ACROSS THE BAR: IAN FARRIER
Corsair Marine and Farrier Marine founder and legendary multihull designer Ian Farrier passed away in San Francisco, California, on December 9, 2017. According to sailboatdata.com, “It is said that there are more than 2,000 Farrier designs (mostly trimarans) sailing around the world. Beginning in the 1970s with the TRAILERTRI series in Australia, Farrier sold detailed plans (as well as kits) for the amateur builder. Most of these boats, (and most Farrier designs to follow) incorporated his ingenious system for folding the floats close to the main hull, allowing for ease of docking and storage. Many of his later designs have been commercially produced in volume by several manufacturers.” Up until 2000, Corsair Marine built and sold many of Farrier’s most famous designs, including the F-24, F-27, and F-31. After that time, due to concerns over quality control, Farrier severed ties with Corsair and all subsequent Corsair builds are not Farrier designs.
Farrier earned a strong reputation for the quality of his work. Farrier Marine General Manager Rob Densem said of Ian Farrier on SailingAnarchy.com, “Ian was a visionary, a multihull genius, an all-round nice guy who leaves behind a huge legacy to the sailing world.”
VOLVO RACE BOAT COLLIDES WITH FISHING BOAT, 1 DEAD
Just after 1:00 a.m. local time on Friday, January 19, outside the port of Hong Kong, a 65-foot sailboat, Vestas 11th Hour Racing, participating in the Volvo Ocean Race, sailed at over 20 knots into the traffic associated with this busy harbor and collided with a fishing vessel. The fishing vessel capsized and sank and all 10 crew aboard were recovered from the water. One crewmember from the fishing boat was flown by helicopter to a local hospital where he was soon pronounced dead from injuries sustained as a result of the collision. All crew aboard the Volvo racer were uninjured and the damaged sailboat was able to make it to port unaided.
An investigation is underway. Surely, hopefully, procedures will be changed for this race to help prevent another tragedy of similar circumstances. As details emerge, they will likely be reported first at www.volvooceanrace.com.
SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS
These are the watch words for 2018, according to the Cruising Club of America (CCA). To this end, they are sponsoring a seminar called “Safety for Cruising Couples.” This seminar will be hosted by yacht clubs and other sailing organizations from Marina del Rey to Key West to Newport, and dozens of other cities — even one in Ireland. Attendance at the all-day events is free (and participants do not have to be CCA members). Seminars will generally be structured with a morning classroom session covering the fundamentals of VHF radios, the basics of navigation, engine operation, medical situations, safety equipment, and man-overboard recovery. An afternoon session can take those topics a step further with on-the-water hands-on training, including chart plotter fundamentals and a demonstration of how to use a life sling in a man overboard situation. New dates and locations are being added daily. For a complete list, visit https://sas.cruisingclub.org/scc/courselist.
BUY A BENETEAU, HELP AN ELF
Someone generously donated a 1987 Beneteau First 235/RA to the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild (CYRG), an organization dedicated to the preservation of traditional watercraft, especially the organization’s flagship racer, Elf, built in 1888. Now CYRG is selling the donated Beneteau to monetize this gift. The Beneteau is equipped with a winged keel, practically new sails, a head, electronics, roller furling, and cockpit cushions. Plus, she comes with a 1989 Load-Rite tandem trailer. She’s sitting in Chesapeake, Virginia. For more info, or to make an offer, contact Steve Remillard, CYRG Treasurer, at (410) 885-3533 or steverem@yahoo.com.
THE GRAND DAME OF THEM ALL
For 75 years in a row, thousands of Pacific Northwest sailors have participated in a yacht race that started as an overnight sail to round a lightship anchored off the Swiftsure Bank, at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the waterway between Washington State and Vancouver Island. The lightship is long gone, but this historic race continues, growing in size and popularity. Best of all, it’s a race for all kinds of sailors, especially those aboard good old boats. I was at the starting line in Victoria, BC in 2013 to report on the race for Good Old Boat magazine (a Swiftsure media sponsor). I’ll tell you up front that I’m not a big sailboat racing fan, but I loved the vibe and camaraderie of this event. Read my report here: www.swiftsure.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/GOB95Mar14Swiftsure.pdf. Registration for the 75th annual race began January 2, and there’s still time for you to enter—you’ll likely love it.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Due to a significant increase in piracy events in the western Caribbean in 2017, in 4th quarter 2017 the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) developed and announced its first interactive graphic tool, “Regional Piracy Infographics,” for the Caribbean, with supporting precautions lists for captains/crews. In January 2018, building on all the incident report data for crimes against yachts that CSSN has collected and published for many years, they launched another, “Zoom-Tap, Know & Go.” It’s intuitive, it’s easy, and it’s on the CSSN website and ready to use. Go to: https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/.
