PassageMaker November/December 2020

@andrewtparkinson It’s been one hell of a strange year, right? Covid-19 didn’t just throw us a curveball; it hurled the equivalent of a drunken albatross down our strike zone. For boaters, it’s easy to resent the pandemic for all its inconveniences: canceled boat shows, truncated cruising itineraries and provisioning options, and personal hassles like having to wear a mask around the marina. Happy hours took on a whole new socially awkward form as well. (I’m looking at you, Zoom.) But for all the reminders that our sacrifice was for the greater good, from the maelstrom came a few important lessons. One: It’s important to marry someone you can stand to be quarantined with. If I learned anything being in close quarters with my wife these past six months, it’s that we still get along…

Pooches of Passagemaker As if we needed any more proof that dogs love boats, flip through an adorable photo gallery of our readers’ favorite furry first mates. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to get a dog of your own. passagemaker.com/ruff-life The Charter Guide Need a vacation? If you’re among the “charter curious,” take a stroll through our comprehensive guide to charter, featuring advice from the experts, popular destinations, trip-planning intel and more. passagemaker.com/charter-guide Top Cats Powercats continue to gain traction in the cruising-boat market, offering owners more space, greater privacy and better fuel efficiency and seakeeping ability than monohulls of similar length. Check out the top new catamaran models on the market today. passagemaker.com/top-cats SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER AT PASSAGEMAKER.COM…

NEW BOATS CIRCA MARINE 24M EXPEDITION MOTOR YACHT New Zealand aluminum boatbuilder Circa Marine has begun construction of its second 24m Expedition Motor Yacht, a 78-footer sold to a European client with long-range family cruising in mind. Hull No. 2 will essentially mirror Hull No. 1, but with a different accommodations layout and tweaks to the flybridge. Powered by twin 250-hp Scania diesels, the boat’s reported top speed is 13 knots. At 9 knots, the boat is capable of 5,000 nautical miles, according to the builder. It will accommodate six guests and two crew members in four staterooms. Delivery is expected in late 2021. A smaller 20m model (65 feet) is also in the works. circamarine.co.nz ENDEAVORS HIGHFIELD BOATS GOES LAND CRUISING Aluminum RIB and tender manufacturer Highfield Boats is going on tour with cruising…

NAME John J. Olson AGE 34 or 35 (counting Covid year?) HOME PORT Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Coal Harbour, Canada CURRENT BOAT 1987 GB32 Dream Time YEARS OWNED 1 Carrying on the bloodline of a treasure-hunting ship captain, John J. Olson continues the family cruising tradition aboard his 1987 Grand Banks 32 Dream Time in the Pacific Northwest. BEGINNINGS I’ve been boating since I was in diapers. My family made a berth for me above the anchor chain cupboard in their sailboat. When we docked, they would jump off first and let me solo the wheel. The marina guests staring from their cockpits would howl! My grandpa built a boat in his backyard when I was a toddler. He let me climb the ladder and play around on the bridge. I liked the feeling of being unmoored, I…

I am a serial and confirmed bareboat charterer. And I have had two epiphanies about bareboating—or perhaps the same epiphany twice—in two sets of islands half a world apart. The first epiphany was in the Greek Islands, where I had The Moorings provide a skipper because I didn’t know the area, and I wanted someone to handle the boat while I took photos. Most important, the language was literally Greek to me. Capt. Thrassos was a courtly Greek who spoke fluent English, had a lovely sense of humor and seemed to be related to everyone in Greece. When we arrived in a crowded harbor, he would pick up his cellphone and call his uncle/nephew/whatever, who was the dockmaster. A space exactly our size would appear as if by magic. When we needed…

We boaters tend toward a fondness for our marine wildlife friends, including the flying types. The kingfisher, heron, crane and other winged creatures are entertaining, but we often end up in combat with the ubiquitous seagull. The scavenger of the sea, and sometimes a scavenger on land, the seagull takes up temporary residency on our boats and, well, leaves his mark. Cleaning up is neither lovely nor pleasant. I have yet to make a cruising plan that incorporates seagull cleanup before the cocktail hour or after my morning coffee and bagel with cream cheese. And yet, the circle of combat continues. Seagulls will look for food anyplace they can find it (imagine a teenager at Costco during the free sample hours). These birds have figured out that a vantage point off the…