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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #4771
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    That's a cold couple of days on the water, but still 'n all... everybody is smiling.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  2. #4772
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    I've been blessed recently to be in the vicinity of some very fine schooner models. Mini-MAGIC, built by Craig and Vicky, is a working model. And looks magnificent whether on the water or hanging from her ceiling slings.

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    WANDERBIRD, the Tompkins schooner, looked equally spectacular at Commodore's 90th Birthday, appropriately at Spaulding's Boatyard, where Commodore spent many hours under tutelage of Myron. The model of WANDERBIRD was built by Paul Reck, age 93, over a three year period.

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    Happy to report, after her disastrous collision and sinking on the Elbe River near Hamburg, the 'BIRD has been totally taken apart with every piece numbered and labeled, and the hull shipped to Denmark for reconstruction. She should be back sailing in the near future.

    When the Tompkins owned WANDERBIRD, she had a wheel. Unfortunately, the new owners in Germany converted to her original tiller. It was a grave navigational miscalculation, as well as 5 people pushing the tiller the wrong way, that was likely the primary cause of the collision. https://youtu.be/aXrTvVh4NOs
    Last edited by sleddog; 02-28-2022 at 08:36 PM.

  3. #4773
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Los Osos
    Posts
    62

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    What a lovely model of the 'Bird! My hat is doffed to Paul Reck for the exquisite workmanship.

    Skip, did you take any other photos of the model?

  4. #4774
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    Sep 2007
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    San Francisco Bay Area
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    I've never met Commodore Tompkins, and I'd sure like to, someday.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  5. #4775
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    Racing a 110 on Tomales Bay out of Inverness Yacht Club was a new experience on all accounts and our learning curve was near vertical. Our boat, #695, SMART SHOES, was kindly loaned by her owner, who was pre-occupied elsewhere. At some point, the boat had been rerigged with the smallest diameter, high tech line available, 20 control lines in all, making nothing easy to adjust as they all ran along and over the floorboards, subject to being stood upon.

    The first 3 races, held in NW winds 8-15 knots, were nothing to write home about as we learned about local winds coming out of the canyons, giving 30 degree lifts and puffs to boats just a length to windward. Finally we got the fourth start right, and with two local hotshot boats ahead and to leeward, we carried starboard tack towards the fast approaching beach.

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    Then our speed really got good, but only because the two veterans to leeward, who should have known better, ran aground . I threw the tiller over, but too late, we were stuck too. So we practiced hiking to leeward and sailed free after a minute or so in the mud.

    Due to not being able to launch until half way to high tide, after noon, our practice time afloat had been limited. The first mark of the first race was also our first spinnaker hoist, only to discover both end jaws of the spinnaker pole were frozen closed. No problem, on the downwind legs I steered with my left hand on the tiller and right arm extended as a human spinnaker pole as we free-flew the spinny. I did say this was a steep learning curve?

    All in all, a fun day in beautiful surroundings with a fun crowd.
    Last edited by sleddog; 03-07-2022 at 10:52 PM.

  6. #4776
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    3,485

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    Wow! Wow! Wow! Does that look like FUN!!

  7. #4777
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    Sep 2007
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    3,688

  8. #4778
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    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    For anyone who is a Shackleton fan, this is a must read about finding ENDURANCE perfectly preserved, 2 miles down.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/ernest-sh...101026017.html

  9. #4779
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    As we all know, misunderstandings when sailing with crew, is one reason we like to sail solo. I well remember coaching a women's SC-27 team. At the leeward mark of the big race, one crew disappeared below at the critical moment of rounding. When asked in a post -race briefing what happened, the missing crew told us her skipper said to "heat it up," and she went below to light the stove and heat up lunch.

    Yesterday, after answering numerous redundant medical questions both over the phone, on multi-page forms, and in person, I showed up at the surgery center for an upper endoscopy to scope my esophagitis when a not dissimilar misunderstanding occurred.

    As I was changing out of street clothes into a gown, on the other side of the curtain, out of the blue, the attendant
    nurse asked, "when did you last have solitude?" Having grown weary of so many questions, part of my addled brain flashed on the early morning quiet and low tide beauty I'd recently enjoyed at Tomales Bay. But I wasn't sure why I should share that movie in an operating prep room. To be clear, I replied back through the curtain, "what did you ask?" Again, the nurse clearly, to my ears, said, "when did you last have solitude?"

    Hmmm...Just to be triple sure, I said in a slow and authoritative tone likely heard by all in the room, "why do you want to know about my solitude?" There was silence and snickering outside the curtain, when Nina, the very nice nurse said, "No, no." "Not solitude." "Solid food.!"
    Last edited by sleddog; 03-11-2022 at 12:15 PM.

  10. #4780
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    The night sky at Pt.Reyes can be extraordinary. Dark enough to see the Milky Way setting in the West in this wonderful composite photo by Dan Zafra.

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    Sirius, brightest star in the Heavens is prominent in constellation Canis Major below the starry arc toward the left. Orion's yellowish Betelgeuse, Aldebaran in Taurus, and the blue tinted Pleiades star cluster also can be found between the Milky Way and northwestern horizon near the center of the scene.

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