The Ad Worked Great

Greetings,

      I chose to take out an ad for a fall sale on lifelines, your crew was easy to work with and we sold a ton of lifelines as far away as California!

Thanks Again,
Andy Schwenk
Northwest Rigging

      Thanks Andy, we love to hear it.

Poor Arne, a Man Without a Yacht Club?

      A fine list - it's always fun to see old friends and new on the list. However, one correction is called for. #22, Arne Hammer of Norn, was not a member of Orcas Island YC in 2007, although he has been a member here in the past. So far as I know, he is a member of Sloop Tavern YC. I am copying Carol Pearl of STYC, who will know the appropriate person to whom to forward this for confirmation.

Rebecca Earnest
Fleet Captain - Sail 2008
Orcas Island Yacht Club

      Latest PHRF book, 2006 that we have, has Arne in the OIYC. But, upon further investigation, we have confirmed that the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club does admit to having Arne as a current member.

Iraq next door ?

Richard,

      Your rude and ignorant comments about wanting the US to annex BC clearly answers the question of "Why do they hate us so much?" I've heard similar, totally ignorant comments from Usanians in Mexico. If that were to happen, BC, and the rest of Canada would become the most dangerous place in the world for US citizens to travel. Mexicans have told me that they feel the same about Mexico. Does the British experience in Northern Ireland have to be repeated? Usanian refugees, who breath a sign of relief when they put a border between them and Uncle Sam's beligerence, are some of the best, and most considerate visitors anyone could ask for. That is the reason many come here. It's sad that people with your attitude force them to be so ashamed of their country that they feel the need to wear someone elses flag on their backpacks when they travel. They will always be welcome here. People like you are not. Expect US visitors to Canada to experience a strong negative reaction to your comments next summer. They can thank you for that.

Brent Swain
Royston, BC

      In the table of contents for January, I absent mindedly typed Princess Louisa State Marine Park instead of Princess Louisa Provincial Marine Park. A totally mindless error brought about by decades of writing about Washington's State Parks. I had one fellow who good naturedly pointed out the letter and I responded in, what I thought was obviously a joking manner. Evidently, so did everyone else except you.
      We were exhibiting in the Vancouver, B.C. Boat Show a week after the magazine came out and I received some good natured ribbing about it and we all expressed how it would be nice if we didn't have to deal with these border issues, but could sail freely back and forth without the accompaning required ports of call and paperwork, no matter who was in charge. We talked of Oceania or Cascadia where the west coast would become its own entity and everyone could sail merrily about as they wished. Not an uncommon wish of sailors all around the world
      This is a prime example of how a comment can be blown out of proportions into what becomes true animosity. If you want to point out a problem in the world, try that. Do I "Expect US visitors to Canada to experience a strong negative reaction to your (my) comments next summer?" Of course not. Neither do I expect that Canadian sailors will not sail in the San Juans and US waters because of my comments. And even if there are more who didn't like my attempt at humor, I sincerely hope they wouldn't be so closed minded as to paint everyone with the same brush, just as I couldn't possibly think that you represent all Canadians.

48° North in Japan

      Here is a picture of the Jan 2008 copy of 48° North at the "Great Buddha" (Diabutsu) at Kamakura, Japan. I am here on business Jan/Feb 2008.

Cheers
Dan Wierman
Great White-J35
Bremerton, WA

      Glad it's not all business. Thanks for the great pic. Little do they know the "Great White" is lurking about...

New Rules in Equador

      In an issue this year, you published an e-mail from the yacht Carina regarding their experiences in Ecuador. There has recently been a major change in the rules as to how yachts are affected, and I'd like you to publish an update to our situation down here. I've sent a copy of an e-mail I've sent to Southbounders, Noonsite, SSCA, etc.  

Thanks,
Tripp

      The situation in Ecuador has been rather "interesting" this year to say the least. It also has been somewhat transitory as the officials have put new rules in place without understanding the impact on the cruising fleet.
      For the past four months, Puerto Amistad, Puerto Lucia, Salinas YC, Guayaquil YC, the Ecuadorian Yachting Association, Ministry of Tourism, and the Navy have all been working together to reform the rules changes in order to make them less onerous. This has recently born fruit in the form of a new order from the admiral of the navy regarding private yachts.
      The new rule allows the four mentioned yacht clubs to, in effect, serve as a ship's agent for private boats as well as has greatly simplified the check-in/zarpe process. The new rule allows the yacht to send a simple e-mail to the Navy upon arrival. Once acknowledged and entered into their database, the boat will be received in the capitania. YOU WILL NOT BE OBLIGATED TO HIRE AN AGENT IN THESE PLACES. There is also no requirement to check in under-way as has been eroneously reported. This is obviously a welcome change for all of us down here in Ecuador.
      There have been a couple of other issues this year with the length of time a boat can stay and with the availability of fuel. We are working with the Aduana to try to reform the regulations to allow yachts to stay for up to ten years. This effort hasn't yet yielded any tangible results, but the authorities are working with us in good faith to update the rules. The same can be said about the fuel situation where foreign boats are not supposed to buy subsidized fuel. The rules are still somewhat up in the air, but no one has been denied fuel, and it's a question of time before we get some kind of resolution.
        It's been widely reported on the internet as well as the printed press that the Ecuadorian government has become hostile to cruisers, and implied that they don't want us here. The reality is far different. What's going on is that the new government has tasked the authorities to clean up their act in many major areas, and they've responded with some knee-jerk reactions that have been terribly implemented. Slowly, we're trying to get them corrected, but we're working with extremely bureaucratic organizations. Cruisers have basically been unintended collateral damage in their efforts to get rid of fuel smuggling, control of the borders, etc.
      I hope that everyone who has been considering coming to Ecuador takes into account the rules changes we're making and chooses to come down and take advantage of all the wonderful things the country has to offer.  

Fair winds,
Tripp Martin
Puerto Amistad Yacht Club  

      Hopefully this will all be worked out before too long. Ecuador certainly doesn't have a monopoly of having a difference between what the lawmakers decree and the reality for those who have to implement it and abide by it. 

Jo and Carl Tie a Hitch Knot

      Carl Nyberg and Jo Bailey, long time contributors to 48° North, and authors of the acclaimed, GunkHoling in the San Juans as well as other books on sailing our waters, were married on the pier at Indianola on Valentine's Day. Attending the ceremony were close friends and all the children of both Jo and Carl, except for Jo's son Bill, who is sea trialing a fabulous sailing yacht for his employer, off the coast of Slovenia.

Al Bergstein

Thanks to Family, Friends and the Crew

      Thanks to the wonderful crew at 48° North for the beautiful flowers you sent for our Happy Valentine's Day wedding and party! We really had a great time. It was a treat to be married on the Indianola dock--and we didn't drop the rings down between the planks!
      It was really very simple and very fun and nobody collapsed or objected or anything! All three of Carl's kids and spouses were there and 4 of my 5 kids and several spouses were there. Bill & Lisa are in France but were there in spirit, along with some old Indianola and Seattle friends. The only ones were missing were your wonderful group, so you'll have to come to our next party, whenever that may be! Thanks again for the flowers and good wishes, we truly appreciated it all!

Much love,
Jo & Carl

      Congratulations you impulsive whipper-snappers. We'd have loved to have been there but, of all days, deadline was looming large. It's been a pleasure and an honor to work with you over these past 15+ years and we look forward to more. Very nice picture. Don't think we've seen you blush before.

The 48N Crew

A Nostalgic Letter of Gratitude and Appreciation

      Hello again Richard. I'm Barry Niccolls, the dinghy builder of the NN10, now the NN10-II.
      This is a nostalgic letter of gratitude and appreciation. About eight years ago I had an idea, brought on by a small foredeck of my beloved Coronado 27, and my conviction that hardshell dinghies smaller than 9-10 feet just don't cut it, several different ways. So I designed and built the NN10 nesting dinghy. I shipped you a news story and you printed it. And you, kind sir, launched my little business. Sailors, not just from your home State, but across the country ordered it, put it on their big toys and took her to the seven seas. Eight years later, after building eighty-five of them, one at a time with custom touches to suit their owners, I am going sailing. I have to regretfully sell my business and I'm looking for someone with the means and the spirit to take this wonderful little ship, which turns from a 5' 8" package to an "ocean-proof" 10' 2" ...and go global. You were even kind enough to announce the birth of the updated version in late 2005- the NN10-II. Since that time I have had record sales. Since those humble launch days years ago, my boats have gone all across America, including Hawaii, Alaska and to offshore destinations like Italy, Dubai, BVI, and Taiwan. So, "the little boat that could" is now ready for a new launch. One that will take her into worldwide markets and give her the party she deserves. So many requests have come to me from England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa and more...but it all started in your offices when you elected to print my story. I thank you ever so much. And I thank your readers, who were so supportive in the early days to help get her on her sea legs. 85% of all my sales have gone to the good old USA. And of that, 21% have gone to Washington State. Most of the NN10's and NN10-II's have gone offshore. In fact my web site is # 1 under nesting dinghies in all major search engines.
      You just have a powerful publication that keeps on ticking. People have contacted me up to two years after the publication date to order a boat. Good on ya. My deepest appreciation to you and your staff. You really are, " The Sailing Magazine".

Barry Niccolls
President,
Boundary bay Boatworks
www.Niccollslit.com