Summer 2008

Message from the Commodore

Hey Sailors,

Finally the weather has warmed up. But the cold hasn't stop intrepid sailors from already getting out on the water.

The first regatta (The North Americans, May 17-19 in Rock Hall, Maryland) has already been raced and it was won by Barney Harris and Doug Ford. Seven Canadian teams participated in the 26 boat fleet regatta. Placing third were The Dirty Birds (Allan Measor & Dick Piercey); as if the name of their boat isn't intimidating enough ("Northern Aggression") they arrived late and didn't have time to wash the blood off the boat, after driving over an unfortunate deer lying dead in the middle of the road. I spent that same weekend in Barrie (doing some promo work for a major mobile company) with three eager beavers practicing in 25 knot plus winds and 6 degree water temperature… thank goodness for the hot tub!!

The Outer Harbour finally got their Friday night races off after abandoning the first 2 weeks (too windy, too light) with close to 40 boats. Lots of new and eager faces out there and super cool glass hardware to be won! The first training session was held this weekend, lead by two top racers (Barney Harris & Chris Gorton) who put the group through the ringer. Next training session is "Racing 101" on June 28- sign up is on line and is filling quickly. And "Chicks on Sticks" (ladies coaching ladies), will be held July 19, with details coming soon.

On a sad note… the sudden passing of Doris Browne was observed at a Memorial Service in her honour. Many friends and family gathered to pay tribute to a women who touched so many people in so many ways (Mom, Grandmother, friend, sailor, skier and hiker). She will always be present in my mind and in my spirit whenever I think of her. Take a moment and pay tribute to her in your own special way.

Cheers everyone,

T
Teresa Miolla,
Commodore Canadian Albacore Association

Message from the Editor

Computer problems with the previous issue prevented me from thanking Tannis Baker for her patience, suggestions, and technical help. So sorry about that!

The Sarasota photos, including the cover, were taken by Lynn Pashleigh and Ken Yamazaki. The cover graphics are the work of Alliocha. Thank you!!

Contributions to this issue were very much appreciated. But I'm hoping to hear from a few more places: Ottawa– what's happening in our capital? Hamilton– how's the start of the sailing season? And photos are always welcome! Please send!!! (Note: Getting in touch with me this summer will be difficult– talk to you in mid-August!)

On The Water…

Our first training session was a great success and that leads us to our next training goals: RACING 101 and WOMEN of the WATER.

RACING 101 (June 28-29, 9am-4pm), will be run by Henry Pedro and Barrie Farrell in the Toronto Outer Harbour. This workshop focuses on new Albacore sailors who want to get into racing as well as those sailors who need a refresher for regattas and Friday night races. Register online at www.albacore.ca

WOMEN of the WATER (July 19, 9am-4pm), is an opportunity to gain confidence and learn from other women Albacore sailors. You will be matched with experienced partners and have the opportunity to hone your skills. Stay tuned at www.albacore.ca for more details.

I hope everyone is out sailing. It has been a cool spring, but it only matters if you are in the water… See you on the water.

Michelle,
CAA Training

Sarasota Sailing

If you were to measure the volume of foam sandwiched between layers of fiberglass in the hull of the Albacore, would the class buoyancy requirements be met? The 25 hours it takes to drive to Sarasota for the One Design Mid-Winters is plenty of time for such figurings and many more besides. We (Ken Yamazaki, Pasquale Leone and I) set off from the snowy north on a Wednesday and wedged in among spare rudders and gear, albacore in tow, arrived bleary-eyed and road-weary in sunny Florida a full day later. Plans to rig and get out for a sail that afternoon were quickly abandoned in favour of crawling into the tent for a nap - do we think we're 18yrs old or something? Sensible Henry (Pedro) and Chris (Maslowski) left town a few hours earlier, managed a stopover en-route, and sauntered in decidedly more rested a few hours after us.

Who was there? For the most part, in the Albacore fleet anyway, we were warmth deprived Northerners. To heck with the fuel prices. Teams from Maryland, Ottawa, and 4 boats from Toronto contributed to a small fleet of 10 boats. Hey, we finished in the top 10! Winds on all 3 days were on the light side, mostly in the 4 to 10 knot range; just about right for shaking the bugs out after a long winter. Despite postponements while waiting for the wind to start blowing, 11 races were got off and in most of them we were all soundly trounced by Bob and Jill Robinson of Maryland. Out of kindness, they allowed another boat to finish first a couple of times. Baldrick's cunning Saturday night bottle of rum may have influenced some Sunday performances. Toronto Westwood's Heather MacNaughton and hubby Dave Dunphy took second over-all after the Robinsons, squeaking by one point ahead of Bob Bear and Kelsey Averill. Fourth place went to the lovely Ms. Terry Duncan with dad Peter as crew. Yes, the rest of us were outraced by a 15 year old.

We're grateful to the Sarasota Sailing Squadron members for their hospitality (shrimp boil-up, free beer!) and the opportunity to feel some sun on bare skin. It's difficult to imagine a lovelier spot for a regatta. While those sensible stopover folks headed out Sunday night, we three walked the beach on sand like icing sugar (P), and watched the sun sink into the ocean at nearby Long Boat Quay. Leaving was hard.

Team Shelburne builds an Albacore fleet

It has been exactly seventy years since Shelburne, Nova Scotia played host to an entire fleet of racing boats, but this past winter has changed the waterscape in that regard. Since the fall of 2007, a team of dedicated boat owners, volunteers and sponsors have refurbished ten of the smart little racers to form an Albacore fleet based at the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club.

Thirty-five of the Albacore dinghies were purchased from government surplus in 2006 and the restoration project means that there will be boats available for twice-weekly races starting in late May and for use in the learn-to-sail program sponsored by the Shelburne Sailing School. The boats may also be used by the local Sea Cadets group for training.

"Thanks to the twenty or more volunteers and almost a dozen sponsors," says restoration project co-chair, Wayne King, "we were able to restore an entire fleet of boats for use this summer." Seventy years ago, Shelburne Harbour was alive with a fleet of snipes, built by a collective effort led by master builder Bill Cox and George Cox and Arthur Smith. The project led to snipe races along the South Shore and Smith remains a Yacht Club Member to this day. "This has been such a team effort," adds King, "including cash donations, donated shop space and hundreds of volunteer hours."

In addition to spurring other Albacore owners to refurbish their boats, the project has created much support for the establishment in Shelburne of an Eastern Canadian Albacore Association and for Albacore racing in the harbour and elsewhere in Nova Scotia in the coming years.

Project co-chair, Guy Tipton, and fellow Albacore racer, Ed Preston, have been instrumental in having the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club sponsor the East Coast Albacore Championships, August 22-24. (www.shelburneharbouryachtclub.com)

Touting the "ultimate in big water sailing in the safety of a harbour location" the weekend championships include three days of racing and a full social calendar, including one of the Club's famous pig roasts and live east coast music in the evenings. We look forward to seeing you.

Photos for this article courtesy of Wayne King

Centerboard Settings

Keith Robinson, Albacore 2700- 'Pippin'

There have been many articles reference sail setting and adjustments in editions of Shackles and Cringles plus numerous comments from lighter Albacore crews and the problems of keeping the boat flat. I can't recall seeing any reference to the operation of the centreboard, hereinafter referred to as "the plate".

If lighter crews find it difficult to keep the boat flat in heavier winds, one remedy is to raise the plate a bit, thereby reducing the leverage of this deep component.

A response may be "YES but that would increase the leeway." But if the boat is heeling excessively, there is also an increase in leeway. In fact, not too long ago, I read a comment that the only time you should really need to have the plate all the way down is in very light air! Sounds strange, but the reason is to slightly increase the perception of weather helm when sailing on the wind to enable you to pinch a little. My crew (son, Jeff, about 175 lbs.) operates the plate on Pippin as follows:

• On the wind, not quite all the way down (say 85-90%)
• On a reach, about half way
• On a run, about a quarter plate

Except when coming ashore, we never have the plate all the way up. On a run, about a quarter plate provides the boat with a pivot. I also find the pivot is useful if you are preparing to gybe. The Albacore plate extends to about four and a half feet of draft, it is also of an efficient shape so raising it about 20% in heavy air reduces the heeling factor and also reduces the amount of weather helm.

Lifting Rudders. "Pippin" has one fixed and one lifting rudder. I am not sure of the value of the lifting rudder. It will reduce the drag a little in light airs but the rocking and the movement of the hull and the momentary lack of attention in performing the adjustment may be more of a detriment. Here in Lake St. Louis, we occasionally accumulate a lot of weed and then a lifting rudder is necessary. A few other comments may be of interest.

Crew Position. On the wind, the crew should be up against the shroud, skipper close to the crew. On runs and reaches the weight is better amid ship. I think the Albacore runs a little better with the boom vang slackened off a little. Don't pay off the main too much or the head of the main may develop a component to windward, producing a rolling motion. If the boat begins to roll, pull in the main a little. When about to make a tack, I slacken off the main sheet a couple of inches, then I tack and get back onto the new course before hardening in on the main. The reason being, you don't (or can't) immediately get back on the right course, and the slightly slackened main gives a little more speed before it is hauled in again.

In my opinion, sailing and racing dinghies is a magnificent sport. When sailing a dinghy, you become much more part of the boat than in a larger keel craft. Each time you go out, conditions are different. It is never boring. I started back in the late nineteen forties as a crew in Burnham Sailing Club Fourteen Footers, in Burnham on Crouch, UK. I still have the first trophy I ever won in the Crews Race, 1953. Finally, I think the Albacore is a superb dinghy for sailing and racing; she is quite large and roomy for a crew of two, with excellent performance for racing and enjoyable for just day sailing.

Why Pippin? Among the best known and tastiest of English apples is the "Cox Orange Pippin" and since Albacore isn't too much of a stretch from Applecore, it's fairly logical.

Moving on Up…from Midpack to the top of the Fleet

On May 31/June 1 weekend the CAA ran a very successful "Moving Up from Midpack" workshop with 16 boats participating. The workshop was headed by current World Albacore Race Champion Barney Harris and long-time Albacore Sailing Master and home grown Canadian Champion Chris Gorton. The workshop was split into two clinics, with participants spending one day in each clinic. Chris Gorton focused on "Sailing Skills"- starts, mark rounding and practice drills. The small triangle course for the mark rounding had everyone's heart pounding and constantly moving in the boat. A few near collisions had everyone paying very close attention. Barney Harris's clinic focused on the importance of practice, and not just "a day out sailing". Perfect practice makes perfect…not just practice. His RABBIT session taught people a mechanism for fast upwind training with other boats, which does not rely on verbal communication.

At first the exercise had participants scratching their heads, but by the end of the session, it was a thing of beauty to watch 2, 3 and 4 boats sail off together into the distance with course alterations communicated by a "rabbit" boat bringing all the boats back together.

"A really excellent weekend of training and we had good wind. The land sessions were brisk and full of good information and inspiration, the on water training was non-stop useful practice but not so much as to exhaust us. The best part was actually sailing with one of the instructors." - Maxim Newby

"…I got a lot out of the quick repetition of the short course mark roundings, including an aerobic workout (no need for the gym today - and who'd want to see my bruised legs?)".- Laura Hetherington

I fully expect to see the progression of these sailors from the midpack to their next goal… which may be replacing Barney at the Top of the Fleet…. See you on the water.

2008 Albacore Regatta Schedule

2008 Canadian Albacore Association Executive

Canadian Albacore Association
47A Harbour Square, P.O. Box 81085
Toronto, ON M5J 2V3
www.albacore.ca

Dear Albie

A birthday and some silly string. Photo courtesy of Richard Piercey

Dear Albie: It's a light air regatta and the races are postponed. I'm stuck on the water, waiting for them to resume. What are some ways to help pass the time? Good Wind Hunting

Dear GWH: Play "In My Grandmother's Suit Case I Brought"- Lisa Philpott …. Hold one's bladder in (mind over matter), wonder how cormorants can fly so low, rehydrate and make things worse, pick the leaves out of the bottom of the boat, reapply sunscreen- Tannis Baker…. I've seen people swimming, I've seen people napping… personally I just pick my nose- George Wilson…. Throw your crew in the water and see what happens- Razvan Terenche…. Open up your dry sac and have a smart beverage- Barb Davis…. Fishing. Only for sport of course. They get thrown back in.- Michelle Arnot…. Serve a larger picnic– Derek Shenstone….Pick boogers and attempt to make them stick to competitors' sails, debate and quantify the sleaziness of the last Toronto sunshine girl in the Sun, wonder if press-on decorative acrylic nail extensions merit entry in runway fashion shows, act out old episodes of "Get Smart", perform hostile boardings and steal lunches (and beer)- Henry Pedro

Photos, photos, photos

Can you match them with the articles in this edition?