A Tribute |
April 25 marks the first anniversary of the 2015 Dauphin Island Race - one of the deadliest tragedies in U.S. sailing history. As a fleet of 117 boats competed in the race, a violent thunderstorm struck. Dozens of sailors were injured and boats damaged. Three boats sank. Six sailors perished.
As a Mobile Bay sailor (I wasn't on the course that day, but know many of the sailors, including one who lost his boat) and amateur songwriter, I was deeply moved by this tragedy. Shortly after the race, I wrote an original folk song as a tribute to the sailors lost, their families, the sailors who survived and all the folks involved in rescue and recovery efforts.
Mike Turner
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A Successful Crossing |
We have spent the last couple of days motoring back from the Bahamas across the Gulf Stream to West Palm Beach in Florida. It was maybe our easiest crossing ever. Except for an hour at the start and finish when it was windier than we'd liked - over 20 knots - it was relatively calm and smooth. Certainly the forecast was right. NE swell 3-5ft with 10-15 knot NE winds. After clearing the N end of Abacos Island we headed WSW and spent our last night in the Bahamas at the half way point of Mangrove Cay.
Then we left at dawn for the 75 mile Gulf Stream crossing to Florida. While I steered for 9 hours (no autopilot) Jetti played Sudoku and then vacuum cleaned, it's easy to guess which she preferred! And I suspect that she was the only person this year to do the vacuum cleaning while crossing the Gulf Stream!
We motored into Lake Worth Inlet about 3.30pm and anchored in our normal spot. The US has now changed their immigration/customs procedure. You phone in as soon as you arrive, get given a reference number and then have 24 hours to formally clear.
So this morning we tied up at the marina for an hour to clear in. It was "challenging" getting into the berth, a strong cross current and cross wind was blowing. We actually did better than the next two boats. One made horrible glass creaking noises as it hit the dock. The second aimed for a starboard side berth but made a perfect portside tie by mistake.
We have a lift out booked for the 20th at Indiantown boatyard, about 30 miles away. Before then we will go down to Fort Lauderdale to spend a few days with friends and then up to Vero Beach and a boat showing on April 15-17. Please email me at woodsdesigns@gmail.com for more details if you are in the area and would like to see our Skoota or talk boats. Then it's back to the UK for a while.
as always, more at richard.woods.designs FB page and www.sailingcatamarans.com |
A New Tack for an Old Friend |
From different sides of different coins.
He’s the raining seer, sage, and prophet.
But, when JW speaks,
The multitude will stop and heed.
Now, even our favorite would-be guttersnipe
Has joined the throng.
He’s the seachest of apocripha and southpawed charm.
When the crowd goes one way,
Our boy loudly charts a ree-cip.
He’s our hero of the divergent and strange,
With a flair for the loud and a bit dangerous.
Finally, our boy is showing the top-drawer class, I knew he always had.
Cute, and stout, and able;
Her name says it best.
From Howard and Mike and Josh,
Down to the unknown guy in his garage.
Now, even Dave, says he’ll give the SCAMP a cupholder and a home in Tikiland. I just can’t wait. |
Apple Pie |
Chuck,
I visited the site "Christine Demerchant Site About Boats” by accident. it is very interesting. This lady apparently lives in the Toronto, Canada area and is an active boatbuilder and sailer. She mentions having built an Apple Pie dingy and I found your article on this design. You mention it is based on a design by William Atkin . I have a book, “Practical Small Boat Designs” by his son, John Atkin. This book includes Schatze, a 7-10 pram and Finkledink, a 9-0 pram, in 1/4’’ ply, both based on his father’s Rink Dink. You may already know about these designs.
Clive Bennett. |
Sail info |
I'm been redoing the interior of my Laura Bay design to make it more of a sailing boat than a fishing boat. One of the things that I wanted to change for that hull was the size of the sail I could use with it. Now I've been using a 36sqft Optimist sail, but it's a bit too small for that hull, as you would know from having sailed it when you and Sandra came to Seattle a few years back.
So I emailed my friend Bob Pattison at Neil Pryde sails to see if it was possible for NP to design and build a sail between the 36ft sail and the 64sqft sail that I helped develope with NP a few years back. The 64 is a great size for 12-14ft hulls, but was a bit overpowering for 9-10ft hulls.
I asked Bob if he could come up with something in the middle of those two sizes, in the 50-52ft size range for this new sail. I sent him a drawing of what I thought the new sail would look like and had it drawn in front of the 64ft sail, with 14sqft of sail removed around the top and luff sides of the 64. Bob said it was workable and he came up with a design for the new sail, and it came in halfway between the existing 36 and 64 sails. I also wanted to rig the new sail as a gaffer, as it's just too much of a pain to launch from the dock with a Sprit rigged sail, and get the Sprit pole up and the sail flying, while working around the bow of a small boat.
click image above for specification pdf file
I got the sail this week and it looks great. I asked and got a Tan Bark sail, and can't wait to get it flying for a "red sails in the sunset" day. It comes with one reef and looks to take away about 10sqft with the reef in place. I will be adding a series of videos to my RedBarnBoats YouTube site as I rig up a new mast, boom, and the gaff pole. I may even make a fiberglass mast too, but will have to see if that's possible, or even worth the money to do it myself.
I've attached a PDF file with the sail specs, and a drawing of the sail included in the file. Now I have a "stock" sail for most of my sailing hull designs that can be ordered off the shelf for a reasonable price. I may even need a 78sqft sail in the future for one of my larger hull designs that I have been working on.
I hope to make up some drawings soon, that people can download at Duckworks. They will show the sails, mast dimensions, and all the part numbers of the fittings needed to get up and sailing with these three sails.
Thanks again Chuck for all the help you and Sandra have given me.
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A New Raid |
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Hi Chuck,
I started Raid Extreme at the Lauwersmeer in the Netherlands, any takers?
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When the Wind Howls on Puget Sound |
If you don’t like the weather—just wait a few minutes…
This is all from sundown Thursday to noon on Friday. My consolation cruise after we canx the Driz. (A small slice of North Idaho).
Dan Rogers
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Department of Nostalgia |
My daughter found this old 60’s era catalogue in a used book store in Toronto and gave it to me as a Christmas gift.
I have attached a couple of scans and wonder if you would be interested in posting some of the pages as it may be of nostalgic interest to your readers.
It contains such interesting items like Sperm whale teeth and driftwood decorating kits.
Also on interest to me was the 4 cents postage to Canada!
If you are interested let me know and I will scan the rest of the catalogue for you.
Cheers,
Herb
Herb: Absoutely! Send me the rest and I will start posting them here. I'll post one or two each month. - Chuck
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