FROM THE HELM
STEVE MORRELL,
TrawlerTalk It was just over a year ago that I first talked to Chris Caldwell about trawlers. Chris and his wife Alyse lived on their trawler for many years and instruct others on trawlers—living on them, operating them, maintaining them and other aspects of trawler life. Chris told me that many of their students came from the sailing life, read SOUTHWINDS and wanted to make the move to trawlers. Chris and Alyse teach and give seminars at various trawler rendezvous and shows (like Trawler Fest) around the country. I though it was a good fit and asked Chris if they would be interested in writing a series of articles about trawlers for 12 issues. They agreed, and this month we have their 12th article (page 36) in the magazine on “Clubs to Help You Cruise Around the Calendar.” Chris and Alyse did a great job on the 12 articles and covered many topics over the last year. I learned a lot and thank them for a job well done. We have links up on our website (accessed on our left column menu) to all the articles they wrote. These articles can serve as a great introduction—and resource—for anyone wanting to learn about trawlers, and for future reference. Chris and Alyse will be periodically writing more articles in the future on trawlers. I would like to get feedback on this series and interest in trawlers from our readers. Email me at editor@southwindsmagazine.com. To learn more about Chris, Alyse and the instruction they offer, go to their website at www.captainchrisyachtservices.com.
Cruise to Savannah In this issue, James Newsome writes about his trip to downtown Savannah that took him six hours—from Savannah. That’s because he was at a marina that was a
EDITOR
ways from downtown, and it’s a winding ICW that he takes to get there. I remember when I took my Ericson 38 from Charleston to Florida and we stopped at a marina on the ICW on the edge of Savannah, but wanted to go to downtown Savannah for some beers and food. It cost about $70 by taxi and about an hour’s drive. Seemed strange, but we wanted to see it and I’d never been there. But Savannah is worth it. It’s an old town with lots of history. And Jim’s article is half about history as he makes his way there. It’s filled with interesting facts, both recent and old. If you decide to make the trip, read this article. If you read this article, you might decide to make the trip. Read about Jim’s trip on page 32.
Trailer Sailing Another article in this issue is by Gary Dickinson about trailer sailing. Gary did a boat review of his Macgregor 26x in the March issue (available on our website) and ever since I read it, I thought he had this trailer sailing thing down pretty good. I then asked him to write about it, which we printed in this month’s issue. He seems to have gotten it down to a science, and his article passes on some great ideas. His boat even has a wind vane. How many trailerable sailboats have wind vanes? With fewer people being able to afford a sailboat these days, trailer sailing might be a great alternative. Of course, we all know the costs of a larger boat that needs to be kept at a marina, which costs rent, along with bottom paint, dive services and all the other things that come with it. Some just give up on the idea of owning a boat, but if you can keep your boat on a trailer and take it home, or park it somewhere in a storage area that’s a lot cheaper than a slip, trailer sailing might be the best way to afford a sailboat. Read Gary’s article on page 48.
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October 2013
SOUTHWINDS
305-329-4762 www.southwindsmagazine.com