitable French sailor Isabelle Autissier who has just left South America for the Antarctic in a much sturdier yacht on a double mission scientific/adventure journey. So it's getting quite busy down there.

In other news, this week there's a great chance to win a trip for two in a Rally round Croatia next year by purchasing tickets online in an Australian charity lottery; for those heading in the direction of the Caribbean there is some very good online assistance and online Cruising Guides for Central and South America; and Larry Janke winds up his excellent and comprehensive series on how to care for your batteries when away from professional help.

Browse down all the stories to see what interests you, and, wherever you are...

Sweet sailing!

Nancy Knudsen, Editor

Video of Ady Gil - formerly Earthrace - rammed by Japanese whalers? www.powerboat-world.com, This video shot from the protest vessel Bob Barker appears to show the Shonan Maru 2 steering directly at the carbon fibre trimaran Ady Gil, formerly Earthrace.... [more] Onsend this story

Geoff Holt's Impossible Dream hampered by generator problems Harriet Courage, Geoff Holt's transatlantic challenge faced more problems today after their generator failed last night. To save power and fuel in order to have sufficient to navigate the difficult arrival in Tortola, they have had to switch off all electronics, until a solution is found.... [more] Onsend this story

Jessica Watson (and others) update - no heater and no main Nancy Knudsen, Australian sixteen-year-old solo sailor Jessica Watson is still sounding upbeat as she approaches the Southern Ocean and heads to round Cape Horn, in spite of her yacht's heater having broken down and a broken or twisted block depriving her of the use of the main... [more] Onsend this story

Sailor without EPIRB 'found safe' after expensive search This is Cornwall/Sail-World Cruising, A British sailor feared lost in a fierce Atlantic storm just days into a round-the-world bid phoned home today after hearing on the radio he was missing. Paddy Macklin set sail in his 27ft yacht from his home town of Falmouth, Cornwall, on December 17 determined to sail the globe without hi-tech gadgets or corporate support... [more] Onsend this story

Isabelle Autissier departs for Antarctic to test 'Growler' detection Des Ryan, The Ada 2, skippered by famed French sailor Isabelle Autissier, this week departed Ushuaia in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego for Antarctica on a mission which will be of huge potential benefit to adventurous cruising sailors - the detection of icebergs and growlers beneath the surface of the water. The system will be tested during the 'No Man's Land Project', a sailing/mountain climbing expedition.... [more] Onsend this story

Whale swims from Alaska to Hawaii dragging fishing line and anchor Rob Shikina, Democratic Underground/Sail-World, Ed Lyman, marine mammal response coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii estimated that a whale found in Hawaiian waters with a fishing line and anchor trailing some 60 feet behind it had swum from Alaska trailing the line.... [more] Onsend this story

British sailors rescued by Belgian helicopter Lisa Mylchreest, Two British sailors have escaped with their lives by being rescued by a Belgian helicopter when their brand new 45ft yacht Justice hit a sandbank off the Kent coast and sank off Herne Bay.... [more] Onsend this story

70 knot storm brings end to Antarctica dream Nancy Knudsen, A Swiss professional boat builder, who had a dream of sailing to Antarctica and then around the world, is out of sails and out of cash after his four-year dream was dashed by a 70knot storm in the Southern Ocean. Unable to fund his adventure further, the 33-year-old would-be-circumnavigator will sell his boat and go home to Switzerland... [more] Onsend this story

No trace ever found of missing Canadian sailor Sail-world.com, An extensive aerial search for a 68 year old Canadian sailor Hubert Marcoux who set out from Halifax on board his 45 foot yacht Mon Pays on November 9th to sail 740 nautical miles south to Bermuda was suspended in November.... [more] Onsend this story

Knowing your batteries - Final Part 6, Some Procedures Larry Janke, This is Part 6, the final Part of a series by Larry Janke from Southeast Marine Services, all essential reading if you want to be able to maintain your batteries yourself while cruising. This week he offers some procedures - determining appropriate absorption time settings for charging flooded lead acid batteries and for Equalisation... [more] Onsend this story

Whitsunday Rent A Yacht relaxes 'Best Job in the World' Ben Southall Ben Southall and Sail-World.com, Even the holder of 'The Best Job in the World', Ben Southall, has to relax sometime. Ben chose Whitsunday Rent A Yacht, to take himself, his Mum and Dad for a short charter holiday onboard one of their luxury catamarans.... [more] Onsend this story

When a rescue is more than a rescue Sail-World Cruising, The word rescue when applied to the sailing world can have a host of meanings, but this week when New Zealand's Bay of Islands Coastguard went to the rescue of a yacht with six people on board, the crew of eight went beyond the call of duty and did much more than merely rescue the six, which included two children.... [more] Onsend this story

Cruise planning for South Pacific Rallies 2010 David McKay/Sail-World Cruising, The Island Cruising Association runs rallies around South Pacific Islands and to and from New Zealand, a leg which, depending on the whim of the weather gods, is known to be potentially difficult. John and Lyn Martin, who run the association, are offering prep courses for the 2010 series of rallies. David and Andrea Mackay joined one of these rallies a couple of year ago, and here is their story... [more] Onsend this story

Inexpensive Cruising Guides for Central and South America Cruisers Network Online/Sail-World, South and Central America has long been a difficult area for obtaining cruising guides, and the guides available are often either dated, don't cover all the region or are not published in English. The one thing they usually have in common is that they are expensive. Here are some inexpensive - or free - solutions... [more] Onsend this story

Ancient giant clams issue El Niño warning ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, A 35-year window into the climate of one of the longest interglacial periods of the last million years has sounded a warning that El Niño events were half as frequent then as they are today.... [more] Onsend this story

Skype - key communication tool for Marine Industry and Offshore Racing TetraMedia's IT Team, Two Swedish techno-nerds Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis spent the noughties revolutionizing music distribution and telephony in the 21st century.... [more] Onsend this story

Win a Trip for two in the Croatia Yacht Rally in September 2010 Maggie Joyce, Win a Trip for two in the Croatia Yacht Rally in September 2010 worth $15,000. Mariner Boating Holidays and Yachting Victoria proudly announce their support for Variety Splash with a chance for you to win an all-inclusive trip for two on Mariner Boating Holidays 2010 Croatia Yacht Rally. Purchase tickets on line – follow the link - http://www.yachtingvictoria.com.au/event.asp?ID=29948&format=po... [more] Onsend this story

21st century explorers return with unique data from Indian Ocean International Union for Conservation of Nature, A team of the world's leading marine experts, paired with scientists from the Indian Ocean region, returned in December from a six-week research expedition above seamounts in the high seas of the Indian Ocean... [more] Onsend this story

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