Sharks Sink Sailboat: a new sailing fear unlocked

Ahoy! It’s been a very wacky, mostly legal week in Water World, so we’ve got some juicy stories with a dash of history for you. Welcome to the weekly roundup.

In today’s letter:

• Cookie Monsters: Sharks sink sailboat.

• Race Updates: SailGP season 4 this weekend.

• BC/BG, Before Garmin: First millennium navigation.

• Sailing Snippets: Clip of the Week, Florida Man, Vermont Man, Low Speed Sailboat Chase, Electric Outboard Boogaloo, Van Gogh Boat, and a very Salty Dog.

Cookie Monsters

Move over, Orcas, there’s a new menace in town. Three men sailing from Vanuatu to Australia had their vessel Russian Ocean Way-Tion attacked and sunk by…Cookie Cutter Sharks. The sailors were aboard an inflatable trimaran about 500 miles off the Australian coast when the attacks began, and were luckily rescued, unharmed, by a nearby vehicle carrier. While they sound cute, Cookie Cutter Sharks are small mean looking creatures that feed by suctioning onto prey and ripping out chunks of flesh, leaving cookie bite shaped marks behind. No one knows why they attacked the boat, but attacks on humans are almost non existent. But if you want a new ocean fear unlocked, go ahead and look up a picture of them.

Now, why were three sailors 500 miles off the Australian coast in an inflatable trimaran? They were participating in a project to emulate the routes of historical Russian explorers, and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica by Russian sailors. They set out on July 1, 2021 with the goal being the first to circumnavigate on a collapsible inflatable frame trimaran, with an estimated completion by June 2024. The start and end point was St. Petersburg, Russia.

Here is the official expedition page, that goes into detail on the original 1800’s expeditions and their goals (interesting takeaway: the fur trade), as well as a route thread and educational goals of the current route. The site is in Russian, so view it on a desktop to have your browser translate it, but that is where you’ll find all the good details other news outlets left out. Most interesting though, is a diagram of the trimaran, which appears to use a hand tiller steering system. Although they didn’t make it that far, these guys were going to hand steer around Cape Horn, sleeping in a cabin that makes Water World look like the Hilton.

Here is an article covering the rescue more in depth, which includes photos and videos of that night.

Ancient Navigation

A few thousand years before we all had the luxury of Garmin, sailors used song mixed with spoken poem to memorize navigational routes. These are called Ruttiers, and are the oldest known form of navigational aid. Each Ruttier would contain routes, tides, stars, and even the temperature and saltiness of a sea.

Beginning this week at the North Sea Observatory at Chapel Point in Lincolnshire, resident artist Harriet Plewis will host a series of workshops called A Song for the Seas, teaching the ancient art of the Ruttier.

The workshop will conclude at the end of October, with a final Lincolnshire Ruttier performed at sunset.

Speaking of sailing songs…

*What do you do with a drunken sailor…*

Sailing Snippets

Clip of the Week: Nikolas Plytas wake surfs behind a foiling AC-70, and it is wild. This clip shows his perspective as the boat takes off and hits breakneck speed, here.

Florida Man: Tries to cross the Atlantic on a self-made self-powered Hamster wheel looking thing. The Coast Guard stopped him about 70 miles off the Georgia coast, where he said he was headed to London. After a 3 day standoff with the Coast Guard, he was arrested. Here’s that story.

Vermont Man: Robbery suspect flees using a car, tractor, kayak, bicycle, paddleboard, and a sailboat. The Coast Guard intercepted him on Lake Champlain, but he evaded them by running aground, and escaping again. Seems like he has a penchant for low speed escape vehicles. Story here.

Electric Outboard Boogaloo: New electric dinghy outboard incorporates the battery into a rudder for extra control and a sleek look. Check out a review of the design here.

Van Gogh Boat: One of the world’s largest aluminum sailing catamarans just launched, and it’s… an art gallery? 46.6 meter Art Explorer will debut September 30th at the Monaco Yacht Show, and will spend the next two years using it’s massive deck space for art exhibitions. That story is here.

Salty Dog: This good boy had to switch careers from being a racer to a full time cruiser after suffering a leg injury. He now lives aboard his boat, where he enjoys long runs on the beach, and deck baths after playing in the ocean. The Greyhound’s story here. 

That’s all for today, stay safe out there you Salty Dogs, and we’ll Ketch you next week.