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The Last Navigator Finds His Way Home

Mau Piailug, the Micronesian master navigator, died on July 12 on his home island of Satawal. He was 78. Mau Piailug navigated the open ocean without map or compass, using his knowledge of the stars, winds, currents and sea life, in the manner of his ancestors. In 1974 he was invited by the Polynesian Voyaging Society of Hawaii to assist them in reviving the ancient art and science of Hawaiian way-finding. Mau was asked to navigate the Hokule’a, a traditional Hawaiian double canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti, a voyage that lead to the resurgence of interest and pride in traditional Oceanic culture and abilities.

In 2003, Mr. Piailug was the object of a Coast Guard search when he was two weeks overdue on a short 250-mile jaunt between the islands of Palau and Yap.

He and his crew were located by an Air Force C-130 from an Air Force base in Guam; after enduring strong headwinds from a typhoon, they were tired and thirsty—but they were right on course and just 30 miles from their destination. They finished the voyage under their own power.

“I wasn’t worried. I knew right away that it was the weather,” said Junior Coleman, a Hawaiian who had previously sailed with Mr. Piailug, in an interview with the Honolulu Advertiser. “I told people to remember who is involved here. He’s the Yoda of the Pacific.”

Mau Piailug, Micronesian who sailed by navigating sun and stars, dies at 78

Mau Piailug : Last of the Pacific Navigators Finds his Way Home

Special thanks to C. O’Hanlon for this submission.

Poetry in Motion - C Class Catamarans

The “Little America’s Cup” catamarans are like thoroughbreds - expensive and delicate creatures good for little else besides racing others of their kind. But oh… what a ride! Here’s UK Team Invictus putting the boat through its paces a few days before shipping the yacht to Newport, Rhode Island. Racing begins Aug 22, with coverage by Sailing Anarchy.

Anthenea

This floatable flying saucer rests directly on the water, halfway submerged, and has enough room inside for James Bond to get busy with Major Anya Amasova. The reference to Bond girl Barbara Bach is not random: French naval architect Jean-Michel Ducancelle took his inspiration for the Anthenea from The Spy Who Loved Me. - Gizmodo

Good taste, Jean-Michel! That is also MY favorite Bond movie. The villain is shipping tycoon Karl Stromberg, who wants man to live in harmony with the sea.

Radical idea, Karl… radical.

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New Seaclipper 20

Multihulls make great camp cruisers… in theory. In practice, they are expensive and complex, cumbersome to launch and trailer, and just plain awkward in a monohull oriented environment. Until now. Jim Brown and his long time collaborator, Ron Marples, have at last created the VW microbus of multihulls - the new Seaclipper 20. The boat is simple to build, robust, a snap to rig and launch, safe, comfy and yes… even fast!

A standard used beach cat rig keeps the cost down and the performance up, and finally, a standard 7’ square dome tent converts the boat into a luxurious camp site! I am SO happy to see a new trimaran design that isn’t all carbon fiber and made in China.

Plans available at Searunner.com. Via SmallTrimarans.

Aye, Calypso!

The 100th anniversary of Commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s birth is today. Today is also day 52 of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Thanks to the Horse’s Mouth for the pic.

Calypso, by John Denver

Proavocative Art

There are no more audacious multihull sailors, designers and builders on the planet than the French. The modern, post-war multihull boom may have begun in the U.S., but in 1936, it was Frenchmen Eric de Bisschop and Joseph Tatiboet who first pitched a tent on a secluded, shady spot of Waikiki Beach, to build Kaimiloa. The “mad Frenchmen” sailed safely back to France, via the Cape of Good Hope, and the French have been mad about multihulls ever since.

The French multi-mania includes proas (a particularly virulent strain) and designer Denis Kergomard appears to be particularly stricken. These are some of the best proa designs I have ever seen, and I’ve seen more than a few. Wild and organic, beautiful and dangerous, Kergormard’s vessels invite us into a field of dreams. Nautical art, indeed. See more after the jump, and do be sure to check out his body of work at Alibi Architecture.

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Documenting the History of Modern Multihulls - Before It’s Gone

One of the nicer surprises of 2010 has been the resurgence of multihull pioneer Jim Brown. His classic The Case for the Cruising Trimaran is available once again, and his personal memoirs of modern multihull history and lore are coming soon. The forward to Volume One is pure Jim Brown, and if this is just a taste to wet the appetite, consider mine wetted:

If the ancient outrigger canoe seems to us now an almost Jurassic creature, then today’s multiple-hulled boats must constitute an entire new genus in the phylum of surface watercraft.

Jim has begun a new project at Outrig.org, where he is documenting the beginnings of the modern multihull movement, with which he is intimately associated. He’s begun with the pioneers such as Woody Brown, Arthur Piver and Richard Newick, and new material is being consistently added. IMHO, this is an extremely worthwhile and timely endeavor. The history of the origins of the modern multihull live mostly in the memory cells of those who lived it, and those cells are being rapidly diminished over time. If the true history isn’t recorded now, it never will be, and that really would be a tragedy.

Since World War II, many individuals have invested substantial portions of their lives – some life itself – in creating this sea change in marine architecture. You are invited to read, hear, and see their pioneering stories – and to tell your own true tales of seafaring multihulls—at this Website. A rich, new nautical heritage lives here!

Jim Brown’s enthusiasm for the multihull concept seems undimmed even after 50 years of designing, building and seafaring, and amongst all his many accomplishments, I think that is what I admire most.

Traditional Vaka Heading East

A fleet of four traditional vaka will sail from Auckland on Wednesday April 14th (weather permitting) to French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.

Discovery was the prime motivator when the last vaka fleets crossed the Pacific more than 1000 years ago. This year’s voyage is one of rediscovery; aimed at re-establishing cultural links through traditional voyaging and raising awareness of the key environmental issues threatening the Pacific Ocean. This includes pollution, ocean noise, habitat destruction, overfishing, acidification and de-oxidation and climate change.

Built at the Salthouse yard at Greenhithe, Auckland, the 22m vessels carry up to16 crew and are based on a traditional Tahitian design. Modern boatbuilding techniques are combined with established craftsmanship. The hulls are constructed from E-glass and foam and lashed together with wooden beams and rope. Two of the vaka use a solar power system for an auxiliary propulsion system.

Sails Set For Pacific Endeavour

Bernard Smith, 1910-2010

Bernard Smith passed away on Feb. 12, three months short of his 100th birthday. He invented a radical sailboat called the aerohydrofoil that had neither a “sail” nor a “boat”, and he outlined his design in his 1963 book, “The 40-Knot Sailboat” . I must have checked that book out of my local library about 20 times! Thanks to Paul Dunlop for the news.

The passing of sailing’s true rocket scientist | Mr. Smith’s Amazing Sailboats

End Game

After all the amazing legal bullshit thrown by both sides of this mighty conflict, I gotta say... the America’s Cup has still got it. I’ll be riveted to the SA coverage, and I’ll be rooting for the black trident. Page 1 of 12 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »