June 2019
MEXICO TO THE MARQUESAS: THROUGH THE ITCZ
Salvadoreño Summer Greening your galley
THE CHALLENGE OF HEALTHY CRUISING Cruising the Coast of Scotland: Part 2
WOMEN WHO SAIL AUSTRALIA
PLUS Pearls of Wisdom, photos, and much more! SisterShip 1
COVER: Sea Nymph in Raiatea 2013 (Cheryle Matthew).
Contents Features
Lockers
6
Salvadoreño Summer
3
Page 3 Girls
12
Greening Your Galley: Part 1
4
The Bowsprit: Editorial
23
Mexico to Marquesas: Through the ITCZ
5
Message in a Bottle: Letters
27
Buying and Selling Boats Made Easy
17
Shero: Emily Davidson
32
WWSA Gathering on the Bay 2019
18
Flat Bottomed Girl: Barge Boats
40
The Challenge of Healthy Cruising
45
Barefoot Boating Blunderment
51
Navigation: True to Compass Challenge
49
Environment: Stone-curlews
59
The Coast of Scotland: Photo Essay Part 2
52
Nautical Quiz
55
Please Don’t Do That! Shelly Galligan
58
Pearls of Wisdom: Gelcoat stains
63
Watercolours: Photos
66
Book Club
67
Service Directory
Brogo, NSW 2550, Australia.
©copyright 2018. SisterShip Press Pty. Ltd. Original editorial and advertisements in this magazine are copyright and exclusive property of SisterShip Press Pty. Ltd. Reprinting of any material in whole or part requires the written permission of the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or editors.
www.sistershipmagazine.com
SisterShip Magazine is a participant in the
Published by: SisterShip Press Pty Ltd. ACN 623079587
ABN 46623079587
Editors: Jackie Parry and Shelley Wright Postal Address: 59 Bellemount Lane,
Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide SisterShip Magazine is published online six times a means for sites to earn advertising fees by a year. Contributions are welcome. Please contact advertising and linking to amazon.com. us for contributor guidelines.
Email:
editor@sistershipmagazine.com
SisterShip 2
Page 3 girls! Celebrating real women on the water Send your ‘Page 3’ photos to editor@sistershipmagazine.com
ABOVE: SALLY PETRIE doing a rigging check after arriving in Opua, NEW ZEALAND, from New Caledonia October 2018.
ABOVE: LEANNE PARAS at the helm, taking on the Clarence River, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
BELOW: ALIS WOOD and MELANIE LEIGH ROBERTS were dancing to ‘sisters are doing it for themselves’ while anti-fouling Alis’ boat recently! Tasmania, AUSTRALIA.
Above: SHELLEY WRIGHT at work anti-fouling. Lake Macquarie, NSW, AUSTRALIA. SisterShip 3
Salvadoreño Summer
Jane Chevous
SV Chantey crossing the bar (Photo Credit: Annual El Salvador Rally).
‘Okay guys, we’re over at the bar, bienvenido a El Salvador,’ The calm voice of Bill came over the radio from the pilot boat. ‘Thank you very much. I think Jane enjoyed it!’ Ivan replied, as I ‘woohoo’d’ and danced excitedly, still keeping a hand on the wheel. Bouncing on the shingle in our home sailing ground of England’s east coast is one thing; but surfing in a yacht was a new experience! Next thing we knew, SV Chantey was tied up to the Hotel Bahia del Sol marina dock, and we were met by the smiling faces of Bill and Jean, the annual El Salvador Rally organisers, and the hotel staff bearing a complimentary rum punch. Excited, relieved, and a little dazed, we followed the port captain and immigration officer to their on-site office, for the easiest international check-in. This warm welcome was just a foretaste of our magical summer. We planned to sit out the hurricane season and prepare to head south towards Panama in the late summer. But this little community
captivated our hearts, and we ended up lingering for six months. Why was this one of the highlights of our four years cruising in Central America? Let me share with you some of the magic. A beautiful setting with all you need
The estuary became a comfortable home from home. We anchored out, off Isla Cordoncillo, for the first couple of months, making good use of the marina’s weekly deal to use their dinghy dock and facilities. Other options are Bill’s secure La Palma Moorings, or the quieter Paradise Fishing Lodge four miles upstream. You can find most things locally; laundry, propane, fuel, potable water, repairs. Bill and Jean, and Willy at Paradise Lodge, are a great source of knowledge about any services you might need, from healthcare to boat parts. Skilled artisans are inexpensive; we had a beautiful wooden table made for less than the cost of the materials in the UK. Even provisioning can be fun, when it involves a chicken bus ride to the small SisterShip 6
market town of Zacatecoluca or dinghying up the estuary to Herradura. An active cruisers’ community
Even though the official rally was over, it was hard to focus on boat jobs as there were so many distractions! We gathered at the marina pool for cruisers happy hour, with family friendly activities like racing homemade model boats. Sunday afternoon was open house at Casa Lynn and Lou, another excuse for a pot luck BBQ and pool party. We didn’t take ourselves too seriously. In true British tradition, Chantey’s crew flew the skull and crossbones in the dinghy race to the stilt restaurants. Our prize? A cold beer and delicious fresh fish dinner. I don’t know what the locals must have made of the crazy assortment of jury-rigged sails! Experience island time Have you ever tried a pupusa? These are typical Salvadoreño fare, a bit like a Mexican tortilla, made with corn or rice flour and stuffed with your choice of cheese, beans and
pork or chicharrón (pork rinds). On Saturday nights everyone gathers at Bill and Jean’s house on Isla Cordoncillo for sunset happy hour then meanders along the shore path, past the small chapel and local homes to the little family pupuseria. Children, chickens, and dogs wander around as we enjoy pupusas and curtido (pickled cabbage) – mmmm, so tasty! Sometimes a guitar or violin is brought out to join my accordion for an impromptu jamming session, and my happiness is complete. The island has a special magic, from the sound of Maura’s horn as she walks along early each morning with a basket of fresh bread; to the dug-out canoes favoured by the fisherman as they work the estuary tides. For many it’s subsistence living and the environment here has an immediate impact; drought means carrying barrels of water from the mainland, unusually high tides mean homes can be flooded or washed away. The islanders come together to face these challenges, in a practical solidarity we can all learn from. There’s time to play too; one day we were invited to take my accordion to a birthday party and play while they bashed the piñata. One cruising family decided to linger a while longer and enrol their son in the island school; you can read about their island time on their blog (see info below). Explore El Salvador
Isla Cordoncillo with volcano, viewed from the anchorage.
With the boat in a secure spot, most cruisers take the opportunity to go travelling and there’s lots to choose from. Explore the history of the civil war on the Ruta de la Paz (Route of Peace), visiting the memorial at El Mozote and the museum of the revolution at Perquín. Marvel at the Mayan ruins at Tazumal, and the village buried under volcanic ash at Joya de Cerén. Peer into the crater of one of the twenty-five volcanoes or indigo tie-dye a t-shirt in the charming colonial style town of Suchitoto. And then there’s Olocuilta, famous for its pupusas – did I mention how tasty they are? SisterShip 7
www.sistershiptraining.com HOW TO TIE A SARONG This book will inspire you to experiment with the versatility of sarongs and create sarong styles that work for you. Everyone has a different body shape, personal style and taste. The main idea is to have a relaxed attitude while having fun experimenting with new ways to tie your sarongs. With this illustrated guide, you can learn, play and experiment so you can discover the magic and mystery and wonder a sarong can give to you. How to tie a sarong book: http://geni.us/uDrDk
10% of all profits are donated to the International Red Cross.
SisterShip 10
SisterShip 11
For Sale: Sea Nymph S & S Tartan 37 Sea Nymph is ready for you to go bluewater sailing. Just undo the mooring lines and wave goodbye. 1985 Tartan 37, hull number 451. We bought Sea Nymph in Los Angeles in 2011 and took our time sailing her to Australia via Mexico and the Pacific, arriving in Brisbane 2014. Sea Nymph is fully imported into Australia. A current survey 2017 is available on request, also a rigging inspection was completed 2019, both with glowing reports. If you are interested in looking at her please contact me (Cheryle) on 0418587436. https://www.boatsales.com.au/boats/details/1985-tartan-37/SSE-AD-6082359?utm_campaign=price -alert&utm_source=notification-center&utm_medium=email
A collection of 46 inspiration and practical stories from women on the water
http://geni.us/AkM6M1x
www.sistershippress.com SisterShip 54
Please don’t do that! Shelly Galligan busts medical myths and offers advice for medical emergencies on the water. When I was working in the ER, I was always pushing to have a bright red “hot phone” installed in the department for anyone who was thinking of doing something dicey. You call me and I’ll tell you what I think. More often than not I’d have to say, “Please don’t do that”! In the world of offshore medicine, I am asked questions that bring back thoughts of my old “hot phone” idea. This is where my beloved red phone meets paper. We’re going to bust medical myths, kick a few Old Wives’ Tales to the curb, grab Urban Legend by the ears and maybe learn a thing or two about handling medical emergencies on the water. Today we take on seizures. Watching someone have a seizure is a really scary thing and can leave us feeling powerless to intervene. We’ve all heard, read or seen in the movies when someone is having a seizure, we should stick something in their mouth so they don’t swallow their tongue. PLEASE DON’T DO THAT! It will not help and can potentially cause injury to the teeth and jaw. The brain has zillions of cells called neurons that talk to each other using electrical impulses. A seizure is a burst of excessive electrical activity in the brain that can cause dramatic movements such as shaking, jerking, or lip smacking. Seizures can happen from a disorder called epilepsy. Epilepsy - which simply means that someone is at risk of having recurring seizures - can be an inherited disorder or be caused by conditions
such as brain injury, stroke, brain infection or brain tumor. People are often given medication to keep this type of seizure from recurring. Though their seizures are controlled for the most part, something such an illness, stress, or forgetting to take their medication could bring on a seizure. Non-recurring seizures can be caused by high fever, fainting, alcohol withdrawal, low blood sugar, certain drugs or a psychological condition. Once the problem causing the seizure is treated, it usually doesn’t come back. What can we do? Regardless of the type of seizure or its cause, we have the power to intervene effectively. While we should never hold someone down, or try to “stop” the seizure, there are several things we can do. Our most important job is to protect our “patient” from injury. Move hard or sharp objects like winch handles or glass out of the way. Place padding around the things you can’t move. Use whatever is handy; blankets, rolled up towels, or even fenders. Protect their head from banging on the deck by placing padding underneath or cupping their head gently in your hands. Remove eyeglasses and loosen any tight clothing from around their neck. Speak to them in a calm, soothing voice. Reassure them that you are close by and they are not alone. Swallowing one’s tongue is impossible. That’s not even a real thing. The tongue is firmly SisterShip 55
Isle of Mull.
Caledonian Canal.
SisterShip 62
Watercolours All photos published go into a draw at the end of the year to win SisterShip merchandise! LEFT: Anchored at Kindermar reef in October 2018 Queensland, AUSTRALIA. Taken by NAOMI GREEN
BELOW: A boat coming into Fame Cove to hide from a big storm - they got on mooring with seconds to spare! Port Stephens, AUSTRALIA.
Taken by JUSTINE PORTER
BELOW: Hummock island, Louisiana, PNG. Taken by LYNNE DORNING-SANDS
SisterShip 63
SisterShip 68