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Emerald News

Our Irish Mate brings us two new features.
-The US Roster ( in the “About” menu) is a password protected spreadsheet .
– Additionally, a list of the Captain Assembly Meetings Minutes is now available in the “Publications” menu.

Erin gO rza! 

Emerald News Read More »

USA Roster January 2024

Last updated roster. If you see any anomaly, please contact us asap.
This is a google drive document that everyone with the link can open and read after you enter the usual password used for most BOC documents.

USA Roster January 2024 Read More »

Minutes of the Assembly of Table Captains March 15, 2023

Minutes of the Assembly of Table Captains March 15, 2023 Read More »

Annapolis Sailing Capital – 10 year Anniversary

Annapolis Sailing Capital Logo

Dave “Chief” Trawick (Scribe of the Annapolis Sailing Capital Table) and his wife & Kristy just emailed new material to be posted in. the page. We also amended the recipe page. Please email us news and relevant info regarding your table. These additions are spectacular. Thank you!
Send Email to Big Hopper.

Celebration:  Oct 13-15, 2023

We are grateful to our mentors Pete Chabot, John Craighill and Past National Table Captain, Charles Hankins in Investing the Sailing Capital Table and ushering us into establishment – 23 August 2013.

Since then, we have grown from six with Bob Howe Inducted posthumously to twelve and two Engages today.

Our Table has evolved into an active, yet informal, low-key Table with no distinct schedule outside of our monthly TAF get-togethers.  We began and remained humble which humility comes directly from all the contacts the Sailing Capital Brothers have developed with other Tables, the true nexus of the Brotherhood. We strive to meet or exceed activities common with other Tables and intend to keep meeting and growing our size and bonds.

More on the Table Page.

Annapolis Sailing Capital – 10 year Anniversary Read More »

Salade Liégeoise

Adding to the many recipes I had been asked to post on the website, this is one of my favorite. It is a recipe from the city of Liège in Belgium. Actually the capital city of the province of Liege at the Northeast of the Belgian country. How was it founded? Charlemagne- Carolus Magnus or Charles the Great – yes, the greatest conquerer of the Middle Ages marched north and united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire,. He “stopped” at a line traced by “Lille” in France, Brussels in the Flanders, Liege and Aachen in todays’s Germany. He had stopped established the oldest European university in Leuven/Louvain.
This clearly explain the “division” that exists today in Belgium as the “Latins” occupied the territories south of the line and the “Franks” continued to speak “Flemish” North of it… 🙁
Oopps – Yes I am Belgian and I tried to oversimplify History”. Anyway, why is this recipe “Liégeoise” or from the city of Liège”? I have no clue and I would love some feedback. All I can tell is that both my Wallonian side of the family and the Dutch ( Read from Flanders ) side family used to prepare the same dish.

Many a sailor couple asked me to describe it. It can be heavy and greasy. It can be very comforting at 2am amidst a night watch. It can be a great friends reunion’s appetizer. It can be enjoyed warm or cold. Bur really, it is better after having marinated overnight.

The main ingredient are “Princesses” – or in real American language “French Beans”. I guess “The Princess and the Pea” from literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen had no place in culinary prose. These are the ingredients:

  • Oignons – chopped ans losing cooked in butter, to become transparents
  • French beens – really better if bought fresh and cut off from their filandrous tails…
  • Bacon – Lots of it and thick cut if possible: chop 1/4″ wide.
  • Patates nouvelles – actually very small potatoes – better in the spring
  • Vinegar – The best you can get

This whole recipe can be processed on a galley’s one burner range! It does not need heavy refrigeration because of the vinegar’s acidity.

Chop the onions and cook them in a bit of butter until transparent ( Pan 1) . set on the side.
Cook the bacon SLOWLY to extract the fat- drop hem on paper towel to absorb the fat ( keep the paper towel to start the barbecue ! ) (Pan 1)
Blanch the French beans (Casserole 2) – Set aside
Cook the potatoes – not fully! Pour the water off and add butter ( to the bacon fat if you kept it in a bowl. “Caramelize “them in butter.
Add all the other ingredients
Add good wine vinegar. Put in fridge or serve

Best to eat with a heavy Belgian beer: Kriek Lambiek or Gueuze or Trappist!



Salade Liégeoise Read More »

Who are we ?

The Brotherhood of the Coast is a global fraternal organization whose members have sworn to each other their friendship and loyalty, anchored by their common love of the sea. Started in Chile in 1951 as the Hermandad de la Costa, it has steadily grown to over 3,000 members (Brothers) in over 200 local chapters (Tables) across the world.

We do not discuss religion, politics or business and we are not a yacht club, secret society, charitable or service organization.
The guiding principles of the Brotherhood are codified in the Octolog. They are based on the camaraderie which existed amongst the Buccaneers who gathered in the second half of the seventeenth century to establish an organized community with rules observing a strict respect for the “customs of the coast”. They formed a very close knit society, which they named FrËres de la CÙte (“Brothers of the Coast”), on the islands of Tortuga and Jamaica.
The eight principles of the Octolog is sworn to by all Brothers worldwide and must be respected – disregard of them could lead to expulsion. Brothers must treat all Brothers equally with respect. A Brother’s economic, religious, ethnic, social status or nationality is of no importance among Brothers. Visiting Brothers may stay with another Brother even though they have never met. The bonds among Brothers are very strong – many develop deep, long lasting friendships that are life-changing, not only within the Brother’s Table but among Tables worldwide.
The Founding Brothers of the US Brotherhood were inspired by the closeness of this fraternity, which led them in 1959 to choose the name Brotherhood of the Coast.
Similar to sailors who depended on each other for survival during long journeys at sea, it embodies fraternity, commitment, and lifelong friendship among Brothers worldwide.
As the Brotherhood is based on a common love of the sea, boating raft-ups and regattas are a major activity in home waters and abroad. Tables are free to support any causes they wish. When the earthquakes hit Haiti and Chile, Brothers worldwide contributed to help Brothers impacted by these devastating events. There is no typical Brotherhood Table; they are largely autonomous, free to decide amongst themselves how often to meet and the format of their meetings.
Aside from regular meetings, some Tables hold events to which all Brothers are invited. Many Tables will celebrate founding anniversaries or national holidays – New York, for example, invited Brothers worldwide to join in celebrating Op Sail and the Chilean Brotherhood will celebrate their 75th Anniversary in 2026. Many Tables invite Brothers worldwide to participate in their local and national meetings. Traveling Brothers will find a welcome berth in any Brotherhood location.
There is a National Assembly of Captains which offers guidelines to Tables and deals with international matters and subjects of common interest. Every four years there is an international gathering, a World Zafarrancho. lasting about a week. They have been held in Chile (where Brothers rounded Cape Horn, courtesy of the Chilean Navy), Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, UK, Uruguay and the USA. These meetings give Brothers the opportunity to meet old friends and develop new ones.
Even though The Brotherhood of the Coast is a loosely organized fraternity, there are features common to all. There is a dress code referred to as Brotherhood Formal Dress, which includes a blue blazer with a distinctive pocket patch and a tricorn hat. At other events designated for Battle Dress, Brothers will wear traditional seventeenth century regalia, some complete with bandanas, cutlasses and mock flintlock pistols. At events, appreciation is shown with a traditional toast recognized worldwide and known as the Broadside.
Any Brother may sponsor a potential Brother
(Engage) to join a Table. The Table’s Brothers will spend a lot of time with Engages to ensure that they understand the commitment required and will respect and adhere to the guiding principles of the Octolog. After some time during which the Engage attends meetings and outings with other Brothers, if all the Table’s Brothers concur, the Engage will become a Brother for life.
In short, the Brotherhood of the Coast is a fraternal organization of lovers of the sea but is not for everyone.
our aim is not to increase our numbers but to maintain our viability worldwide. We hope that this brochure has given you some insight as to what we are all about.

A trifold pamphlet was created to present the organization. Click to download.
New Brochure pamphlet

Who are we ? Read More »

Ever Never again …

This might well interest all of us involved with the sea and its history, even if not directly related to the BOC. 
At our weekly Zoom meeting, the topic of the Evergreen ship stuck in the Suez was much discussed. For the past week, I have tried to get a full picture of the event. I gather that the ship ran aground and became lodged sideways across the waterway at about 07:40 local time (EET)  (05:40 GMT) on Tuesday March 23. That morning, the tide was high at 06:42, of a medium amplitude, and 1.56 meters high.
Some news sources reveal that attempts to dislodge the "monster" happened this morning (US time) with a tide at 10:58 with 2.02 meters. Luckily the tides are still going towards a greater coefficient on Tuesday March 30 at 12:08 with 2.12 meters.
Ever Minded
My own extrapolations result in about 20,000 containers (TEU's) onboard representing some 24 columns of containers, at 23 rows abreast and about 16 containers high, for a total estimated height of 50 meters, making possible removal of containers a challenge, to say the least. 

More info given on CNN : https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/28/africa/suez-canal-ship-blockage-intl/index.html

Some interesting links are on USA-Today, and the New York Times. Please  send us other facts and your comments, especially from the brothers who lived and worked aboard as pilot or in the shipping industry. 

Ever Never again … Read More »

BOCUS.ORG Happenings

  • The Web site has been greatly amended for faster response. There are faster links in the menus: check SECOIN and Rosters under the ABOUT option, or jump immediately to the Chilean website that you can also access directly from here.
  • There are many options to access your table: by the menu, by the “Search” option in the right sidebar or by clicking your table name.
  • At last, we’ll soon be able to physically see each other and talk face-to-face. Check the newly upgraded calendar of events.
    Please contact Big Hopper to have your Table’s activities added or fill the form below.
Time(required)

BOCUS.ORG Happenings Read More »

A US Zoom Zaf

Zoomarrancho

The New York Table invites you to a “ZOOMARRANCHO”,

Saturday, March 6, at 5:00 pm EST

Fuhgeddaboudit!!! 

We will start promptly at 5:00 pm with a 30-minute video presentation about the many journeys we have shared together followed by an open Zoom event. If you feel creative, prepare a short skit of your own, and share your screen with us

Please RSVP no later than March 4 to Theo Olmer at theoolmer@gmail.com. She will send you the Zoom ID and password.
 We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the 6th!

Attending?(required)

Zoomarrancho Read More »

Pacific/South America/US East Coast Zoom Zaf

The New York Table has been enjoying Saturday night “Zoom Zafs” for several weeks now. Recently these Zafs were attended by guests from other U.S. tables. On May 3, the New York Table and Orza from the Chesapeake were thrilled to join New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and New Caledonia at 12:00 Sunday Canberra time – 22:00 Saturday EST.
Our Chilean engagé Andres proudly recited the Octalog in Spanish. ORZA!

Pacific/South America/US East Coast Zoom Zaf Read More »

ZoomZafs

New York Brothers usually meet at each other’s homes on a monthly basis. Recently, this has not been safe or feasible. We turned to technology to continue our tradition virtually and even increase the frequency of our Zafs.  We had two Zoom test sessions, inviting an increasing number of participants. 

The first ZoomZaf started with some hiccups – and not from too many Orzas … some of us had no mic or video… but could still participate. It ended up being such a successful break from our isolation that we decided to make it a weekly event. Every Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

“Baggywrinkle” has been waiting for three weeks for Amazon to deliver a camera. He was so eager to virtually embrace the Brothers that Elaine and he drove 40 miles to fetch a legacy piece of equipment Robert had used in Windows 7. (Elaine traded for it with some home-sewn face masks … but why bother when I have Norton antivirus software? Ha ha.) We spent an hour on the phone trying to install the correct video driver. No luck… they had to participate in the ZoomZaf with audio only. We’re hoping for next time.

Our latest Zaf on April 18 included Show and Tell stories about our confined activities: repair of polyethylene water tanks, construction of a bottle wall, major mask production for charities and friends, musings about the effects of isolation on introvert and extrovert personality types, work on jazzy piano techniques, increasing working hours in hospital administration, studying Spanish, sorting family archive pictures, sailboat re-powering, electronic rice-cooker repair and prepping for a hilarious skit for us.  Maximum number of participants is 10, we hope for more. We were happy to have our St.Augustine-Florida branch join in also. Baggy Wrinkle polka was most entertaining. <-Click to enjoy!

Please write below a comment on this post!

ZoomZafs Read More »

September Winds

Hurricane Dorian shellacked the Bahamas. There are 16 Brothers out there and at least one Best Mate who owns a second residence there., “Per Save” is the Captain of the Bahamas table and his home apparently was destroyed along with much of the other island.  The Man O War island community after the destruction of Hurricane Dorian needs the generous outreach and support from all of our worldwide friends, colleagues, and families. 

The biggest and most immediate impact you can have right now to help rebuild the island infrastructure is through a monetary contribution to the PERC 501(c)(3) or GoFundMe accounts set up through this link: www.mowrelief.com marked for the “Man-O-War Relief Fund”.

Josh Whetzel. (412) 952-3941

There are plenty of news available on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/702022933277745/

BOCUS.ORG
The site was moved to a much larger server that should provide way shorter response time. ( = FASTER ) Some brothers still experience difficulties to open items in the menu. I am still investigating. I suggest as a first strategy to clear your browser cache. Help is here

September Winds Read More »

Albert Seidl

Albert Seidel, slipped his cable on May 3, and is now sailing the sea of eternity.

The Savannah Table is greatly saddened by Albert’s passing, but we all are grateful for our time with him, and his dedication to the Brotherhood.  Albert has stood out as the essence of what the Fraternity is all about.  His ship, his home, and his heart were always open and welcoming to his Brotherhood family. His stories, and stories about him, will be told into the future.  Today we see him at the helm of his beloved his Barkentine, a twinkle in his eye, and his broad smile in place, heading to the four points of the compass with a fair wind constantly at his back.
Sail on Brother Dokwaes, sail on high. Our deepest sympathy to Alise, and his family.
Adapted from J. H. Byrne, . Hamrick, J. D’Alusio, Sherry and Preston Carraway.

Albert Seidl

Alise does not plan a memorial or celebration for Albert at this time.  Family has recently visited and is home in their various countries.  However, Alise wants all of Albert’s friends to know that at a future date there will be a proper Pirate Celebration of Albert’s life and exploits. 

Albert Seidl Read More »

Thank you Brise Galets for the BOC List

In line with the decision made by SECOIN, and with immediate effect, Brise-Galets will hand over to brother Americo a.k.a. Jorge Sapiains the management of the Boclist, which  today contains 3700 contacts, having started in 1992 with 18 contacts. He wishes to thank all of the brothers who helped him along the way with what turned out to be a very long and tedious process. He wishes brother Americo to make good progress toward what would be the ultimate goal of a worldwide Brotherhood roster.
Orza to all of you !!!
 
An official note about this transfer of assignments appears in the newest Tortuga Post #94. You can access TTP#94 on the official, worldwide publication, hosted by brotherofthecoast.org. This site is pretty secured and you can access it with your username and password. Please visit it often and update your Brother’s info!

As per TTP#94 : Quote: Because this Secretariat is in charge of a Chilean, it implies that Chile must assume the costs of the exercise and therefore SECOIN adopts the existing web with a new design, hosting and domain:secoin.hermandaddelacosta.cl. Big Hopper tried to log in, unsuccessfully. Please follow this blog for more info. Unquote

All comments are more than welcome! Especially updates on how to proceed in the future.

 

Thank you Brise Galets for the BOC List Read More »