Sailing Adventures, Pirate attacks, Dreamy holidays, Practical advice

by Nancy Knudsen, Editor on 9 Dec 2010 Along our coastlines and out on the world's oceans there are always cruising sailors making the news somehow: Most of the news is good, even inspirational, but there's always some that's tragic. This week is no different.

It was great to see quad sailor Geoff Holt getting so much recognition in his home country of Britain after sailing the Atlantic earlier in the year. He was awarded an MBE and is now nominated as Yachtsman of the Year for 2010 - unlike our own Jamie Dunross, who arguably achieved a much greater feat by circumnavigating Australia. He didn't even get a nomination for Australia's Yachtsman of the Year.

That never-say-die solo sailing grandmother Jeanne Socrates is right now headed for Cape Horn. At the age of 67 she is having her third try at a circumnavigation, this time non-stop and unassisted.

Velella is providing our cruising tale this week, with her story of sailing down the western American coastline, making us wish we were all there doing it with her.

On a more sober note, Honduras is the latest destination to have a pirate attack, resulting the death of a cruising sailor when he resisted their invasion. Closer to home, read how a sailor nearly lost his life trying to save his dog when his yacht went on the rocks at Evans Head. Over in Massachusetts, see the video of the rescue of the crew of Raw Faith, a home-built three-masted schooner that its owner/skipper was to have used to run sailing holidays for wheel-chair-bound sailors. There had been many other catastrophes for the boat. Nice goal, but no seamanship skills...

In practical news, there's a new safety guide out for Sydney's aquatic events, there's a FREE Ebook that your keen junior sailors will love to use to learn to sail, and some excellent advice from Carolyn Shearlock on how to provision a boat and not forget a thing.

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