Welcome aboard, I'm Foster Fanning owner and skipper of the sailing vessel AQUILA. My mate, Catherine Brown and I are currently based in the Pacific Northwest. We spend about 70 days a year aboard, sailing as much as possible.
How does this sailing blog work?
- Navigate to our cruising and sailing stories using the thumbnails in the sidebar to the right. Use the "back" button or "home" below to return here.
- Links to websites hosting various sailing contributions from Catherine and I are next in the sidebar.
- Below is an assortment of Sailing, Cruising, Boating interest items with various links and other Sailing Blogs near the bottom of the page.
Flotsam and Jetsam
04.17.2013 The last surviving British gold medalist from the 1948 London Olympic Games, Falmouth resident David Bond, has died. News for Falmouth Olympic legend David Bond dies
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04.16.2013 Charleston Fire Department officials confirmed on Monday afternoon that their fire boat crashed into a buoy during a rescue call on Saturday.
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04.08.2013 A while back I had the opportunity to work with Hank Cramer, a jack-of-all-trades and master of the sea shanty. Didn't get any video or audio recording while with Hank but as posting this link to his shanty singing on the tall ship ADVENTUROUS and a couple of images with the gentleman himself. Enjoy...
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Hank Cramer is one of the best-loved folksingers in the
American West. He's known for his booming bass voice,
smooth picking on a vintage flat-top guitar, and a wry sense of humor.
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My lady Catherine (AQUILA'S 1st Mate) and yours truly enjoying a
bit of time with the legendary Hank Cramer in the Republic
Brewery brew gardens.
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04.07.2013 A new way to maintain a ship’s log: Evernote
A cool post I picked up from Three Sheets NW regarding maintaining a proper ship’s log.
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04.03.2013 If you're like AQUILA'S crew, you have aspiration's or maybe even plans for sailing around Vancouver Island...
Country Music and Shotguns is how Tim Whelan starts his log of sailing around the Inland Passage's biggest island. Check it out at: http://www.tgw.net/sailing/avi/ch1.htm
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04.01.2013
Never cross knives on the galley table.
The teapot must not be emptied after the fishing had
started. To empty it might make the ship turn over and sink, or result in a
poor trip.
Never lay a broom on top of the nets.
Fish bones were not burnt.
Egg shells were broken into tiny pieces (to stop witches
sailing in them).
Clergy (known to fishermen as “sky-pilots”) were generally
not welcomed onto vessels, although there were some notable exceptions.
Never cut bread and then turn the loaf upside down.
They will on no account part with salt, especially at sea,
as to part with salt is to part with luck.
The salt-pot must not be handed from one crewman to another
– “pass salt, pass sorrow”.
Upturning a hatch cover or sleeping on the stomach were actions
said to anticipate the boat turning over and sinking.
Losing a hat overboard signified a long trip.
Taking a watch to sea signified bad luck.
Eat fish from the head to the tail for good luck. If you
start at the tail it will warn the shoals away from the shore and back into
deep water.
Flat-footed folk are unlucky.
Set an odd number of nets, such as 101; the extra one is
“for luck”.
Don’t count the number of fish you’ve caught. If you do you
won’t catch any more that day. Count the fish when you are safely back in port.
Don’t use certain words at sea. Don’t mention pigs, fox,
cat, hare, salmon or rabbits, the church, or anything to do with the land.
Don’t wash the herring scales from your boots or deck. It
will wash away your luck.
Don’t go to sea at the start of the fishing season until you
have shed a few drops of blood in a fight or accident.
Scottish fishermen should throw one of the crew members
overboard and then haul him back in. The fish will follow suit.
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03.25.2013 Just home from some time in Seattle. Had the chance to scout the Ballard Locks on the Argosy tour vessel as well as watch some locking take place with other boats. Plan on making that run in the next year or so myself and wanted to check-out the process.
Also had the pleasure of an unexpected tour of the historic sailing vessel Schooner Zodiac, which is berthed in the southern reaches of Lake Union in Seattle. Will post both stories on this blog-site soon...
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03.09.2013 Another story from BoatUS Magazine: Late one night, off the south jetty at California's Oceanside Harbor, a 40-foot sailboat grounded hard in the darkness. This is the story of how some fast-thinking captains made a series of smart decisions that saved the boat from becoming a total loss.
03.05.2013 Solo American female sailor Jeanne Socrates is now more than halfway done on her effort at a record circumnavigation. She has a mere 12,000 miles to go!
03.04.2013 A study suggests that global warming is opening up a first-time chance to cruise through the Northwest Passage, which could translate into big savings in time and money for shippers.
03.03.2013 My old fireboss used to say, "if you're gonna' be stupid, you gotta' be tough."
Two men and a woman packed pizza and beer aboard a luxury sailboat in a Sausalito marina, stole it in the middle of the night and made it as far as Pacifica before the vessel ran aground 20 yards off a beach Monday, authorities said.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Luxury-yacht-stolen-in-Sausalito-3-held-4326362.php#ixzz2Mdm6nL7b
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Luxury-yacht-stolen-in-Sausalito-3-held-4326362.php#ixzz2Mdm6nL7b
02.26.2013 Hoax? Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a sailboat with four people on board off the California coast Sunday.
12.28.2012 "Wow!" Just discovered this blog site of the nautical artist /writer Courtney Kirchoff. Good stuff! Check it out at Courtney Kirchoff and enjoy!
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12.27.2012 Recently came across this interesting blog
SkipJacks Nautical Living featuring nautical antiques and furnishings, marine art, and much more.
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12.26.2012 Here's a blog I enjoy but haven't posted a link to in a while.
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For the 1st and 2nd years of Foster's Sailing Blog check out the archived pages to the right side of the screen.
Enjoy...
