Norwegian Steam: NS Meets El Coromuel

Monday, January 10, 2011

NS Meets El Coromuel

Having brushed twice with the Norther, NS has now met El Coromuel, another of the distinctive weather patterns of the Sea of Cortez. We are currently en route from Playa Bonanza to Ensenada de los Muertos (23 degrees 59.2 minutes north, 109 degrees 49.6 minutes west) on our way to Puerto Vallarta, which we hope to reach on Saturday or Sunday. When we went to bed last night, anchored at Playa Bonanza, the wind was from the north and we were well protected. About midnight, we were awakened by waves pitching the boat. This was El Corumuel's way of saying hello.

The coromuel is a southwesterly wind that blows out of La Paz, arising during the night and usually disappearing at dawn. Its force is derived from the evening temperature difference between the colder outside of Baja and the warmer Sea of Cortez. The direction is the result of a low spot in the mountainous backbone of Baja, which is situated to the southwest of La Paz. It is a nuisance to cruisers anchored in the bays of Espiritu Santo, which are well protected from northerly winds, but are open to the southwest.

The name coromuel comes with some fascinating folklore. In the days when much of Europe's trade with Asia was conducted by Spanish Galleons, English pirates would prey on the these ships laden with treasure. The Galleons would return via the westerly, sailing to the Pacific Northwest, then work their way down the coast, with a destination of Manzanillo. Along the way they would sometimes enter the Sea of Cortez to provision in the bays of Espiritu Santo. If a coromuel would arise, they would be trapped, because they were not designed to sail to windward, and were easy prey for pirates. Some believe that Cromwell was the name of one of these pirates. Others believe that the name was adopted because it had belonged to an English leader who was extraordinary in his hatred for Catholics.

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Norwegian Steam, the vessel

Norwegian Steam is the name of our 35' sailboat. She was designed by Ted Brewer. About 40 hulls were constructed by Miller Marine on Bainbridge Island, Washington between 1976 and the early 1980s. It is rumored that additional hulls were constructed in eastern Canada. Because many of these boats were completed by owners, there is a very great diversity in the fleet. To learn more about the basic design, you can find information about Ted's Jason design on his web site.

NS was completed by Alan with the help of friends, some of them professionals, over many years. She has been sailing since 2001. She differs from most (perhaps all) other instances of the Jason design in that her mast is 6 feet taller and she is rigged as a racing cutter, with large overlapping staysail. This rig design was inspired by the work of John Illingworth, the great English yacht designer and sailboat racer.

Norwegian Steam, the name

The phrase, Norwegian steam, may originally have been somewhat pejorative. When a vessel was powered by sails or by oars instead of by a steam or diesel engine, it was said to be powered by "Norwegian steam", the implication being that the Norwegians were so poor they could not afford engines for their boats. As time passed, the Norwegians themselves adopted the phrase to indicate a "can-do" attitude or doing whatever it takes to get the job done, even with limited resources or under adverse circumstances.

During the great era of America's Cup racing in J-Class yachts, the term took on a slightly different meaning. Many of the American defender boats had Norwegian crews and thus were said to be powered by Norwegian steam. A website has been dedicated to this bit of history.