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Peter Foerthmann Blog
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Category Archives: Columns
Monetizing bluewater advice
BLUEWATER ADVICE NOT FOR SELF CONFESSED IDEALISTS The 40 years I have spent in the windvane business have shaped the way I think and left me with a clear and obvious set of priorities. A self-confessed idealist, I allow myself … Continue reading
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Signs of Life
Rolling out of bed at 5 a.m. this morning, my first port of call was the sofa and a quick glance at the night’s incoming e-mail. One particular message caught my eye: Good evening Peter, Are you no longer among us? … Continue reading
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Windpilot USA
IN THE LAND OF SHARP ELBOWS Time passes in the New World just as it does in the old and people are people wherever they are. That, however, has never stopped some from playing up the differences and making believe … Continue reading
Posted in Bio, Columns, Windpilot
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Aries – The bad weather problem – no basis in fact
THE CURIOUS (Tall) TALE OF THE “BAD WEATHER PROBLEM” An unmistakeable and respected symbol of the bluewater tradition, the Aries vane gear has come to occupy a special place in the history of windvane steering systems. The 1960s were drawing … Continue reading
Posted in Blue water, Columns, Windpilot
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Circumnavigation part 4
HOME AGAIN … AND THEN WHAT ? The last few miles pass in a flash and then it’s a headlong plunge into a joyous, welcoming throng of loved-ones, friends and family. Even ancient distant relations never normally to be seen … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Columns
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Circumnavigation part 3
In our dreams Waterproofs, I would suggest, do not to feature much in most dreams of sailing around the world: fair winds, following seas and capable, entertaining (as you will) and steadfast company are much more the order of the … Continue reading
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Social evolution amongst yachtsmen
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS and SOCIABILITY The ground rules for successful social interaction are impressed on us repeatedly from our very earliest days: be polite, no hitting or pinching, be helpful, be kind and share share share… All amenable social interaction unfolds … Continue reading
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Circumnavigation # 2
ALL THE WAY AROUND … WHAT? Haparanda: remote, mysterious, alluring… and located at the very top of the Baltic, so best enjoyed with the aid of some friendly sunshine. It’s really all about the journey, as every wise mariner knows, … Continue reading
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SV Drifter, Coby + Arnold Lelijveld NED
SV Kira von Celle gemeinsam mit SV Drifter in Fiji, Nabouwalu Bay, Insel Ono im Oktober 2012. An diesem Ankerplatz haben Beate und Detlev Schmandt das INTERVIEW mit Coby und Arnold Lelijveld geführt und einige gemeinsame Wochen mit Grillen, Baden … Continue reading
Posted in Columns, Portraits
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The second-hand yacht
Just how much does it take, in terms of liquid assets, to turn dreams into reality, to convert flickering mental images of swaying fronds into real living and growing palms on a South Seas beach? And how much of the … Continue reading
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Jester Azores Challenge 2012 #2
ARRIVALS 19th june 2012 12. Basil Panakis in Jaba 11. Andy Lane in Bula 10. John Apps in Glayva 9. James Stock in Fly 8. Howard Chivers in Sandpiper 7. Nick Bridges in Dolphin 6. Thomas Jucker in Marta 5. … Continue reading
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The good, the bad and the just plain odd
MISADVENTURES IN THE WINDVANE SELF-STEERING MARKET Are you sitting comfortably? Here comes another unlikely – but entirely true – tale from the world of windvane self-steering. If you were still steering by hand in the 1970s (or if, indeed, you … Continue reading
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Bio 1976 -1984 – and now to business
One Saturday afternoon off Kiel in June 1976 I drew a line under my formative years as carefree drifter and daydreamer and embarked on a new journey that, quickly taking on a life of its own, would increasingly come to … Continue reading
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Trends and trendsetters
BLOG REVIEW – BLUEWATER YACHTS A recently completed review of 2500 blogs created by sailors around the world reveals a wealth of information about national preferences in the areas of – boat type, – boat size, – choice of materials, … Continue reading
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Ham radio – general information
How to hear and be heard with marine radio We, the honorary operators of marine radio networks, rely heavily on good communication with sailing boats, so I would like to take this opportunity to offer some advice and tips on … Continue reading
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Blog portal – admission free!
Did you realize that our BLOG PORTAL has been silently upgraded containg the following information: – 1000 ship´s blogs from A – Z, containing links for website / blog, YouTube videos and tracking inrfomation – Catamarans from A – Z, … Continue reading
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Single-handers
DREAMS AND REALITIES Humans are social creatures at heart. Different people take different approaches – synthesis, synergy, symbiosis – but the life-long quest for true happiness in company (and its corollary, the emergence of new life) appears all but universal. … Continue reading
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What ever happened to boat building? Part 4
Hello again! Without wishing to mourn unduly the passing of traditional boat-building skills or to brush aside several decades’ worth of developments in yacht design, I believe we can safely agree on the following: modern industrial production methods have greatly … Continue reading
What ever happened to boat building? Part 3
Boatbuilding and the market Once more into the breach! The only way to be sure a boat is really robust and well-built enough for long-term use is to put it to long-term use – or break it trying… However the … Continue reading
Posted in Columns, Yachts
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