The July Dock Digest- Lots of Really Good Nothing

     "I'm gonna tell 'em that I've got no one to blame..."
                                                   -Sheryl Crow



*I recommend grabbing a beverage- I've got a lot of ground to cover here.*

  So, where to begin?

  At the lack of beginning, I suppose.

  As I am sure you have figured out, Faithful Reader, I have been procrastinating.

  And a near bloody thing it was.

   See here's the thing about procrastination, it's a delay of stages.
  
   It starts with, "I'm (tired, busy, working, sailing, eating, drinking, pick one), I'll do it tomorrow."

   Then "I'll do it tomorrow" becomes "I'll do it this week," then this week becomes next week, next week ends up in the dust and becomes last week, then last week becomes two weeks past, then becomes last month, then  Procrastination Induced Panic (henceforth known as PIP- if it's not a documented disorder, it should be)  starts to nibble the already frayed edge of my writer's psyche, and I begin to wonder if procrastination has mestastasized into writers block or worse...

.... have I run out of things to write?

  Or am I just fuckin' lazy?

   Neither diagnosis is an attractive one, and in either case , the only solution is to sit my fat ass down in front of a keyboard and pound away until I produce something fit for consumption by the voracious hungering masses handful of loyal readers who have, thankfully, stuck it out and stuck by me.

    If I can't come up with something fit for consumption, we still have this.

     So, as Inigo Montoya uttered, "Lemme sum up"

    July was a great, busy month.  But I realized I should backtrack:  Let's review who is on the Dock roster this year, who is on the disabled list and who is missing in action:

     Phil and Whiskeyjack are back, Gordon and QuidiVidi are back, the Irelands are back, Rick is back with 20th hole, (still for sale), Hillary is back, Jordan is back, with a new-to-him ex-Jack Bluenose, Buttons,

  Eric is back with After School, his DS20, a boat muskrats seem to admire:

 Jamie and Tran have upped the Soundbox fleet game with a pontoon boat.  Yes, it may arguably be the coolest boat on the Dock.

    Nancy and Drew are back with their Precision 23, resplendent with refinished brightwork and renamed in Nancy's honour...

Frank and Lorraine are back in the slip beside us with their new-to-them O'day, Keara and Bruce is back with Prolific, two slips down...

   ...and of course Jack is back, splashing a Bluenose...

 ...and with Jim's Carpe Diem returning, that's  4 on the Dock this season- that may be a record fleet west of Mahone Bay... I even got him to take the helm on Karma:

  Speaking of helming Karma,  SWMBO has demonstrated a degree of badassery at the helm.

     The rental SeaDoos are corraled at the foot of the Dock again. 'nuff said.

   John is back to work, cancer-free, and busy, so his Sirius 22 is absent from the Dock this season, although he still wanders down from time to time.


The water level is WAY up.  Two winters with almost complete great Lakes ice-over really helps.  This season, the water level is at least 3 feet over 2013, month for month.  It is a little weird to have to walk UP from land to get onto the water.

The water level is high enough that Hillary was able to safely make a run into Hoover's Marina in Nanticoke, normally a dicey proposition for a boat with a 5' draft.

We paraded in the Canada Day boat parade on July 1....

...finishing 3rd, behind Keara....

which got us $25 and a nice plaque, now hanging in Karma's saloon.

Speaking of Karma's saloon, a number of low-buck projects found their way onboard-  the tv wall was covered in the aft cabin...

and I built a new cabinet to make better use of the storage space in the saloon:

and the cockpit table is finished and installed in the, er, cockpit.

More on that later.

Pottahawk was relatively trouble-free and drama-free this year-  nobody sank in the fairway, for instance.  The return parade was relatively subdued, evidence that all had a good time.

  The weather has been damn near ideal for sailing this summer, so we sailed.  We sailed Ereni, we sailed Karma,

 We discovered what a sweet sailing boat a Bluenose is.

And I am again racing on Cyclone...

....where out crew continues to surprise with their skills including spinn pole surfing:

  And there's lots more going on- stay tuned.

  All told, life on the Dock doesn't suck.

Thanks for taking the time to read the D6C.  If you liked what you read, please Talk the Dock! Spread the word.

A Last Look at Last Year: Cyclone Season

"And bad mistakes, I've made a few..."
                                        -Queen


     Those of you playing along with the the home game version of the sporadic-but-still relevant Dock Six Chronicles may remember that I became a racer last season.

     So, how did that turn out?

     Surprisingly well.

     Better than it had any right to, in fact.


      On paper, we didn't have a chance.

      Cyclone is a beautiful boat.   She is a great example of the state of C&C's art...

...40 years ago.  She may be the oldest boat in our racing fleet.

    Her sails are original.  They are definitely the oldest sails in the fleet.

   Charitably speaking, Cyclone is...  experienced.

    Her crew, on the other hand?
 
    .....  not so much.  Some of us had at least a decade of experience under our belts, others had years, I had three months, three decades ago.

     I was definitely the boat's greenhorn...and it often showed.

   We also had the widest age spread of any crew in the fleet to add to our notable statistics. Five decades separated our high- school- freshman bowman from our most experienced retiree winch grinder.


  If this was a Hollywood blockbuster, our season would be summarized in under 2 hours of running time including all of the expected cliches- a crew of oddballs and outcasts work past their initial wariness, bonding over beer, a montage, broken gear, crises of confidence, a crusty mentor,  another montage, climaxing with winning one final race, backed by an orchestral score heavy on strings and timpanies, with a single wailing electric guitar.

   Alas, this isn't "Seabiscuit."  We didn't win it all.

      But, we won enough.

       At the wrap-up banquet, we got to find out how we finished the season, after all the protests were settled and the phrf calculating was done.

       We finished pretty damn well.

   

2013 - MAYTHAM REGATTA

JAM Fleet

Sailed: 3, Discards: 0, To count: 3, Rating system: Custom, Entries: 5, Scoring system: Appendix A

Rank	Fleet	Boat	Type	Sail#	Owner	R	BAY RACE	PORT RACE 1	PORT RACE 2	PORT RACE 3	Total	Nett
1st	JAM	CYClone	C&C 35 MK1	11153	A.Elkin	139	1.00	2.00	2.00		5.00	5.00
2nd	JAM	West Wind	C&C 33-2	28069	L. West	154	2.00	3.00	1.00		6.00	6.00
3rd	JAM	Stargazer	C&C 27-2 M3	44150	G & C Overmars	205	3.00	1.00	3.00		7.00	7.00
4th	JAM	Shaibu IV	Nonsuch 30	2810	H. Jackson	162	7.00 DNC	4.00	4.00		15.00	15.00
5th	JAM	Flashdancer	Gorman Express 30	481	E. Skinner	153	5.00 DNF	6.00 DNF	7.00 DNC		18.00	18.00

(Historical footnote:  The Maytham cup is named for Jack Maytham, a Port Dover  marine engineer/ naval archietect/ boat builder who built the Niagara Falls  tour boat Maid of the Mist 6. )

AUG 2013 - WEDNESDAY NIGHTS

SPIN Fleet

Sailed: 3, Discards: 0, To count: 3, Rating system: Custom, Entries: 8, Scoring system: Appendix A

Rank	Fleet	Boat	Type	Sail#	Owner	R	AUG 7	AUG 14	AUG 21	AUG 28	Total	Nett
1st	SPIN	Legacy	J-35	32690	S. Hewson	72	2.00	1.00	2.00		5.00	5.00
2nd	SPIN	CYClone	C&C 35 MK1		A.Elkin	129	3.50 CB	4.00	3.00		10.50	10.50
3rd	SPIN	Ritual	J-35	42922	J. Vallee	72	1.00	9.00 DNC	1.00		11.00	11.00
4th	SPIN	Amazing Grace IV	Beneteau 36.7	080	L. Grace	78	3.00	2.00	6.00		11.00	11.00
5th	SPIN	Caliedoscope	Cal 31	140	M. Thomas	162	4.00	3.00	4.00		11.00	11.00
6th	SPIN	Enigma	C&C 33-1	74207	J & J Parker	150	5.00	5.00	7.00		17.00	17.00
7th	SPIN	Menace	Hobie 33	53243	J. Morey	93	9.00 DNC	6.00	5.00		20.00	20.00
8th	SPIN	Special K	C&C 99	55	L. Kramer	108	9.00 DNC	9.00 DNC	10.00 DNC		28.00	28.00

MONDAY NIGHT FALL SERIES

SPIN Fleet

Sailed: 5, Discards: 1, To count: 4, Rating system: Custom, Entries: 16, Scoring system: Appendix A

Rank	Fleet	Boat	Type	Sail#	Owner	R	AUGUST 26	SEPTEMEBER 2	SEPTEMBER 9	SEPTEMBER 16	SEPTEMBER 23	SEPTEMBER 30	Total	Nett
1st	SPIN	CYClone	C&C 35 MK1		A.Elkin	129	(9.00 DNC)	1.00	1.00	2.00	1.00		14.00	5.00
2nd	SPIN	Kestrel	J-29		Joynes/Guillaume	117	1.00	4.00	3.00	1.00	(4.50)		13.50	9.00
3rd	SPIN	Goldfingers	C&C 29-1	44131	L & M Dowds	180	4.00	(5.00)	2.00	5.00	2.00		18.00	13.00
4th	SPIN	Special K	C&C 99	55	L. Kramer	108	(9.00 DNC)	2.00	7.00	3.00	3.00		24.00	15.00
5th	SPIN	Sequence	J-30		A & B Smith	144	3.00	6.00	4.00	(7.00)	4.50		24.50	17.50
6th	SPIN	Amazing Grace IV	Beneteau 36.7	080	L. Grace	78	5.00	3.00	(8.00)	8.00	7.00		31.00	23.00
7th	SPIN	Promise	CS 33 SD	3345	P. Murray	153	(9.00 DNC)	7.00	6.00	6.00	6.00		34.00	25.00
8th	SPIN	Eerie Witch	Goman Express 30	74207	R. Chivers	144	(9.00 DNC)	8.00	5.00	4.00	9.00		35.00	26.00
9th	SPIN	Unbridled	C&C 30	9307	E.Bilopavlovic	170	6.00	9.00	(11.00 DNC)	9.00	8.00		43.00	32.00
10th	SPIN	Shaibu IV	Nonsuch 30	2810	H. Jackson	174	2.00	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		49.00	37.00
11th	SPIN	Caliedoscope	Cal 31	140	M. Thomas	162	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00
11th	SPIN	Menace	Hobie 33	53243	J. Morey	93	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00
11th	SPIN	Legacy	J-35	32690	S. Hewson	72	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00
11th	SPIN	Ritual	J-35	42922	J. Vallee	72	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00
11th	SPIN	Enigma	C&C 33-1	74207	J & J Parker	150	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00
11th	SPIN	Tapestry	Redwing 30	4055	N. Fraser & F. Smith	196	9.00 DNC	(12.00 DNC)	11.00 DNC	12.00 DNC	12.00 DNC		56.00	44.00

       In a fit of utter insanity, skipper Andy invited me back this season.

       I'll be there.




     "Talk the Dock!"

     

OPB, Faster Edition: Fat Boy Goes Racing

    "They deftly maneuver and muscle for rank..."
                                                      -Cake



      I am no athlete.
   
      Short, wide, built for comfort, not speed, I am comfortable, not competitive.

      Which also describes my boat.

       Racing hasn't really been on my radar since Sailing School, over three decades of summers ago.

       Until recently.

       Andy stupidly graciously allowed me to crew aboard Cyclone this season.  I  had often heard that racing is the best way to improve your sailing skills, and I wanted to see if it was, indeed, true.

     

        "So," the Astute Reader asks, "if you suddenly have the desire to race, why not run Whiskeyjack on Wednesday nights?"

        Great question.

        To answer requires some uncomfortable soul-baring honesty:

        I'm not a race skipper.  I don't have the depth of acquaintance to be able to build a team, since anyone I know who is interested in racing is already racing on somebody else's boat.  I can run a business, and hire and fire and train employees but I don't have the cat-herding patience to ensure that unpaid volunteer crew shows up for practices and races, and I am extremely ungood (as my family will testify) at diplomacy and massaging egos.

       And I yell from time to time.

       From an equipment standpoint, our faithful doughty galleon Whiskeyjack has a layout that is entirely unsuited for racing.  A racing crew requires grinders on the foresail winches, a mainsail handler, a mastperson to handle sail changes and reefing, and a bowman.  With winches behind the helm and mainsheet right in front, and ruler-narrow side decks and high cockpit coamings, she is a great boat for single handing, but the real estate is just too small and too awkward to race.  I would never force any grinder to work through an entire race with my not- insubstantial (yet attractive) ass in their face.

       Further, racing is hard on a boat- stuff breaks.  Racing also leads one to continue to improve the boat's speed, which means buying new and better and fancier sails and new and better and fancier gear in addition to fixing the stuff that breaks and that would put a dent in the rum and red wine budget.
   
       So, I figured I'd break stuff on someone else's boat.  I'm selfless like that.


         I am also a lazy sailor- pounding through chop in big wind- that's work.  I like to shirk work.

       THAT is one of the big reasons why I want to race on Other People's Boats- it forces me to work, to head out into conditions, on purpose, that would normally keep me on the dock, and find the fun in big weather, big heel, wet sailing.

       The crew on Cyclone is... varied.  Ranging from teens to retirees, from novices to old salts, dinghy sailors to boatless, avid racers to dabblers, it is a collision of attitudes and experience that shouldn't work.

        But does.

        Most races.

        Largely thanks to the man at the helm.

       The skipper doesn't just run the boat, he sets the tone for the boat.  Andy has demonstrated a deft touch, commanding without screaming, getting the best out of everyone on the boat, celebrating the smooth tacks and taking responsibility for tactical errors.

 

   We don't have matching shirts and logo'd foulies...

       And sometimes, it can be cold and miserable...

 

 





   But it's fun.

      I am picking up new skills, and have a better knowledge of tweaking sail trim, sheeting angle, outhaul adjustment and a myriad of other sailing arcana.  It has also reinforced that stuff that I believe I am already doing right, I really am doing right.

     It has also given me the opportunity to see, up close, how different types of boats and hull forms perform.

Our fleet is varied, from semi-hardcore racing boats like Mylar sail'd J boats to run-what-you-brung cruisers

 
    A Nonsuch can be far more competitve than she looks.  Here's Shaibu running the pack:

     A Goman Express 30 is deceptive racer-cruiser, quickish and high-pointing:

      A Cal 31, still competitive:

And juts a pretty, pretty boat:

  A Tanzer 22:  Maybe the best value in a racing boat today.  Under $5K will get you a great little boat with an active fleet that is quick and safe and a weekender to boot.

  It's a colourful fleet...

  Note that the colourful boats have matching shirts.  I'm not sure what that means, but it might mean something.

    So, how is Cyclone standing, more than halfway through the season?

    Errr... we are improving every race.

     And we're having fun.



"Talk the Dock!"