Two tug boats collide in Houston ship channel:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/million-gallon-bearing-barge-on-fire-off-the-coast-of-galveston/34250180

http://gcaptain.com/barge-collision-fire-spill-closes-section-of-gulf-coasts-intracoastal-waterway-near-houston/#.Va0j7fkuPOo

On Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:39:10 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

Two tug boats collide in Houston ship channel:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/million-gallon-bearing-barge-on-fire-off-the-coast-of-galveston/34250180

http://gcaptain.com/barge-collision-fire-spill-closes-section-of-gulf-coasts-intracoastal-waterway-near-houston/#.Va0j7fkuPOo

Not good.

BTW, how was the ride on the 'Elvis' yesterday?
--

Guns don't cause problems.
Gun owner behavior causes problems.

On Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:10:14 -0400, John H.
wrote:



BTW, how was the ride on the 'Elvis' yesterday?

===

It was interesting to say the least. Since it is a catamaran there is
an incredible amount of room by sailboat standards. It is rigged and
laid out so that it can be sailed competetively by 5 or 6 people, most
unusual for a 55 footer. It is also very fast of course. The owner
let me drive for 20 minutes or so after the race and was able to hit
14 kts in only 12 knots of wind. Later on the wind picked up and we
hit 19 kts in about 15 knots of wind. That's really hauling for a
sailboat but you don't feel the speed all that much because of the
size and lack of significant heeling. It would be a great boat to
spend the winter on down in the islands which is exactly what the full
time professional captain and his wife the cook plan on doing. The
owner is a young Wall Street trading whiz who flies in and out on
weekends over the winter. My oldest son sails against the owner on
small boats fairly regularly at his club on Long Island Sound which is
how I happened to get invited onboard.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tppcazr5jmkhxtx/19%20Knots.jpg?dl=0

You probably noticed a lot of catamarans in the British Virgin Islands rental fleets. My buddy says they're popular with the rental companies. He's got a tough job now...Hurricane Warden for his area and he has to transfer about a dozen boats from Virgin Gorda for the summer and then take them back for the busy winter season. Tough work!

On Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:59:16 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

You probably noticed a lot of catamarans in the British Virgin Islands rental fleets. My buddy says they're popular with the rental companies. He's got a tough job now...Hurricane Warden for his area and he has to transfer about a dozen boats from Virgin Gorda for the summer and then take them back for the busy winter season. Tough work!


===

Yes, all over the Caribbean the rental/charter fleets are up to about
80 or 90% catamarans. They're popular because of the roominess and
also because of the privacy that is afforded by having twin hulls and
sleeping cabins. Docking is not much of an issue in the islands since
most folks are on moorings or anchored out. Elsewhere it can be a
problem however because most slips in the states are designed for
monohulls.

On Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:56:20 -0400, Wayne.B wrote:

On Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:10:14 -0400, John H.
wrote:



BTW, how was the ride on the 'Elvis' yesterday?

===

It was interesting to say the least. Since it is a catamaran there is
an incredible amount of room by sailboat standards. It is rigged and
laid out so that it can be sailed competetively by 5 or 6 people, most
unusual for a 55 footer. It is also very fast of course. The owner
let me drive for 20 minutes or so after the race and was able to hit
14 kts in only 12 knots of wind. Later on the wind picked up and we
hit 19 kts in about 15 knots of wind. That's really hauling for a
sailboat but you don't feel the speed all that much because of the
size and lack of significant heeling. It would be a great boat to
spend the winter on down in the islands which is exactly what the full
time professional captain and his wife the cook plan on doing. The
owner is a young Wall Street trading whiz who flies in and out on
weekends over the winter. My oldest son sails against the owner on
small boats fairly regularly at his club on Long Island Sound which is
how I happened to get invited onboard.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tppcazr5jmkhxtx/19%20Knots.jpg?dl=0

Glad you had a good time. I've never been on a sailboat over about 20' - a little
daysailer.
--

Guns don't cause problems.
Gun owner behavior causes problems.