Summer 2000

The Albacore Advantage

Under the pink tent at Mooredale Sailing Club. Photo by H. Pedro

A One-design Boat

• no unnecessary expense of constant upgrades in design

A Safe Boat

• large air-filled tanks give excellent buoyancy
• hull shape gives stability on the water
• self-rescue after an unexpected puff is easy

A Light and Manageable Boat

• tongue load of less than 100 lbs gives ready trailerability
• launching and retrieving are a breeze

A Comfortable Boat

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

A Performance Boat

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

Ideal for Junior Clubs

• 4 to 5 juniors will fit easily
• will stand up to heavy use

A Vibrant Class Association

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

1999/2000 Canadian Albacore Association Executive

Shackles and Cringles is a quarterly publication of the Canadian Albacore Association. Deadlines for publication are February 15, April 15, July 15 and November 15.

Commodore's Corner

Dear Fellow Albacore Sailors:

Well, here we are in mid-summer – the best time for sailing! Weather wise we have had lots of wind this year and more capsizes than some of us would like to admit…Lots of good regattas are on our agenda over the next couple of months. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events.

Junior Championships

Rosemary Helmer has secured a spot for the Junior Championships (Muskoka) after a number of years of not holding them. Kevin Smith is working hard to pull this together now and I understand Rosemary, Kevin and George Roth will be the race committee during this event over the August long weekend. Many thanks to Rosemary for arranging for this event.

Canadian Championships

The Canadian Albacore Championships will be held on Georgian Bay this year at Meaford on September 15, 16 and 17. This is a lovely Ontario town and the early autumn there should be great. I hope we get a good turnout. If you have never come to an out-of-town regatta you should try it! They are always a lot of fun as they are more than just a regatta…they are a holiday away with friends. (Editor's Note: Barney Harris has written some great trailering tips on page 16 of this issue.)

Do You Have What It Takes to Be on the CAA Executive?

We have a couple of openings on the CAA executive for the 2000/2001 term. If anyone is interested in joining us, please contact me directly (home: 416 367-9898 or email [email protected]).

Some of the functions the CAA is involved in are:

• Working with the clubs in setting the regatta schedule and subsequently advertising the events;
• Putting out a quarterly newsletter, Shackles and Cringles;
• Running the CAA Web site (www.albacore.ca)
• Running the Canadian and Junior Championships;
• Coordinating/running a booth at the Toronto Boat Show;
• Certifying new measurers;
• Maintaining the membership of CAA;
• Providing input on international specifications; and
• Working with the Canadian International Albacore Association representatives.

The benefits of being a member of the executive are:

• You are a part of a select group of individuals who assist in setting the Albacore program for the year;
• Monthly dinner meetings are held where you will be privy to CAA inside information;
• You will be assisting your organization so you can continue to enjoy coordinated activities and information and help us to do it better!

The positions available are:

• Rear Commodore (runs the Canadians)
• Secretary (take minutes at meetings, archives)
• First Vice Commodore (scheduling and some other duties)

Hope to hear from some of you! See you on the water!
Heather

Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,
I read with interest Heather Macnaughton's article in the Winter 2000 edition of Shackles which was entitled “Naming Your Boat”. It comes to my mind that this is an activity little indulged in by our Canadian and American Albacorists, but lept upon with glee and imagination by our confrères in the United Kingdom. Having been fortunate enough to partake in a number of “Worlds” (or “Internationals”, if that suits Paul Henderson) in the UK, I have retained the results and it is interesting to note that at all these events, the name of the boat is always recorded as well as its number and the names of its occupants. Here is a fairly random list of place, name and occupant from several UK “Worlds” (“Internationals” - Paul). I am hopeful that these will amuse and even encourage we stoic North Americans to exercise our imaginations and name our boats!

Ian Rogers
7405 Baby Grand (née Bungle Bee)
6626 Checkmate (née Zipper-Rapper-Zoo)

1973 – Plymouth

1985 – Herne Bay

1991 – Cramond Boat Club

Canadian Albacore Association – Notice of Annual General Meeting

DATE: Saturday, September 16, 2000
TIME: Immediately following dinner (approx. 7:30 PM)
PLACE: Meaford, Ontario, Canada (Exact location to be announced at Canadians)

All members of the Canadian Albacore Association are urged to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Association. In their absence all Full Members of the Association may nominate a proxy, using the form attached. To be recognized, the form must be presented to the secretary prior to the beginning of the meeting.

Agenda

1. Notice of Meeting.
2. Establishment of a Quorum.
3. Collection of Proxies.
4. Minutes of Annual General Meeting, August 28, 1999
5. Reports of Officers
6. Election of Officers for 2000-2001.
7. Appointment of Auditor.
8. Other Business. - Proposed change to Rule 8.
   - Other
9. Adjournment.

Kate Mullin
Secretary, Canadian Albacore Association

RCYC Open Albacore Regatta – 2000 Ontario Albacore Championships

June 10-11, 2000, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, ON

With the lure of the top four Albacore sailors and crews in the world, this promised to be an exciting event right from the start. The hype did not disappoint! Thirty one boats competed including competitors and participants from Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Francisco, Great Britain and Washington, DC!

Winds ranged from 10 to 25 knots over two days, with racing occurring in open water south of Toronto Island on day one, and in Toronto's Inner Harbour, for day two. Day one saw four long races in 10 to 15 knot winds, and waves one to two feet. “Team Spot” (Barney Harris and David Byron) pounced off of the start line to win the first three races. Superb performances were also done by Ken Clarke/Sharon Palmer (2nd in first race), Barrie Farrell/Pat Maltby (2nd in second race), Michael McNamara/Raines Koby (2nd in third race) and Kevin Smith/Christine Short (2nd in fourth race). Knocking on the door were Chris Gorton/Henry Pedro which scored a pair of “threes” on day one.

Day one, Saturday was punctuated by a great outdoor dinner put on be the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, plenty of roast beef, salads, and Apple Crumble for dessert. Following dinner was an outdoor DJ dance, that, while it took a little while to get going, once the party got started there was no stopping. Festivities went on long after many sailors decided to call it a day. The weather co-operated, thankfully, with clear skies and warm temperatures.

Day two started off innocently enough. About 23 degrees, sunny and mild, calm winds. Some boaters were towed to the racecourse which was changed to Toronto's Inner Harbour due to the light winds. As the starting sequence began, the winds had settled in from the east-southeast, and were beginning to fill in. During the six-minute starting sequence, the winds jumped ten to twelve knots, and built from there throughout the first leg. By the time boats rounded the weather mark, the winds were 20 - 23 knots! Temperatures dropped from 23 degrees C to about 13 degrees! With the harbour water temperature hovering near 10 degrees, this made for some challenging conditions.

Needless to say, this turned into a regatta of attrition, with many competitors capsizing at the weather and gybe marks, and others suffering boat and equipment failures while other sailors opted not to race at all! The most notable incidents were Barney Harris and David Byron who broke their centreboard during the second race, and Chris Gorton/Henry Pedro who broke their vang during the last race and had to retire.

These incidents, coupled with some brilliant (and not-so-brilliant chicken-gybe) sailing catapulted McNamara/Koby to first place in the series. Ken Clarke/Sharon Palmer proved that consistency pays by grabbing second place, and Chris Gorton/Henry Pedro managed to sneak by McNamara/Koby in the dying seconds of race six to take first place in the race, and third place overall, beating the fourth place team of Tim Broughton/Laurie Harrison by one quarter of a point! Bruce Withrow/Sandy Swiatlowski's consistency rewarded them with a fifth place overall, while Harris/Byron's downturn of luck slipped them to sixth.

The racing was fantastic, the winds were super, the party was fun, and best of all, the competition was huge, friendly and fun. Hope to see everyone again next year!

Henry Pedro
[email protected]

RCYC Open and Ontario Championships Results

Notice of Race – 2000 Mooredale Sailing Club Albacore Open Regatta

Saturday, August 12, 2000

1. Rules: This regatta will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS), the rules of the Canadian Albacore Association and the sailing instructions.

2. Eligibility: All boats must be helmed by members of the Canadian Albacore Association or other national Albacore Association.

3. Schedule: 5 races are planned, with one drop if 3 or more are sailed.

• 9:00am to 10:00am – Registration in the Mooredale Clubhouse.
• 10:00am – Competitors' Meeting
• 11:00am – Warning signal for Race 1. Races 2 to 5 to follow. Lunch time determined by the Race Committee.
• 5:00pm – Refreshments on shore.
• 6:30pm – Awards.
• 7:00pm – Dinner.
• 8:30pm – Party!

4. Registration: Registration 9:00-10:00am on Saturday at Mooredale.

5. Entry Fee: $60.00 per boat, includes light breakfast, lunch, dinner and party.

6. Scoring: The low-point scoring system, Appendix A will be used. If 3 or more races are sailed there will be 1 drop, otherwise all races will count. One race will constitute a series.

7. Location: Races will be sailed in Toronto's Outer Harbour.

Nepean One Design Regatta 2000

The Nepean One Design Regatta this year was two days of attrition sailing! Saturday winds were in the 16-20 knot range with puffs as high as 25 knots. This made for an excellent opportunity to practice sailing with the main de-powered as was demonstrated at the race training seminar two weeks earlier, woo hoo! Then there was Sunday, winds in the 2-4 knot range and steady rain or drizzle, yuck!

The regatta was held on June 17th and 18th this year. The Albacores had the highest dinghy participation rate at the regatta! (-wm.) There were 9 Albacores registered for the event, with only one boat making the trip from out of town. Our thanks to Doug and Kay Marsh for making the trip up from Pennsylvania.

The racing on Saturday was close between the lead boats, and the strong winds resulted in a high attrition rate. Several boats had an opportunity to practice their capsize and recovery technique, and many a crew and even a few helms were groaning about newly rediscovered muscles come Sunday morning.

After the Saturday racing, Ed broke out strawberries and rum and ensured that all participants were able to experience his strawberry daiquiris. I could rave on about them and I'd be well qualified to, having downed several, but to experience them personally all you have to do is attend the regatta next year…hint, hint….

Sunday was an entirely different day. The light winds gave Doug and Kay an opportunity to put on a light air racing clinic, unfortunately none of us were close enough to benefit from their demonstration. Only two races were put in on Sunday, as the race committee had counted 5 on Saturday even though none of the Albacores had stayed out for the 5th race.

Awards were presented on Sunday and while everyone was packing up, the sun came out and the weekend ended on a positive note.

Van Sheppard
Nepean Sailing Club

The Results

Switching Helm and Crew

An interesting rules scenario cropped up in the July 2000 issue of The Whisper Pole, which is the newsletter of the St. James Town Sailing Club. There was a question posed followed by an answer. I will quote both the question and the answer verbatim and then I will offer my interpretation.

Question: Dear Dr. Rudder,
“Can the crew take over the helm temporarily during a race without disqualification? In what circumstances, if any, is this allowed? (The captain and crew switched recently during a race due to a mechanical malfunction.)” -Captain Gybe.

Answer: Dear Gyber,
“Yes, if there is an emergency or if injury or sickness were to happen, the it is legitimate to switch. What is not supposed to happen is the changing back and forth due to poor race standings. This is actually a class rule, not a general rule. Please advise which class of boat and we will investigate further.” -Dr. Rudder

My Interpretation:

Actually this question was put to me verbally by an individual in mid June of this year. I was not able to give an immediate answer as I had to do some research on the subject, which took me a couple of days. I consulted the current ISAF rule book with CYA Prescriptions extensively and could find no applicable rule. Consequently, there are no applicable CYA or ISAF appeals. At this point, I came to the conclusion that unless the sailing instructions explicitly forbade the switching of helm and crew during a race, then it was completely legal to do so for whatever reason.

However, my research was still not complete. I consulted an International judge (the highest level of judge in our sport) and he explained to me that the ISAF leaves this type of ruling up to the individual classes. There are some classes who do not permit this type of action during a race except in emergencies, however the Albacore Class Rules are silent on this point.

Albacore Class Rules 15 Crew states: “There shall be two or more persons on board during racing.” This is the only Class Rule which refers to people racing the Albacore. Consequently if the sailing instructions in the Albacore Class are silent on the point of helm and crew switches during a race, then it is a perfectly legitimate tactic to consider for any reason.

The way to deal with this type of action, if you are uncomfortable with it, is to outlaw it in the sailing instructions. A suggested wording would be: “Helm and crew changes shall not be permitted during a race except for brief periods during an emergency.”

Please feel free to agree or disagree with my position on the aforementioned subject. However, I you should disagree with my views, the I will require documented proof in the form of applicable ISAF/CYA Rules and Appeals as well as applicable Albacore Class Rules. Thank you for taking the time to read this submission.

Peter Vasoff
CYA Judge

Notice of Race – 2000 Canadian Junior Albacore Championships

Please Join us! Especially new sailors! A fun filled event awaits you!
The Muskoka Lakes Sailing Regatta and The Muskoka Lakes Sailing Club and Golf & Country Club extend a particularly warm welcome to all new and returning Junior Albacore sailors.

Date: Sunday, August 6, 2000

Place: Muskoka Lakes Sailing Club, at Lake Rosseau, Ontario

Directions: Drive North on Highway 400, past Barrie, past Honey Harbour,, past MacTier, Turn right (East on Highway 169, drive 5 km to Glen Orchard, turn left (North) on Highway 118, go 5 km to south edge of Port Carling turn left (North) on Ferndale Rd. Drive 3 km to Muskoka Lakes Golf & Country Club / Shamrock Lodge. For directions if you get lost call 705-765-3166.

Eligibility: Both crew and skipper must be 19 years of age and under as of December 31, 2000. (Proof of age required.) Prizes will be awarded to the top boat (skipper & crew) in the Under 13 years, 16 years & 19 years groups. The overall winner with the lowest points will win the Canadian Junior Albacore Trophy.

Sun. August 6th - Program of Events & Times:

• 8:30 - 9:30 am – Registration and Juice & Donuts/Muffins
• 9:30 - 10:30 am – Albacore Seminar with Kevin Smith, and Rosemary Helmer
• 10:30 am – Skippers' Meeting
• 11:15 am – Lunch on the water following first race. Please bring your own lunch!
• Approx. 12:30 pm – Race 2 follows Race 1
• 2 pm – Race 3 to be part of MLA Regatta.
• After racing – Soft Drinks and BBQ at a member's cottage, Fun Prizes & Awards

Entry Fees: Pre-Registration (By July 31, 2000) - $40.00 per boat
Registration Day (August 6, 2000) - $45.00 per boat

Entry Fees Include:
Sunday 3 races, all races to count.
2000 CAA Junior Membership (4 Newsletters per Year)
Juice & Donuts/Muffins at Registration
Sunday Seminar On the Water, Video Taping & Land Debriefing
Soft Drinks, BBQ after racing at a Members Cottage.

To Register Contact: Regatta Chair-Rosemary Helmer H: 416-964-8427 Email: [email protected]
Traveling from out of town? Billets may be able to be arranged. One week advance notice please!
Contact: Alan Hutton - Cottage 705-762-5560, Office 905-415-6300

Be prepared to provide proof of a completed 2000 buoyancy test.
This is CAA insurance requirement. We ask for your cooperation.

'01 Worlds

Royal Torbay Yacht Club

That magic moment has come. After weeks of telephone calls to shipping companies and freight forwarders, conversations with US Sailing, emails to the Brits, insurance companies, and all around the Albacore Net the time has come to sign on or risk missing a great event.

Based just on your responses to personal contact and email we are starting to fill the second container. I repeat get your container application and fee to me because space will be assigned in the order I receive both. The application covers lots of items I will need to continue negotiations with our suppliers -- shipping, airlines, trains, housing, insurance coverage, customs clearance.

So far the delegation includes the heads of both the USAA and the CAA - Heather and Peter, Les Crane, the Grahams, past US and IAA Presidents Daphne and me, Marty Hublitz, Lloyd Leonard and longtime crew and skipper, Doug Foord, and two more lady helms - Wilda Heiss, and Saskia Mooney. Of course, the delegation includes Admiral Barney of the Harris Navy. His battleship is already over there and will be sailed in the upcoming NAA Nationals along with my crew the last time I raced in England – the then 90 pound and 13 year old David Byron.

Count 'em. That's 10 boats in an 8-boat container! Over the last 9 months I have received expressions of interest from another 10 boat owners. You do the math! Speaking of math, we are now checking into a 45-foot container to see if they are available just in case we need to squeeze in 10 boats. It may not work, so figure on multiples of 8.

Regatta Details: Put down on your calendar August 4-11, 2001. During the week we will be sailing in both the Worlds and the National Albacore Association's Championship. There will be two races each day with Tuesday set aside as a lay day. Our host club will be the Royal Torbay Yacht Club. The Club was founded more than 130 years ago and has gained a reputation for outstanding race management.

SEND A CHECK FOR US $400 TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN THE CONTAINER. SPOTS WILL BE ALLOCATED BASED ON THE ORDER IN WHICH CHEQUES ARE RECEIVED.

The racing will take place in the relatively sheltered Torbay or the more exposed Lyme Bay. Mike Mac has assured me that the conditions should be well within the capabilities of the North American membership. If not the Club has a “harbourside 'wet' bar.”

Torquay is a popular vacation spot – The English Riviera complete with palm trees. Because it is so popular we need to make our plans well in advance. Housing can be difficult to come by. Becky plans on checking the housing stock in Torquay for us while Barn is racing. In later articles I will go into what we can expect to find once we arrive. So far it all looks superb.

Looking at the calendar and talking to the shippers we might be able to attend Cambridge and then deliver the container the next day. On the return we might have our boats back for Labor Day. So for Washington-based sailors all we would miss might be Fishing Bay and Ware River. Not much of a sacrifice compared to SAILING AND PARTYING on English Riviera!

The Cost: With the help of Gene Spillane we have able contacted several forwarding companies for preliminary quotes on the container cost. I also talked to the forwarder and insurance agent recommended by US Sailing. We cannot get a firm bid until next year, but we have an idea of full retail for each container and that is approximately $4200. We should be able to do better. We need your help in seeking sponsorships to reduce the cost of shipping. If you know someone or a company that might be interested please let me know and I will contact them. Every dollar we raise will offset the shipping cost. Be creative. Let's figure out who does business in the US, Canada, and the UK. I have also talked to US Sailing about a grant to the class as opposed to individual competitors. We are probably the only international class they do not support!

A few charters may be available at a cost I estimate will be about $650. I chartered the last time and wished I had my own boat. This time I will, and at a cost less than the charter. Maybe much less than a charter if we can find those sponsors.

We all need to have collision and liability coverage. We can expect to pay about $50 for the liability. Get this – we will be insured for roughly $3,200,000! Collision is being sought from British insurers since our coverages stop 90 miles from our shore.

Shortly, I will begin to talk to airlines and consolidators to see what we can do about obtaining a better rate than this summer's fares that are the highest they have been in some time due to the slippage in the Euro. This may require our traveling to and from England together. Rather than all of us taking the train we might want to rent a bus and have Daphne drive us since she is used to that side of the road. On the way back we will probably just meet at the airport because we may all go our separate ways after the regatta. You will see on the application a number of questions regarding travel plans, housing requirements, number in your party. I'm trying to get an idea of what this mass of sailing enthusiasts looks like. Please give as much info as you can at this point. Beginning in a few months we will get real serious and deposits for housing, shipping, and transportation will be required.

David Wallerstein [email protected]

The Triple Trailer

By Barney Harris, TEAM SPOT, USA 8011 & 6701

Several years ago I designed and built a three boat trailer. You might be tempted to ask why? I'll remind you of that guy in Los Angeles who attached a bunch of helium balloons to his lawn chair, figuring he would just float around in his back yard. Instead he ascended to an altitude of 10,000 feet and drifted into the LAX airport pattern. He was eventually rescued and while being hauled off by the police was asked by a reporter why he did this. His answer: “a man can't just sit around.”

In my case, building and using a three boat trailer has turned out to be something of an obsession, although it dovetails perfectly with my preoccupation with Albacore racing. Let me state the obvious: Multiple boat trailers are good for the Albacore class. They allow teams to split expenses and share driving responsibility, which makes a long trek to a distant regatta more palatable. It also enables time strapped sailors to attend regattas in far off locations by paying to have their boat transported and flying to the event site. This worked particularly well at this years Midwinter Championships in Sarasota.

I started thinking about the triple about five years ago. I was motivated in part by the limits of what was on the market. Something about the Rapide double trailers, for example, seemed to miss the mark. The rig seemed way too tall for the load. From a structural standpoint, the rig just didn't flow. I thought I could build something better, so I went to work. I wanted to carry three Albacores. I also wanted the trailer to be easy to load and unload.

I began looking for a suitable platform. I believed a wide trailer would be better since it would resist roll over and have more room. I found that most wide trailers are typically designed for heavy loads; they have capacities in the thousands of pounds. Too much capacity is bad, since the stiffer springs will jolt the relatively light weight boats on every bump. After some research, I selected a tandem personal water craft trailer for the undercarriage. This is a trailer which is designed to carry two PWC's, such as Jet Ski's, side by side. It is maximum width (8 ft 6 in), not very long, and at 1500 lbs has about the right capacity. I figured each packed Albacore would weigh in at around 350 to 400 lbs with covers, spares, etc. Before picking it up at a local dealer, I got it customized, nixing the bunks for PWCs and getting larger wheels for smoother ride. A footnote: I thought it ironic that a trailer originally designed for something so obnoxious as Jet Skis was being used for something so neat.

The superstructure is formed from 2 inch square, 1/8 inch wall aluminum tubing. I used 2x2x1/4 inch angle and 2x1/4 inch flat bar and 5/16ths inch galvanized steel bolts with lock washers. I used 2x2 angle for diagonal braces to resist racking. All are of 6061 alloy with a T6 temper. While crude, the structure was relatively easy to construct using hand powered tools.

The side-to-side clearance is a little over 79 inches; the vertical clearance is set at 32 inches on the middle rack and a bit over 35 inches on the bottom. The 32 inch height turns out to be only marginally adequate for boats which do not have a compass or other hardware installed that extends above the foredeck. The distance between the forward and aft supports measures in at about 118 inches, and works well. Three Albacores are carried upside down supported at three points: on the bow about 18 inches aft of the stem and on the side decks about three or four feet forward of the transom. The diagonal braces are set to just cradle the side decks, and prevent sideways motion. The two forward vertical members constrain the bow. I wrap carpet around all areas which could chafe.

The trailer has strength which is more than adequate to withstand normal loads The real issue was what would happen in an accident. I took data from highway safety crash tests, and designed the trailer to survive a crash scenario that I was also likely to survive. I figured that if I lived, I would want the boats to get through it as well so I would not be lynched by an angry group of Albacore owners. I have made up my mind that if I croak in an accident - I'm taking them all with me!

I measured the tare weight of the trailer using a bathroom scale under each wheel and tongue. I keyed the undercarriage, structure, and payload weights into a simple spreadsheet to estimate the trailer longitudinal and vertical center of gravities and tongue weight. The analysis indicated that the axle should be moved as far aft in the trailer as possible - which is where it is today. The results of this analysis predicts that the loaded triple trailer is stable, i.e. will skid before it tips over

The triple trailer has racked up (no pun intended) an estimated 20,000 miles while carrying more than one boat and has enabled many persons to attend away events by flying in while their boat is transported. It has also served as a good basic platform to carry spare trailers, masts, and other things like plywood.

I have an eye towards building a 6 boat rig. The best undercarriage option appears to be a pontoon boat trailer. A typical 30 foot trailer will have a capacity far in excess of what 6 Albacores would weigh, and so could damage boats due to the inadequate suspension compliance. However a pontoon boat is very wide and relatively light, and trailers designed for them appear to match well with a load composed of six Albacores. A six boat rig would be more difficult to store [hide] in a yacht club boat yard, and might end up being only partially loaded most of the time. We'll see - if the need arises consistently I would like to do it. In the meantime I'll just keep filling these balloons with helium…

Albacore 2000 Race Training – “Pull on the Kicker and go like Bilio”

Once again, the Albacore Race Training Event held in early June was a “smashing” success. Thirty three boats participated in the four-day training session generously hosted by Mooredale Sailing Club in Toronto's Outer Harbour. Sessions included both on and off the water demonstrations and lectures.

This year's special guest was the current Albacore International Champion, Michael McNamara from the UK. And of course, no stranger to the Toronto area, Barney Harris returned to share his boat rigging and tuning secrets to the eager participants. Assisting on the water were our own Kevin Smith, and Ken Clarke as well as David Byron from California who regularly crews for Barney.

On Thursday evening, all the participants gathered under Mooredale's pink tent to begin what turned out to be an extremely informative and sailing-filled weekend.

Michael McNamara began by giving a detailed description of sail trim and how to “change gear” when you are on the race course. “You are going well. The boat is flying and you are up with the pack. Then, quite suddenly, horribly, and often without apparently altering anything, it all changes. To leeward boats point higher and go faster and the windward boats start to roll over. So what has happened? Why are things going wrong and what can you do about it?” By learning to identify whether it is a pointing problem or a speed deficiency and then applying a checklist of cures, McNamara conveyed that by altering one thing at a time and giving each change time to work, you can be back in the pack in no time.

Barney Harris gave an excellent on land seminar demonstrating the rigging on his new wooden Albacore. Of particular interest to many of the attendees was his jib halyard cascade system (rather than a magic box) and how the slack in the line is completely taken up by shock cord to eliminate tangling and lines trailing in the water. Barney also hinted that he is devising a similar plan for rigging the vang.

On the water sessions included a beautiful roll-tacking demonstration by Michael McNamara, starting drills, mark roundings, roll tacking and gybing and of course a few races. Three groups rotated around the various courses throughout the day. Highlights were captured on video by Kevin Smith (especially on the very windy Friday afternoon) for our viewing pleasure during the Saturday evening party hosted by C'est What?.

At the end of the weekend, each coach gave a few final words. The bottom line – practice, practice, practice. “Am I going as fast as I can now and am I ready for the next thing,” says Michael McNamara. And as Barney put it, “boats are only slow when you put the people in them!”

Kate Mullin and the Canadian Albacore Association would like to thank Mark Cordner of Offshore Inflatables and Mike Unger of Canadian Yachting Magazine for the use of their Hurricane Zodiac during the Albacore training sessions in June, 2000. We would also like to thank Mooredale Sailing Club, Westwood Sailing Club, St. Jamestown Sailing Club and OHCC for use of their power boats during the race training session.

Trailering Tips

By Barney Harris, TEAM SPOT, USA 8011 & 6701

Last year alone TEAM SPOT drove 12,000 miles, most with three or more boats in tow - and all without a single incident of any damage to any boat. Here are some trailering tips from the mind of SPOT.

Fundamentals

I believe it is imperative to secure everything to the trailer to force it all to move as one. This increases the ratio of sprung to unsprung weight, a critical determinant of how well the trailer's suspension will isolate the boats from road bumps.

Securing Boats and Gear to the Trailer

I am glad I do not have a neat story about how my boat flew off the trailer.. In over 50,000 miles of trailering boats over the past 5 years TEAM SPOT has never lost a boat. This is no accident. The key is to perform the simple thought experiment: if the entire load can be lost as a result of the failure of a single tie down, then it is not adequately secured. A unfortunately common example is the boat's bow tie down. Take a look at how your boat is secured to its trailer and ask yourself what would happen if the single line securing the bow became untied, chafed through, or failed for some other reason. The answer is not pleasant. SPOT always uses redundant means to secure boats to their trailer. You secure your trailer to your car with both a ball and socket AND chains, why would you do any less for your boat? Boats falling off trailers are 100% avoidable. Rule of thumb: keep adding tie down lines until you could deliberately cut any one line and not have a catastrophic failure.

Knots

This is rocket science: use knots which will not come undone. Good knots include bowline, trucker's hitch, and multiple half hitches. Bad knots include slip knots, midshipman stopper, clove hitch (unless used with half hitches), and anything resembling a shoe lace knot.

Mast Preparation for Towing

Pull all halyards to the top of their travel. Coil the ends at the base. Remove the shrouds and forestay, coil them, and stow them in the boat. Preparing the mast in this way will reduce damage to the anodized outer surface from chafing.

Mast Base Protection

Spot uses an old jib bag slipped over the mast base. It keeps the sun off the halyards, reduces road grime, and chaffing. No need to tie it on, simply point the mast base end forward and it will stay on just fine, based on the last 50,000 miles of towing anyway.

Tying Down Masts

Here is a Neat trick: first loosely wrap line around the mast to the supporting structure and then seize around it, locking the two together while forming a rope insulator between the mast and trailer. There are no cut bits of carpet to come loose; the tie down line itself serves to isolate and secure the mast to the trailer.

Tying Two Masts Together

Tie one end to one mast with a bowline. Then make several figure 8's around both masts. Finish by seizing the lines between the masts. This serves to isolate the masts from each other, and lock them together, but leaves the way for a little scrubbing action which tends to dampening whipping and the fatigue it produces.

Mast Warning Flag

SPOT uses a single foam “noodle” from a toy store with reflective tape wrapped around it suspended from a short length of line. When driving down the road the reflective tape covered foam noodle floats several feet behind the trailer roughly at mast level. Truckers approaching from behind will first see a bright object oscillating vertically, and so reduces the probability of getting masts damaged from a rear ending incident. When parked, the reflective noodle hangs from the mast and serves to alert parking cars that there is something which they must go around. This reduces the probability that a person parking a car with a roof racked boat will collide with and possibly damage the masts.

Covers

Team spot uses a short length of shock cord in series with the cover tie down with. By pre loading the shock cord, the cover is held taught despite changes in humidity and temperature, and thus will shed rain. While trailering, the shock cord prevents flapping, since the breeze can not work the cover loose gradually while driving.

Trailering Upside Down

Place the bottom cover outside the top cover to prevent rain water from filling the top cover. Amusing lesson: I was car topping a boat upside down from Florida after Midwinters one year, and dropped the whole thing off at the airport while I went on a business trip. When I returned a week later, it looked like I had a beached whale on top of my truck - the top cover, which was fit over the bottom cover, was completely full of rainwater that had drained into it for over a week.

Spares

Team spot always travels with a spare hub and wheel with tire mounted. The hub has all bearings pressed in, seals, and is greased and ready to go. Just remove the existing retaining nut, slam it on, and you are back on the road in under one hour.

Electrical Connections

It is incredible to me that trailer manufacturers actually use wire nuts in exposed trailer electrical systems. Wire nuts are not sealed, rely on the strength of stripped copper strands to remain intact, and are exposed to every bit of road salt through which the trailer is driven. I prefer to use the marine rated crimp on fittings with integral heat shrink tubing. Crimp them on and apply heat to shrink the plastic tube around the wire and seal the thermally activated adhesive. This forms a good fatigue resistant electrical and watertight mechanical connection.

Strain Relief and Chafing

Look in your car at how wiring is lead and supported. This is no accident - its supported almost over its entire length and there are no areas where the insulation chafes on a sharp corner or surface. Car manufacturers have learned that a wire bent around a sharp corner will eventually chafe through and go to ground with consequences which range from inconvenience to catastrophe. Trailer manufacturers as a group are not as far along the learning curve: their products are rife with chafe points and potential wear areas. Fix this by wrapping tape at all potential chafe points - and keep an eye on them.

Wheel Bearings

I heard a very telling comment by a naval ship deck machinery designer - “winches are destroyed through neglect and improper maintenance long before they wear out.” The same applies to trailer wheel bearings. If you were to analyze the load supported by a trailer wheel bearing set and calculate its life it would be infinite for all practical purposes. Trailer wheel bearings are lightly loaded as bearings go. So why do they fail? improper maintenance and abuse. Placing them under water is a prime example. Using bearing buddies or other similar products does help - but does not always prevent the water intrusion instrumental to their ultimate failure. This is simple stuff. Check the inner seals for leaks - if you see grease getting flung all over the wheel, get them repacked and the seal replaced. Keep wheel bearings the heck out of the water, period. Open and repack every couple years and you won't have any problems. Keep an eye on them when on a long trip. Ideally they should be only a little above ambient air temperature - a little warmth is ok, but if the wheel bearings get so hot you can not hold your hand on them that means something is very wrong. Stop and adjust or replace them.

Notice of Race – 2000 US Albacore Association National Championships

August 18-20, 2000

Organizing Authority: United States Albacore Association
Club/Host Organization: West River Sailing Club, Galesville, MD
Official Web Site: www.my-town.com/sailing

Fees: The entry fee, in US dollars, is $100 ($85 if registration is postmarked before July 31, 2000). Registration fee includes Saturday banquet dinner for skipper/crew. An additional $10 discount (from rates listed above) is available to current members of US Sailing, CYA, or RYA. Include a photocopy of your membership card with mailed applications or bring your card to registration to receive the above rates. Those without proof of current membership will not be allowed the $10 discount.

Advance Registration: Sailors may register in advance and receive a discount (as described in section 6) by completing a registration form and mailing it along with the entry fee to:

US Albacore Association
c/o Peter Duncan
550 M Ritchie Hwy., #144
Severna Park, MD 21146

All registrations must be postmarked by July 31, 2000 to receive reduced rates. For a complete and detailed Notice of Race, entry form, and information regarding accomodations, please contact Peter Duncan.
Email [email protected]

Notice of Race – Toronto Island Sailing Club Albacore Open Regatta

Saturday, August 26, 2000
Toronto Inner Harbour and Toronto Island

The regatta is open to all Albacore sailors who are 2000 members in good standing of the Canadian Albacore Association or other National Albacore Association.

Program of Events

Entry Fee: $60.00 per boat

For further information, call: David Jubé, Racing Director
Phone: 519 581 7575
E-Mail: [email protected]

9:00 pm DJ, dancing, prizes and partying until… last ferry or much later water taxi can take you back to city

Your registration kit will be given to you on Friday, August 25
or on the morning of the Regatta.

Notice of Race – 2000 Albacore Open Regatta at RCYC “Royal Weekend”

The Albacore Fleet of RCYC and our Club cordially invite you to join in our Labor Day end of summer sailing weekend known as “Royal Weekend”. This Club event is an “action packed” weekend with plenty of racing and good fun on and off the water! Ask those who attended last year and had a great time! The dinghy course will be held either in the Inner Harbour or south of the Islands if conditions permit.

Schedule of Events

Drop your boat off on the RCYC Front lawn after the Friday night race if you wish and take the ferry over on Saturday morning or sail over Saturday morning - your choice!

Sat. Sept. 2 & Sun. Sept. 3, 2000
11:00 am First Gun 3-5 Races scheduled back-to back dependent on weather.
A Min. 5 races must be sailed to count 1 drop race.

Bring your own lunch.
Post Racing Party with Beer Tent, Bands & BBQ Dinner - Saturday night!
Post Racing with Beer & Awards - Sunday night

Event Price:
Racing 2 Days, Awards & Coffee/Juice/ Muffin/Donuts Sat & Sun. - $40.00 per boat
Pre-registrations may be faxed or emailed to Rosemary Helmer
Wrist Band - $15 -20.00 (covers Sat. BBQ, Beer & Bands - Sat. & Sun.)

If you have not experienced this event come and join the Celebration! We host over a 100 boats and 500+ people for this event annually. It is an event to remember and we send you back to work (post Labor Day) with memories of a great summer on the Water! Any one coming from out of town and requiring billets please email or call as soon as possible;
Rosemary Helmer: Call or Fax: 1-416-964-8427 or Email: [email protected]

Notice of Race – Canadian Albacore Championships, September 15-17, 2000

Meaford, Ontario, Canada

Invitation: The Canadian Albacore Association and the City of Meaford, invite Albacore sailors to the 2000 Canadian Albacore Championships September 15-17, 2000 inclusive

Location: Meaford Harbour. Racing will take place on the fresh waters just outside Meaford Harbour, in Georgian Bay.

Eligibility: The regatta is open to Albacore sailors, who must meet all class membership, yacht measurement requirements and must have paid all event fees before beginning official competition. (see Entry and Fees, below). There will be no measurer available at the regatta. Helms over 50 years of age are eligible for the Masters trophy. There will be an A Fleet and a B fleet. Helms who have won the B fleet trophy are not eligible to helm in B fleet. Related skippers and crew will be eligible for the family trophy.

Rules: Racing during these events will be governed by the 1997-2000 Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) including changes issued by the ISAF, the prescriptions of the Canadian Yachting Association, the rules of the Albacore Class and the Canadian Albacore Association and the Sailing Instructions. In the event of conflict, the Sailing Instructions will take precedence. This regatta is designated as a Category A event.

Proposed Racing Schedule

Entry & Fees: The entry fee for the Canadian Albacore Championships, including all racing, regatta awards Saturday dinner, beer on shore after racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and breakfasts and lunches for Saturday and Sunday will be $130 Cdn per boat for entries postmarked or received before August 31, 2000 and $150 Cdn per boat after August 31, 2000. Early registration is by mail. Please make cheques payable to the Canadian Albacore Association. A registration form has been included with this issue of Shackles & Cringles.

Accommodations: At events such as this, competitors tend to stay at one of the city's motels. These are as close as a ten-minute walk from the mooring area. There are also campgrounds and several bed and breakfast establishments.

For More Information Contact:
Dianne Clark
Telephone: 416-290-3901
E-Mail: [email protected]