No Fix

My girlfriend has a 2002 Lexus RX 300, and being a Lexus, it's loaded, right down to its nifty GPS navigator. Like most modern vehicles, this car's GPS is part of a module that also includes the audio (AM, FM, CD player) and climate controls—very convenient ergonomically speaking. This is a high-mileage car—139,000 miles—but it's in great condition. Hey, it's basically a glorified Toyota, and what car has a better reputation for dependability and reliability than Toyota?

Indeed, mechanically this car is bulletproof—it doesn't use a drop of oil and never has had so much as a burp. But one night a week or so ago, the electronics started to act up. First, the radio on/off button wouldn't work. Then I couldn't go forward or back a track on the CD. The on/off button came back on line but the navigator started to lose its way, heading off cross-country even as we slogged up I-95. Ever since that night electronic features keep disappearing and reappearing in some perverse imitation of musical chairs; when we climb into the car we never know what's going to work and what won't, but we've started carry maps, just in case.

Of course, the ever-helpful Lexus dealer is more than able and willing to fix the problem, which means replacing the entire audio/climate/navigation control module for a price that I calculate is about twice what the car is worth.

Among the many lessons I've learned (and relearned) from this experience is that my psyche is forever trapped in the Mechanical Age when things could actually be fixed—screw this gizmo off, screw this new one on, and you're on your way. In the Electronic Age, I am coming to understand, life is not this way. Stuff is no longer designed to be repaired, only replaced. My epiphany regarding this actually occurred last spring when my boat's chartplotter abruptly went dark. I called the manufacturer's toll-free service number, and after a very brief Q and A ("Are you sure it's turned on? Is the power plug in tight? Have you dropped it recently?), I was told to box up its way-out-of-warranty self and ship it off to the service center where they basically replaced everything but the knobs that hold it to its bracket and returned it to me, fully operational. The cost, I am delighted to report, was zero, but only because the company took pity. They were in no way obligated to give me a pass, unless it was by some corporate conscience (an oxymoron if there ever was one).

Boating has finally taught me that this is now the way of the world: Most things are no longer designed to be fixed, just discarded and then replaced. Considering how much stuff on my boat falls into this category, I find myself seriously questioning what I may have really gained with all this new technology. I have a friend who actually knows how to navigate by sextant and has had the same instrument for three decades. Whenever it needs adjustment or repair, he ships it back to England, where they can replace any part. Gives new meaning to the word fix, doesn't it?

Sad Day for Billfish!

The recovery of the billfish stocks along the East Coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico has been impressive over the last decade. What was once an utterly devastated fishery has come been bouncing back, especially swordfish stocks, and recreational anglers and charter skippers have been enjoying it immensely. Yours truly, included. However, what made the rebound such a success was the closure of certain zones to the commercial longline fleet. Sadly, longliners are being allowed back into these zones, under the term "research." See the full story below, but if these zones get opened back up to serious commercial fishing, we're only putting ourselves back into a boat that almost cost us these magnificent fish to start with.

Government Approves Longline Research Fishing in Portion of East Coast Closed Zones

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced on January 3rd its approval of Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP) for two pelagic longline vessels to fish within portions of the east coast closed zones, with an additional third vessel approved as a backup. In 2001 the government closed waters to pelagic longline gear in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to reduce bycatch of juvenile swordfish, sailfish, blue marlin, white marlin and other highly migratory species. White marlin, a severely overfished species, has benefited from the removal of pelagic longline vessels from within those closed zones. The most recent assessment of white marlin population size indicated a slight increase in their abundance, the first positive up-turn for white marlin in decades. TBF's experts are cautiously optimistic that this good news will prevent the government from recommending a listing of white marlin as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), an act that would trigger a wide range of restrictive measures. Curiously, the government has delayed issuing a formal opinion on the possible listing of white marlin, yet they have rushed forward to approve the longline research fishing into the zones providing real protection for the species - yet another indication of the lack of importance recreational fishing has with the current government decision makers.

The government describes its research protocol for the longline research fishing as "scientifically rigorous", a description The Billfish Foundation (TBF) takes exception to. The government's stated purpose of the longline fishing research is:

1. To collect information on the effectiveness of current bycatch reduction measures in closed areas where bycatch rates may be higher than in other areas and

2. To determine the effectiveness of [current] bycatch reduction measures [offset and non-offset circle hooks, bait requirements, bycatch release gear, and careful handling and release workshops] in these closed areas.

In reality the "bycatch reduction measures" in the conservation zones have been the prohibition of longline gear. Clearly the use of such gear will increase bycatch and incidental mortality in these areas. The real reason for the authorization is to allow for the landing of more swordfish in hopes that it will demonstrate to other nations that the U.S. is taking measures to increase its landing of the internationally allocated quota, which is in jeopardy of being reduced and given to other nations. TBF maintains that a better alternative would be for the government to authorize larger U.S. longline vessels to fish competitively and safely in distant waters of the north Atlantic where many other nations fish for swordfish.

Over a 12 month period, the "longline research fishing" will range from a few miles north of Ft. Pierce, Florida (28 degrees north latitude) proceeding north, seaward of the axis of the Gulf Stream, to the northern boundary (31 degrees north latitude) of the east Florida closed zone. In the Charleston Bump closed zone, "longline research fishing" will be allowed north of 31 degrees north latitude and following the 100 fathom contour to the northern and eastern boundaries of the Charleston Bump closed zone. "Longline research fishing" will include 289 longline sets over the year with an equal number within closed zones and outside those zones. Each longline set will use 500 18/0 non-offset circle hooks rigged with whole dead finfish bait and/or squid bait.

The government "conservatively" estimates the catch numbers to be:
- swordfish: 1,083 landed, 973 released alive, 360 discarded dead;
- white marlin: 9 released alive and 13 dead;
- blue marlin: 10 released alive, 14 dead;
- large coastal sharks: 113 landed, 124 released alive, 50 discarded dead;
- pelagic sharks: 21 landed, 81 released alive, 11 discarded dead;
- bluefin tuna: 0 landed;
- leatherback sea turtles: 2 interactions; and
- loggerhead sea turtles: 6 interactions.

It is interesting to note that the government anticipates the death of at least 27 marlin in this longline fishing research—a number that is more than 10% of the total annual landings allowed in the U.S. recreational fishery.

The government's notice is not clear as to whether both a trained federal observer and a federally trained staff person (contract scientist and/or graduate student) will be on board the vessels at all times during the longline research fishing. Most likely, it will be one or the other. The pelagic longline vessels will not be compensated for their "research fishing", as was the case for the multi-year sea turtle bycatch research project completed a few years earlier, the research during which the current "bycatch reduction measures" were identified in the cold waters of the north Atlantic.

TBF is relieved that the pelagic longline vessels are kept out of waters south of Ft. Pierce, but we are very concerned as to potential negative impacts in waters authorized for the longline research fishing. TBF will monitor the interaction rate with each species and the number landed, sold, released alive and discarded dead and report that back to you regularly.

Fine Day For a Boat Test

Those of you who regularly read PMY boat tests are familiar with a caveat that appears all too often regarding test conditions. It goes something like this: "I was unable to evaluate the boat's rough-water handling because conditions on test day were flat calm." It's a shame that we have to say that but we only get these boats for a day or, at the most two, and so we can't choose our weather. But every once in a while the stars align and we get one of those honkin' days that really tests the boat and us. I had one on Friday, January 4, off St. Lucie, Florida. It had been blowing 30 for the last 24 hours, and although the wind had died a bit, the seas were still up—fours and sixes—and it was still squally. I was aboard a 70-foot Davis sportfish, and as we headed out the inlet, I could see the waves breaking and I knew we were in for it. I shot this picture through the enclosure just as we cleared the inlet. To find out how the Davis fared, look for the test in the March issue.

Good Enough to Eat

Forgive me as I wipe the drool from my chin. You're looking at the surf-and-turf dish that made Stephanie Hodges (below) of the 135-foot Atlantica the winner of the Concours de Chefs competition at last month's St. Maarten Charter Show.

The industry-only show is attended by charter brokers and media from around the world, who inspect some of the best yachts available for your vacation pleasure. Since anyone who's ever chartered a luxury yacht typically raves about the food for far longer than he or she stayed aboard, the Concours de Chefs is a way to showcase these creative culinary artists' talents.

Hodges, whose yacht is part of the International Yacht Collection charter fleet, certainly wowed the judges with her dishes. She made sesame seared yellowfin tuna drizzled with wasabi sauce and sweet soy, topped with baby rocket (baby greens, for those of you nongastronomes). She also made shitake mushroom and seared wagyu beef filet on top of roasted asparagus with horseradish creme. Her finale: carrot and zucchini cake with pineapple and walnuts, topped with pineapple cream cheese ice cream.

I think I just gained ten pounds writing this post. Off to the gym...

Have Cats Finally Arrived?

Is it finally happening? Are power catamarans finally becoming accepted in the United States, as they have in the rest of the world (especially in Australia and New Zealand)? It seems that nearly every day some new double-hull design comes across my desk. Some are just dreams looking for a buyer to fund their construction. But more and more of them are actually being built—or in many case actually have been built and launched. Just a week ago, my friend and PMY electronics columnist Ben Ellison announced to me that he'd plunked down a deposit on a Maine Cat P-45. Although I'm no fan of catamarans, as he laid out the brochure I did find this one pleasing to the eye (at least in profile) and intriguing because it has just two cabins. The master lays athwartships to avoid the tunnel-like feel of most catamaran cabins—or at least that's the way it looks on paper. (You can get more information and look at a video of the prototype at www.mecat.com.)

Then a few nights later I received an e-mail from Warren Mosler, who's building a 50-foot power cat at Goldcoast Yachts in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mosler's cat is a wave-piercer, which uses extended hulls to increase waterline and thereby efficiency. Like all cats, power and sail, his has an oversized (17'x 17') main-deck saloon, but unlike the Maine Cat, his master stateroom is aft (to starboard) along with two guest staterooms, all of which "utilize the hulls for hallways." I put this in quotes because even looking at the 3-D accommodations plan (top photo), I can't picture it.

Where in profile the Maine Cat looks fairly conventional, Mosler's boat looks other-worldly (bottom photo), at least to a non-cat guy. Both are, of course, wide: the P-45's beam is 18 feet. Mosler didn't provide that spec in his e-mail but judging from the pictures he sent, I'd guess it's all of that and more. Which leads to the perennial question regarding cats: Where are you gonna park that thing? The answer is, of course, at your own dock as few marinas can accommodate many boats of that breadth and those they can at a considerable premium. A lot of places won't even let you anchor one in the harbor.

So why are people buying these boats, which, by the way, tend to cost more than a monohull of the same length? Lots of reasons are offered up, like the livability of those giant saloons and the huge sun lounges. But at the bottom of it, I suspect, it's all about fuel efficiency. On its Web site, Maine Cat claims the P-45 gets 3 nautical miles per gallon (nmpg) at 10.8 knots and 2.2 nmpg at 18 knots. Mosler claims his boat burns 3 gph at 10 knots for 3.33 nmpg and 11.1 gph at 20 knots for 1.80 nmpg. While that may not seem like a lot compared to your Prius, those nmpg numbers are four to six times those of your typical twin-engine monohull of the same length.

That kind of data is undeniably impressive and is bound to attract a lot of buyers, especially as the price of fuel rises and with it concern over CO emissions. But for me, no thanks. It all comes down to aesthetics. I want my boat to look like a boat, and in my world that means one hull. If I need to save money I'll buy a used boat. If I want to save the planet, I'll resort to other measures, like lightweight construction, a single engine, and going slow. I've yet to see anyone oooh and aaah when a cat comes into a harbor, and until I do, I'll stick with a monohull.