Proudly Representing the Sloop Tavern YC

      Once again we enjoyed viewing our name on your Top 25 list, however, I would like to note a correction concerning our yacht club affiliation. We are not members of Hood River Yacht Club. Three Ring Circus proudly represents the Sloop Tavern Yacht Club and we wish to be noted as such. Keep up the good work as we all applaud your efforts!

Thanks
Nate Creitz
Three Ring Circus, Olson 25 #7

      Yes Nate, we should have noticed you guys proudly holding your banner high.

The Case of the Disappearing Buoys

      We all go sailing and cruising and at the end of the day, at cocktail hour, we drop anchor, go onto a dock, or pick up a mooring buoy. Have you ever lost a mooring buoy? Hey, I have lost three, so you obviously are not trying hard enough.
      Each year, four or five boats go north in our small flotilla. In 2006 we all cruised to the Broughton Islands group, and while anchoring in Mamalacula Bay on Village Island, I spotted a mooring buoy. The book said there were three, but only saw one remaining. So, I tied to it, only to find I was drifting towards some rocks. Was there a chain on it? When I cast off from the buoy, it promply sank out of sight.
      Cruise year 2007 as we headed north again to Canadian waters, I went into Snoring Bay on Sucia Island (it will always remind me of my girlfriend). There are/were two buoys in Snoring Bay. There was a powerboat on one, so I picked up the second one. While making a sandwich down below, I heard anxious calls. “Mariposa!” Going on deck I found I was drifting towards some rocks, still tied to the buoy.
      On returning south from the Broughtons and Desolation Sound, I picked up a buoy at Fort Warden State Park, when the thing promptly flipped over, revealing an acre or more of weeds. I went into Point Hudson Marina and tied to a solid dock. The docks, do not disappear do they?

Colin J. Banks
Anacortes, WA

      Thanks for the letter. Think I’ll be keeping an eye out to see if “Mariposa” is on an adjacent buoy. There was only one buoy in Snoring Cove last summer, we anchored where the other one used to be. Not a good place to drag.
      Good chance to remind folks to make sure, when tying up to a buoy, that you know it’s an “official” park buoy. Sometimes people assume they can pick up any buoy in a bay, and oft times they are private buoys. For one thing, they belong to somebody, and for another, you don’t know what’s down there – Could be an engine block, could be a coffee can full of cement.

History of the Groote Beer

      You had an article on a Dutch botter called Groote Beer a few years ago that was built for a prominent Nazi though I can’t remember whether it was Himler or another. Is it still in your archives and do you know what happened to her?
Thanks – Hugh

Hugh Watkinson

      After quite a history, she is now sailing back in Holland. There are quite a few stories of her on the internet but one of the better is by our friend Jack van Ommen. Jack’s father supplied spars for the boat and this connection led Jack to look into the history. The boat being owned by a high ranking Nazi, namely Hermann Goering, seems to be a myth, a story to enhance the boat’s worth by one of her owners.
      Go to Jack’s website: www.cometosea.us/ and look at the English version of his “Groote Beer” story. Very interesting.

Repowering a Bayliner Explorer

      Hi, I have been enjoying 48° North for many years and I hope that you could help us: we own a 22’ 1980 Bayliner Explorer express cruiser with a Volvo inboard/outboard. A while ago we passed a sistership going into Genoa Bay, it had been repowered with a large outboard. I have been looking for that vessel ever since to ask them how the boat performs with the outboard. Perhaps the owners will see this request and contact me either at or 250-655-3493 in ?Sidney, BC.
Thank you,
Rick Welgan,
MV Fiddlefish

      We’ve always known that enlightened powerboaters read the mag as there’s so much information that “knows no bounds,” as they say, about places, events and more, that pertain to everyone plying our NW (SW in BC) waters. Unfortunately, you’ve stumped the band here in the office but hopefully the person you’re trying to contact, or some other well-read powerboater, like yourself, will get you the info.

Re: Letter Bashing West Marine

      This is a two part email regarding the West Marine bash in the last issue. I have been sailing the Northwest for almost 50 years in everything from a rental rowboat to crewing on the hottest racers in Puget Sound. When West Marine opened its Anacortes store it meant a savings of literally thousands of miles driving down to Seattle for “stuff” ( you know, the marine version of George Carlin’s “stuff”). The store has simply helped me keep my aging Catalina happy for many years, despite the fact that I still live in Spokane. So! Here is my response to the acidic letter from Mz. Davis… and by the way, I am not a West Marine employee, never have been - don’t want to work that hard anymore.
      Last week I straggled into a West Marine store just before closing. I had gone down to my boat and found the bilge pump switch has failed. I raced up to the store and pulled another one off the shelf and explained my problem to the staff person. Without a question he told me to bring the old one in and they would immediately refund my money. Since my boat is in Anacortes and I live in Spokane, Bill said, “ No problem, just return the broken one there,” which I did. Dave, the manager took the failed part, refunded my money and commiserated on the difficulties of maintaining sailboats when you live 300 miles away.
      Now this is customer service. Warm, friendly and understanding staff. I am sad that Mz. Davis was incapable of understanding a policy that many retail businesses have had to employ. I spent most of my professional years in a gray suit with a power tie, and most of the time now I wander into West Marine in my grubby, boat work clothes, looking like I could be standing next to the freeway on ramp with a “will work for food sign.” If the salesperson doesn’t recognize or know me, I accept the fact that I don’t look like a megayacht buyer - but they unfailingly are polite, helpful, and great to work with. I seriously doubt that West Marine will miss her patronage.

G. Hawkins
Whitehawk
Anacortes. WA

      Sailors tend to think of the chandleries as another friendly, relaxed group that’s part of the sailing community, and, for the most part, they are. They are also a business, however, and need to keep an eye on things, especially in the big city. The West Marine manager was just as shocked by her/their reaction as she was by his. One of those things that spiral downward. Hopefully this misunderstanding has blown over and they’ve made their peace.

You Should Know Better

      Michael Nagy’s lack of references and names to support his stance on the DDT controversy is self-evident and self-serving. There IS undisputable scientific evidence showing that DDT was the causal agent in the near collapse of several wild bird populations when DDT was being used. Here is just one:
http://members.aol.com/egladvocat/patu_ddt.html
      The most telling proof is that bird populations have bounced back since DDT was banned, this despite continuing loss of habitat and other negative environmental impacts.
      And this absurd statement should not have been repeated without some research: “The chemist who invented DDT is in his middle 70’s, has been drinking DDT straight for years to prove it isn’t that harmful. Apparently it didn’t affect his eggs at all.”
      DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was first synthesized in 1874 by German chemist Othmar Zeidler. He would be 134 years old this year. (see -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Othmar_Zeidler).
      If you want to find studies that are pro-DDT you can. Don’t forget to look for the funding source. Most of the pro-DDT advocacy is built on the statement: “No study in the scientific literature has shown DDT to be the cause of any human health problem.” Should we then use anything for any purpose that enhances human life at the expense of knowingly destroying other species? Apparently this is totally acceptable to too many people these days.
      Nature is about balance. Humans have the option to destroy that balance by behaving stupidly. Humans also have the option to be sane enough to come up with an alternative to DDT that can control the Anopheles mosquito AND be safe for wildlife.
      It’s when we only think about the “safe for humans” prerequisite that we get into trouble. Our methods must be “safe for life” in order to be “safe for humans.” Humans are only the small picture - life is the big picture, and will survive with or without us.

Marlin Greene
One Earth Press

      I would believe that most of our readers, as do I, agree with you. We try as much as possible to give people their say and let readers read a statement like, “The chemist who invented DDT is in his middle 70’s, has been drinking DDT straight for years to prove it isn’t that harmful…” and draw their own conclusions as to this argument.
      As you say, there are plenty of arguments on both sides available to all via the www.

Tasmania: 48° N at 42°50’ S

      We had gotten up the morning of December 28th, and watched Wild Oats XI take line honors for the third year in a row in the 2007 Sydney-Hobart Race. As well over 5,000 people crammed the docks, it was so cool to see actual spectators at the finish of a sailing event as well as the constant national TV coverage and the three news helicopters at the finish. It was a few more hours before the American entry, Rosebud, the 2007 overall winner, would be heading up the Derwent River towards the finish. So, we decided to go up to the top of Mt. Wellington and catch up on our reading.

Top of Mt. Wellington
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
PJ, Brad, Austin and Bryce Baker

      Looks like a couple young Tasmanian Devils to me.

BC Annexed by Washington State?

      I was taken completely by surprise when I looked over the Table of Contents ( page 4 ) of January 2008, copy of 48° North. It appears British Columbia must have been annexed by Washington State. “Magical Princess Louisa Marine State Park.” This would have been a good one for the April 1st issue. Thanks for a great magazine.

Jim Mair
SV Foxy
Tsehum Harbour, Sidney B.C.

      They haven’t released the news in BC yet. Actually, I wish it were true so we could get rid of all this border stuff – I-68, Nexus, or whatever, to cross each other’s borders. But, we concede that the park is still Princess Louisa Marine Park — ? for now.