FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf, Peter Watson Master, has arrived Balboa, Panama after a non-eventful 4100NM passage from Taieohai in the Marquesas Islands of eastern French Polynesia.Grey Wolf averaged 9.53 knots for the passage, burning less than 21L/5.5US gallons per hour for propulsion, electrical, and hydraulic requirements. For the first half of the passage Grey Wolf […]
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FPB Passage Notes – It Is Ocean Crossing Time
Passaging season is upon us and the FPB fleet is on the move. While FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf nears the end of a quick 4000 NM hop, FPB 64-3 Iron Lady is on her way from Hawaii to British Columbia. The majority of the rest of the FPB feet is getting ready for or have […]
FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf: They’re Getting Close…
Peter Watson and his intrepid crew aboard FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf are now just a few days’ from Panama. Keep up with their progress on Berthon’s web site. Of particular interest may be Peter’s comments after now having voyaged over 6,000 nm in the last two months.
FPB Construction Update- FPB 78 Taking Shape while FPB 64-10 and FPB 97-1 Draw Closer To Launch
FPB 78-1 is now framed, deck plating is on, and hull plating begins soon. Which is good because we are depressed with this enforced stay on land. While we are toiling, nose to computer, the FPBs are out cruising. FPB 64-1, currently in Eureka, California is journeying up the Pacific Coast towards British Columbia and […]
FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf Picking Up Speed: Possible Lottery Win On The Horizon
FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf has finally hit her stride and is cruising along at 9.7 to 11 knots towards Panama along the fifth parallel. This is a direct result of officially becoming members of the order of shellbacks, now having crossed the equator for the first time. They have been rewarded with the holy grail […]
The Most Difficult of All Yachting Passages – 4000NM Eastbound From The Marquesas to Panama
Of all the passages you could dream up, the most difficult is the 4000NM eastbound run from the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia to Panama. Panama lies dead upwind, with a westerly setting current to make it more interesting. Read on to find out how FPB 64-6 Grey Wolf, Peter Watson, and crew have set […]
A Little Weird Science -Looking For A Soft LED Lighting Color That Dims Sufficiently
We are always looking for a better, simpler way of doing things, and this frequently includes testing. Right now we are working on LED lighting, looking for the best combination of light, color temperature, and dimming ability. Mark Fritzer put together the board in the first photo to test a variety of spot lights, rope […]
Cruising in the Olden Days: Crossing the Indian Ocean – The Easy Part
The southern part of the Indian Ocean is one of the few places we have found where the trades blow as advertised… and then some. Intermezzo is shown here departing Christmas Island for Cocos Keeling at the start of a long haul across this boisterous bit of ocean. This photo was taken by Jimmy Schmidt […]
Bilge Pump Tests – Surprising Results
Cruising is said (by those in the know) to be going from one pump repair to another. We think we do a little better than this, but we are always looking to improve, and so recently conducted a series of tests with surprising results. We tested these three pumps (from right to left): the Bosworth, […]
Chasing A Stabilizer Problem Far From Home – A Primer On Teamwork
Last week we worked with Peter Watson aboard the FPB 64 Grey Wolf to resolve a stabilizer system issue. We thought the communications regarding this might be of interest since these things do occasionally occur – typically somewhere far from home base.Saturday, April 12- Received an email from Grey Wolf describing stabilizer problem:Have developed a […]
