A long Cape Cod Nor’easter does more than rearrange the shoreline. Its waves strip away lighter sand, cut new channels and sometimes leave heavier objects concentrated among shells, gravel and dark mineral streaks. Coastal scientists call this sorting process winnowing. Then comes the curious part. As the beach begins to dry, strong winds can remove loose surface sand. A coin, shell or flat stone shelters the sand directly beneath it, eventually leaving the object perched upon a tiny raised cylinder—or sand pedestal. No metal detector is required. Your eyes become the instrument. After the storm has safely passed, walk the retreating-tide line and look for: - Small sand pedestals - Newly exposed gravel or shell beds - Dark streaks of heavy minerals - The bottom of fresh erosion cuts - Unusual circular edges catching the low sunlight Could one support a long-lost Spanish dollar—a genuine Piece of Eight? Probably not. But Cape Cod has never been a place where the improbable feels entirely impossible. One important rule: know whose beach you are walking. Cape Cod National Seashore prohibits metal detectors and collecting of any kind. Photograph a possible historical object where it lies and notify the appropriate ranger or landowner. Sometimes the best treasure hunt begins by leaving the detector at home—and learning how to read what the storm has written in the sand. ⚓ Nautical Me!

Don't miss the action in Naples: https://www.youtube.com/live/cEztv-kITdU?si=z6bWVuMq4uuNw4oK

The 38th America's Cup in Naples, Italy, will feature major rule updates for the AC75 class, reducing crew sizes to five and replacing cyclors with battery-powered systems. Key AC75 Rule & Structural Changes for 2027 - Smaller Crew: Reduced from eight sailors down to five active crew members. - No Cyclors: Pedaling crew members are eliminated entirely, replaced by battery and servo-controlled systems. - Diversity & Guests: Mandates at least one female sailor on the five-person crew and introduces a guest racer cockpit position. - Existing Hulls: Teams must reuse hulls from the 37th America's Cup to cut costs and waste. - Cost Cap: Controlled via a 75-million-euro spending limit per team. 2027 Race Schedule Overview - Fleet Races (Stage 1): May 22–23, 2027 - Second Round Robin (Stage 2): May 26 – June 11, 2027 - Repêchage: June 12–14, 2027 - Semi-Finals & Finals: June 16 – July 4, 2027 - America's Cup Match: October 26–30, 2027 Confirmed Competing Syndicates The primary field consists of five founding teams under the new America's Cup Partnership, alongside a newly added late entry from the United States: - Emirates Team New Zealand (Defender) – The reigning champions returning to defend the Auld Mug. - GB1 / Athena Racing (Challenger of Record) – Led by Sir Ben Ainslie representing Great Britain. - Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli – The prominent Italian team returning for another strong campaign. - Tudor Team Alinghi – The highly competitive Swiss syndicate. - K-Challenge – France’s premier foiling racing syndicate. - ARC Team USA (American Racing Challenger) – A late-entry American challenger that acquired assets from American Magic to bring the U.S. back into the competition. 1. The Hydrofoil & Flight System The AC75 flies using a combination of two massive side foil arms and a specialized rudder. [1] - Foil Cant System (FCS): A standardized, battery-driven hydraulic power unit that raises and lowers the 900 kg carbon-fiber foil arms. When tacked, the windward foil is raised out of the water, extending outward so its heavy mass acts as righting-moment ballast. The leeward foil stays submerged to generate lift.

I have some house guests who will want to know the facts, figures and other details of my HMS Victory model below. So I worked on the attachment with GPT-5 (not Astra) and here's how we did. Phil

By Eric Jay Dolin I have heard Jay speak, locally, and his books are all well researched and well written. Now we need to see who can post the first review. Great summer read, you think? Phil https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GP39FM76/ref=sw_img_1?smid=&psc=1 A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail Click to see full view Play Preview The Wreck of the Mentor: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail New York Times “The Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026” An astonishing true story—one of the most gripping maritime sagas of the nineteenth century—told by our era’s “expert literary steersman” (Washington Post). From the best-selling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters comes the story of the American whaleship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertainty of contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who within days approach the deserted men brandishing axes, clubs, and spears. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, tribal wars, and dashed hopes, award-winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor’s doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed. The Wreck of the Mentor is at once a powerful story of survival and a revealing window into the great Age of Sail—a time when maritime ambition collided with local sovereignty, and when the outcome of one voyage rippled across oceans and empires.