Shackles & Cringles — Summer 2017
August 01, 2017
A tribute to Peter Duncan, sail-trim advice from George Carter, a Weymouth Internationals recap, and three generations of the Martin family racing Albacores in Ottawa.
Commodore's Message
Ahoy Albacore Sailors!
Albacore sailing for 2017 is into full swing with several club regattas completed. Congratulations to Allan Measor and Ralph Fischer as Ontario Champions this year. Also a note of recognition to our teams who participated in the recent International Albacore Championships. James Stanley and Julie Stewart as well as Paul Clifford and Mia Brandt travelled to Weymouth in the south of England for a week of exciting racing. I am sure they have stories to tell about the goings on.
As most of you have the season's sailing plans mostly completed by now we still have some high caliber racing to come; the North American Championships in Kingston on the 26, 27th of August and The Canadians at Nepean on the 22nd – 24th of September. Please check the website for more details on each of these events.
The Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Saturday September 23 at Nepean. We hope that all can attend as this is the opportunity for the members to see the latest in news and updates from the executive. We also need your help! Several positions are becoming vacant and we need your help filling these roles in order to keep providing the high level of class awareness and racing that you all have come to expect. If you need any more information on this, then just let me know at [email protected]
In another important update, the 2019 Albacore International Championships will be held at Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club in Nova Scotia. For those of you who recall, Shelburne successfully hosted the 2014 Albacore Championships. We at the CAA are working with the Shelburne organizing committee now so that 2019 International Championships will be a memorable event for the Canadian fleet, as well as the visiting Albacore racers from other countries. The planning stages have just begun, so check back in the coming months for updates.
As usual we need your input to continue the spread of information about Albacore sailing. If you have matters of interest in your club, fleet, or albacore activities that you want to share, please send these along.
See you on the water!
Ian
Some of the articles contained herein have previously been published on the Shackles & Cringles Blog. Check out all the other wonderful posts that you might have missed! [.Ed]
An Official Statement From The Crew Of 6841
It has come to my attention that there is some curiosity about why 6841 has risen above its usual FNR ranks. While in the past ten (!) seasons we have shown flashes of brilliance, it's generally been mere flashes, followed by long stretches of above mediocre results. If you're reading this hoping for some brilliant insights, you should probably stop now and go find some fun cat videos on youtube. This is because I am scared of numbers and have no technical or tuning tips to offer - I leave that to people like George Carter. Dave might have some good varnishing tips (likely of limited usefulness to Ovington owners). I am, however, happy to debunk or confirm some of the theories that I am guessing are wafting around the fleet like a fart.
1. We Colluded With Russia.
FALSE. We did not collude with the Russians, and even if we did, it's actually perfectly normal to do so.
2. We Are Taking Steroids.
FALSE. This can't possibly be true, because steroids only work to “enhance” the outcomes of exercise, and neither helm nor crew exercises, unless you count crushing a bag of chips during a race as exercise.
3. We Finally Learned How To Sail Together.
TRUE. We have always understood that we communicate differently (i.e., I like explanations for decisions Dave is making, and Dave doesn't like to explain anything). We also have different ways of approaching certain problems. But this season, we've kind of learned to meet halfway (or more like I have gone 3/4 of the way, and Dave has budged 1/4) and listen to each other (or we've gotten better at pretending to listen to the other person), and one of us (me) has learned to tone it down because Dave takes advice better if I'm delivering it calmly. And Dave only goes to the port lay line if he's feeling really desperate.
4. We Have Put More Time Into The Boat.
FALSE. We raced a lot more back when we first teamed up, but in the past few years, Dave's time has become limited and I've been skippering my other boats. But that's actually been helpful because it has forced me to see the bigger picture, adapt different techniques, appreciate what a helm does (to be clear, not that much), and importantly understand that crews can be a giant pain in the a*s when they are trying to steer from the front of the boat and so I should probably stop nagging him so much and find other ways to deal with his erratic driving (like instead of constantly saying he's pinching, squeeze the jib in even harder).
5. Stephanie Has Started Hiking.
FALSE. But I have gained some speed pudge (and so has Dave although he vehemently denies it).
6. We Got New Sails.
TRUE. After many years of buying Evolution nee Quantum sails, we finally bought a set of Norths (based on George Carter's advice that they are idiot proof). They've been pretty impressive (as was the service from Geoff Moore), as our off wind speed is much better, and they seem to de-power much easier than the Evolutions.
7. We Stopped Fighting.
TRUE/FALSE. We still fight, but now we're both too tired to fight as hard as we used to.
So to summarize, the keys to achieving success in the albacore in only 10ish years are to buy North sails and race with your best friend.
I've Been Asked, What's The Secret Sauce?
With over 30 years of toiling and little in the way of winning mugs, something happened this year with finishes much better compared to the past. Why did it happen? 'What's the secret sauce?' as one sailor shouted over the water.
Is there a silver bullet? Sorry, there's no silver bullet but you should have known that. This, then, represents what I think is the answer to the question of why we are doing better this year.
I have known, as Hilary Clinton said recently, the humiliation of defeat. My experience in the past has been duplicated almost perfectly over the last five years. A window would open for about two weeks every year when everything would go right with wonderful finishes. Good things would happen such as: there would be no one around on the starting line to get fouled up with; we'd choose the right side of the course (but no-one else would); or, we'd get a miraculous lift to the windward mark. Everything went right. But, just as fast, the window would slam shut. Bang…back to the wilderness.
Surprisingly, the window is staying open this year (long may it last). Could it be that fairing the hull last fall made a difference? I've done the same work every fall for the past five years. What about the new sails? We got new North Sails at the beginning of the year. While they seem to be more forgiving, we've had new sails before from other manufacturers, but they don't help you go the right way. And the boat work last fall? I put epoxy on the floor to stiffen the hull and made numerous small adjustments. While these enhancements are a step in the right direction, I'd be reluctant to put too much faith in any one of them, although the new Norths are pretty sweet.
I would submit that the better results can be traced back to three things:
It's About Recreation:
I put a pin in the emotional balloon and said, win, lose or draw, competitive sailing is a recreational sport where the object is a diversion from everything else going on in life. It was about having fun. Yes, it's more fun to win but the flip side was a slippery slope so it wasn't about anger either. By design, the crew and I have thrown a lot of the emotional b.s. overboard. One person in the boat hyperventilating about something usually meant that two people were fighting in no time flat. Yes, it's hell having worked to pass someone only to see them go flying by us on a run. But it happens. Bad tacks, happen. Terrible roll tacks, happen. It was time to get over it. And once the emotions got ratcheted down, not surprisingly, the results got better.
It's About Strategy:
While we all like a good finish, the fact is that unless you know why the performance is better, it's a hollow victory. So we make a conscious effort to pick a side of the course and stick to it. This is a difficult proposition, especially when it seems that the other side is cleaning up. Also, with other boats dictating where you can go with clear wind, the strategy is always under threat. But it's worth sticking to your guns most of the time because at least it provides a degree of understanding. It is fundamental with so many variables to know what you want to do and have a plan. It demands critical thinking about where the pressure is, how many tacks to the windward mark and holes to avoid. And if you get it right, it reinforces the process and your confidence to figure it out the next time.
It's About Crew:
Stephanie Mah and I have sailing together for 11 years. This is no small feat. Put any friendship in the pressure cooker of a sailing race where crash tacks happen, where dumping happens, where losses pile up and where petty injustices happen, and it's a recipe for extreme frustration. Mix in a few well-timed insults and it's a recipe for divorce. Mix in a bad day at the office and it's a recipe that could go nuclear. But, when you don't have to think about the jib setting, it's liberating. When you don't have to say more vang or less vang, it drives speed. When you can discuss strategy, two heads are usually better than one. More than anything, the Albacore a team effort. When there is a division of duties, with each person concentrating on their tasks, it is definitely a faster boat. When the tendency is to go hard right and the crew says, 'Go left you tool!', and you pick up a couple of boats, that's a good thing. No person can do it alone. And a good crew makes it a whole lot easier.
In summary, I would have to say that these three things have produced better results but it I would be remiss if I didn't say that it is also an incremental process. Each race is another brick in the wall, another learning experience. As well, I've stopped tinkering with stuff. I'm just sailing the damn boat. And, I don't have a secret sauce. (p.s. The rumour that I'm a GQ magazine model is false.)
Focus On The Big Sail
I was asked by Tannis to write an article on the recent (2016) Canadian Championship. Having recently written an article on the Internationals, I thought I would just include some key points on the championship and then concentrate on another topic, about which I have been speaking to several of my Mooredale club members recently: 'Focus on the big sail'.
Almir and I had been looking forward to the Championship for quite some time for a number of reasons. I haven't sailed in a Canadians since 2012; it was the first time that we were entering with some expectation on our shoulders, with strong competition from the defending champions plus strong teams from Toronto and the US; and, it was to be sailed on the lake in an area we had not sailed in since 2011, where we found the current really spiced up the racing!
Once again the current did spice it up. The Albacore fleet has little experience (and my tidal sailing is some years ago now). On Friday the starts were affected by current pushing the fleet back behind the line, leading to an opportunity to get a good start if you had the courage to accelerate a little earlier than you are normally used to. Then, there really was some fun at the windward mark in Race 2, where we managed to tack 3 times for the mark before finally making it around! On Saturday, the fleet, unabated by the current, was starting too close to the line and many OCSs were collected. We started conservatively each time, in one case sailing away from the start on a run in the final 15 seconds, to make sure that we were clear.
It was a regatta where consistency was important and we sailed conservatively throughout, staying away from the sides of the course and playing the shifts during all three days. (The one time we inadvertently ventured onto a layline, Barney tacked right on top of us and said “You earned that!” - how right he was!) Although boats would sometimes come out ahead of us from one side or another, these were not the same boats each time and we got consistent results, whereas other boats got a mixture of low and high scores. Sailing this way and keeping the boat moving fast in changing conditions, meant we could sail our own races and keep an eye on our nearest competitors.
Tactical considerations aside, our main focus during the event was to focus on upwind boatspeed, keeping our boat moving as fast as possible in conditions that were constantly changing, both in terms of wind and waves. Not pointing too high and consciously sailing 1-2 degrees lower than normal in the waves was key, as was adjusting the boat through the gears in the changing conditions. Considering the years of experience we have with our current sails, we know how to get them adjusted to the conditions. This is the segue to the second half of the article, 'Focus on the Big Sail'.
Focus On The Big Sail (It's Called The 'Mainsail' For A Reason)
I have sailed with many different skippers in the course of the Friday Night Races, and had many discussions about how to set the boat up for the upwind leg. Typically the conversations are where to position the jib tracks, how much jib halyard tension to have, the correct jib sheet tension, how to sail to the jib telltales, etc. I always found myself asking myself the same question, 'what about the big sail?' In my mind, on so many boats the jib is the key consideration when setting the boat to go upwind and the mainsail ends up neglected, to the detriment of boatspeed.
There are several key misconceptions (in my opinion) that I have heard over the years that I have been sailing the Albacore. If you hear any of these or use any of these guidelines, I think that it's time to reevaluate!
- The prebend is only used in very light winds
- The prebend is 'ON' or 'OFF'
- The jib cars should be set up to get all sets of jib ticklers to break at the same time
In my experience these statements are generally incorrect and all are signs that a team is not focused on consistently extracting the most power from the main sail in the sail plan.
The mainsail is the biggest sail, it is the highest sail, it sees the strongest wind. It is surely the priority when making tuning adjustments to maximize the efficiency of the sail plan. So while many focus on getting the jib set up perfectly, adjusting jib cars and jib sheet tension etc. and then steering to the jib upwind, I focus on the main sail first. I set it up first when sailing upwind, then adjust the jib to match. That makes more sense to me.
So what's the procedure? Firstly let's assume that it is 12 knots or less and we are not depowering the boat. Here's what I do:
- Sail upwind and adjust the jib and main to their typical upwind sheeting tension. The jib leach should be pointing just outside the spreader.
- Sheet the main in gradually, steer the boat to the top mainsail ticklers the same way you would to the jib ticklers normally. The circled ticklers in the photo are the only 3 I use upwind (inside, outside and leach – green, red and blue circles in the photo). So steer and sheet to just keep the inside mainsail telltale lifting slightly with the leach telltale also flying.
- Then sheet the main in further, keep gradually sheeting in and one of two things should happen, EITHER the leach telltale will stop flying indicating that the upper past of the mainsail is 'hooked' and has too much depth/curvature for the wind to remain attached at the leach OR the outer telltale will die indicating that the top of the sail is sheeted too tight an angle of attack to the wind.
- If the leach telltale dies first then the sail is stalling before it has been sheeted to the optimum angle to the wind, in this case I put more prebend on (or reduce the amount of mast ram). This will flatten the top of the sail and encourage the wind to remain attached. Typically I will add about 0.5" measured at deck level each adjustment. If the outer telltale dies first, then I will remove some prebend or ram slightly more, again by about 0.5" to give the sail more depth. I then repeat, the aim being to get the outer telltale and the leach telltale to die at about the same time optimizing both the angle of the top of the mainsail to the wind and its depth.
- Once this is done, then the jib sheet can be adjusted. Sailing to the telltales on the main (why use the jib when the main is the biggest sail?), adjust the jib sheet tension so that the lower telltales on the jib break at the same time as the main sail. That way the jib and the main are set up to be at maximum power at the same angle the boat is sailing to the wind (not necessarily the same wind angle on each sail, as they are probably different). Once this is done, then the jib telltales can be used to guide the boat upwind as they will match the behaviour of the main telltales. Although it is perhaps a personal preference, I find that if jib is set up so that each set of inner telltales lifts at the same time that the foot of the jib is too full and the leach is too tight, making the slot too narrow. So in my boat the upper telltales on the jib almost always lift before the lower ones.
Now this is not a set-and-forget process, it is something that I look at regularly upwind in light to medium conditions, and make adjustments as necessary. It takes a bit of practice and far more looking up at the top of the main than many of us are used to but I think it makes a real difference to understanding what makes the boat move consistently well in light to medium conditions and gives a more analytical procedure for setting up the mast bend than many of us use. So, next time you are out in these conditions, try to 'Focus on the Big Sail' and see if it makes a difference to you!
Footnotes – Or Discussion Points For Future Articles:
- The prebend is not only used in light winds, I am often using prebend in medium winds depending on the conditions and following the process detailed in the article. Then as the wind increases and once the vang is used to depower the boat, I gradually put the prebend on again to flatten the sail in conjunction with the vang.
- Jib car positions have not been mentioned in this article, generally I have always found that I like the cars much further back than most boats and as a result the top jib inside telltale almost always lifts before the others.
My Albacore Sailing Career Started At Five Years Old When Dad Brought Home 4444 Proud Mary
My early sailing memories are of Dad hauling Proud Mary on the road trailer behind our K-Car, rigging up on a rocky beach on the outskirts of Ottawa and taking turns bringing each of us 4 kids out for a ride. The loading, rigging, unrigging process took as much, if not more time than the actual sailing!
Our family joined the Nepean Sailing Club in 1984 and the Martin kids would alternate crewing for my Dad on 4444 on Wednesday night dinghy races. Slowly but proudly, our boat usually finished last. I can remember such older boat racing problems as dropping the whisker pole overboard and get the mainsheet bridle wrapped around the transom motor mounts (don't even ask!).
Discouraging as all those DFLs were, they were also some moments of brilliance (aka lucky wind shifts) and Proud Mary would finish mid-fleet or even near the front! It's those moments I think that inspired my love of sailboat racing.
Around 2004, Dad and I bought 7933 Mookie Man – a faster Ontario Yachts hull rigged with modern controls. I would usually skip and Dad would crew. Over the years, Mookie Man slowly climbed to the front of the fleet here in Ottawa. I'd guess that it's partly due to attrition and partly because my driving skills have improved!
There was a period when I'd travel to regattas in Toronto and around the US with a few keeners from NSC. I never really finished too well in those regattas, but I sure did get drunk a lot! Seriously though, the best part about travelling to Albacore regattas was meeting other sailors and forming friendships with folks from Toronto clubs and the States.
I don't travel to out-of-town regattas so much anymore. We have an active club racing fleet here at Nepean, and usually on a Wednesday night you can catch me out with my son Liam in Mookie Man and Dad out with his grandson Jacob, mixing it up with the NSC gang - three generations of Martins, sailing Albs around the triangle, carrying on the family tradition.
NSC is proud to be hosting the Albacore Canadians this year, and I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones.
North Americans & Canadians
NORTH AMERICANS – AUGUST 26-27, KINGSTON YACHT CLUB
CANADIANS – SEPTEMBER 22-24, NEPEAN SAILING CLUB
BE THERE! DON'T MISS OUT ON THE BEST RACING OF THE SEASON!!
Comments On Crewing
Tannis asked me if I might write an article about the elements of effective crewing - or positive crew/helm relations. While I think the relationship is complex, for the vibe of our publication I have tried to boil my thoughts down to 6 critical C's – Cathyann's elements for success.
1. Clarity
You, and the person you are sailing with, need to have some clarity about your individual and shared goals and priorities. I think this applies to long term sailing relationships, as well as pick up situations like Toronto's Friday Night lottery pairings.
What are you up for? Your team? Why are you doing this? Do you have a big goal? Is that goal realistic? (Considering skill level, effort, competition, etc.) Are you both prepared to keep that goal in mind?
Once you are in the boat, same thing - establish a goal for the practice session or for the race and the pre-start. If you don't know where you are going, you are likely to end up somewhere else.
And, especially for longer term sailing teams, people become frustrated when practice sessions get forfeited for other things in life. Sometimes we end up feeling like we need to re-set. Be clear and have these conversations periodically.
2. ComplEMentary
No, I don't mean you need to be showering each other with praise in the boat (although the occasional “thank you” or “great start”, “nice call”, “great rounding” never hurt anybody). I am talking more about figuring out how your specific strengths and skills can complement one another's.
Nobody is great at everything and most research suggests multi-tasking is not as effective as focusing on one thing at a time. Sailing demands the integration of a lot of information and feedback from the wind, from the boat, from the fleet, on a constant basis. You have to take it all in, analyze it in an instant and apply it. Some of the best sailing relationships, I think, work well because the helm really can focus on driving and maximizing the speed of the boat if the crew is able to tune, call pressure and tactics and make decisions, or at least feed relevant and timely information to the helm, so they can make the decision without looking around. Small movements when you are craning to see behind you can make all of the difference in boat speed in some wind conditions.
Do you each know what your strengths are? Can you work to establish roles in the boat so you each complement one another's skills for the best possible result? Can you establish what things you will both work on?
3. Consistency (COntinuity)
Practice makes perfect - or at least it helps you get better. Time in the boat, trust and shared experience builds muscle memory and reliable execution that is hard to match. The best teams have invested time to practice. Time to create consistent systems.
For instance, how we approach a windward mark rounding is the same every time we do it: who does what, when we do that, who has what string, where can I count on your weight to be, can I trust you when this happens etc., etc.
Set your systems and you can focus on the next leg. The stuff you are doing is already done …this really give you an edge. If you are hopping into a boat for the first time with someone, chat on the way out: who will do what, how do you like to manage x or y, practice a rounding, practice a start line approach and acceleration to quickly develop a system. It really helps!
4. Communication
It seems obvious, but communication really is key. This applies to communication on the water and off. But, in the boat, it often pertains to what is useful information and what is not. It comes with time and practice, and it comes with some sense of preference.
Some people like it when the crew is directive, some prefer a recommendation “expect a header”, “recommend a tack”, “more pressure after the tack” type of thing. Knowing how/when to use the compass and when not to. Being able to be clear and succinct during a race is also important and is something else that takes practice. By the way, how many times has someone on a boat said something, and then had no idea if the message was received. “Traffic!”, “Watching 8161 – you are not through” … no response … and the message is delivered again, this time with more excitement, possibly shrieking? A simple “Understand…”,“Ok …” are good responses which keep everybody calm on board.
And, please remember not to yell into the wind. Nobody can hear you - you must direct your voice at the other person. (I know … but honestly it happens all the time! “What??”) Also while there might be some swearing and yelling when things get tense, which can be ok if both people are comfortable with that (p.s. I swear like a sailor in the boat), some people really do not respond well to it. Losing it in the boat really can turn a bad moment into a bad leg or a bad race, because people shut down and are so much less effective when they feel defensive or hurt or stupid. We all make mistakes. “My bad” or “Sorry” are nice to hear once in a while. You really can choose how you communicate in the boat.
5. Compromise / Cold Boot / Carry On
There are moments in every relationship when we have to recognize that the less said the better. Bite your tongue and/or realize that hmmmmmm, Goal # 1 is now no longer feasible, so, what is Goal # 2? We have to compromise, we have to Cold Boot and we have to Carry On. A screw up? Ok, let's try and believe nobody did that on purpose. Let's let it go as quickly as possible and move on. Maybe once we are off the water we can debrief – both the good stuff and the bad and go from there.
Let's also remember that there are no perfect people and there are no perfect relationships. We take the strengths and the opportunities that we each bring to the table and we do the best we can with them. Every day is different - some days you have it and some days you don't.
Conclusion
Both people should get a VETO if the conditions exceed their perceived ability at any time. Safety first - absolutely requiring generous compromise in that moment to make a good decision. I think if you apply the first 5 C's you are set up pretty well for this one.
So, there you have it no doubt you already knew most of this; but we do forget it over the winter and through the season … and even during a tough race sometimes. Complacency is the mother of mediocrity. Work on your relationship and I bet your results will improve - but more importantly you will have more fun in the boat!
A Tribute To Peter Duncan
Peter Duncan's service to and recognition by the sailing community and his boatbuilding enterprise delivered during his memorial service by his business partner, HAPCO co-owner, and friend.
I spoke with Peter last December a few days after he had issued his email letter to friends and family announcing the cessation of hospital treatment and shifting to Hospice care. He had just returned from a short trip to visit with Cynthia. I asked when I could stop by – but his schedule was packed. Exercise class, meditation, doctors appointments, business meetings, and social outings with friends – there was no slack time. It sounded exhausting. Peter was ebullient – about getting stuff done, working out, eating healthy, planning, and making things happen.
People asked me whether peter had some time to “enjoy life” and I found this odd. While Peter relished his down time with friends and family, his desire in life wasn't to pleasure or pamper himself.
Peter was all about MAKING PROGRESS – advancing his various projects and plans, building his businesses, boats, and family. Peter would wake up each morning with a head full of ideas and an insatiable urge to get up and get cracking on the day's work before the golden opportunity of the time ahead disappeared into another yesterday.
Sailing
Was a big part of Peter's life. He learned to sail as a kid and ended up head sailing instructor as a teenager at the Duncan family home in Muskoka Lakes region in Canada. During and immediately after college Peter was in and out of sailing - until he moved his family to the DC area in the 1990s.
Peter's Service to sailing For the past 25 years the albacore class and sailing community have benefitted from Peter Duncan's Leadership at a local, national, and international level.
Local Level
Peter helped to establish, administer, and promote an Albacore fleet at the West River Sailing Club. He worked with WRSC to create an adult sailing instruction operation and a club sponsored shared boat program using Albacores that continues to this day. He personally bought and refurbished several albacores and provided them to WRSC for this purpose.
Peter organized an annual albacore junior nationals. Invited junior sailors from the local area, loaned his own boats and convinced others to do so. Peter made certain that all participants had a good time AND then stayed in touch with many as they matured and graduated from college and kept the albacore class in their minds as they landed and found first jobs.
National Level
Peter served as USAA president for a 5 year period from 1999 – 2004. During this period the class experienced solid growth in its event turn out numbers and became the one design class on the Chesapeake bay with the largest turn out.
Peter worked to develop the first Albacore class web site and forum. He implemented the albacore class registry – an online resource on the IAA web site where anyone with an albacore could list their boat's particulars. This enabled albacore owners the world over to connect, obtain advice, and exchange ideas.
In 2003 he developed the “Against All Odds” handicapping system employed during US nationals. He created a rating scheme in which each helm is rated based on their finish times. The ratings are employed to recognize improved performance at all levels which often goes unnoticed.
In 2004 He organized the 50th anniversary of the Albacore class celebration that entailed over 150 people at WRSC sailing in three divisions.
International Level
Peter served as USA Representative, President, and past President of the International Albacore Assn. He assisted in the organization and execution of all US based albacore international championships since 1999.
He performed the Albacore Class Rules rewrite in response to the UK Royal Yachting Assn's insistence that the albacore class rules be placed into ISAF format. Peter volunteered to take on this thankless task without being asked. Over a period of a year he meticulously transcribed the Albacore class rules into the ISAF's convoluted and arcane format and drafted new sections on class governance and rule change administration.
Peter organized two round trip container shipments to the UK for the 2001 and 2005 worlds in Torquay and Lyme Regis respectively. The business process he developed has since become the standard for dinghy container shipping organization and management.
Peter organized countless racing events including local regattas and regional, national, continental, and international championships.
He was a tremendous Steward of class trophies and lead efforts to get older perpetual awards refurbished, ensured accuracy and completeness, and added additional room for future years.
Peter was a prolific writer. He authored over 100 articles on boat repair, history, event reports, rules, and sail training. He maintained the only comprehensive collection of US Albacourier news magazines, dating back to the mid 1960s.
Perhaps most importantly, Peter made sailing a priority in his life. He showed up and actively sailed and raced, brought along his family and friends, and passed on his skills and enthusiasm for sailing to the next generation.
Boat Building
Peter's boat building career started with the rebuilding of Albacore 342 – parked outside. Albacore 342 was built by Fairey Marine in the UK during the 1950s. It was sailed actively by various members of the Duncan family until it was severely damaged during recovery after a day of racing.
Peter, over a two year period in the 1990s, gutted the remains, grafted in new portions to the hull shell, and then constructed new seat tanks, hull interior, centerboard case, and deck. Peter raced 342 actively for years and had his children sail it periodically. 342 is still in serviceable condition but it needs some touch up.
HAPCO Marine
Peter and his father John Duncan re started HAPCO marine in the late 1990s. I joined soon after.
In the late 90s we focused on refurbishing old albacores. Peter kept his eye out for good prospective rebuild candidates. He was diligent – no - relentless in tracking down the owners of unused boats and convincing them to sell to HAPCO. Between us we bought, refurbished, and sold over 30 Albacores.
IN the early 2000s HAPCO bought new boats from Ontario Yachts and fitted them out to HAPCO specifications. Peter employed financial incentives to compel Ontario Yachts to bring their boats in on the specified weight. HAPCO delivered 6 new OY hulls rigged to HAPCO specification.
HAPCO decided to develop its own tooling to build albacores in the mid 2000's. Peter, I, and many others contributed hours of labor to create our first hull and deck molds made from USA 6701. Peter took the lead in developing HAPCO's seat and bow tank molds that are still in use to this day.
Today HAPCO has its parts infused by a specialty builder in Deep Creek, MD. Peter and I have travelled to Deep Creek MD to trim these parts and assemble every new albacore since 2010. This entailed a crack of dawn departure and a 4 hr drive followed by two 12 hour days of noisy, dusty, smelly manual labor. The work was exhausting but exhilarating. We both revelled in building something that would last and that was the best of its kind.
In all of this Peter took the lead in the business side of HAPCO's operations. Peter established accounts and negotiated and renegotiated terms with suppliers; oversaw book keeping, tax return preparation; paid bills and received incoming monies from sales; and tracked boat construction costs and maintained parts databases. He organized the bulk purchase of spars and foils from the UK and bulk quantities of epoxy resin, foam core, fiberglass, gel coat, fittings, and hardware.
Our most recent advertisement has a photo of the new boats we had built and the caption “we aren't making any money - but we ARE making Albacores”.
Throughout all of this I have spoken with Peter at least once a week since 1998. I don't think there ever was a cross word between us the entire time. Nearly 20 years.
Peter's Sailing Awards & Recognition
In 2004 Peter was awarded the Boyer Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of his term as USAA president for “service to the albacore class association” This recognition is only made when warranted and only a handful of people in the class have been selected to be so honored.
Peter was recognized by the International Albacore Association in 2011 during the International championships in Toronto. At this event 15 individuals out of the more than 10,000 people who have sailed Albacores worldwide over the past half century were singled out for their contributions to the Albacore class.
Peter was recognized by US Sailing in 2013 with a service award AKA the “Gardiner Trophy” to recognize distinguished service and leadership in the promotion of one-design sailing and class organization.
Peter's relentless optimism was infections and is an enduring lesson in life. Don't be concerned with trivial things - like a terminal cancer diagnosis. Get up. Get out. Let no day pass without progressing on some front. Our time is more than a gift – it's a resource. Don't just piss it away.
PETER DUNCAN: THE GUY WENT OUT ON TOP.
Weymouth Internationals Round-up
We arrived at Weymouth to glorious sunshine and good winds. After a full day of weighing, measuring and catching up with friends, it was time for the welcome reception where we were introduced to the principal race officer who made us all feel very welcome and went on to give us a fantastic week's racing.
Race Day 1
With the long sail out to the bay, everyone was keen to get racing and give it their best. Race 1 was dominated by the P&B Team, Tom Lonsdale and Steve Graham, Steve having just won the Scorpion national championships two days prior. They were sailing a brand new Ovington and were still screwing fittings on the day before! Chris Turner and Alex Hayman were the nearest rivals in Race 1, coming in second. Barney 'Donald' Harris put on a solid performance at 3rd.
Race 2 saw a role reversal as Chris and Alex took the bullet from Tom/Steve. John Greenwood and Alex Colquitt, sailing their first Nationals, finished 3rd. Donald put another solid performance in 4th.
Everyone came off the water to beer and pasta, provided by the club, then to the prize giving where each day P&B Jibs were being raffled, as well as spot prizes alongside the prestigious Top 10 Hats - this year provided by Ovington boats.
Race Day 2
Day two say lighter winds and the PRO decided to sail in the Harbour. Again Tom and Steve sailed faultlessly with a 1st and a 2nd, Donald solidly putting in a 2nd and 5th. Chris Turner not having such a good day posting a 9th and 7th.
At this point Paul and I didn't think we were sailing as well as we should be! Only one thing to do and that was to go drinking with the Shetland boys, Gallons of beer later and slight bad heads - Day 3 had arrived.
Race Day 3
Day 3 was held back out in the bay with champagne conditions. Chris Turner was back on form posting a 1st,. And yes, the beer worked and we got our best result in a 2nd - clearly showing we must drink more beer, or at least that's what we keep telling ourselves!
After a big shift off the line during the final race of the Nationals it was again a lot of playing catch up. The UK Nationals was over and Tom and Steve had nailed it. Tuesday night saw the prize giving and again plenty of drinking.
Well Earned Rest Day
Many visited Portland Bill Lighthouse, and a competition was started to who could take the best photo, This provided lots of laughter with some very suspect entries. Paul and I got the bus into Weymouth and took in the scenery of the insides of the local watering holes.
Race Day 4
Thursday back on the water and Tom/Steve were on fire posting two bullets and winning the Internationals with a day to spare. After racing there was a formal dinner where Barney made a toast to the late Peter Duncan which was a moving gesture and nice to see Peter's two sons, Ian and Steven, sailing his boat.
Race Day 5
Friday saw yet again champagne conditions, the winners were already decided with the minor places all to play for. Again Barney sailed consistently securing him 2nd overall, Chris close behind taking 3rd. Paul and I managed two 5ths on the last day giving us 6th overall. We felt that we sailed very well on the last day after struggling to get of the start line all week.
Conclusion
At the prize giving Julie Stewart gave a presentation of the 2019 Internationals to be held at Nova Scotia. This looks to be a fantastic venue, the Brits are well enthusiastic and talk of two containers is already floating around. Paul and I are definitely in and we will see you there.
All in all, Weymouth proved to be a fabulous week of sailing and social and anyone who didn't come along missed a treat!
Thank you to all of the contributors who have taken the time to share their stories with the Albacore Community. And to Calum Tsang, Laura Hetherington, Carol Thompson's Dad, and others, unfortunately unknown, for all the great pics.
CAA Shackles & Cringles 2017 Summer Issue