Economist, Robert Frank, from Cornell, recently published a book about the role of luck in achieving success suggesting that those who do well owe a larger amount of their success to luck than they might think or be willing to admit.  An article about his book was published on Bloomberg.com yesterday.  Successful?Was it luck you or are you just smarter than everyone else?  It’s short and you might find it interesting.  Click here…

Personally, I have wondered many times how important luck is to how things turned out for me as I stumbled my way along over the years.  What might have happened if I had been born into another family or continued to hang out with that bad guy who lived next door when I was in my early teens.  No, don’t ask me about that.  I won’t tell anyway as it was a long time ago.

A retired friend of mine does loads of traveling and I once asked him how he managed to retire young and do so well in spite of a relatively modest background.  His answer was “I chose my parents wisely”.  Ok, got it, luck again… Perhaps Frank is on to something…

“Bob, what in the #$*& are you talking about?”

Ok, to the point…  When Brenda and I were visiting Sag Harbor the other day aboard Pandora,  we visited briefly with friends who were there aboard their Nonsuch 30 cat rigged sailboat.   Before going ashore that morning Brenda and I took our dink over to say Hi and saw that there was a launch (when dinks grow up they are called launches) alongside with two guys aboard.  It turned out that they were the captain and engineer aboard a 130′ motor yacht.

Brenda and I enjoyed talking to them and after a while I mentioned, in my always shy and retiring way, that I’d love to crew for them, unpaid of course, if they needed an extra set of hands when making a passage.

The captain, amazingly said, and I paraphrase here but you’ll get the gist of it,  “How about making the run with us to Florida next week?”   “Well, sure”, I said, after making a quick glance toward Brenda to see if I was going to get in trouble.  (I wasn’t.  Whew!)   So, that’s it.  I rendezvous with them next Wednesday and head out for Ft Lauderdale.

The captain’s name is Mark.  I’ll call him Captain Mark.  (It would have been fun if his name was Ron, wouldn’t it?)   You know, the cult classic Captain Ron?  In keeping with my love of random stuff in blog posts, here’s the trailer for that flick.Anyway, I asked Captain Mark what I should bring and he said simply, “a foul weather jacket and a good appetite”.   He added that they have an awesome chef on board.  Count me in!  I can do dishes!

Based on what I’ve learned so far I expect that the run won’t be even a little bit like a trip with the “real” Captain Ron.  However, we are timing our departure to dodge Hurricane Hermaine who’s headed up the coast over the weekend. Happily, Captain Mark uses a weather router so details to come.

The boat was built in 2003 and she’s a beauty, all 130′ of her.  As she’s private and not in charter, there isn’t much on the Web about her.   I did find this photo though.  Nice ride.   Notice that there isn’t a name on the boat as it’s a top secret and if I tell you I’d have to kill you.  Besides, I am way to busy to take the time to track down and kill all four of you that read my blog. It will be interesting to see how voyaging aboard a yacht of this scale compares to Pandora.  Yes, the food will likely be better.  And, I am pretty confident that it will not be at all like spending time aboard with anyone wearing an eye patch.

As they often say, right place, right time.  Lucky break for me.  Indeed.   I get to go on a boat ride and yes Captain Mark, put me to work and no, I won’t forget to my appetite.  I promise.

Like you, I am wondering how their biscuits compare to Pandora’s?

Details to come.

 

 

It’s Saturday morning and we are on a mooring here in Sag Harbor, “the” harbor in The Hamptons, where the big money plays and play they do.

Sag Harbor has been off limits to us or many years as the harbor has the distinction of being the most expensive place on the east coast to get a mooring, even more expensive than Nantucket.  The moorings here are $2/ft per day.  So, for Pandora’s 47’, that would be close to $100 per night and we’d still have to make your way ashore in a rubber dink.  Horrifying.

However all is not lost.  Essex Yacht Club maintains two moorings here in the harbor so we can camp out here for a few days and we don’t have to pay anything for the privilege of being here.   Well, we don’t have to pay till we go ashore at least as nothing is free in this town.

However, I think it’s safe to assume that we are about the ONLY ones not paying, and I am sure that they are plenty happy to pay big for the privilege of “being seen” among the “glitterati”, the “who’s who” of New York Society and entertainment.

The local “rag” Dan’s Papers, lists benefit events being held and there are literally dozens each month, offering many opportunities for the 1% set to show that while they don’t pay taxes, they are willing and able to support any number of causes and happy to be seen doing it.  I’ll bet that this area is the ONLY one in the U.S. where there is a local paper that actually lists the top billionaires that keep a home here, include their picture, the name of their “current” wife, note what they paid for their home and how much they are worth.

Want to know who’s the “fairest” of them all?  Well, it’s Mayor Bloomberg at a cool, make that a very cool, $48.3 billion and his home here is a 22,000 sq/ft on 35 acres.  You should feel sorry for Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, as he’s only worth a paltry $1.1 billion.  Poor Lloyd.

Anyway, no shortage of folks with plenty of green to spend and spend it they do. Poor little Pandora among the big kids.  And, some of the “kids” look pretty grown up to me.

How about this one?  She carries her own Mini, complete with the name of the yacht, Indiscretion on the side.  I’ll bet that it’s safe to say that their dink has more HP than the Mini.  “Honey?” “Yes, Buffy, what is it?”  “Oh, I think that our Mini looks just adorable aboard Indiscretion but I just don’t feel comfortable as it was your ex that chose the color”.  “That’s nice honey but can we talk about it when I’m finished reading Baron’s?”

And the “dinks” on some of these “megas” are quite impressive. If Darth Vader wanted one I’ll bet that he’d pick this.How about this lovely? She’s well into the “mega” range and yet has the lines of a small sport boat.  Note the crew on the bow.  They look totally teeny tiny up there.  I’ll bet her “carbon footprint” could squash a billionaire like a gnat. However, all the yachts here aren’t “mega”.  How about the latest in a line of beauties owned by Billy Joel, Argos.  I recognized the guy who takes care of Billy’s boats from an article I saw a few years ago in Soundings, a boating newspaper.  Billy has very nice taste in boats. From any angle.
Scout, which I have seen in Newport, is a beauty.   Yes, I’d enjoy a G&T aboard her.And, if you can’t afford MEGA you can always put mega HP on your micro yacht.  This one has 1,400hp.  I’ll bet that she can outrun all but the fastest 1%.In the parking lot near the marina there are some very nice cars that fit just fine in the neighborhood.  Love these two, the Aston Martin and the beachy thing.  Note the mega hydrangea behind them.  It seems that flowers love the climate here too. The florist in town was getting ready for the weekend.  All of these phalaenopsis orchids were in a room that said “all the flowers in this room are sold”.  White sells well here.Not to worry, there were plenty still ready for you to take home.  The staff had to work out on the front lawn to arrange all the flowers that had been ordered.  There were many dozens of red rose arrangements being prepared for just one Friday night party.

I don’t know anywhere else that celebrates white like the Hamptons.  We saw a number of stores that only had white.  It’s tough to be a “mega consumer” so one less decision about color is a big time-saver.   While it wasn’t white, a very nice mega planter in downtown Sag Harbor.  I wonder what the statue guy thinks of what Sag has become?   I’ll bet that he wishes he had held onto the property he owned longer so he could afford something mega himself.  Nice view down main street for him though.  And speaking of flowers, which I sort of was, we rented a car and drove around and visited some wineries.  Along the way we spied this amazing field of sunflowers.  I nearly rear-ended someone who had stopped to take a photo too. No, we hadn’t had too many tastings, not yet anyway.   I’ll admit that we visited our first winery before noon.  But, it was only a very little taste.  Ok, it was just a little tastes of five different lovely whites.  Just five or was it ten sips? Whatever… Besides, we had to be absolutely certain that we liked it.

It was also good to confirm that the wines were made in a very clean winery.  Love the stainless. No dirty wooden barrels in sight.   What a relief.  We only drink hygienically made wine, of course.

“Look Brenda, I’ll bet these are wine grapes!”We drove along the south fork, up the north fork,  took two ferries across Shelter Island and back to Sag Harbor. Let me tell you, it’s the most expensive per mile of any ferry that you will ever take.  Each ride takes less than ten minutes, including docking.  Total, one way,  $30

Impressive?  Don’t forget “if you have to ask what it costs, you can’t afford it”.  Well, I can for one day.  After that, not so sure.   We stopped for yet another glass of wine at this lovely hotel on Shelter.  What a spot.  Can’t recall the name but where else can you have two glasses of wine on a lovely afternoon and spend $40, with tip of course?  However, if you are willing to have sparking water, it’s only $10++.  Such a deal.

Yes, Sag Harbor is a very nice spot indeed and it’s fun to be here hanging out with the big kids even if we only sort of fit in because EYC maintains a mooring here.   Well, I expect that there are plenty of others that only look like they fit in.

Tonight, dinner at the American Hotel.  In the garden room…of course. After that, well, we’ll be out of money and have to head home.   Yes, this is indeed the playground of the “big kids” and I while I have more in common with the “little people” I do have a boat.  Besides, my mom has always told me that I’m big and not even a little bit grey.

Thanks mom…

Those that know me would probably agree that there is no job that I would be more ill suited for than that of a lighthouse keeper.  By definition, lighthouses are located in remote, hard to get to areas and while most have been automated, some still require the constant attention of someone who lives on site to be sure that everything is in working order.  And, any mariner would agree that it’s a really good thing when lighthouses are working as they are supposed to.

To that point, the Bahamas are famous or lights on charts that haven’t worked, often for decades.  Not so, it seems, in Uruguay.

I subscribe to a daily (I think I get it daily) e-mail newsletter from Soundings, a terrific boating publication that I worked for as a sales rep for short time years ago.  However, that was a long time ago and is a story for another time perhaps.

Anyway, this newsletter titled “Soundings Dispatches” is free and is worth signing up for.  Of course, some of the videos that they feature, and they send a lot out in the course of a year.  Yes, some are pretty lame but once in a while a real gem shows up in my inbox and today was one of those days.   To be fair, it’s probably not too easy to come up with really good daily videos.  Trust me on that as it sometimes takes me hours to wade through many clips to find something worth sharing.

So, back to my story…  The joke in our family, well at least I think it’s pretty funny, is that “dad doesn’t EVER want to be alone, except perhaps when he’s going in the bathroom, and that assumes that it’s a quick trip”.  Ok, ok, perhaps it’s my joke but it’s pretty much true.

So, today’s piece from Soundings, and it’s only a bit longer than 3 minutes, is a real gem.   The editor of the newsletter describes the short documentary…

“To the south of Brazil is Uruguay, a relatively small country on South America’s eastern coast that experiences heavy ship traffic along its 410-mile shoreline.

Twenty-three active lighthouses protect ships along Uruguay’s ocean borders, all built between the late 1800s and the early 1900s. They are owned and operated by Uruguay’s navy, the Armada Nacional.

Cabo Polonio Faro (faro is the Spanish word for lighthouse) was built in 1881 on a remote peninsula on Uruguay’s eastern shore. Leonardo da Costa is one of two keepers who alternate two-week-long shifts manning the lighthouse.

Like any lighthouse, Cabo Polonio Faro requires daily maintenance. When Costa is on duty he is solely responsible for repairs and for operating the lighthouse manually if it loses power.

Costa’s neighbors are few. Seal colonies live on nearby islands, and the remote village of Cabo Polonio, about a half-mile away to the west, is home to fewer than 100 people. Solar panels and wind turbines power their homes, and they lack running water.

Cabo Polonio can only be reached by walking or by using four-wheel-drive trucks to cross dunes of sand to the road nearest the village; no public roads reach the lighthouse or the village. Life on the secluded cape is quiet and solitary.”

There isn’t a single word spoken in the documentary which I suppose is the point, actually.For sure, I just can’t imagine a job that I would be more ill-suited for. However, I thought that the piece was just mesmerizing and hope that you agree.

The group that produced this video has a number of other short documentaries on YouTube including this charming piece about bikes in Cuba.   It’s in Spanish but it has subtitles.

We visited Cuba for two months aboard Pandora last winter I am compelled to share this one too.  It provides a very good feel for the resourcefulness of the Cuban people and the story would be pretty much the same with regards to cars as well as bikes.  Make do with what you have.  That’s the rule in Cuba.   Amazon Prime?  Not likely. So, there you have it, two really nice short pieces that made my day.  I hope you enjoyed them too.

I guess that it’s time to move along with my day and get something done or Brenda will ship me off to some remote lighthouse.

The “honey do list” isn’t getting any shorter.

During my recent cruise in Maine I was fortunate to go with members of The Corinthians on a tour of the Hinckley boat building company a “marque” long seen as defining the ultimate in fine boat building.

It was interesting that our guide, the director of sales, told us “we don’t do tours”.  I expect that this comment was designed to telegraph that “we don’t do tours unless we think that someone in your group might buy a Hinckley”.  The Corinthians are a pretty well heeled group and I expect that’s why they decided to make an exception, just this once…

The factory, more of a large, shop, gave us a good first hand understanding for the kind of quality that sets Hinckley apart from other production boat manufacturers.

The front of the building is certainly more understated than the products that they produce. There is an amazing amount of hand labor that goes into one of their boats.   Each little piece of fiberglass is hand cut and put into place. Interestingly, they don’t steam bend any materials, even the most complex curves.  This was our guide explaining the way that they form the most demanding shapes using very thin veneer type “flitches” with glue between each “slice” and then they clamp the glued up part into a special form and left there until the epoxy sets.  Don’t try this at home.   Well, you could actually.  The concept is simple, but like much in life, complicated to do when you get right down to it. Many of the most complex assemblies are cut out on a computer controlled milling machine.  This is a remarkable piece of work, the dashboard to go into a Picnic Boat.
And, speaking of Picnic Boats, and they coined the name, even Martha Stewart has one.  Reportedly, this is a shot of her cockpit.  Her boat is a lovely tasteful light green.  Would you expect anything less from the “queen of style”?  Personally, I was hoping for a more “stylish” photo from Martha herself.  I snagged this from a 2010 post on a blog that she keeps.  I wonder if she employs someone to write her blog.   Anyway, I digress.   Back to how they make these beautiful boats.  Where was I?  Oh yeah, about making parts with a computer controlled milling machine.  As I was saying, even parts with very complicated compound curves are possible.  It would take days to carve something like this out by hand.   And they can make a shape like this out of most any material, granite, plastic and metal along with wood. These are port hole trim pieces.  There is no way that an owner would be capable of maintaining a boat with this much wood unless they never used the boat and kept it under cover all of the time.  Even then, I doubt that anyone would be willing to take the time to keep it just so.
Even keeping the cabin sole in this sort of perfect condition would be tough.
I don’t know how many coats of varnish they use.  Our guide described the number of coats of varnish needed as “enough”.  These doors clearly don’t have enough quite yet. Notice the sign on this boat under construction.. “no shoes on board”.    For some reason, even when I ask, most guests aboard Pandora seem to forget that street shoes are for streets.  To me, boat shoes don’t belong on Pandora if they have been worn on shore.   Perhaps Pandora just doesn’t look yachty enough.   This one clearly does or at least the Hinckley folks think so.  I expect part of it is that if things get messed up they have to fix it themselves.  Perhaps I should hand a vacuum cleaner to anyone that tries to come aboard with shoes. Each job has to begin somewhere.  The interior panels are composite materials to keep weight low.  Pandora’s interior is constructed in the very same way.  It makes a very sturdy, light but very expensive boat.
Then all of the interior is put together and finished prior to the deck being put on.  That makes sense as it makes moving things around much easier than having to cram everything in through the cabin door or through a hatch.    They also make sure that there is a way to get every piece of equipment out of the boat for repair down the road.  I recall trying to get an old water heater out of my Tartan 37 and having to cut the tank up to get it through the aft hatch.  Ditto for fixing a leaky water tank.  I had to cut the bunk open with a saw.  Not a very elegant process on a “yacht”.
They swear by the water jet propulsion system.  It’s a hallmark of Hinckley.   Certainly in Maine, with all those lobster pot buoys, it’s good to avoid the exposed propeller.  Their “jet” propulsion is made by Hamilton Standard.  I can only imagine what these cost.
Curious how one of these pumps work?   Hamilton Standard, the author of this video, is happy to share.   The entire video may be more than you want to know?  It’s probably better for inquiring minds, like mine. Some remarkably beautiful engineering goes into the boats.  I don’t know how this swim platform/boat lift, works but it sure looks complicated.   I think it folds onto the upper platform with the steps in the inset section.   You tell me.
When it’s all done and finished with it’s sea trials, the boat goes back into the shop for a final “million dollar paint job” as they call it.  I wonder how long it takes for a new owner to give it a first scratch.  Alas, not to worry, if you can afford a Hinkley, you can afford to have it fixed.

And if you want your boat to always look like this, where you can see your face in her paint, fix you must…On the last night of our cruise, we enjoyed a jacket and tie affair.  I was ready to go and sporting one of my favorite bow ties as documented by my crew Rodney.  Don’t I look like a guy who should have a Hinckley?  Never mind, Pandora can outrun most any of them.    Well, not every one.  This new Hinckley 50 design would certainly leave me in her wake.   Sadly, in spite of many boats under construction at the shop, every last one was a powerboat.

Oh well, sail or power, I guess that I’ll just have to be satisfied with Pandora for now.  Besides, her interior is nicer and I am sticking with that.

Don’t worry Brenda, Pandora’s good enough for me.  And, not exterior varnish work, ever.

That makes her a keeper.

And, speaking of keepers, I had better break and get to work on the bathroom.  Time’s speeding by.  I’m on it.   Well, will be soon…

When I was on the Corinthians Cruise in Maine a few weeks ago the fleet visited Blue Hill Maine and were treated to a concert by a steel drum band called Flash in the Pans.  It seems that the band’s founder and current leader, Carl Chase did some sailing in the Eastern Caribbean back in the early 70s and was entranced by the sound of the steel drum music that he heard.  Interestingly, steel drum instruments were first developed in Trinidad in the 40s, shortly after WWII. Who knew?

Legend has it that Carl was given a copy of a book written by Pete Seeger, the folk singer, Steel Drums: How to Make Them and Play Them, published in the mid 50s.   Some credit Seeger with popularizing the instrument in the U.S.   Amazingly, the book, long out of print, is still available from Amazon.

Don’t worry Brenda, I have enough on my plate right now so I’ll hold off on ordering a copy.

Carl, was inspired to learn how to make these instruments, made one and well, that lead to another and another.

And, here they are, the Flash in The Pans, performing on a beautiful evening in Blue Hill.  It seems that they are an institution in those parts and steel drums have become a vital part of the local school band program. While the band was on break, I had a nice chat with Diane, the lady in pink playing to the far right hand side of the frame, not to put too fine a point on it.  It was clear from her enthusiasm that she, like many others, get quite a kick out of being in the band. The band has some 40 people who play regularly, ranging in age from teens to well, older folks like me. This short on minute video I took that night will give you an idea of what a great group they are.  Don’t they look like they are having fun?  The audience was too and there were hundreds outside of the tent dancing with abandon to the beat. What an experience.

Pete Seeger, along with writing a book about how to make steel drums, also did a short film, exploring steel drums and how they were made in Trinidad.  It’s worth watching and is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with the simplest tools given enough time and effort.
As a contrast, this clip from the Discovery Channel, explores how these same instruments are now created in high tech factories.  There is no end to man’s ability to complicate things I guess.
One way or the other, steel drums sound great.  When we were in Cuba last winter we were struck by the resourcefulness of the Cuban people who seemed able to make great things with the minimum of materials available to them.   However, while the music scene is quite vibrant in Cuba, we did not see any steel drum bands when we visited.

As we plan our trip to the Eastern Caribbean next winter, I am looking forward to hearing some steel bands.   The first time I was exposed to these instruments was when I was in my early teens and our parents took me on a family vacation to Jamaica.  I heard “Yellow Bird” played at the resort where we were playing and can still remember the sound after all these years.  I also clearly recall the painful blistering sunburn that I got while enjoying the beach but that’s a story for another day.

Perhaps I’ll close with this video of pan player David Hubbard, playing my old time favorite.
Hearing this makes me think of a margarita or at least some sort of drink with a tiny umbrella.   Can’t wait.

Who would have thought that a visit to Blue Hill would bring back memories from so long ago.   Thinking of all of this makes me even more excited about visiting the Caribbean this coming winter aboard Pandora.  Perhaps I’ll even hear Yellow Bird again which would bring things full circle.  Yes, that would be nice.

However, CT is so beautiful in the summer, I am happy to be here for a bit longer.  Besides, the bathroom isn’t finished yet.

You know how it goes, “happy wife, happy life”.  I have to keep reminding myself of that.  Yes Brenda, the bathroom will be done soon, I promise… I hope.