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!"

Sailing the Shoulder

"...and I don't want to go home..."
                     -David Lee Roth


    Lemme lay some philosophibabble on you:

    Summer ain't endless.

     The idyllic days of balmy breezes and warm water inevitably give way to autumn, the shoulder season before winter rears it's ugly cold head.  The harbingers of autumn-aborning are like a clock ticking, ominously marking the hours and days remaining until haul-out, and that insufferably long season on the hard.

The countdown to haulout started early this season.

August 27th:  First tree starting to turn colour.

  I suppose everyone has their own waypoints marking the turn of the seasons, but the first sign of surrendering foliage is my personal annual reminder that Mother Nature ain't offering a mulligan.

  June, July and August are pretty predictable on Lake Erie.  September and October?...

   ...not so much.

Compare and contrast:
   Mid-September, 2011:

  Mid-September, 2012:

    Thanksgiving Weekend, 2011:

    Thanksgiving Weekend, 2012:

    Everything is lower this fall- temperatures, number of boats still in the water, and, notably, the water level.

      The water level at the Dock is the lowest we have seen in our five seasons, easily a foot and a half lower than last year.  Lake Erie is SO low this fall that it has caught the attention of the big city media .



image courtesy of Toronto Star


     At this writing, the ferry connecting Pelee Island with the rest of Ontario, the Jiimaan,  is currently aground  in the channel.

    Yeah, that low.


     Anydepth, we're still here and still sailing.

   (Just ignore the hanging fenders.  Just. Ignore. Them.)

 As are Hilary and Jack and Will, and Ed, Eric and After School and 20th Hole and Wheelin' and a handful of other hardy optimists here on the Dock.   Solantics  and  CYClone (that name has gots to go, Andy) are still holding down Dock 2.

   Another sure sign of fall-  The first shredded jib:

    Jack has gotten all seasonal:

Yes, that is a pumpkin lashed to his bow.

  Will is sailing his Tanzer 22 at least 2 or 3 days a week, sporting typical South Coast foul weather fashion:

   As another season draws to a close, we're gonna do our damnedest to sail out the clock.

"Talk the Dock!"

A Plug for Quality Canvaswork

              "Are the details in the fabric?"
                                      -Jason Mraz





The admiral of Tempus Fugit, Yvonne, has been honing her seamstress chops and has gone public this season, fabricating and repairing canvaswork, cushions and sails.

Tired of hearing horror stories about boat projects that have come in over budget, over time, with under impressive results?

Then listen up- here is how our experience with Yvonne went:

Whiskeyjack's main sail cover was in a bad way, with a growing tear on the port side.  Saturday morning, Andy and Yvonne stroll down the Dock, pick up our sail cover and the NEXT MORNING deliver the mended cover.

Oh yeah, and while she was sewing in the patch seen above, she added a matching patch on the starboard side (for symmetry purposes) AND restitched all the seams.

    All for less than the cost of a case of quality beer.

    Hilary needed cushions for his C&C.  Yvonne came to his boat and measured,  discussed options with Hilary, told him it would take about three weeks, and exactly three weeks later, new cushions appeared, all under budget.

Last winter, Yvonne put her skills to the test on a big project- sewing a new main sail for Tempus Fugit  from a Sailrite kit.  The result?

  The mainsail has been entered in a contest on Sailrite.com.  The winner gets bragging rights and a Sailrite gift card.  Please help someone  who goes above and beyond, and click on the link below, and vote for Yvonne's sail.

Sailrite project photo contest

Need some work done?  You can reach her at ayjeea at gmail.com


Speaking of Tempus Fugit, I have to note the very cool tiller steering this fine boat. It is not often that I admire another man's tiller, but it is a beautiful piece of woodwork.

     

"Talk the Dock!"

Season Warm-Up and Impromptu Dock Reunion

     "Everyone's tryin' to get it right, get it right..."
                                           -Loverboy






     The Great White North hasn't been too white lately.  In fact, the weather this month has been downright balmy- sunny, warm, and dry- highly unusual but definitely not unwelcome.  It feels more like May than March.
     
     Days like this are bonus days, and as with every bonus in my life,  I was doing my best to squander it.  I figured that the more dirt-work I did now around Stately Jones Manor, the less work I have to do in the fall.  I sure as hell am NOT doing it during boating season.

   Which may be why I am still checking off items on the 2008 home maintenance punch-list.

    Anyrake, on Sunday  I decided to take a break from raking leaves (yeah, I know it's spring,  Shaddap.)  and head to Dover with Hilary to check out the  Bridge Yachts open house.

    Once a year the Laevens clan pulls out all the stops for a weekend-long event.  Seminars, vendor displays, discounts, samples, demonstratiuons, and free coffee and donuts. It's like a very compact boat show, with reps on hand from vendors big and small, and practical presentations on electronics, fiberglass repair, anchoring and more.

   Ed greeted everyone who walked through the door, registering all visitors for the door prize draw.  Note the salty looking  draw drum  on the counter.  Ed built it the week before the open house.

  While Ed covered the meet-and greet at the front of the store,  Steve was quietly handling the meat and potatoes at the parts and service counter at the back.

 Meanwhile Debbie and June were...  drinking coffee.

    (This may be the first (and last) documented instance of the Laevens men being busier than the Laevens women.)
   (Yes, I know I am in trouble.)

    After clearing in with Ed, I bump into Jim and Marianne, literally!  We quickly caught up and I promised that SWMBO and I would  come see the new boat.  More on that in the next post.


   The service bays had been cleaned out and cleaned up and turned over to vendors.  Representatives from Harken, Standard Horizon, Kiwi Grip, and a host of others large and small were on hand to answer questions a demonstrate their products...

    ...And to hand out swag.  I had the chance to talk to the Kanberra Gel  rep about their teatree oil- based  air cleaner, and received a small tester to try.    It will be put to use in a 30 day trial aboard Whiskeyjack and I'll let you know how it performs.

   Sudbury Boat Care  was handing out samples of their Boat Zoap, another product which will get tested on Whiskeyjack.

   While I was scrounging freebies, Hilary was fitting out his new-to-him C&C 25, which will be arriving from Sarnia on Thursday.  He introduced me to Peter Bristow, the Ontario Sales Manager for Bug-tek, manufacturer of a biodegradable non-toxic insecticide and spider repellent.  I am not sure how you can make a non-toxic bug repellent, but I am going to see how it works.

  As we worked our way around the "clearance table"  finding some great discontinued and scratch-and dent deals (I bought two cans of Interlux varnish for $20, Hilary picked up a gear hammock for $3), we met Andy and Jordan, from Tempus Fugit and Saphira.  Andy's wife (and Jordan's mom) Yvonne is a real canvaswork talent.  She will be repairing Whiskeyjack's  main sail cover and adding another pair of hand loops to the dodger shortly, so it was handy to be able to touch base.

    After seeing all there was to see (me) and spending all he had to spend (Hilary)  we crossed the bridge to the boatyard to check on Whiskeyjack and Legacy, and retrieve Whiskeyjack's  cabin table to bring back to the skunkworks for reworking.  The view from the cockpit shows the chock-a-block transom to bowsprit and rubrail to rubrail packing of boats in the yard.

   The Dock opens April 15th.  21 more sleeps!

   

 

    Thanks for taking the time to check us out.  Please feel free to "Talk the Dock!"  Link us, follow us, or just tell your friends.

Jordan's New Ride!

          "Looking for adventure..."
                            -Steppenwolf








        Jordan and Andy splashed their just-finished D4 dinghy yesterday.  She is sweet!

       A D4 is a stitch-and-glue  and mahogany plywood constructed dinghy.  Free plans are available on the interweb, and thousands have been constructed around the world.  She is a light, stable, versatile little boat, which can be built to be rowed.sailed or motored, or all three, depending upon your preference

      Jordan was modest about his contribution to the build.  "I helped stitch the seams,'  he said.

   

     Check out the kid's game face!  Think he's having fun?

Powered by a Minn Kota trolling motor, the battery is stowed in a well in the center bench, ideally located for stability  I was impressed by how fast this dinghy would scoot.  There may very well be some dinghy races in the future on Dock Six..

       Nice work, Andy and Jordan!




      As always, thanks for taking the time to check us out.  Please feel free to "Talk the Dock!"  Link us, follow us, or just tell your friends!