Delta Dinghy Ditch: http://www.lwsailing.org/events/ddd2012.shtml
Gunkholers: http://norcalsailing.com/entries/201...l#.UDzfJ47tqh4
Sorry for the hijack Skip.
200+ posts, OMG
Delta Dinghy Ditch: http://www.lwsailing.org/events/ddd2012.shtml
Gunkholers: http://norcalsailing.com/entries/201...l#.UDzfJ47tqh4
Sorry for the hijack Skip.
cat whisperer
Thanks, Alan, for the History of your sailing and the Skerry. And Jonathan for the Delta Dinghy links. I encourage any and all to share links, sea stories, educational experiences. You know: what we'd share around the fireplace or bar.
WILDFLOWER is back where we began in May: Anacortes, WA. Enroute, we had a delightful visit to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island. Locals call their rock "Slowpez." Everybody walking, cars, bikes, and boats waves to each other with the Lopez greeting.
Fisherman Bay's narrow entrance makes the bay waters landlocked, about the size of Clipper Cove. Anchorage is good in 8-20', mud bottom. We anchored 75 yards south of the Islander Resort Marina, about 50 yards offshore, in 10' of water. Our Avon Redcrest inflatable dinghy provided shoreboat services.
After riding rented bikes 14 miles around Lopez, we pedaled out to Reef Net Spit. Anchored nearby was a 5.5 Meter sloop, the turquoise blue SUNDANCE, designed by Bill Luders. I hadn't seen this one time beauty in 44 years, since the '68 Olympic Trials and snapped the below photo. Unfortunately, SUNDANCE's original bow had been bobbed (to reduce weight in the ends?)
Behind SUNDANCE are derelict reef net boats once used by local Native Americans to catch salmon swimming into Fisherman Bay. The flimsy towers allowed aerial spotters to determine when the tubular net was full and could be closed behind the unsuspecting fish. http://www.islandcam.com/fishermansbay.html
In a reminder that things that go bump in the night aren't all maritime related, WILDFLOWER crew Annie was fielding calls most of last night from concerned relatives and tenants in New Orleans, her home. Hurricane Isaac was making landfall nearby to New Orleans. Things seemed to be going OK until 3 a.m. when she learned a neighbor's large pecan tree branch damaged her roof. She is out of here first thing when NOLA airport reopens, probably Friday, armed with Blue Plastic Tarps from Anacortes West Marine. Annie is a survivor. In Hurricane Katrina, the waterline in her home was 8 feet up the wall.
Next up for WILDFLOWER is the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Sept. 7-9. If any of you are in Port Townsend for "Woodboat Woodstock," please stop by to say hello.
www.woodenboat.org
Last edited by sleddog; 09-01-2012 at 08:59 PM.
cat whisperer
Today, Sept 1st, is the fourth anniversary of saying goodbye to WILDFLOWER.
Good news is Annie got into New Orleans Airport last night. The power just came back on. Ice and MRE's are being distributed by the Red Cross. The neighbor's fallen pecan tree (not just a branch as first thought) damaged the roof and interior of her home. With big deductibles for hurricane insurance, it looks like an involved repair.
I spent much of the day prepping for the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, including varnishing and touching up paint, and unloading gear into the car. WILDFLOWER, the cat, is by no means a "yacht." But with the critical eyes of Jim Brown, Meade Gougeon, Lin and Larry Pardey, and locals Brian Toss and Carol Hasse among others who will be at PTWBF, it behooves to be ship shape.
You can tell the serious wooden boat owners at the Boat Fest: they'll have a flower bouquet in the cockpit, and chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. My flower bouquet is a bit more prosaic. Gary is lending me his deceased mother's favorite flower vase with daisies that pop up and down to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B."
I cleaned rust off the stainless equipment this afternoon using an old toothbrush and Crest Whitening toothpaste with flouride. I wonder if anyone will notice the mint smell of the jib lead blocks and stanchion bases?
cat whisperer
5/3/12 Anacortes.
I've just reread Alan H's personal account. Yesterday I had a nice chat with James McMullen of Emerald Marine. James was hauling his cool little 16' skerry, ROWAN after a 4 day, 30 mile RT row/sail/camp out to Clark Islands.
James builds these Iain Oughtred Arctic Tern skerrys, 52 of them, and has his act together for cruising. He's been cruising his little yawl since 2006, as far as Barkley Sound on the W. Coast of Vancouver Is. I look forward to learning more from his experiences.
It didn't take long for James to unrig, haul, and drive off with his skerry behind his 4 cylinder Honda Element. I will next see him and his disciples at Port Townsend Wooden Boat Fest. http://emeraldmarine.blogspot.com/
Last edited by sleddog; 09-04-2012 at 03:52 PM.
compulsive typist
HA! The James would be blinking in horror right now! "Rowan" is a modified Ian Oughtred Sooty/Artic Tern design. Ian is a Scottish designer, who in some ways lives in an earlier and simpler time. Like for example, he doesn't have a telephone or e-mail. If you want plans for one of his designs, you can get them from the distributor in the UK. Most of Ians designs are based on Danish influences, the traditional faerings. However, he has designed a few dorys and whatnot. All the designs are buildable in glued lap plywood.Originally Posted by sleddog
James liked the Arctic Tern design, but wanted to change a few little details. So he wrote (an actual paper letter) to Ian and asked about them. Ian gave the OK, and the result is "Rowan" which is, truly an absolutely gorgeous boat.
James is pretty up-front about his preferences. After building a mess of "box boats"...like Bolger designs, and sharpies and whatnot, he nowadays won't touch such a thing. As I write this, there's a thread on the Wooden Boat forum where several of his friends are tormenting the fellow for his defiant individualism, and the whole thing has evolved into designing the NON-double-ended, "anti-Rowan" sail and oar camp-cruiser. It's great fun.
He seems like a great guy. I think it would be a blast to have a short cruise with him, Eric Hvalsoe and that Yeadon fellow with the blue peapod - "Big Food". I'm glad you met up.
The skerry design is a nod in two directions by the designer... John Harris. One is the faering...like Ians boats, but the other is more like a Chamberlain gunning dory. The skerry has the flat bottom of the dorys though is a bit wider for more form stability while sailing. Ians boats (aside form the couple of dories that he's designed) have rather more deadrise. You give away a bit of rowing performance for that, but in boats, everything is a compromise, right?
Here's a build of the Oughtred design "eflyn" which is pretty close to a Hardanger faering in shape....significant deadrise in the very wide garboard planks.
The Oughtred design which is probably most like my boat is his 15 foot "skerryskiff", which has the dory-type flat bottom, as you can see from this construction photo.
Photo of a Chesapeake Light Craft skerry.....
----------------------------
...and the part about cleaning up the railings with toothpaste is hilarious!
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
compulsive typist
that is hard.....tough memories but good ones, too.
EXCELLENT!!!! :lol:You can tell the serious wooden boat owners at the Boat Fest: they'll have a flower bouquet in the cockpit, and chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. My flower bouquet is a bit more prosaic. Gary is lending me his deceased mother's favorite flower vase with daisies that pop up and down to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B."
I cleaned rust off the stainless equipment this afternoon using an old toothbrush and Crest Whitening toothpaste with flouride. I wonder if anyone will notice the mint smell of the jib lead blocks and stanchion bases?
1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"
cat whisperer
Today Gary and I took WILDFLOWER out of Cap Sante to put her through her paces in anticipation of Friday's 26 Feet and Under Race at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.
On our way out the marina, we passed four end ties of 80-120' maxi-power yachts. Then we came to MURZY 1927, the last of Anacortes original fishing boats. This soulful little ship was red tagged and chained to the dock, her slip rent in arrears. She will likely be broken up. Sad.
At the turn out the breakwater we came to a powerboat that somehow plowed straight ahead between two "Shoal Water" "Danger" "Do Not Enter" signs. She was hard aground on the bricks. One wonders the blood alcohol content of her driver.
Our practice went well in good sailing conditions: SW 8-14 knots. We tacked, jibed, changed jibs, set the chute. Only to end the delightful sail when I noticed the mylar peeling off the starboard side of the older J-22 jib. We rolled into an inside spinnaker jibe, and came out with a nice twist. I briefly wondered about the wisdom of racing my house.
Tomorrow I sail 30 miles across the Straits of Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend. It looks like good weather, and Seattle's all time record of 51 days without rain may be broken early next week.
Last edited by sleddog; 09-04-2012 at 09:14 PM.
100 - 199 posts
I think the negative thoughts of "RACING THE HOUSE" should be taken seriously.
Good luck!?
sincerely,
Howard Spruit
cat whisperer
The passage from Anacortes to Port Townsend was a piece of soup. Motoring at 6.3 in smooth conditions, clear viz. PT is wood boat central. Next door is a 50 foot bright schooner "NEVERMORE." Sugar, the cap of schooner ALCYONE, says locals call her "NEVERDONE," and that she currently has 17 coats of varnish on her hull.
The big schooner ENCHANTRESS just came in to Yacht Haven. Not a word was said as her skipper turned his 160' ship 90 degrees in her own length, and tied up to the pumpout dock. Impressive. The young crew spent an hour putting perfect flakes into the jibs. She and ALCYONE will join us all at noon tomorrow entering Point Hudson Marina, site of the Wooden Boat Festival.
Up in the boatyard at the head of the ramp is a familiar sight. Dan and Linda's PEGASUS. Unfortunately she is hauled for keel repairs, having dinged a rock in Gorge Harbor. Dan thinks the keel bulb has a broken bolt.
Time for dinner.
Last edited by sleddog; 09-13-2012 at 04:27 AM.
cat whisperer
9/13/12
WILDFLOWER and I are back home in Capitola. We had a wonderful final sail from Port Townsend to Anacortes (30 miles, 4 hours) running before a fresh SE wind. Monday I lowered the mast, hauled the boat, and secured for the highway. Tuesday I set off down the I-5 at 0800, and 12.5 hours later pulled over for the night at a Corning, CA, reststop. Yesterday I was on the road again at 0530, and pulled into the driveway mid-morning, 17.5 hours, 932 miles at average speed of 53 mph, 13 mpg.
The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival ("Wood Boat Woodstock") was a feast for the senses, and WILDFLOWER and I were in the middle of it. Waiting for my dock assignment outside Point Hudson Harbor, I watched the magnificent Grand Banks schooner PACIFIC GRACE make her entry into Point Hudson, and somehow pirouette her 140' length 180 degrees in the 130 foot fairway width. A piper played his pipes on the breakwater. I could just imagine a young Sterling Hayden in her foretop. http://www.salts.ca/site/about_us/history_of_salts.html
How much rigging is there on PACIFIC GRACE? A mile? Two miles? 10 miles? PACIFIC GRACE's topmasts towered over adjacent schooners MARTHA and ALCYONE, the 1899 Bristol Pilot Cutter CARLOTTA, and SPRAY. The only thing higher in all Port Townsend was the church steeple on the hill.
Last edited by sleddog; 09-13-2012 at 05:02 AM.
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