Multihull Audios | OutRig Media: Recent Episodes
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HURRICANE, Mark Hassall (Full AUDIO) Date happened: 11/71 Length: 43 minutes Narration made while surviving a tropical cyclone at sea in a 37’ trimaran Jim Brown’s REMARKS About this unique OutRig Audio posting … Mark Hassall’s Contact: Deceased During Mark Hassall’s first circumnavigation in the early 1970s (he went around again beginning in the late […]
PLAY IT WHEN I’M DEAD Wishing that I had collected more voice recordings when my subjects were alive, this caper is offered while the subject IS alive, miraculously. My particular friend Bruce Matlack tells of just one of many youthful exploits from back when he was trying to get to Tahiti without his own boat. […]
ANCHORAGE CONVERSATIONS (Part One) This is what happen when two or more old boat nuts find themselves in a secure anchorage with old friends, a lobster in the pot, and “…A little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing.” (Jerome K. Jerome) …………………. Click on the audio bar below to listen […]
A CONSUMMATE CRUISER SPEAKS Here’s a guy who sailed in multihulls as an infant, and now owns DELPHYS, a 34′ Searunner trimaran which has been called, by John Marples (one of her designers), “The most developed Searunner in the world.” And her usage? Well, with her owner/builder crew of Mark Johnson and his wife Mariam, […]
BOATBUILDING — WHICH KIND? After doing several interview capers, we have here the results of some interesting comparisons, resulting from hurricane damage, between good old sheet plywood construction, and “cold molded” or Constant Camber (CC) construction. Design differences between the Searunner 34 and the CC 35 are discussed, as are the challenges of getting good […]
GONE AGAIN While I’m away appraising the hurricane damage to Scrimshaw, I hope you will enjoy the conclusion of my telephone conversation with Lee Bullock, which exemplifies the committed lifestyle of those many individuals who invested substantial portions of their lives to creating the modern multihull. Then, please offer your critique of my seemingly fanciful […]
CLOSE FRIENDS, CLOSE CALLS Jo Hudson speaks of “thrilling” incidents recalled, in 2004, from his first seafaring voyage (in the mid-1960s) in his owner-built 30′ Piver Nimble trimaran, from California to Australia. These Capers are the only examples of Jo’s recorded voice telling his own stories. He is very matter-of-fact, not so effusive as I […]
THE SECOND FIRST ENCOUNTER Responding to Jo Hudson’s passing, I feel obliged to share with you something of our 55-year, 9-multihull connection. This Caper tells of how we first men (for the second time), and continues with a glimpse of the “can-do” commitment and enthusiasm that typified the early California trimaran happening. Eventually, I will […]
A BLAST FROM THE PAST, AND PRESENT This recorded telephone conversation reveals more of the boundless enthusiast, willingness to risk, and lifestyle commitment that typified the advent of the early modern multihull. It also contains, at the end, a sad announcement. Be sure to check out the pictures that Lee Bullock (the fellow Jim is […]
HOW TO SAVE YOUR BOAT IN A HURRICANE IN THE CROSSHAIRS… “There’s a hurricane coming! What do I do with my boat?” There are several answers to that question, including “Maybe nothing.” But that’s only if you’re out at sea. The more common calamity happens when your boat is in a crowded harbor or marina, […]
MEMORIAL AND MAINE Jim discusses his most recent capers in both Michigan and Maine. First, he talks about the memorial service he attended on behalf of his old friend Meade Gougeon, immediately followed by travel to the rugged, northeast coast of America. Here once again, we link to… Jim’s Woodenboat article about Meade (link): http://outrigmedia.com/outrig/multihulls-media/other-multihull-stuff/counterrevolutionary-craftsman-catching-up-with-meade-gougeon/ […]
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT “THE KING OF GLUE” This Caper is a small collection of remarks made to me about how Meade Gougeon, and the whole WEST System phenomenon, has influenced their lives. It reveals a lot about how “appropriate technology” can make a difference in unexpected ways. Here once again, we link to… […]
MEADE GOUGEON HAS SAILED AWAY This issue is a collection of my own personal recollections of a long friendship with Meade, founder of WEST System epoxy products. We are also posting a link on the show notes page for this podcast episode at OutRigMedia to the full manuscript of an article I wrote for WoodenBoat […]
Pedalcat After all the techy, deep sea stuff we’ve offered lately, here’s something for even an old duffer (like me) or a new angler (like me), or a futuristic sailor / winger / foiler / pedaler … to think about. With all the new technologies coming to the fore these days, it seems obvious that […]
CAPSIZE RECOVERY People have been contending with multihull capsize for millennia. It now appears that modern design and materials make it possible to almost eliminate the propensity for multihulls to be “more stable when upside down than right side up.” The difference is in buoyant “wing” masts and/or masthead floats, all strong enough to withstand […]
WINGS WITH FOILS Here’s yet more about the Hybrid Wing, its history, and that of other fully-rotating but unstayed, “free standing” rigs. The problem with unstayed rigs in multihulls, and the problem with foiling, are both discussed. How to resolve these shortcomings is suggested, leaving some questions unanswered. In the next session, I promise to […]
WING SAILING (Part 2) Here is the conclusion, for now, of my infatuation with the Hybrid Wing. There is a lot more to learn about this thing, but I have now had the opportunity to actually sail in a Wing-equipped catamaran, and I hope my description explains why I’ll never get over this thing. I […]
WING SAILING Now I’ve actually been there, folks. Under a 62′ Hybrid Wing rig, on a 40′ “beach cat” racing catamaran, with Randy Smyth and Tommy Gonzales with Scott Brown taking pictures. It’s a transcendent experience for an old shellback to sail effortlessly at speeds in the high twenties, and without hydrofoils yet. I’ll tell […]
THE CHUCUNAQUE I’m digging pretty deep here to bring you the kind of story that one withholds until old age. When one looks back and tries to figure “How I Got This Way.” It’s those early exposures to certain feelings, special friends and meaningful mentors, or, in this case, a village in the palms filled […]
RACE TO ALASKA START Explains some of the challenges faced by competitors in this endurance test from Port Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska in which my son Russell is currently competing. Using his participation as a legitimate excuse, I tempt several of my seasoned traveler friends to join me at Victoria, BC to form a […]
41: Legendary Sailors & Their Stories (Part 1) This nautical lore podcast speaks of legendary sailors and the books (and in some cases, other media) featuring them. Jim also talks briefly about this year’s “Race to Alaska” event, in which Jim’s son Russell Brown will compete. There are some great yarns all throughout this episode. […]
BLIND SAILOR? (Part 2) In this portion of our telephone ramble, John Patterson and I speak of the safety of small boats at sea, dragging drogues, sailor’s burn out, avoiding collision, contending with disability and more. …………………. Click on the audio bar below to listen to this podcast episode, or right click here (to download) […]
BLIND SAILOR? (Far from it) Speaking by cell phone from the Island of Culebra, John Patterson tells of his life-long quest of seafaring, but he begins by designing and building his own boats. Starting with childhood experiences on the water, John shares many nuggets of wisdom and attitude that have allowed him to accumulate the […]
THE 300-NUT CANOE (And Other Considerations) This Caper takes us to a salvaged 57-foot catamaran, upside down and abandoned in the Caribbean last November, but recently discovered adrift off North Carolina, still habitable and salvageable. This is then compared to a small aluminum skiff drifting for months with crew aboard who are “returned “from the […]
SMALL BOAT FUN IN CEDAR KEY In this capercast Jim shares about his trip to the yearly small boat gathering in Cedar Key, Florida. He tells a couple great stories, along with some details about interesting developments in the boating marketplace. He begins, however, with a fascinating report about a sailor who has (supposedly) crossed […]
FAST FORWARD INTERVIEW This is a “field” interview with the principals of Fast Forward Composites, in Bristol RI. These are the guys who are researching and building the Hybrid Wing and the latest “Italic T” hydrofoils, all coming together now in a 40′ prototype catamaran, and bringing them together in a 53′ catamaran yacht. I […]
SPACE-AGE BOATBUILDING This caper features Jim sharing about his trip to New England this week, where he got a glimpse of the most cutting-edge boatbuilding technology on display from his hosts. It’s a far cry from backyard boatbuilding, and Jim offers many details on how what is going on at the building shop he visited […]
RANDY’S BREAKFAST This Caper is based on a conversation with Randy Smyth recorded aboard Scrimshaw. On the day after Randy finished first in the Everglades Challenge Race, March 2017, we spoke over piles of pancakes, formulated by Bruce Matlack to include berries, nuts and seeds to sustain the endurance sailor, and served by Carla Laney […]
COCKPIT CONVERSATIONS (Part 1) An example of the conversations overheard from the cockpits and main saloons of modern seafaring vessels owned and operated by experienced mariners. These are personal opinions, gathered candidly, on such issues as the motivation, background, current challenges and future plans of true mariners — male and female — who are well […]
CHIEF CHALLENGE AND HIS TRIBE The first of the field interviews has Steve “Chief” Isaac, progenitor of the Everglades Challenge race, describing how a perceptive teacher and a compelling book eventually resulted in his sending hundreds of endurance racers out into Florida Bay and The Everglades to test their boats and themselves in true survival […]
STRANDED ON A WHAT?! (Part Two) How did he get there? What happened while he was there? How long was he there? How did he get back? This Caper tells the survival story of Captain Guy Asbury, perhaps the only mariner to spend days and nights precariously perched on a dead whale. He was surrounded […]
STRANDED ON A WHAT?! Cruising for the first time without our two sons as crew, Jo Anna and I head north from Virginia to Nova Scotia. After dealing with fog for four days, we discover a netherworld of outlandish people and animals all living in a shack and a castle, where it seems a spell […]
News on New Wing Rig from Randy Smyth In this special edition capercast, Jim Brown shares news about the development of a new type of Wing Rig developed by Olympian sailor Randy Smyth. Jim learned about this firsthand from Randy after Randy won the Class 5 category of the 2017 Everglades Challenge Race in Florida. […]
WOLFGANG KRAKER von SCHWARTZENFELD – A Little-Known Multihull Pioneer While early childhood influences may direct our lives, there is also the adult mentor, the chance exposure to that certain individual who may well direct the course of our maturing passages. This story tells of how I first became exposed to a catamaran, where I first […]