July 1995

Shackles and Cringles — July 1995

Canadian Albacore Association — Volume XXXV, Number 3

Surprises of the Worlds’

Clockwise from top: Mark Broecker, Tim Broughton, Julia Erichsen, Niall Martin, Jorg Pawlik

In this issue: Regatta Results (page 6) · The Worlds’ (page 9) · Hats of the Worlds’ (page 12) · Dave’s Worlds’ (page 16) · and more…

The Albacore Advantage

Canadian Albacore Association, P.O. Box 31081, 725 College St., Toronto, Ont. M6G 4H7

A One-Design Boat

• no unnecessary expense of constant upgrades in design.

A Safe Boat

• large air-filled tanks give excellent buoyancy

A Comfortable Boat

• large, open cockpit
• benches on port and starboard sides

A Light and Manageable Boat

• tongue load of less than 100 lbs gives ready trailerability
• launching and retrieving are a breeze
• hull shape gives stability on the water
• self-rescue after an unexpected puff is easy

A Performance Boat

• seriously campaigned by major sailmakers
• planes in moderate winds
• buoyant heavy-air hull shape

A Vibrant Class Association

• well organized and vital
• recognized by the International Yacht Racing Union
• strong fleets through Ontario, Canada, US, Great Britain, Ireland and Bermuda
• top notch competitive sailing
• junior programs in some areas

The Canadian Albacore Association is responsible for encouraging participation in and maintaining the integrity of the Albacore class in Canada.

1994/1995 Executive

Shackles and Cringles is a quarterly publication of the Canadian Albacore Association.

Commodore’s Comments

Aargh, Billie! These are the last comments from this old salt. A new CAA Executive will be on board come September (…at our AGM, remember?). We all look forward to some fresh ideas.

Aside from myself, Lynn Shannon and Jamie Wallace will also be retiring from the Executive after numerous years of service.

An eagle-eyed observer has noticed that my closing comments in the April 1995 issue of Shackles, regarding rules, were made in error. The CAA Executive forgot to revote on the Experimental Right-of-Way Rules for the year 1995. As a result everyone is on their own as to the use of these rules. The majority of clubs have already adopted the new rules into their programs and regattas and so are up-to-date and ready for the official rule changes to be made in 1996.

The long-awaited “Worlds’” have just been held in Kingston. So much work went into this by Rosemary Helmer and her committee that we just knew everything would work out fine.

Did you all see the excellent article on the Albacore in Canadian Yachting? Thanks to Gary Bain for a well written piece.

In closing, thanks to the CAA Executive for a year of dedicated work on behalf of the class.

Jim Quibell

Feedback

Dear Sir:

The April issue of Shackles showed a diagram of yachts at the committee boat end of a start line, 30 seconds before the gun. “Barb” sits at the left end and the caption states that Barb has ‘no worries’.

It looks to me as if “Barb” is very close to the line and should have rule 51.1 (b), definition of starting, on her mind.

Peter Vasoff

Thank you. “Bruce” and “John” should have similar worries. (Ed).

Dear Sir:

I’d like to suggest a feature for future issues of Shackles. How about an ‘Ask the Experts’ column? I have 2 questions to ask to get the thing started.

1. What are the factors that determine spreader adjustments?
2. What should I look at to determine whether or not my jib is blown out?

Ed Nicholas, KC 5858

Great idea and good questions. Ann White has promised to do a piece on spreader adjustments for the October issue. (Ed.)

Third Vice Report

by Chris Gorton

As the Third Vice Commodore on the Executive of the Canadian Albacore Association my job this year was to look after Promotion and advertising. Here is a summary of what has been done so far.

The Boat Show

The Boat Show from January 7 to 16 was a success. I heard many Albacore stories and passed out many copies of our Shackles and Cringles with new boat information packages and class membership forms. At the Boat Show there was a 12 min video running, showing the 1966 Canadian Championships (Cleveland House, Lake Rousseau) and the 1967 Tampa Bay Midwinters’. I found this little gem as a 16mm film in the bottom of a filing cabinet. We transferred it to VHS and Dave Smith helped me add a tacky 1960’s sound track. The video plus some footage of on-the-water coaching by former Canadian Olympic coach Pat Healy was good entertainment for passers-by. The total cost for this to the CAA was about $1,000.

Thanks to Rick Clayton, Lynn Shannon, Gary Bain and Rosemary Helmer for their help. Special thanks to Don Oakie who provided his own boat for the display.

Next year

1. I would like to see a base model Albacore, with purchase price featured in the Ontario Sailing Association booth as a club trainer. The OSA president, David Sprague, mentioned to me that Derek Griffiths heads a committee that selects the boats to be displayed at the OSA booth. This makes Derek the man to be asked about the Albacore display.
2. The Boat Show budget should shift away from Toronto, probably to Ottawa to promote their area and strengthen their fleet. Toronto’s fleet will always be large. Does anyone from the Ottawa fleet want to promote your area? Call me.

Just to plug the OSA one more time:

Art White, Recreational Director, OSA, sails his Albacore at the cottage and can be found somewhere in the CAA photo display.

Advertising

We have not renewed the rental of CAA storage space and have applied the savings toward advertising. Here’s a rundown of where you can see the Albacore name this year:

1. The Muskoka Yearbook. We have again placed an ad, but one of smaller size. We have gone from the full-page ad to 1/6th of a page. The cost was $190.
2. Canadian Yachting Magazine. We have placed two ads in the Classifieds section; June and July issues; business card size. The cost was $360. The June issue also contained an invited, page and a half article by Gary Bain. Gary’s article covers all aspects of Albacore sailing. It includes a line drawing that I tracked down as well as some photos from Phil Dunk, the keeper of many great Albacore photos, at Photo Methods, 433 Queen Street, East, Toronto. The request for the article came from Graham Jones, the new CY editor, who also sails Albacores when he is not in or under his Shark. He is well informed about sailing even at the grass-roots level and has added great depth to the magazine’s content.
3. Toronto Real Estate News. An Albacore photo made the cover of the Toronto Real Estate News. It shows four kids sailing by the Toronto skyline.
4. Sailing World Magazine. We have an ad series running in Sailing World Magazine. It started in May and appears every second month for a year in the Harken One-Design Showcase. Sailing World was chosen because our class needs more North American exposure. This is especially true of our US neighbours who, of all the major fleets, have the greatest potential for class growth. As soon as the first ad appeared, Don Oakie at Ontario Yachts got many telephone calls. The cost for the ad (in $US) was divided as follows: USAA, $150; CAA, $200; Ontario Yachts, $250.

Promotion

1. Banner. We had a 3’ by 8’ banner made. It’s white on royal blue and features the AL logo, a 2’ line drawing and the words, ‘Albacore Class Association’. It was used at the Worlds’ and is intended to be used at boat shows, regatta measuring booths and similar venues. The cost was $260.
2. Jackets. Worlds’ jackets were made up this year and a few are still available for sale.
3. Bumper Sticker. I’m looking for ideas for a new Albacore bumper sticker.
4. Mugs. Friday night race series mugs have been great promotional give-aways. Bill Abbott, Jr. of Abbott Boats in Sarnia has two for letting me use his work shop to make my compass bracket. There is one on display in a bar called “Fins and Sawbucks” in Sarnia. They have gone everywhere from Delaware to Washington, from Ottawa to England. The staff at Canadian Yachting are enjoying theirs too. I could use more mug donations. Does anyone care to part with a few?
5. Friday Night Race Series. We are promoting our Toronto Friday Night Race fleet as the largest one-design club racing fleet in North America. The average participation over 20 weeks has been 55 Albacores per race. With that claim we needed evidence. Enter Bob Lepage, Westwood S.C., Toronto, a pilot and a new sailor taking lessons at Westwood. Bob flew over the start line on Friday, June 16 while Robert Hickman and Dave Turner (both of Westwood S.C.) snapped 3 rolls of the 62 boat Albacore fleet. The slide film was developed without charge by Phil Dunk of Mooredale S.C. His prices for blow-ups are reasonable. He’s at Photo Methods, 433 Queen Street, East, Toronto. We hope to have a shot in Sailing World as a class promo.
6. Champion of Champions Regatta. The class can also be promoted through racing excellence. Every year the US Sailing Association puts on a ‘Champion of Champions’ regatta. At this event the winners of every North American championship sail against one another. This year the regatta is sailed in Ideal 18’s in Rochester, N.Y. from September 28 - 30. The boats are provided by the class. The top North American boat at the Albacore Worlds’ will probably be the qualifier for this year’s C of C regatta. Alternatively, since there are no Albacore North Americans’ scheduled for this year, the qualifier may be the top NA helm from last year, Jorg Pawlik of Mooredale S.C., Toronto. The USSA had not yet decided the issue at the time of writing this.

TARTS

The annual Breakfast and Bob-on-Sundays, affectionately known as TARTS, was held on June 3 and 4, 1995. In addition to some Fireballs and Wayfarers, 14 Albacores participated.

All races were cancelled on Saturday. Sunday’s first gun was postponed because of winds that were too light even by Outer Harbour standards. Eventually a light Easterly came up, two races were run, the wind died at noon and all further races were cancelled.

What’s in a Name?

From Natural Born Killer to MacAttack

Would the real US 7493 please stand up?

1995 RCYC Open Albacore Regatta

The Royal Canadian Yacht Club Albacore Open Regatta was held on June 10 and 11 in Toronto’s Inner Harbour. Other boat traffic was light and the winds were good. The fleet had a little trouble with the gate starts, but only one boat actually made contact with the gate launch. Sunday’s winds were strong, gusty and shifty and made the day a challenge for most competitors. The final results are shown below:

Results transcribed as printed, including the apparent typos in the totals for 7419 (“.44”) and 7970 (“6.7”) and the “a” in race 5 for 5858.

The OHCC Challenge

with reversible gates and newly serviced battery

Each year the race committee of the Outer Harbour Center Board Club injects a little something different into the common concept of a race course. It was a triple wammy this year. The race was held further out in the Lake, for a little wave practice, followed a course that would have made Dr. Stuart Walker wish he were still a pediatrician and featured a submerged windward mark in a few races. The diagram on the left is an artist’s impression of what the fleet had to contend with. (Thank you.)

Bob Stiff and son had designed and built a great addition to the clubhouse deck. They look properly pleased with the day’s work.

Gary Bain and Sylvia Davidson were winners of one of the pottery plates made especially for the event by Joseph Panacci, Porcelain Pottery, Brampton, Ont.

Barry Farrell (left) and John Gilchrist came second. He thanked OHCC Commodore John Ashby (right) and even remembered to thank the race committee.

Oh, yea. Notice the official results on the board behind the winners. If memory serves this reporter right, Jorg Pawlik and Julia Erichsen won it.

The Worlds’

“We had such a great week. Everybody has just so generously helped us learn so much. And everybody does their 720’s!”

Niall Martin, 1994 Junior Canadian Albacore Champion. Shown with crew, Amanda Oates

People of the Worlds’

Clockwise from top left: Carol Pearcy (Race Chair); Ross King & Carol Kidd; John Bryant & Ron Hughes; Peter & Deborah Snowdon; Gate Launch crew; Diane Poitras & Alison Wright; Race Committee; Dave Bussin & John Freeman; Ed Nicholas & Sue Forgues; the In-and-Out team

Clockwise from top left: Alan Humphreys; Roy Hinton & Peter Vasoff; Jake Smythe; Chris Gorton; Ed Nicholas & Sue Forgues; Dave & Barney Harris (not their real names); Uwe Ackermann & Janet Duff; Daphne Byron, Derek Ethell & Rosemary Helmer

Hats of the Worlds’

Great Moments at the Worlds’

Clockwise from top left: Gate start line; John Clark, top Canadian; Dave Harris start; Dave Harris first at the windward mark; awards ceremonies. {Top—David Byron; Dave Smith; Michael McNamara; Peter Snowdon; Deborah Snowdon; Chris Gorton. Bottom—Michael Gifford; John Clark}

Vignettes of the Worlds’

And what sort of day did you have, dear?

John Freeman, stretching his back on the foredeck of KC 7977, noticed a piece of plastic sticking from the leech of Barney’s main. “Dave, did you know that your top batten is coming out?”

As the question left his lips, the batten ejected and plopped into the water a few feet away. It was followed, only fractions of a second later, by Dave Bussin. He dove and grabbed the errant piece as it headed for the deep. On his way back to the boat Dave lost a boot and had to dive for it, holding the batten in his teeth. Got it, too. Then, as he climbed back into the boat over its transom, one of the lenses popped out of his prescription sunglasses and landed in the bottom of the boat. While he was patting the bottom of the boat in search of the lens, holding the batten in his teeth and his retrieved boot in an armpit, somebody sailed by and tossed a camera into the boat, asking him whether he would please take a picture of them in their boat.

We cannot print his reply in a family newsletter.

Private Acts in Public Places

And how did Barney Harris’s boat, Natural-Born Killer (US 7493), get renamed? Well…

There’s this bar in Kingston. Out-of-the-way, quiet little place called Cocamo’s. Intimate dance floor. Entertainment to fit the decade of the clientele. One evening they had a couple of hot tubs set up right next to the dance floor. Dave Harris, Dave Smith, Chris Gorton, Marg Vaillancourt, Dianne Poitras thought it was a bit of all right. Barney and Heather thought it was definitely all right. The next morning his boat was named Hot Tub.

And why did Hot Tub get renamed, Mac Attack only two days later? Sailors!

When Harry met Sally Reprise

Those of you who missed the original can now view Leslie Batt doing an imitation of the orgasm imitation. Write to Cocamo’s, Video Department, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The crowd loved it.

Scratch and Count

An international jury, assembled at the Portsmouth Tavern in Kingston, determined that Peter (Yellow Shorts) Fontes (GBR 7920) definitely showed more tan lines off the water than even Dave Bussin (CAN 7977) ever showed on the water. It was a cheeky performance.

Oh, yes. Results of the Worlds’

Dave’s Worlds’

1995 USAA National Championships

October 7 - 9, 1995

Organizing Authority: United States Albacore Association
Club/Host Organization: Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Notice of Regatta

1. Rules: This regatta will be governed by the IYRU Rules (IYRR), the prescriptions of the USSA and the rules of the USAA, except as any of these are altered by the sailing instructions, and by the sailing instructions.
2. Advertising: This regatta is classified as Category A event in accordance with racing rule 18 and Appendix A3, IYRR.
3. Eligibility and Entry: All boats must be helmed by a member (associate or full) of the United States Albacore Association or any other national Albacore Association.
4. Schedule:

   Fri Oct. 6	1800 - 2200	Registration and measurement
   Sat Oct. 7	0800 - 1000	Registration and measurement
   	1100	Skippers’ meeting
   	1250	Warning gun for race 1
   	1300	Start of race 1; race 2 to follow
   Sun Oct. 8	0950	Warning gun for race 3; race 4 to follow Break for lunch Race 5
   Mon Oct. 9	0950	Warning gun for race 6; race 7 to follow

5. Social Schedule:

   Sat Oct. 7	Pizza party
   Sun Oct. 8	Dinner at the Rusty Rudder, followed by USAA AGM
   Mon Oct. 9	Awards ceremony following the completion of racing.

6. Advance Registration: Sailors may register in advance by completing the attached registration form and mailing it with the appropriate fee to: USAA c/o Elizabeth Wiener, Washington, DC.
7. Fees: Before Sept. 30: $90 (US); After Sept. 30: $100 (US). Fee includes Sat. pizza for two and Sun. dinner for two. Lunches are not included but it is hoped to arrange to make them available at the club for those who wish to purchase them.
   Note: An additional $9 differential entry fee is required from US competitors who are not members of the USSA. Please bring your membership card as proof of membership.
8. Measurement: All boats must be accompanied by a valid measurement certificate with a current buoyancy endorsement, a 25’ tow line, a paddle, and an approved (by a national organization) PFD for each person on board.
9. Sailing Instructions: Sailing instructions will be available at registration.
10. Scoring: The Low-Point Scoring System, Appendix B2.2 of the racing rules, will apply.
11. Trophies: There will be separate awards for A and B fleets.
12. Launching: Crane or beach. Dollies are recommended.
13. Accommodations: The Bay Resort Hotel at Rehoboth Beach will provide a poolside efficiency for the three nights, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from Oct. 6 - 8 for $119 (double occupancy), and a bayfront efficiency for the same period for $139 (also double occupancy). Please make your own arrangements directly with the Bay Resort, Rehoboth Beach, DE; the manager is David Beebe. The Bay Resort requires a deposit of $75 per room. Remember to mention that you’re with the Albacore class when making a reservation.
14. Directions: From Washington, DC: Take Route 50 over the Bay Bridge to 404 East; to Route 18 East; to Route 1, South/East.

    From Northern New Jersey: Take the Garden State Parkway South to Cape May. Take the Cape May ferry to Lewes. Cost is $35 (US) each way for the car, boat and driver. Each additional passenger is $4 (US). Once in Lewes, take Route 9 South to Route 1 to Rehoboth.

    To find RBSA, continue south on Route 1 through Rehoboth and Dewey Beach, past the “Rusty Rudder” on your right. About 1/2 mile further, as you leave town, there is a wooden sign on the right, partially hidden by bushes, announcing the Rehoboth Bay Sailing Association.

    To find the Bay Resort, continue south on Route 1 past Rehoboth Beach into Dewey Beach. Turn right onto Bellevue Street. The Bay Resort is at the end of the road on the left.

15. Further information: Call Elizabeth Wiener or Lloyd Leonard.

The original issue printed the date as “October 7 - 99 1995”. A one-page entry form followed (skipper and crew contact details, sail number, boat name, A or B fleet, eligibility for the over-80 trophy, fees of $90 before Sept. 30 / $100 after, the $9 USSA differential fee and additional Oct. 8 dinners at $20, payable in US dollars to the United States Albacore Association and mailed to USAA c/o Elizabeth Wiener, Washington, DC). Its waiver read:

Waiver of Liability: By participating in this regatta, I voluntarily assume and am knowledgeable of the risk of sailing and I assume sole responsibility for myself, my crew and boat. I agree to hold harmless and free of liability the sponsoring Club, its members, employees and officers; all individuals volunteering for the Regatta; and the United States Albacore Association, its members, officers and volunteers, for any damage, material or personal, suffered by me or my crew during the racing or otherwise.

Market Place

KC 3683

Whitby-built Albacore. Yellow hull with blue deck. Complete with spinnaker, extra jib and trailer. $2,000 (Can).
Roland Benzow

Dennis, It sounds like your colour scheme. What do you think? (Ed.)

KC 4672

McGruer & Clark-built in 1973. Tapered Proctor mast. Original sails. Rebuilt trailer with form-fitting bunks. $2,000 (Can)
Darrin Heynings

GBR 6949

Woof-built in 1980. Fourth in 1995 World’s. Complete with Proctor spars, struts and Mac sails. Immaculate condition. £3,500.
Ian Houston

KC 6701

Bilbo Baggins wants to go racing again!

Due to the other distractions of its owner, this well-known Woof wooden Albacore has been on the shelf for two years now and would love once again to feel the waves caress her wholesome lines. In superb condition. Sobstad sails. Fixed and lifting rudders. Two masts. Large tactical compass. Mast ram and puller. Top and bottom covers. Pronto combination trailer and an additional launching dolly. Proven race winner. Always wintered in my garage. $7,500 (Can).
Dennis Sherwood

KC 7400

Don Young wooden hull, fully racing equipped and recently refinished. North sails. Includes trailer and dolly.
Bob Leonidas

Hear ye! Hear ye!

The 1995 Canadian Albacore Championships are coming.

When?
September 15 to 17

Where?
Toronto, Ontario. Outer Harbour. (See attached map.)

Questions?
Contact Rick Needham.