Captain Jerry Vander Veen — Yacht Deliveries, Instruction, and Fun

“Go on board, Damn it!”

20 January 2012

The Costa Condordia hit a rock January 13 and is resting in shallow water. I’ve waited one week to write my comments, fully aware that initial reactions can be incorrect. At this time I will state the following: I am disgusted in the reported actions of the ship’s Captain. Navigating the ship to perilous areas, […]

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Jerry, untouched photo

16 May 2011

OK, OK. Some people have complained that since no photo exists of me on this www thing, that I might prove to appear quite spooky in real life. While I won’t contest that reality, I’ve succumbed to the pressure. Here I am with one of my yachting clients (who has become a close friend) Jeff […]

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New Mast Arrival, #1 of 3 sections!

16 May 2011

Sunday, May 15 was found to be Mr. Bill Lee’s mast arrival day. Also, according to the Seattle Times two daily total rainfall records were broken… Saturday’s 0.97 inch rainfall broke one record, followed by Sunday’s 1.78 inches. The amount of rain falling on Sunday equalled the average monthly rainfall for May. I assisted Bill […]

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Whale wins, sailboat loses

13 May 2011

L’Orca hit by whale Approximately 30 minutes after the start of the 2011 Oregon Offshore International Sailboat race, a whale (probably a humpback, according to the boat) decided to breach inches from a sailboat (note the irony of the boat name) and landed on the front deck, dismasting the boat and taking out the starboard […]

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UPDATE: 1 dead, 1 still missing after boat accident on James River – dailypress.com

13 May 2011

One man is dead and another is missing after a boating accident on the James River early Friday that sent 10 people into the water. The boaters — six men and four women, all in their 20s — were crammed into a 22-foot sailboat that left Deep Creek in Newport News on Thursday evening following […]

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Washington State Ferry

19 April 2011

How frequently don’t we see a WA StateFerry? We locals seem to take our marine highway system for granted… we find our way to the landings, pay our fare, and board. These WSF Captains have a huge responsibility for their passengers and cargo, all the while maneuvering around other vessels in all types of weather. […]

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Tragic Boating Accident in San Diego

29 March 2011

According to the San Diego Union Tribune two family members lost their life when the MacGregor 26 they were on flipped over. Full article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/27/two-dead-boating-accident/ From the sources which I’ve searched, the boat appears to be a 1987-88 MacGregor 26D(aggerboard). This boat is designed for a maximum capacity of 6 adults with 1400 lbs of water […]

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SMITH ISLAND SAILBOAT RACE

20 March 2011

I really did have the best intention of including a photo on this page of yesterday’s race but was so busy at the helm, trimming the sails, changing sails, and calling tactics that shooting a photo was simply not an option. Anacortes Yacht Club’s sailboat race around Smith Island (30.15 nm) turned out to be one of the […]

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Tri-Straits, Lawson Reef Sailboat Race

7 March 2011

Saturday, March 5 found only 3 of us on Syndicat… our Catalina 27 sailboat. The first race in this AYC series started at 0930 with only 7 boats on the line. Evidently everyone else believed the weatherman’s 20-30 kt forecast; in reality we would have been happy if the wind had even crept above 8 […]

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