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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #1991
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    That's wonderful. Thanks, Skip.

    makes me think of the book, "The Curve of Time".
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  2. #1992
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    Like all good sea stories, they can be retold. This one from the Forum 2.5 years ago, but updated with fresh information.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Fred Hughes, Commodore of the New Jersey Yacht Club was a serious yacht racer and betting man. In the 1880's in New York, those two recreations, sailing and gambling, were not mutually exclusive .

    Fred Hughes had “drunk the catamaran Kool-Aid” when he bought Nathanael Herreshoff's legendary pioneering catamaran design AMARYLLIS. Soon enough, he wanted something faster than AMARYLLIS. Hughes had Herreshoff build the 41' catamaran JESSIE with the intention of racing JESSIE against a horse from New York to Stony Creek, Connecticut, 90 miles, for a $1,000 bet, winner take all.

    Hughes' catamaran JESSIE, favored with strong tail winds, won that race. The horse, “Boston,” came second. The owner of the horse, wealthy New York sportsman, Dr. Ezra P Daggett, was dissatisfied and wanted a rematch. Daggett was the inventor of preserving food in tin cans. Commodore Hughes readily agreed to Daggett's terms for a rematch. For the rematch, Hughes again had a new catamaran built, the 40' CYCLONE. Daggett again challenged with his horse “Boston.” And a third entry, a dark horse, was an unnamed man on a bicycle, who bet $500 he could beat both the horse and the catamaran, and take the $1,500 prize.

    Here's CYCLONE, with JESSIE in the background: Name:  Jessie.jpg
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    The start of the catamaran/ horse/ bicycle race was scheduled to leave New York 4:30 a.m. on morning of August 15, 1885. There was a problem. 4 detectives from the Humane Society were hunting for the “Boston” the horse, ready to arrest Daggett the owner on animal cruelty charges arising from the previous race.

    At the 24th St starting line, Daggett cunningly disguised another horse as “Boston,” and the SPCA detectives tried to arrest the wrong horse. Meanwhile Daggett and “Boston” rode away at a 12 mph gate up Central Ave.

    By the Boston Road, “Boston's” pace had increased to 20 mph with Daggett wearing oilskin foul weather gear and a Southwester hat pulled over his eyes to protect them from the driving rain.

    Down on the water, Hughes CYCLONE was encountering difficulty starting the race. Leaving New York's East River through Hells Gate, the wind was strong and from the East, making it a dead muzzler, not a good point of sail for a catamaran. We can only guess the conversation onboard CYCLONE was not optimistic.

    Meanwhile, the third starter, the bicyclist, failed to appear. Whether because of the foul weather, or because he hadn't secured the necessary $500 entry bet, the reason for the bicyclist's “no show” is unknown.

    By 6 a.m., “Boston” and Daggett had reached New Rochelle, and the rain was beginning to let up. Stamford, Connecticut was reached at 8:15 a.m. In Stamford, “Boston” was given a swallow of brandy, a rubdown, and 45 minute rest.

    At 11:30 a.m., “Boston” trotted briskly into Bridgeport, where the big boned gelding was given a well deserved hour's rest. At 12: 30 p.m. Dr. Daggett picked up “Boston's” reins, gave a chirp, and “Boston” responded by breaking into “a spanking gate” which they held all the way to New Haven.

    At 2:45 pm “Boston” and Daggett entered New Haven, where “Boston” was again rested, rubbed down, and given oatmeal porridge flavored with a dose of brandy. It was here in New Haven that Daggett fully expected to be arrested by the Humane Officers. But none appeared.

    At 4:34 p.m, after covering the final 11 miles from New Haven, “Boston” and Daggett crossed the finish line at Frank's Hotel to the applause of 50 welcomers. But the race wasn't over. Where was Hughes on CYCLONE? Nothing had been seen of the catamaran since the start. In addition, Daggett realized that in his ruse to escape the Humane detectives in New York, he had started the race five miles closer to the finish than CYCLONE.

    To make up the five mile advantage, a very tired “Boston” was driven 5 miles up and down the road in front of the hotel until the requisite make up distance had been covered. Still no CYCLONE in sight as “Boston” was stabled, rubbed down, given another round of oatmeal, and snugged down for the night.

    Whatever became of the catamaran CYCLONE? Apparently, Hughes and crew gave up the race at Bridgeport, 20 miles short of the finish.

    It was reported in the NY Times the next day that “Dr. Daggett boasted he was ready to put up $2,000 that his horse could beat the catamaran two out of three.” That race never happened. Dr. Daggett was charged with animal cruelty by the Humane Society. Here is what the NY Times had to say about that.

    "NEW-HAVEN, July 4.--Judge Denning, in the Criminal Court, to-day discharged Ezra Daggett, of New-York, who was tried on Tuesday on a charge made by the State Agent of the Humane Society that Daggett had driven his horse 90 miles in 15 hours. The discharge was on the ground that, while the horse had been driven that distance, it had been kindly treated and properly cared for. Daggett went to New-York to-day with the horse.

    “Dr. Daggett versus the Catamaran” certainly sounds like an interesting sporting contest. If you are going to race a horse against a catamaran, give the horse some brandy for best results.

    Meanwhile, I have recently learned the only surviving Herreshoff catamaran, AMARYLLIS II, was lowered from the rafters at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, R.I. This interests me, as I have been lobbying to get AMARYLLIS lowered down where she can be viewed by the public.
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    HMM staff even rigged AMARYLLIS, stepped the mast, and hoisted sail. I can't imagine what the 80 year old cotton canvas was like. It was reported "rigging the boat proved to be a day-long experimental archaeology project and a chance to puzzle out the mechanics of what it might have been like to sail her in the 1930’s,”

    Here's AMARYLLIS after 83 years:

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    Did the staff at Herreshoff Marine Museum dare to launch and sail the fragile AMARYLLIS? You'll have to wait to find out. Not sure myself.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 03-13-2017 at 12:52 PM.

  3. #1993
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    "You can't get there from here." Yesterday, when Howard and I were driving over Hecker Pass (Hwy 152), from Watsonville to Gilroy, near the summit, one lane of the two lane road was missing. Where the pavement was is now cliff.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6V2Ew1M0sE

    Santa Cruz County estimates $70 million to fix its roads damaged by this winter's storms. Coming right up!

    Better news from the Harbor, where the dredge has punched through a channel. Howard and Yvonne went sailing yesterday in sparkly warm weather, 70 degrees and 7 knots of wind. What could be better?

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  4. #1994
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    Like.

    Well, the harbor, not the Hecker Pass Rd.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  5. #1995
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    Bill Ficker December 12, 1927 - March 13, 2017
    Fair Winds & Godspeed


    Bill Ficker was a friend, competitor, mentor, my boss. Bill's 1958 World Champion Starboat NHYCUSA (Newport Harbor Yacht Club USA) was always immaculately prepared. I should know. My Star was parked in an adjacent stall, and I worked a summer job for Bill in his architect's office.

    Friday afternoons Bill would send me off early from work to wet sand the bottom of NHYCUSA, first with #800 fine grit, then #1200 extra fine. Years later I wondered if Bill didn't enjoy having the kid smoothing his boat's bottom, knowing I wouldn't have time to fine-tune my own boat for that weekend's race. It was part of the psych, and Bill was very good at that.

    Bill was a quiet but fierce competitor, finely attuned to both the rules and winning tactics. You knew if Bill got ahead, you'd never pass. Bill was always conservative, never taking flyers if behind. And when he got ahead, he would always tack to cross, to consolidate his lead.

    Bill, encouraged by his sister Sue and father Pete, was already a good sailor as a kid. At Cal Berkeley, Bill, with Lowell North and Larry Shep, made a formidable intercollegiate team. They would likely have won the 1950 championships, but Lowell broke his leg and couldn't sail. Dick Carter and Bobby Monetti came out from Yale and won by a point in a photo finish in the last race. That's Monetti holding the Morss trophy, Dick Carter immediately to his left in the dark shirt and shorts, and Bill Ficker standing tall behind Monetti, second from right, with the towel and head of hair.

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    I could not help but learn when sailing against Bill Ficker. I knew I was sailing against the very best. Even watching from astern was a pleasure: you just knew Bill was on the right tack, his Baxter and Cicero sails perfectly shaped and trimmed for the breeze and sea conditions.

    Once, in a Star fleet race, Bill's NHYCUSA and I were starting at the weather end. We had a perfectly timed start, and NHYCUSA, to weather, was a few seconds early and barging. I was about to tell the master, “No room, Bill, you're barging!” when Bill, without looking, said in a firm, level-toned voice, “Skip, I'm gonna need room, I have an absolute.”

    I couldn't remember what an “absolute” was or if I'd read about it. I wavered at the tiller, and Bill slipped NHYCUSA through the hole we opened and sailed off to another win.

    That afternoon as we washed our boats off, I mustered the nerve to ask Bill, “what's an 'absolute'?” With a wry grin Bill said to the 14 year old kid “why Skip, an “absolute” means I have absolutely no rights.”

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    Last edited by sleddog; 03-15-2017 at 07:46 AM.

  6. #1996
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    Wonderful story, Skip.... I've certainly heard Bills name many times.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  7. #1997
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    Another great has passed into legend: Royal Robbins died Tuesday, age 82. Robbins was an inspiration, pioneer, roll model, and icon of American rock climbing during the Golden Age of Yosemite Rock Climbing, a god in a time when it was possible to have them.

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    Royal Robbins was larger than life and his climbs were done in the epitome of style. If you've ever followed one of his First Ascent routes, you knew you were following in the steps of a master.

    Robbin's climbing career was full of firsts, including the first ascent of the NW Face of Half Dome in 1957, and the first solo ascent of El Capitan. In addition to a nearly endless list of famous climbs in Yosemite, the Tetons, and in Europe, Robbins authored books on how to climb and developed many modern free and aid climbing techniques, gear, and standards. He was also a vocal proponent of clean climbing, and the first to use nuts on Yosemite's big walls where the sound of hammers and pitons had come before.

    Robbins was also a boater and waterman Maybe not a sailor as we like to call ourselves. But later in life, after age 40, Royal Robbins took up kayaking in the Sierra and made some amazing portages and first descents of back country waters.

    Royal was greatly in love with his wife Liz for over 50 years.
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    He also liked to play chess, especially with kids.
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    Royal Robbins wrote what I copy below and I take a page out of his book to pass on. It is a timeless sermon, a gift of his legacy, and if you substitute "sailing" for "rock climbing " it all makes perfect sense.
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    Professor of the Steep, we stand on your shoulders.
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    Off Belay
    Last edited by sleddog; 03-16-2017 at 07:30 PM.

  8. #1998
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    The above photo of a jib sheet turning block on a 20 year old, aluminum, 73' maxi-yacht raises a lot of questions. The photo emphasizes the increased strain produced when a sheet, halyard, anchor rode, or other highly loaded line is turned through a block or lead. (As well as other factors such as the possibility of corrosion, the addition of spacers, and the apparent lack of thru-bolting.)

    Turning a line through a block 90 degrees ("L" lead) increases the strain at the turn by a factor of 1.5. Turning a line 180 degrees ("V" lead) increases the load at the block by a factor of 2 (doubled). These turns are called "slingshot" leads for good reason. If the block or line breaks at the turn, the resulting slingshot can be disabling if contacting a leg, torso, or head.

    Experience shows the wisdom of not stepping or standing in the middle of a slingshot lead. Nor placing yourself in the line of fire of other slingshot leads such as a loaded halyard deck block, clew reef block at forward end of the boom, or spinnaker sheet at the transom corner. Even on small boats, slingshot leads need to be recognized and respected.

    The modern addition of low stretch, hi-tech lines has only increased the likelihood of failure at a slingshot lead.
    Even anchor chain over a bow roller can create a slingshot lead. I once saw a highly loaded anchor chain, during a sequence of swells, bend an ultra strong stainless steel tube bow roller downward to 45 degrees.
    Last edited by sleddog; 03-17-2017 at 09:25 AM.

  9. #1999
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    Apart from the pads adding leverage, no through bolts? Seriously?

  10. #2000
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    "...The modern addition of low stretch, hi-tech lines has only increased the likelihood of failure..."

    Also true in the slightly different context of jacklines. Something's gotta give.

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