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For Foodies

August 12, 2013 by Jason Fish

There have been all too many posts about sailing technology on this blog. The entertainment value of the pros and cons of water pumps has its limits for most of our readers. We, like many people, enjoy traveling and discovering different food. We both enjoy trying new recipes; however, I prefer it if Gail acts as my taste tester. Bit regal of me!

Argentine Food from Two Fish on Vimeo.

It is early days for a blog post on Argentine cuisine, but here is a list of highs and lows in San Fernando…

de lo Roy Cafe

Best: Cafe lo de Roy. We had salads with chicken and brie and they were perfect. Dressings ranged from lemon juice to the usual oil and vinegar and a garlic potion. The service is great, as it is a family business. Sons, daughters, brother-in-laws and such are making sure your time on the sunny patio results in a fantastic lunch. The place exudes a home-like feeling, with a nice dose of humble, which is the perfect combination for a traveler far from home. (Located on Primera Junta near Gaboto, San Isidro). Note to self: spotted nearby was a very nice looking fruit and vegetable store.

Runner up: The Yacht Club Argentino (YCA) requires you to be with a member to get access, but if you do get in, it has a great feeling and a nice light lunch. On a particularly chilly day, we were given a tasty lentil soup amuse-bouche. The walls are covered with great sailing shots from Optimists to big boats and the clients seem to be the connected businessmen of Buenos Aires. Do not fill up on the bread, as the main course should be enough to keep you fueled for an afternoon tour of the factory.

High score: Dutch Cafe near the Marina Nueva station serves a nice salad with your choice of salmon or chicken on top. Coffee folk: do order a Cortado after your meal. Dutch Cafe is closed on Mondays, but on other days you have a good chance of sighting upper management of 40 Degrees Sud (boat builder). The river view from the patio on summer days is a real bonus. Address: Arias 2400 Telephone: 4746-7044

Havanna Coffee House

Medium High: Havanna is a coffee chain, so this is not a

Cortado with the trimmings

diamond in the rough. However, they have a great way of serving their coffee – you get the coffee, a small glass of water, a small glass of fresh orange juice and an Alfajore, a traditional Argentine sandwich cookie with dulce de leche. The ones at Havanna are dipped in chocolate. What a civilized way to live. I am a bit concerned that Gail has developed a bit of a Havanna habit. Other Argentinean places serve coffee like this; when are the Americans going to learn? BTW, Gail drinks coffee but I got the same perks with a tea.

Medium: Hotel Jacaranda serves an efficient and simple breakfast, included with the room. Hits what I consider the high points. OJ, tea, corn flakes, fruit, and some eggs if you ask nicely. As dinner time rolls around (8pm) you will notice two things: the TV is left on, pumping out the latest Argentine news and the Americans (that would be us) are already seated. The TV was engaging since the upcoming elections in Argentina are important.

Pompeii Restaurant

Low: Downtown San Fernando is limited on a Sunday night and you most likely will end up at Pompeii. Not great pizza, breaded chicken with lots of cheese and chop suey that is left in the wok too long. Gail thinks it is not as bad as I make it out to be. Tip #1: the salad bar section of the menu means you order a custom mix from your waiter and he brings it. Not a bad salad. Tip #2: Pompeii offers free beer at certain times of the day. Unfortunately, the offer is a bit random so you will have to try your luck.

Lowest: The Sports Bar in San Fernando serves a Caesar Salad that is about 30% mozzarella cheese and 20% croutons. In some of the guide books, they have mentioned that vegetables and salads are not really an Argentine tradition. So, to be fair, we may be poor food critics since steaks are not our thing. Sorry Argentina to judge you on your salads. Tied for lowest on the salad scale was a restaurant that Gail wanted to try. From a distance it had a sign with Bio-organic on it. Combine that with the fact that someone told us it was a vegetarian place and our hopes were high. However, upon arriving, we realized they sell Deli meats and little else. Oh well. Until we splash, when in SF, we’ll stick to our top picks.

A single painting is an Argentine history primer – Artist Alfredo Bettanin

August 10, 2013 by Jason Fish

San Martín, Rosas, Perón

While visiting the Bicentenial Museum in Buenos Aires, I admired this painting that encapsulates the history of Argentina. I have tried to research the painting, but much of my source material is in Spanish and translated by Google. Eager to hear corrections from those who know better.

Queen Isabella

1510 – Arrival of the Spaniards in the Rio Plata – The upper left hand corner illustrates the arrival of the Europeans. Queen Isabella and Columbus are depicted above the caravelle. However, neither one visited Argentina. The corpses are of the indigenous population to whom the European diseases were more potent than Spanish horses or swords. This Revisionist view postulates that the arrival of the Europeans ruined the Americas. It is easy to support this view as disease, war and other oppressions destroyed much of the original society. One art critic disagreed with revisionism. stating it discounts the benefits and progress of current Argentine society. The critic asks revisionists “to wear a loin cloth of the pre-european days”. I hear the art critic’s point but it seems rather out of touch and self-serving. Furthermore, who knows how the cultures of the Rio Plata would have developed without European involvement? Enough of my soapbox on a topic I know very little about. Back to “reading” the painting.

Tupac Amaru

1572 Tupac Amaru is killed – Further down along the left of the painting is a pilgrim-esque symbol which speaks to the connections the Spaniards had with some of the indigenous people (San Martin on horseback with the Incan leader Tupac Amaru) Túpac Amaru (Incan leader) was falsely convicted of murder and sentenced to a beheading. Before his execution, Catholic clerics pleaded that the Incan be sent to Spain for a trial, instead of being executed. Some have argued that Viceroy Toledo, in executing a head of state recognized by the Spanish as an independent King, exceeded his authority and committed a crime within the political ideas of his own time.

So far the painting is critical of the major figures in Argentine history, but I doubt any former colony would fair much better.

1807 English Lion and 1812 Flag Creator

1807 English annex Buenos Aires – The Lion symbolizes the British invasion, a turning point in Argentine history. The British were repelled by Creole forces. I thought Creole was a New Orleans bayoux culture, but in an Argentine context it refers to a person of 100% Spanish descent who was born in Argentina. This is important to the story since the Spaniards (born in Spain) held more of the important positions in early Argentine society than the Creole. When the Brits came to invade, the Spaniards fled but the home-born Creole stayed to fight. After this win, much of the Spanish leadership was sent home and the colony garnered more independence.

1810 Revolution – The painting now illustrates the 1810 May revolution. Spain and France are at war and the French have taken control of much of Spain. This was the beginning of the war of independence for the entire South American continent. I suppose the logic was something like this: Spain lost control of their own country to the French, so why should they continue to control South America? Not bad logic in my opinion. You may see the avenue name 25 de Mayo, or Plaza de Mayo in BA and other towns. 25th Mayo, 1810 is the Día de la Revolución de Mayo, when Buenos Aires ousted the Spanish.

Naked San Martin

Near the center of the painting there is a naked guy next to a man in a blue suit. Controversially, the artist painted San Martin, leader of an attack on Chile via the Andes, naked to symbolize the lack of support Buenos Aires gave San Martin. San Martin is famous in Argentine history for his brave efforts to free the continent of the Spanish and for the “Crossing of the Andes” military campaign to out the Chilean royalists in 1817.

1812 Argentine Flag created – On the left edge of the painting is man in a green jacket with peace birds on his head. This is Manuel Belgrano who is credited with creating the Argentine flag (good job) and one of the main Libertadores of the country. His full name if you ever needed to greet him formally is Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano. I bet his friends called him Manny. Another Libertadore leader, San Martin, is painted nearby with a flag. The pair are Argentine versions of Betsy Ross and George Washington. Another key date, 9th July, 1816, is when the Argentines declared independence from Spain; this is also commemorated in many towns with Avenida 9 de Julio.

José de San Martín appears a third time in the painting, accompanied by a village. I suppose that says he was either a man of the people or a village people? San Martin receives much credit for leading troops to free large parts of Argentina from Spanish rule.

1833 British control Las Malvinas / Falklands At the top of the painting the artist shows the British warships headed for an island which harkens clearly to the sensitive topic of the islands. I will steer clear of this since both countries have been wonderful hosts to me in my travels. I have no dog in this fight and less understanding of the long history. But do have an interest in visiting the windswept islands.

Politics of Trade

1845 Anglo-French Blockade of Argentina – Buenos Aires has grown because of its power as a port city. Oddly, the Spanish originally decreed that all of the goods from their South American colonies should travel over the Andes via horseback to Lima and then from Lima to modern-day Panama by sea and finally over land again through Central America. The goods waited in Cuba for a protected delivery to Spain. This seemingly insane plan was needed to avoid looting by French and English ships. Clearly, few goods followed this path and Buenos Aires became a smuggler’s paradise. By the 1840s, BA’s role as a major port for silver, cow hides, and other products was well established. Juan Manuel Rosas, leader of Argentina, had impossed protective tarriffs to enhance the fledgling Argentine economy. Britain and France did not comply and began trading goods inside Argentine rivers. This prompted a 5-year blockade, which Argentina was able to survive. Eventually Britain and France signed an agreement acknowledging Argentine river sovereignty. The chain in the painting is Argentina preventing European ships from sailing upriver and next to this is an Argentine soldier kicking an English merchant. This is a rather nationalistic painting, but what else would you expect in a a country’s National museum?

Rosa with the lower classes

Juan Manuel Rosas (1793-1877) was no small figure in Argentine history. He controlled the country with a totalitarian fist. Like any dictator he had a penchant for the dramatic. The Argentine governor mandated that the slogan “Death to the Savage Unitarians” be inscribed at the top of all official documents. Anyone on the state payroll was obliged to wear a red badge with the inscription “Federation of Death”. Every male was supposed to have a “federal look”, i.e., to sport a large mustache and sideburns. Many resorted to wearing false mustaches. The red color became omnipresent in the province of Buenos Aires. Soldiers wore red chiripás and their horses sported red accouterments. Civilian males wore a red waistcoat, red badge and red hatband while women wore red ribbons and children donned red school uniforms. Building exteriors and interiors were also decorated in red.

20th Century – Oil

Twentieth Century – This portion of the painting shows some famous moments from 1900 to 1940. In 1929, Argentina was wealthy, but the prosperity ended with the worldwide Great Depression of 1929. In 1930, a military coup, supported by the Argentine Patriotic League, forced Hipólito Yrigoyen from power. Support for the coup was bolstered by the sagging Argentine economy, as well as a string of bomb attacks and shootings involving radical anarchists. The attacks alienated moderate elements of Argentine society and angered the conservative right, which had long been agitating for decisive action by the military forces. The military coup initiated the period known as the “Infamous Decade”, characterised by electoral fraud, persecution of the political opposition and pervasive government corruption. The most famous (and perhaps most symbollic of anarchism’s decay in Argentina at the time) action was the execution of Severino Di Giovanni, who was captured in late January 1931 and executed on the first of February of the same year.

President Peron

Peron 1940-1974

Peron was elected President of Argentina three times, serving first from June 1946 until September 1955, when he was overthrown by a coup d’état, and then from October 1973 to July 1974. During his first Presidential term, Perón was supported by his second wife, Eva Duarte (“Evita”), and the two were immensely popular among many Argentines. Eva died in 1952. Peron lives on today via his politcal party known as Peronists. I am still trying to understand Peron but it seems like he was part FDR. He pushed the state to expand the social welfare net, but at some point the economy could not handle the burden and went into a severe contraction. This has been an all too common outcome of good intentions.

: State of Argentina

The woman lying in the center of the painting is the State of Argentina. She is wounded and staked down. In her hand is Eva Peron. Is Eva saving the state? Why is the state missing part of her abdomen? Lost territory, lost citizens?

Gail spots a whale

August 10, 2013 by Jason Fish

While walking back from the kitchen, eagle eye Gail saw what looked like an Antares sailing past our apartment. There many more needles in a haystack than Antares sailboats on the ocean. With the zoom lens I was able to confirm the impossible, it was an Antares. The 43rd Antares has just splashed – the odds of spotting one of these hulls out of all of the boats sailing down the East River are truly slim. Many Antares are in the Caribbean, some are in the Pacific, and two are still in South America. However, this needle just sailed by our apartment.

Anyone know Antares hull #20 Cinderella?

Paperwork for the boat

July 30, 2013 by Jason Fish

Plans of sailing over the horizon without a care in the world have been curtailed by paperwork that seems to want to follow me to sea. Here is a post on what I have learned during the process of setting up s/v Two Fish. Please do not take this advice as a given. It is more like clues from the clueless. I did not study Argentine or Brazilian import duties in school, and given my sloppy dedication to my studies I doubt a class in this topic would have increased my knowledge.

This post will be more interesting to Antares owners, since they face the bulk of the South American documentation issues. For others, this post will be as useful as a snow shovel is for a resident of Key West.

Step #1 – LLC or No-LLC

Evidence of new LLC

First, you must decide if you want to own your boat outright or manage it via a Limited Liability Company (LLC) that owns the boat.

Pros of LLC: Like it says on the tin, an LLC “limits your liability”. If a court battle erupts, this ownership structure allows you to separate your other assets from the operation of the boat. Another pro for international celebrities is the ability to have your ownership be private. That is why Two Fish and the Russian oligarchs chose the LLC format.

Cons of LLC: You will have to create sufficient paperwork to support that the LLC has given you rights to the boat. Imagine showing up in port with your US Coast Guard documents that say the boat is owned by some furtive sounding LLC. “Mr Port Officer, The Dark Shadow LLC is owned by me.” What do I have to prove it? Is a note from my mommy enough? So one must visit notaries, Consulates, and the State of Delaware to document ownership.

Step #2 – Create a Delaware LLC

We chose to create an LLC in the State of Delaware. We hired Jan Painter of All Yacht Registries in Omaha to help with the process (Phone: 402-505-8014 www.allyachtregistries.com). Jan was very helpful and efficient, despite my preconceptions that Nebraska is not a state brimming with yachting traditions. This first step puts you $450 closer to the poor house, but your LLC now exists in the State of Delaware. Do not pack up the kids for a road trip to look at the corporate headquarters, but it will be searchable online, legal with the state clerks and will have a legal address in a cookie cutter office park that also has a chiropractor.

Step #3 – Get a Builder’s Certificate

Before you can start any paperwork, you need to own a boat. Once you are near completion, the factory will fill out a “Builder’s Certification and First Transfer of Title” that will be the basis for your next steps. The form describes the boat’s length, displacement, engines and such. It also lists the boat’s hull number. Antares was very efficient in producing this document.

With a valid LLC (step #2) and a completed builder’s certificate (step #3) you can return to ALL YACHT REGISTRIES to apply to be a USCG documented vessel.

Builder Certificate page 1

Builder Certificate page 2

Step #4 – US COAST GUARD Documented vessel

USCG Documentation

I budgeted about 1 month of time to reach the end of step 4, even with express service. All Yacht Services will now submit your LLC paperwork, your Builders Certificate and a completed application to the US Coast Guard. The “Application for initial, exchange, or replacement of certificate of documentation; redocumentation” is about as friendly an application as the title would indicate. But it was a breeze to fill out since All Yacht Services was in charge. After a few anxious weeks, one is rewarded with a USCG document in classic terse language, stating that your LLC owns your boat, at least in the eyes of the US Coast Guard. The next few steps will allow other authorities such as the Argentines and Brazilians to join in this view.

This next paragraph is way over my head but here is my explanation of Documentation vs Registration. Recreational boat owners in the U.S. are required to register their vessels with their respective state governments unless they have documented their boats with the federal government. Documenting vessels started as a way for the federal government to manage commercial shipping and its resultant taxes on merchant cargoes. Today the U.S. Coast Guard is in charge of documentation, and there are multiple types of vessels that can be documented, including recreational vessels. Any vessel of 5 net tons or more can be documented. Documented vessels are given unique official numbers similar to state registration numbers. However, documented vessels do not display their official numbers on the outside of the hull; they are identified by the name and hailing port. The application for documentation must include a name for the vessel, which may not exceed 33 characters. The name may not be identical, actually or phonetically, to any word or words used to solicit assistance at sea; may not contain or be phonetically identical to obscene, indecent, or profane language, or to racial or ethnic epithets. Once established, a vessel’s name may not be changed without application, fees, and the consent of the Director, National Vessel Documentation Center. There is no rule against duplication of names for documented vessels, so hailing ports are helpful in identifying vessels. The official number must be posted in a visible location inside the boat.

So why would you want to document your boat rather than simply register it with your state?

Documentation eliminates the need for state registration, until you stay in a state for a long period of time. We may end up registering in the State of Florida, but will cross that bridge when we come to it.
If you travel to foreign waters, the Certificate of Documentation facilitates clearance with foreign governments and provides certain protections of the U.S. flag. This is important to me.
It is much easier to track stolen vessels across state lines with the federally documented “chain of ownership”. Our boat is larger than an iPhone, so this is not too important.

The USCG documentation needs to be renewed annually so mark it on your calendar as your mail service might be slow.

Step #5 – FCC and a Call Sign

Radio Operator

MMSI + Call Sign

I am a bit of a rule follower and the rules state that to use your SSB, you need to pay two fees to the FCC. A quick trip to this web site will get you started: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp One permit you need is the restricted radio telephone operator permit. I am not sure what the consequences would be for not having this permit. Somewhere on the FCC site they threaten to make you listen to elevator music for 1,000 hours on a poorly tuned AM radio. So to avoid this, we have spent the money for this permit. On the back of the license I was informed of its limitations pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934. Disappointingly, my new permit does not allow me to start an 80’s hits radio station. I rather fancied the idea of becoming a disc jockey.

The second license grants you an important call sign for the Single Side Band radio. It is also granted via the FCC.gov website. This is handy for radio communications and required if you plan on using sailmail.com. Sail Mail is a program that uses the SSB as a slow modem to check for text-only emails while mid-ocean. 200 bucks a year grants you an annual subscription to Sail Mail. It includes software, access to weather data and no usage charges, as long as you use it prudently. Two Fish will use this for getting free weather updates mid-ocean. As a random fact, the engineer who created the technology to use an SSB as a modem also designed the yellow first down line you see on TV when watching American football. At the end of the process, you should have two licenses from the FCC (Ship Radio and Call Sign). The site is a bit confusing but you will find your way through after being relieved of some hard-earned ducats.

This process also produces an MMSI number. This number is used in Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and is need for modern VHF, SSB and AIS. The AIS uses the MMSI number to broadcast your intentions to ships within VHF range. The MMSI number can also be used to hail a specific yacht rather than summon it via the public channel 16. And finally, DSC can be used for automated distress calls on the VHF or SSB. If you fail after placing a satellite phone call, EPIRB, and a traditional VHF, call you can try this system.

Step #6 – EPIRB

NOAA EPIRB Registration

Darwin award winners are selected for doing incredibly stupid stuff that sometimes eliminates them from sustaining their lineage. Previous winners have tried to ascend to 2,000 feet using a lawn chair and helium balloons. After take-off, it was discovered that they had no landing strategy.

Not as dramatic an award winner, is buying an EPIRB and not registering the life saving device. Registration is free and allows the Coast Guard to know who you are when you press the panic button. They can call loved ones, who can direct the Coast Guard with additional data such as that the Two Fish crew are skiing in Colorado so it must be a false alarm. This does incentivise the crew to stay on good terms with their emergency contacts.

The packaging with your EPIRB will have many places strongly encouraging you to register your EPIRB and avoid any chances of collecting a posthumous Darwin award. Do spend some thought telling you loved ones how to respond to a call from the USCG. The USCG will have the precise location of the EPIRB but want help to make sure it is not a false alarm. We will maintain a float plan on the site and this, along with the Spot tracker, makes it easy for our helpers to assist in our search and rescue. However, I think there are better odds we will use the EPIRB when lost in a carnival parade in Brazil or a bar in the BVI, as true emergencies are rare.

Step #7 – Power of Attorney for Argentina

Power of A Page 2

Power of Attorney

If the previous steps did not seem odd, arduous, and annoying, the next steps will certainly make you scratch your head. Argentina carefully controls imports. Boat builders that export their product get an exemption on import taxes for the parts they are including into the exported yacht. A gizmo imported from the US might face a 50% tax, but if it is proven that the gizmo is going to be part of Two Fish then the tax is not charged. This forces the Argentinian customs officers to keep a tight leash on the entire process. The factory does a great job of coaching buyers on the requirements.

To get your boat out of Argentina you will need a Power of Attorney, if you have decided upon an LLC structure. The POA can be written by the members and then signed in the presence of the Argentine Consulate. You can imagine that it is not a daily procedure for the consulate, so when you ask for their help, work on your best manners. It really helped to have a sample of a previous boat’s POA which gave the consulate confidence that it was an OK process. I visited during the morning (9-12 for all new requests) at 5th and 56th Street. I was able to get this stamp in the NY consulate but they were considering sending me to Washington D.C. The basic text of the POA states that certain people are empowered by the LLC to use the boat in various ways. The various ways do not include a dance party platform, but more pedestrian activities like sailing the boat, fixing systems and working with Customs. The cost was $60 payable only via a US postal money order. I had to leave my passport and the POA with them overnight. The document came back with a second page attached saying in Spanish that they had checked my passport and seen me sign the document. Fingers crossed.

Step # 8 – Delaware Confirmation of the LLC

So you have told the USCG that your boat is owned by some made-up name LLC. Sounds to me like you have given your boat away to an entity in the ether. To prevent donating your pride and joy to the tax collector, one must write an operating agreement. I am not a member of a bar, but I have been to a few bars, so here is the operating agreement we are using. It tries to achieve two goals. Firstly, the legal stuff which you should seek advice from counsel for at $500 per hour. Secondly, the agreement is formatted such that the Brazilian Consulate will find it matches their specific needs. Calm down, I will have more detail on Brazil later. Click on the link to open a PDF of a template.

Operating Agreement Template

Step #9 – Time to visit the Notary in Dover, Delaware

We bought the boat so we could travel to far away places. Little did we know that our first trip would be by car to Delaware to have the agreement notarized. The reason we are driving to Delaware is that the State will only authorize Delaware notaries. The State of Delaware can do its part by mail, but not the notary (as far as I could figure out). Also we are in a small rush, so the drive is our best option. Most Delaware banks and UPS’s have notaries. (PNC Bank at 3 the Plaza) is closest to the Delaware Division of Corporations, your next stop. Or, the closest UPS is (http://www.theupsstorelocal.com/4435) — The UPS Store 73 Greentree Drive, Dover, DE 19904 (302) 346-1010 — Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 6:00 pm.

Notary Check List:

1) Original Document

2) Notary is approved by the State. (It may be that the notary can only be from the State of Delaware)

3) Notary’s raised seal or embossing seal (Name, commission, expiration of commission, state of commission)

4) Documents with more than one page must be stamped on each page by the notary and the pages numbered (ie 1 of 4).

5) The notary must write that the signatures were written in his or her presence. Notary must identify the author of the signature by writing the signator’s full name. It must be clear which signature is being authenticated. Good to reference the passport being checked for face and signature. I hope the template helps achieve these goals.

6) Notary must state location, date and signer’s full name.

7) You will need to do this TWICE. One version for Brazil legalization and one for global apostillization (see Step 11, point 3)

Step #10 – Answer this question honestly

Do you crave maple syrup at odd times? Does Saturday night just feel right if ice hockey is on your TV? Then you are Canadian and some of this post does not apply.

Step #11 – Cross the street from the Notary and Visit the Delaware Division of Corporations

You probably want to confirm your LLC exists before the big drive. Use this link https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/GINameSearch.jsp.

401 Federal Street Suite 4 is the office location. Or better yet, surf their website and you will learn more. http://corp.delaware.gov

Here is my checklist from this visit:

1) Certification of commision of the Secretary of State of the acts of incorporation. In short an agent of the Secretary of State will say your LLC exists. BOTH COPIES

If you were concerned that John Kerry might be the Secretary of State signing your boat documents then relax. He will not be involved. Which is good because he has had 3 boating events that have slowed his career (1) registering his boat for tax-advantaged reasons (2) boating during the Egyptian collapse (3) Swift boat accusations during his presidential campaign.

2) The state of Delaware will also need to certify the public notary you employed to watch you sign your operating agreement. Make sure they include the notary’s commission, jurisdiction and signature. BOTH COPIES

3) In 1961 most nations in the world signed an agreement about how documents would be signed. Sort of an international notary agreement. This is called Apostille. The plan is to take take your first notarized operating agreement to the kind folks of the Delaware government to stamp, sign, or whatever motions are required to satisfy this international treaty. This document will work great from Albania to Vanuatu but not in Brazil. ONE COPY

The Delaware Division of Corporations can apostille or authenticate documents notarized by a Delaware Notary, certified vital records from the State of Delaware, and official State documents (e.g., background checks).

4) The second copy will need the Brazilian Consulate’s blessing, after the state of Delaware has done points 1 and 2.

I spoke with the office, and the process, if you pay a bit extra, should only take a few hours. Enough time for a relaxed lunch in Dover. Anyone have friends in Dover? After the documents are picked up it is a 1.5 hour drive to DC.

Step #12 Consulate of Brazil, Washington D.C.

“The certifcation by a Secretary of State where a business is incorporated suffices for the Consulate to legalize the acts of incorporation.” Quote from Consulate website and the reason we have come to visit.

You may boast that you live in a big town and have a consulate in your city. I surely did, but it will not help. Brazilian consulates are regional, so if your LLC is in Delaware then only the DC Consulate can Legalize your documents. Sorry, but while in DC, you can see your tax dollars at work.

Consulate General of Brazil in DC is located on 1030 15th Street NW. The office is open from 9 to 1pm.

For this step you will need

1) Your notarized and Delawarized operating agreement.

2) Passport

3) 20$ US postal money order

4) A self-addressed, paid, express mail envelope

The Brazilians are known for being particular so spend a bit of time looking through these two links. Do not visit the sites for the Consulates in different cities as the processes may not match.

How to Legalize documents for Brazil

Procedures for Legalizing

Top 20 Mistakes

You have finished the voyage of documentation. The Brazilians will Express Mail your legalized documents in a few days.

New introductory video

May 27, 2013 by Jason Fish

Good friends have informed me that our “Become a Two Fish Fan” video was a flop. Thank you good friends for telling me I had something in my teeth. Friends tell you the bad news so you can grab a toothpick. So after realizing that I was a worse actor than Ashton Kutcher, I decided it was time to try again. Gail was kind enough to help by playing the role of Gail, which came to her naturally. Be honest in the poll so that I don’t end up walking around with something in my teeth again!

The rejected video was scripted, which made the results very stiff, but this most recent video was pure ad lib. The technology was also upgraded. I set up three cameras: my DSLR, my compact and a Go Pro. I also learned Final Cut Pro X, which is fantastic. It took no time to learn enough to be dangerous. It does three camera editing very well and a bunch more.

For those of you lucky enough to have missed the old version of the “Become a Fan” video, here it is. But you have been warned.

Pirates, Storms and Sea Serpents: Myth or Threat?

May 21, 2013 by Jason Fish

After announcing at work that I was taking a sailing sabbatical, I was asked a bunch of questions. This is the list of the 5 most popular. Leave a comment with your questions. The most popular question was about Pirates. I am not a thrill seeker or one who takes risk lightly, but encountering pirates is less likely than the risks we ignore daily in our land lubber lifestyles.

Baseball Pirate

Somali Pirate

Pirates have grabbed many headlines in the global press for their horrific actions in recent years. I am concerned about some pirates, but not all. The mascot for baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates does not strike fear in me because the team lacks strong pitching, while the Somali pirate would cause heart palpitations because they can fire some scary heat. Our course is to sail in the Atlantic from BA to NYC where the piracy history is almost non-existent since 1800. There are two sources for historical pirate incidents; ICC tracks commercial vessels and Noonsite tracks pleasure vessels (cruisers). Here is an example of an ICC report from yesterday in Togo: “Eleven robbers in an unlit boat approached an anchored chemical tanker. Two robbers jumped into the water and attempted to board the tanker via the anchor chain but failed and returned to their boat. The robbers aborted the attempted boarding and moved away.”

2012 piracy (click to enlarge)

Zoom on hotspot (click to enlarge)

The ICC data to the left clearly shows that the South American coast was clear of pirates in 2012. I left the US off the map since no pirate attacks were recorded. From the ICC it is clear that the hotspot is a couple of oceans away from our planned course. I zoomed in on the hotspot in the map on the right. The Arabian sea and parts of the Indian Ocean are spots Two Fish will avoid. If I were passing through this region today, I would have my boat shipped to the Mediterranean. NATO forces would agree with this decision but their view might change in the future.

The annual numbers for piracy were at their lowest in 2012. Experts are unclear if this is driven by the larger military presence, more stability in Somalia, better armed ships or fewer cruisers passing through? I will hold off on testing these theories because I do not want to become a data point on the above maps. I told you I am prudent. The noonsite website hosts an entire section on piracy information for cruisers. They suggest using wasp spray as a defense as it fires for 20 feet. I think the attackers’ guns might shoot a bit farther. Noonsite suggests that several boats should travel together as a security measure.

My heart goes out to any fellow mariner that suffers under horrible pirates. For us, I think it is important to frame this risk in terms of probability. In our home town of New York City, we are enjoying a lessening in crime rates: only 400 murders last year. It is a lot more probable that a New Yorker is murdered than is the victim of a pirate attack in a low-risk ocean. Add to the mix car accidents, elevator falls, and bear attacks, and being aboard a boat seems like a safer option. Petty crime is more of a concern for cruisers but I will discuss that in another blog post.

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The second most common question is will you guys get sick of each other? The person asking the question usually has a bit of a grin and then states “I would kill my spouse after 2 weeks. I need my space.”. As I said in the previous post, you never know who is going to kill you. Oddly, neither Gail nor I thought about this issue. It only hit our radar after we had bought the boat, and we were asked by others. This could be a very expensive oversight, or be a sign that we know how to compromise and find a balance. To add to the risk, the boat lifestyle will be a big change. Currently, I travel a decent amount for work so we often are apart for a week at a time. I think we will be just fine if Gail gets her morning coffee and I can watch a movie after a bad day. We have discussed this issue after being asked about it so many times. We have decided we should try to do some things separately such as trips to the grocery store, visiting a fellow cruiser and other space-yielding activities.

Sea creature at 9,000 feet deep

Do you sail at night or just anchor? Our anchor rode (fancy name for the line attached to the anchor) is 250 feet and needs plenty of slack to hold. The average ocean depth is 14,000 feet so we sail all day and night when on a passage. But this question needs a longer answer because most non-sailors assume we will be sailing most of the time during this sabbatical. Wrong. I would predict that 2/3 of the time we will be at anchor. Swimming, fixing the boat, biking onshore, rocking on the boat as we wait out a weather system, reading fun books and fix it manuals, and other fun and essential stuff. We are not sure how long our passages will be. Some will be as short as 5 hours (Carribean) and the longest will probably be 5 days. On long passages we will try shifts of 4 hours on, then 4 hours off. That means I helm for 4 hours while Gail sleeps and then we switch. The process does not end until we reach the next anchorage. We are trying to make this fun for ourselves and not a passage with Captain Bligh that is all about mileage.

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How will you survive Storms? Antonio from the Tempest was not able to anticipate the storm that forced him ashore in the opening

tempeststorm scene of Shakespeare’s play. I imagine if he had had our technology then the outcome for the Duke of Milan would have been much different. We have the ability to download long term weather forecasts, hire professional weather routers, use radar to track storm cells, and update weather reports every 4 hours via satellite. With that technology, and an ability to relax and wait for the next weather window we should rarely see wind speeds over 40 knots. I remember one decade-long cruiser explaining that he almost never encoutered those wind speeds because of prudent planning. But what if the big stuff comes? The boat is built to take a ton of punishment and we have storm coping strategies. For example, we can operate everything from the cockpit, making it much safer in high winds. Also, we have a drogue to stablize the boat in high seas. In certain conditions we will “park” the boat in the ocean when it gets ugly via a variety of sailing techniques. Back-winding the jib (trimming it from the wrong side) stablilzes the boat in high wind speeds. Running bare-poled (no sails) and a variety of other storm coping techniques are used by mariners to make a bad situation much less scary.

floating-shipping-containers-i6

How will you cope with an impact with a foreign object such as a whale or a shipping container? As you can see from the photo, modern shipping has its share of mishaps. Occasionally, a strong storm or a poor securing job allows a truck size container to fall into the ocean. Some continue to float for weeks and are a major hazard to marine traffic. They can not be seen on radar and usually are found when the passing boat hears the crunching sound of impact. Statistically, this risk is somewhere in the region of lightning strikes or lottery wins but we still have a plan. Firstly, our catamaran is pretty hard to sink. Two hulls, many water tight compartments and sacrificial keels are part of our protection plan. At worst, we have a liferaft and a dinghy to move onto if salt water inspires a change of venue.

So what are our greatest fears?

Gail’s Fears

1) Gail will get sea sick at times, even with modern drugs, ginger candies, voodoo and other preventative measures. It is no fun to be seasick, but even less fun when it seems it will never end. Jason needs to make sure he can handle the boat alone during these times by choosing easy routes and drinking tons of tea, while trying to make Gail laugh.

2) Gail’s second fear is a bit illogical but very common with newbie cruisers. She is worried she will come on deck at night to discover that I have fallen overboard miles ago. This is not going to happen because we have many measures to keep humans on the boat and out of the ocean. These “no swimming at night” measures are: our enclosed cockpit, control lines led to the cockpit, jacklines to keep people tied to the boat, flat decks with high lifelines, and personal AIS beacons. I will be sensitive to her fears and make sure to stay safe as long as she does the same.

Jason’s Fear

1) My biggest fear is being bored. From Manhattan to a remote Brazilian anchorage, will I adjust to the lack of city stimuli? No take-out food, no long walks exploring, no people-watching and no engaging co-workers. I will both miss and enjoy being taken out of the action.

2) My second fear is physical discomfort. We are lucky to have a very comfortable boat, but what is it like when you have the flu? Or you are super-hot and have been stung by every insect on the planet? Or want a bit of room to walk about? We will find out how much of an issue this is for me.

Gail’s Final Fear

Gail is hoping that I stay comfortable since I can be a crab when bored or the living quarters do not suit. If I get crabby, Gail may hoist me up the mast.

Reading List for Brazilian Cruisers

May 17, 2013 by Jason Fish

Charts are the first step in navigation but it also helps to have a collection of books and cruising guides to highlight which ports have fuel, where nasty currents are frequent and other tricks the locals know. The first tool we found is FREE. My favorite price. It is prepared by the US government and is targeted for professional mariners so it does not focus on beachside bars and sunset views, but has plenty of useful detail to keep us out of trouble when coming into a new harbor.

Download it here (value for our taxes)

The cruising community Noonsite sugested “Brazil Cruising Guide” by Michael Balette. We can only seem to find it in hard copy for about $80. In one of the Amazon reviews, a customer refers to this as one of the two choices so I suppose the bibliography of this field would be very short. We will not count on the check-in procedures being current for a 3 year old book in a country where there is regulatory fluidity. One reviewer did comment that the author’s French ancestry may have biased the historical bits. No problem for us as our purpose it to find good anchorages and services.

A fellow Antares owner and Brazilian costal veteran recommended this cruising guide that gives tips on great anchorages, spots to avoid in heavy weather and must see attractions. We left a third choice on the cutting room floor as it was written in 2002. (South Atlantic Circuit)

As for traditional charts, our plan is to source them in Argentina. Our preference is to be skimpy since we have an almost infinite number of electronic back ups (Furuno, MaxSea, iOS Navionics, and a handheld Garmin). Our plan is to have a few small scale charts (small scale charts cover a large area) to track our ocean progress.

In order to comply with the traditional rule that you always need a paper chart, we will buy a more compact chart book. It will contains multiple charts in a spiral format, sort of like a road atlas book. We believe these will only be available in South America. Actually, Gail believes that we should always have a paper chart on which to chart fixes, Jason believes that she lives in the dark ages.

As for beyond Brazil, our plan is to wait to buy the cruising guides and paper charts. Our electronic charts will be up to date for all of South America and North America. If we get really lost and find ourselves in a land-locked lake in Minnesota, we should still be able to navigate.

We have a bit more work to do on guides for Argentina and Uruguay so will post those at a later date.

EPIRB Purchase

May 12, 2013 by Jason Fish

What is an EPIRB? How do you dial 911 when you are mid-ocean? Cell phones don’t work. Message in a bottle seems a bit slow. The answer is an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon). It has only one switch and when you turn it to the MAYDAY position it starts getting you help. Step one: it uses the onboard GPS to figure out where you are. Step two: it sends your location and name to one of many satellites floating in space, along with the message “Two Fish needs help and is off the coast of Brazil”. Then the Coast Guard takes the message to see if it is a false alarm. To figure this out, it calls your loved ones to check in if you should be at sea. Your loved ones at this point will panic. The call will go something like this, “Hello this is the Coast Guard, we got a MAYDAY message from Two Fish. Do you think we should respond?” It is very very unlikely we will ever use the EPIRB, but it is nice to know that we have one. The EPIRB is waterproof and has a tether so you can tie it to your arm or a life raft if the situation calls for abandoning ship.

So what were the choices we made in selecting the ACR GlobalFix iPro 406 MHz EPIRB?

Pro for the ACR: When testing, there is a small digital screen that shows the results of the tests. So no guessing if three green flashing lights followed by a long pause means your EPIRB is up to snuff. Imagine the tension in the life raft: “I think it is transmitting. Did you bring the manual?”.

Con for the ACR: The battery must be changed by a professional. So in 6 years time we will need a new battery and changing it is half the cost of buying a new one. Kannad makes a unit which has a replaceable battery. The Kannad unit is also cheaper and better looking, but we were swayed by the small digital screen. Not the first time we fell for more gizmos.

CAT I vs CAT II: On Alaskan fish boats the EPIRB must deploy automatically when sensing water (CAT I). We thought this would create false alarms and went with the simple CAT II which is switch activated.

Where to Install: Our plan is to install the EPIRB inside the salon, right by the door, which is two steps from the helm. Nice combination of easy access but protected from the natural elements and the unwanted element.

GPS connection: The unit can refresh its GPS from the NMEA network so the EPIRB can send a message faster and not wait to find its location. After the first message the EPIRB uses its internal GPS. We are not going to take advantage of this feature for a few reasons. We like keeping the EPIRB simple and independent. Could lightning damage the EPRIB if connected to the NMEA network? Also this connection would be an ugly wire in the salon. We can always change our mind later.

After you buy and EPIRB, you still have work to do. You need to register the beacon so that when the Coast Gaurd receives your MAYDAY they can quickly obtain your details and send resources to your rescue. It is free to register. Save your password because you need to update the numbers of your shore contacts when they change phone numbers. You do not want the Coasties to be greeted by “Aunt Edna does not live here anymore” while you are inside the whale’s stomach. Even if your family has strong roots and never moves, the database folks ask that every two years you confirm your contact list. That is all, not so tough, right? In a later post I will describe the complex process of having a legal SSB.(Single Side Band radio).

For those of you who have EPIRBs, we would love to know which one you chose and why.

The following video is an ad for our EPIRB.

Choosing our GPS tracker

May 1, 2013 by Jason Fish

The fun part of preparing for our launch is choosing all of the technology for the boat. It certainly feels like too much of a good thing. Visualize an ice cream fan being forced to finish the entire ice cream bar in the cafeteria. We usually over-research gadgets for months before making our decisions on the perfect running watch or the ideal speakerphone. But the pace of the boat does not allow for such for deliberation, or, is it over-analysis? Today we need to decide on what GPS tracker to purchase as it drives our location screen on the site.

A GPS tracker allows readers to track the boat in real time and can also relay text messages. The brief text message updates will be displayed on our front page under “Live: Satellite Updates“. If we are lucky, readers will check our location page and send us tips when we are headed to their hometown. I must warn you that watching the tracker will make lawn bowling seem exciting. Every few hours, the GPS tracker sends the information from the little brick on the boat to a satellite which transmits a position to our website. Other cruisers have commented that their blog followers do not really value the GPS location screen, but we have two Moms and I think they will enjoy the comfort of seeing the dot on the screen. Warning!! The system has outages so do not assume the worst. Try us on the sat phone before a full blown panic is warranted.

During the research process I found three candidates: Spot, In-Reach, and our existing Iridium phone. All three solutions send tracking coordinates, send text messages and allow for tracking websites. Here is how I compared the three choices.

Spot

Pros: Has been used by many boats. Price is cheaper. 200 a year for unlimited tracking and 500 messages. Works with Spotwalla, a tool created by a motorcycle rider who is an avid Spot user. This free service lets you embed nice maps on your own website. When Spot hardware is turned off, the Spot website from the manufacturer shows no data. Spotwalla wisely shows last location. The Spot website is fairly ugly as an embed, especially the side menu of past data points. In addition, the webmaster can not control the default zoom. So far we love Spotwalla and will be sending the programmer a donation.

Cons: Spot can not receive messages but we have plenty of email access via Sailmail and satellite phone. Spot is controlled only by the iPhone via Bluetooth, i.e. no keypad on the device; that is ok by me. The only big shortcoming for us is that Spot coverage has some big holes. However, our travel plans will keep us within the coverage range. DeLorme is on the Iridium network and has almost no holes unless you want to hang out with polar bears and penguins.

USELESS FACT: Why are polar bears and penguins never seen together? Please answer using the comment feature.

In-Reach

Pros: Delorme (manufacturer) has a good tracking website but it is still inferior to the after-market Spotwalla. Not sure why all the companies have poor websites. I do concede that we are particular as we are embedding this in our front page. In-Reach can send and receive SMS messages. Two-way messaging is cool, but not critical for our set-up. In Reach can be controlled by iOS and the front rocker switch.

Cons: $300 per year (Unlimited tracking included in the price as are 40 messages per month). A bit too pricey! Fewer In-Reach users threaten the potential for cool updates and website enhancements. Initial purchase price also higher.

Iridium Extreme

Pros: We have the hardware already meaning less expensive and less clutter aboard. Coverage region – almost everywhere as long as you are not trying to relive Roald Amundsens’s glory. That is kind of where the pros ended.

Cons: I am not sure the web tracking service is offered anymore. It was sold under a few names and they all seemed to be turned off. Bit of a deal killer? I did see pricing on an old provider that cost more than the In Reach for very limited usage (4 fixes per day for $24 per month). I am not surprised that the “charge more, get less” model drove them out of business. The ability to embed the data, if it did work, seemed poor. Seems like they are targeting truckers, not boaters. Email us or post a comment if you are aware of a better Iridium tracking plan.

Gail is going to press me to buy Spot unless one of the clever readers can tell us where we have gone wrong.

Boat Building Photos

April 27, 2013 by Jason Fish

A few more photos were sent to us from Argentina today. Progress! We are eager to see the interior, which is a major time sink. Hull #42 is ahead of us on the wiring and other interior work, but we are ahead on the cosmetics on the outside.

: Two Fish on Right

: Rub rail and toe rail newly installed

: Bridle install

: Ports being installed

Here are some definitions of nautical terms used in the photo titles.

PORT

Port is left but a port left open is a window and any port works in a storm.

RAIL

Boats have rub rails and toe rails. A rub rail is a metal strip that runs across the side to prevent docking dings to the hull. Check it out on your car, you may have one running across the middle of the doors. Toe rails are at the edge of the deck and serve a few purposes. Firstly, they create a lip on the edge of the deck to prevent sailors from slipping off the boat. They also are a great place to attach blocks and other sailing bits.

BRIDLE

Anchors hold boats in place. There are entire books* written on the topic of anchors, but I will offer up the 4 sentence version (warning: this is copy-written content of the Two Fish Corporation). Anchors hold because: 1) the anchor sets (digs into the sea bottom), 2) the anchor chain (anchor rode) provides weight to hold the anchor in place, 3) the anchor rode is a shock absorber, and, 4) when the anchor is set, there is an angle from the anchor to the boat (scope). Scope is the ratio of anchor chain to the depth the boat is anchored in and reduces the strain on the set up. More scope means your boat will hold better but will also take up more space in the harbor. Many times sailors settle for 5 to 1. So in 20 feet of water they have 100 feet of anchor rode. Yikes, I am sailing and still having to do math! The anchor rode is attached to a windlass which is on deck. The windlass is a powered winch that helps raise the anchor. Did I mention that our anchor weighs 33 kilograms, not including the heavy chain? Catamaran owners have a trick when it comes to scope. Since the deck is 5 feet above the water, to achieve 5 to 1 scope in 20 feet of water one needs 125 feet of anchor rode (5 * (20+5)). The trick is that the bridle allows the anchor rode to be attached at the water line. No need for the extra 5 feet and now you only need 100 feet of anchor rode. And there is less chance of taking up the whole harbor and “making” friends in the middle of the night.

Enough sailing lessons. Enjoy the weekend.

* I read “The Complete Book Anchoring Handbook“.

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