At Shelburne: 25 Aug - Kerry and Paul

We are lying Shelburne and waiting weather for our return to the US. Yesterday we interviewed several candidates for the position of Figurehead Second Class (FSC). On ships the "figurehead" is located right at the bow just under the bowsprit (technically, at the "stem head"). From this position he or she has a clear view of the dangers ahead. Obviously this is an important job.

From the start one candidate stood out from the crowd. Young Kerry Arcon, son of local boat builder Charlie Arcon and his wife Kim, was head and shoulders above the other candidates. We knew this immediately after watching this brave lad survive a bicycle wipe out in front of his home. He faced the consequences with courage and honor (Kerry's mom Kim supplies medical aid to the wounded bicyclist at left).

Kerry's performance during sea trials was not without complications. While we were tooling around Shelburne Harbor during the interview process and getting to know one another, the spray from the waves gave him second thoughts about the job and he asked if the position of Cabin Boy was stll open. Unfortunately the minimum term for a new FSC is 3 years and FSC Kerry still has 2 years, 364 days, 23 hours, and 45 minutes left to serve before he can even be considered for promotion. To ease the disappointment, FSC Kerry was awarded an extra portion of ship's rations (photo right) and given afternoon liberty.


This morning I visited the shop (photo left) of local boat builder and designer Paul, a Shelburne resident who until recently lived in British Columbia. Paul specializes in wooden boats with a traditional flavor and it was a pleasure to watch him at work (photo right). Although many modern materials are used in the process of producing a wooden boat, the basic steps of design and construction are not far removed from the methods shipbuilders developed hundreds of years ago.

The Cruising Life: 24 Aug - Questions For Cruisers

I am no longer cruising full time. There, I've said it.

Yet there was a time when I numbered myself among the degenerate masses, aimlessly wandering the seas and oceans (not quite sure about the distinction, mind you). We had our code and we lived by it. We rarely allowed outsiders inside, and tolerated them only when personal gain seemed probable. For one thing, "they" kept asking questions we couldn't answer, or didn't want to contemplate. Here are some of the deal breakers.


Question One: How long does it take to get from ... to ... ?

Wrong Answer: 3 days, 7 hours, and 24 minutes.

Right Answer: There is no right answer. Cruisers get somewhere and realize that Doris and Fred on Bottomscraper are there. This means they're in a good spot and it's time to start the party. It really doesn't matter that everyone has another 1200 miles to the planned destination. The concept of "right now" is much more important that the idea of "destination." Besides it takes forever to get to the "destination," and I'm not even going to get into the part about tacking and light winds and that sort of thing. After all, it's now now and I have important stuff to do. Now.


Question Two: When you sail to Bermuda, do you anchor each night?

Wrong Answer: Only if we are making a souffle for dinner.

Right Answer: Listen, idiot, and I'm only gonna tell you one time. If you buy the 6 miles of anchor rode and pull it up each morning, it's a deal.


Queston Three: How much does this boat cost?

Wrong Answer: $63, 500.

Right Answer: $24, 700, two good jobs, 1.6 marriages, 8 tuition payments, and one's sense of humor.


Question Four: Do you really live in Wilmington, Delaware?

Wrong Answer: Well, my accountant told me ... (on and on for 15 to 20 minutes).

Right Answer: Yes.


Question Five: How many does it sleep?

Wrong Answer: The sales brochure says eight adults and two cats.

Right Answer: This boat sleeps 2, feeds 8, drinks 12, and tolerates essentially no one. so get the &*%$#! outta here now.

Canso NS: Thur 22 Jul - Cruisin' vs. Schmoozin'

Earlier I provided an overview of two prominent and respected organizations within the sailing community whose influence exceeds what one would expect based on membership numbers alone (see http://yachtkerrydeare.blogspot.com/2010/06/schmoozing-club-of-america.html). These are the CCA or Cruising Club of America, and the SCA or Schmoozing Club of America. I am founder and the sole member of the SCA. Unfortunately I haven't yet encountered other humans worthy of membership. The CCA has less stringent standards and the story I now relate may hold clues about why this seems the case.

Friends Philip and Sharon on CD 36 Evergreen departed Canso NS Tuesday 21 July for Cape Breton while I remained behind another day to resolve maintenance issues. On Wednesday afternoon single-hander Jim arrived on his 28 foot sailboat sporting a CCA burgee at the masthead. As he entered the slip next to Kerry Deare he remarked: "Another CCA member!" Evidently he failed to distinguish the distinctly different color schemes of his CCA burgee and our SCA burgee (photo at left). I was forced to point out the error of his ways: we are definitely not a CCA boat.

Jim is a pleasant Brit reared just east of London who has lived for decades on nearby Prince Edward Island (PEI). He was in the process of returning home from Halifax where no doubt he'd spent time with other CCA members at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron on Halifax's Northwest Arm. We were there once briefly in Kerry Deare and found the surroundings beautiful but intolerably stuffy. We rapidly moved "Up The Arm" to the the Armdale YC. Jim and I chatted briefly but had little chance to get to know one another much beyond the standard pleasantries. Following the incident I'm about to relate, I spent more time with Jim and discovered that he is an accomplished sailor who has sailed trans-Atlantic in his earlier 24 foot vessel. He is also currently editor of the CCA publication "A Cruising Guide to the Gulf of St Lawrence." It is fair to say that Jim has extensive offshore experience and is a dedicated and capable sailor with the skills such achievement demands.

Early next morning the weather held no appeal so I decided to spend the day touring Canso's attractions. Jim for his part decided to head out for PEI and home. I helped him depart and wandered up to the marina shed to chat with Don and Mike, both connected with the marina operation. It was just then that a Mayday call came in over the VHF, and the three of us were stunned to realize it was from Jim who'd just left harbor. He had run his vessel upon a ledge known locally as Whitman Rock and he viewed his situation as sufficientgly dire to require a Mayday call. As we listened in silence we heard the local Coast Guard in conference with a nearby commercial fisherman discuss methods and procedures for Jim's rescue. Subsequently Jim was towed in to the commercial wharf in Canso.

After what seemed an appropriate interval I walked down to the commercial wharf to check on Jim and help bring the yacht back to the marina so he could decompress and rest (in the photo at right, I'm below). Although there was damage below the waterline, the yacht was still seaworthy and Jim would soon proceed on his cruise. Since his departure I often relive that morning realizing that the worst can, and probably at some time will, happen to the best of us.

Sailing Lessons: Fri 25 Jun - Sunny, Light SE, Small Seas

A new friend, Neil, arrived at the Hull YC from his home in Brookline MA and joined me for a daysail among the Boston Harbor Islands. Although I have sailed past the entrance to Boston Harbor many times, I have never before stopped in to explore. I now wonder why it took so long to realize what I'd been missing.

Neil is a local sailor with a comprehensive knowledge of the Harbor Islands. He's also owned a sistership to Kerry Deare for 15 years, so stepping aboard my boat required no orientation. The weather really cooperated and we were able to complete a splendid 22 NM tour of the Boston Harbor Islands, ending the trip by picking up our mooring under sail in Hull Bay.

Along the way Neil and I combined our highly developed sailing abilities and massive accumulation of sailing experience to demonstrate the superiority of the Cape Dory 28 over any other yacht. Of course we hardly needed a reminder that this is the case.

Hull YC MA: Fri 25 Jun – Sunny Clear Light NW

It’s evidently not yet time for “worse.” This morning as I was fussing on deck at 0530 the lobster boat Windermere came by slowly and chatted us up. Captain Peter Mahoney and mate Eric were bound for a day of fishing but before heading on out, Peter generously offered me his truck on shore if needed, and also asked if Sonia and I might like to ride out on Windermere next weekend to watch the Fourth of July fireworks. You should be able to predict our response.

Last eve Ralph, a friend who is sponsoring our visit to Hull YC, showed up and we tested the yacht club bar. Also present for the tests was a contingent of "Rhodes 19" sailors who'd been sidelined by a fast moving squall line that forced the cancellation of their regular Thursday evening series. You guessed it: the lost sailors who were rained out hid their disappointment well, all the while crying into their beer at the bar. Final Hull Yacht Club Bar exam grade: "E for Excellent."

Sonia arrives tomorrow, and that also is "E for Excellent."

Hull YC MA: Thur 24 Jun – Clear and Windy, Punchy Skies, SW 15 – 18

Awake at 0430 trying to determine how to employ my time until 0800 when the launch runs and we go ashore for showers, an online fix, and human contact. Before we can determine these imponderables, it’s 0915 and another 4.75 hours have vanished into the “Do More Silly Boat Stuff” cavern. This happens every morning except Sundays during Lent.

John is working the early launch shift. He just turned 73, tells me he feels 15, and proudly mentions that his son is running his own fishing boat (Mass lobster, not Maine!). Since I am 67 going on 12 and clearly the junior crew member, I do not argue with his suggestions. John grew up in Compton RI and his father once cut ice in winter for shipment to the Big Cities. He was familiar with the area near Westerly where my father’s friend Jake lived and where I spent many a summer day getting addicted to and instructed by, the water.

After what seems a long time I am released from laptop prison and return to the boat and the wind. Things could be, and likely soon will be, worse.

Bay Head NJ: Wed 16 Jun - Clouds and Light SW

Departed deRouville’s Boat Shop on the Toms River at 1245 16 Jun 2010 bound up to Bay Head. This is a 3 hour motor boat ride through the shallows of northern Barnegat Bay passing, along the way, Mantoloking, one bascule bridge, and some very pretty coastal scenery and real estate (photo at left).

We arrived at Bay Head, a rather posh NJ shore town inhabited by folks from Princeton and a few CCA members, at 1545. To my knowledge there are few if any SCA members in residence, yet I was able to anchor securely near the Bay Head Yacht Club without causing too much fuss. This time the Posh Patrol did not try to enforce the local Italian quota. Good thing, too, since even though I was the representative of that group in town, that’s one above the limit.

Schmoozing Club of America

Many are familiar with The Cruising Club of America (CCA burgee at right). This club consists of elderly white men who decide the right thing to do on the water. In fact walking on the water is an important requirement for membership. While it is true that some CCA members have made praiseworthy passages in small boats*, the majority spend most of their time congratulating other members on their membership. What time is left is devoted to casting excoriating glances upon those who sink during initiation.

Many Americans, quite a few Canadians, and exactly 13 Brits don't fancy behavior like this even though these same folks would love to participate in it. Sadly I am one of these, having spent the first 65 or so years of my life waiting for that sacred phone call or letter admitting me to candidacy. I'm still waiting but 2 years ago I decided to take things into my own hands and established The Schmoozing Club of America (SCA burgee at left). Membership is tightly controlled with the single current member performing all the administrative tasks that keep the club going. It's a lot of responsibility, but worth all the hard work.

If you can't join 'em, lick 'em.

_____________

* "Small boat" in CCA-speak means 60 to 90 feet LOA.

"Sailing Off Into The Sunset"

I sometimes get asked about this and in my opinion there's a bit more to it than meets the eye. Here are a few suggestions.

"Sailing off into the sunset" is hard these days even for people with tons of money. One of the first things to consider is where you live. For example if you live anywhere on the US East Coast, "sailing off into the sunset" is a very difficult technical accomplishment. In fact it may be impossible. You will either crash into the dock at the west end of your marina, or run aground along some sandy coast. Either way you'll probably need costly repairs to the boat, and that will cut into the old nest egg. Some of the above comments will not apply if you have an amphibious vehicle.

Until a month or so ago it was possible to "sail off into the sunset" from the West Coast of Florida. Unfortunately the activities of Big Oil and some of their fully-owned subsidiaries in DC and Crawford, Texas, have curtailed a lot of this activity. Most of this sailing destination is now closed and will remain closed for what is called "the future" as far as marine life is concerned. According to the Federal Register "sailing off into the sunset" from western Florida is now under the control of the Department of Homeland Security and is regulated using armed USCG vessels. Be careful with this. It may be safer to just head for Cuba and suffer the consequences.

US West Coast sailors are luckier when it comes to "sailing off into the sunset." The only problems they encounter (besides racial profiling by the INS and Tea Party vigilante groups) are earthquakes and the accompanying tsunamis. I haven't personally experienced one of these but I'd guess that a set of sturdy drop boards and some good oilies are a good investment if you're thinking about this.

Happily these problems do not exist in many other parts of the world. If you live on the west coast of Ireland or in the Hebrides, you're good to go. Just don't forget to release all the docklines. The same is true for a lot of Portugal and western Spain. Western Africa is another possibility if you don't mind your typical bloody revolution every 3 weeks, genocide once or twice a decade, and bad drinking water. Do not (I repeat: DO NOT) enforce "close pack" on your crew. This leaves a bad impression with local authorities.

Right now we are not recommending Thailand, and in fact I'm not even sure they have a western coastline. I hear there are some bargain slips in Greece though. I don't want to give the impression that things are terrible everywhere, but you must admit that life used to be a lot simpler.

Biker Dude Dinghy Motor

Not many people know this, but Harley Davidson is intending to make a big "splash" in the outboard motor business. They're keeping a low profile so far, but it won't be long before the news gets out and all Hell's Angels break loose. Dig the photo at left if you still have doubts. I am fortunate enough to have an "in" at the factory and have recently gotten my hands on one of the first single cylinder 3.5 HP prototypes. These little babies are really impressive, and there is at least one story going around that the two cylinder 5 HP model has already put at least one 28 foot displacement sailboat up on plane.

That's about all the news I can give right now. The phone's ringing and I think it's Harley's legal department again. Wonder what that's about.