Nautical Lore – Modern | Oral Narratives Of Modern Seafaring Watercraft With Multihull Pioneer Jim Brown

Storm Coming... Sailing past the tip of Baja in the dark, with no lighthouse operating, we find ourselves crossing to the Mexican Mainland, a passage of about 300 miles, with a chubasco obviously approaching. There being no protection from such storms at Cabo, we head back there anyway, hoping mainly to get Jo Anna ashore safely. We are met again by a troupe of gracious Mexicans who solve all our problems. However, this leg of the voyage ends here, and we return to California overland for the arrival of our firstborn son Steven. A chronological jump occurs here. I mention a bit about what we’re jumping over, to which we shall return if listener feedback so indicates, but we shall proceed in Caper # 7 with more recent stories.

Losing and Finding a Trimaran... The cultural influences of the 1960s, fear, paranoia and escapism, stimulates the owner-building of cruising-type multihulls. Survival aspects of yacht ownership discussed. Continues the the voyage of JUANA, wherein the vessel disappears from its anchorage at a remote location in Baja California. With the gracious help of threadbare Mexicans, JUANA is recovered, and we continue south…into changing weather and different circumstances.

Sailing dynamics of the Piver Nugget trimaran at sea. We now begin to understand the differing dynamics, and the disorienting sensations, of running downwind in a craft capable of equaling or exceeding the speed of the seaway. Our trip down the Big Sur Coast offers us “the most terrifying thrill on this planet,” but the boat keeps telling us that all is well. Surfing at night, rounding Point Conception, and the joy of getting on the boat in northern California and getting off in Southern California, Summary of multihull events yet to come in the early sixties. Piver disappears at sea.

Arthur Piver and the Modern Trimaran About ten years after Woody Brown launched the first truly modern catamaran, a San Francisco man named Arthur Piver succeeds in developing a three-hulled vessel that delivers the all-round performance and maneuverability that the catamarans of the day do not. I just happen to be there at the right time – late 1950s – and am so consumed by this revelation that I build two of Piver’s early boats and, together with my bride Jo Anna, take one of them to sea.

Modern nautical lore “capercast” podcast with multihull pioneer and historian Jim Brown. This is oral narrative # 2 featuring modern seafaring watercraft, their concepts, creators and crews. In this episode,Jim continues the amazing story of Woody Brown, designer and sailor of the first modern catamaran.  

Modern nautical lore "capercast" with multihull pioneer and historian Jim Brown. This is oral narrative # 1 featuring Jim sharing about modern seafaring watercraft, their concepts, creators and crews. In this episode, Jim shares part one of the story of Woody Brown, the designer and builder of the first modern sailing catamaran.