Author Archives: lewisblevins

I trained on vessels that were traditional in that the single headsail, oft referred to as the jib, was sheeted on either side back to winches. The load was changed to the leeward sheet after each tack as the tension on the new windward sheet was released. This arrangement usually required three sailors to successfullyContinue reading “Self-tacking Jib”

A guest blog by Pavel Sokolov People often ask me what OPM class is all about? What should you be prepared for? Is it hard? Is it worth it? I will attempt to cover some of these questions in this blog post. It has been roughly a year since I graduated from the program. SomeContinue reading “Ocean Passage Making: Five days in the open ocean with 5 random friends.”

One of the main things that I believe that we all, as sailors, are grateful for are the services of the United States Coast Guard. The Guard, a branch of our uniformed military services, has a multifaceted role ranging from coastal defense, interdiction with regards to drug trafficking over water, search and rescue, other safetyContinue reading “USCG Boarding of Skiron”

There are numerous safety devices on a sailboat. Redundancy of systems count as an important safety feature on any vessel. For example, there are electronic and manual bilge pumps. Some devices or features are part of the vessel. Others are added to prevent catastrophe while some are in place should they become necessary in theContinue reading “Safety Devices”

Whale watching. Who doesn’t wish to see the large mammals of the sea?! Who wants to be as far away from them as is possible? I used to be a member of the first group and now I’m becoming a member of the latter. I’ve been on a couple of whale watching trips out ofContinue reading “Whale Watching”

Seafarers, since the beginning of time, have used their observations of wind, waves, currents, bird migrations and more to understand how to get from one place to another over the oceans of the world. It is clear that stars and other bright objects in the sky, including the sun and the moon, have been utilizedContinue reading “Celestial Navigation….Club Nautique”

Offshore wind forecasted at 15 to 20 kn with gusts up to 25 kn. The principal swell was from the northwest with heights estimated 6 to 8 feet at a period of 11 seconds. Wind waves were estimated at 3 feet. There was a second swell, more southerly, estimated at 2 to 3 feet. SkiesContinue reading “Sailing in the Ocean 05/03/2020”

The North Pacific Ocean has become a playground of sorts for me. It is not at all “pacified” by whatever forces were in effect when it was named. Occasionally, however, absence of low pressure out to sea and high pressure near the coast will flatten her and lead to a most pleasant motoring cruise. IfContinue reading “North Pacific Ocean”

The tag boat skipper position is the last position you must pass in order to receive your certification in the coastal passage making course in the US Sailing program at Club Nautique. Basically, you must skipper a sailboat, with your very own hand-selected crew to sail along with you, but there will not be anContinue reading “Coastal Passage Making: Tag Boat Skipper…. Club Nautique”

We departed the Moss Landing Harbor and soon were upon the Moss Landing safe water mark. The fog had lifted sufficiently from the surface of the water but it was still overcast. We were en route to the harbor in Santa Cruz. After some time, the fog returned and we no longer had sight ofContinue reading “Coastal Passage Making: Skipper……. Club Nautique”