Winter 2008

Message from the Commodore

Ahoy Sailors!

What a season! After what seemed to be a light wind summer in Toronto, many sailors found there was great wind in Kingston where we held the Canadian Championships, and again in Virginia for the US Nationals… great competition and great hosts at both events this fall.

As another sailing season comes to a close, we have elected your new CAA Executive. Your Executive has met to begin the process of establishing a workplan for the next year (actually two) of their term. We began this process by reflecting on a few ideas and we conducted a SWOT analysis on the following:

CAA Membership– and ways to enhance value of this for you
The Boat– and issues to explore to ensure we have a craft that has consistent quality at a fair price
The Class– and ways to expand interest and promote participation in the Albacore class.

We generated some good ideas and our next step is to ask you. Keep your eyes open– a survey will be released electronically and also available on our website. It will be your mechanism to comment on these issues and more and to influence our work on your behalf.

The Albacore Class is a vibrant, competitive and unique Class and we have sailors in many corners of Canada. For those who are not CAA members we want to try and reconnect and further engage them to offer them a view to our strong network.

Mid Winters are the next sailing competition on the horizon and rumour has it that there may be a practise session organized in late December (informal) for folks willing to get down to the sunny state of Florida and sail. More information will follow on both of those events.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Shackles - and that your boats are tucked away safe and sound - but not too hard to reach so you can haul them out for a mid winter sail…

Cathyann White
Commodore, Canadian Albacore Association

On The Water…

What a great year for training! The CAA could not have done it without the support of our many volunteers. I want to give a special shout out once again to our workshop leaders, who provided inspiration, thought and a fine–tuning (or perhaps re-tuning) of our sailing skills.

Moving Up from MidPack: Barney Harris & Chris Gorton

Racing 101: Henry Pedro & Barrie Farrell

Women on the Water: Teresa Miolla, her team of mentors: Christine Short, Ann Savage, Stephanie Mah, Heather MacNaughton, Suzanne Wilson, Karen Piatkowski, Sandy Swiatlowski, Tannis Baker, Rachael Freedman.

Volunteers who helped with nourishment, drove boats & provided film support (and/or emotional support): Richard Piercey, John Hudson, Howie Glenn, Steve Jonjev, Merle Kisbey, Fred Ball, Almir Tavares, Kirsten Stein, George Wilson, Ann Savage, Derek Shenstone, John Gilchrist and Teresa Miolla.

Enjoy your time away from the water but we are very excited about the training planned for next season. Stay healthy and keep fit over the long winter and I will see you next spring… on the water….

Michelle, CAA Training

Winterization of your Albacore

It's time to put your Albacore into hibernation for the five long months of winter in certain parts of Canada. The key to effective winterization is to limit the amount of water and moisture in the hull, particularly if the boat is left outdoors, and below freezing. When water freezes, it expands, potentially causing the hull to deform, the seams to flex, or worse, for certain sections to delaminate. So obviously the best thing you can do is store your boat indoors, in above freezing temperatures. However, many of us don't have a door wide enough into our living room to store the boat, or our better halves will not acquiesce to this need. My Dad stored a vintage motorcycle, dripping oil, in the living room one winter; this was before he married my Mom, and before I was born. I haven't seen that piece of furniture in the house in my lifetime. However, you could attempt to explain the need to get into hiking shape for next season, for the Internationals in Largs. Your plan is to hike the whole first period of Hockey Night in Canada. The timing should be about right, an upwind leg of 1 mile will be 15 minutes or so, about the same as a period of hockey. If anyone pulls this off, please let Shackles know. So given the low probability of storing the boat in the living room or a heated garage, methods limiting water absorption and freeze/thaw damage are needed.

Winterization Ideas

Wash the boat out with a high-pressure hose, let it dry.

Remove the centreboard from the boat before removing the mast. Chances are that it has touched bottom at some point during the summer, especially if you sailed in shallow water areas like Sarasota, Ware River, or where you had to beach launch. If your board is made of wood then bring it into a warm, dry, indoor location to allow it to properly dry out. If there is any exposed wood then it will have soaked up moisture and may have expanded or deformed. The winter storage period is the perfect time to execute any repairs.

De-Mast the boat and secure all rigging and lines to the mast. I find electrical tape decent to tie to the mast; duct tape tends to leave glue on the mast. Masts are one thing you may be able to store in a garage, or sail shed of your current club. If it's left with other masts, make sure you mark it. I'll bet come spring someone will get a mast mixed up with another because it wasn't marked. However, leaving masts or booms outdoors is not a serious issue, as long as they are off the ground.

Buoyancy Tanks - Remove the drain plugs and remove any inspection port covers to allow the tanks to thoroughly dry out.

Remove the interior rigging and store indoors (optional). Many of these lines remain wet, and a freeze/thaw cycle on these lines will cause them to age prematurely. However, if you sail heavily, just that wear and tear alone will likely cause the lines to age before nature does. I personally don't remove the rigging aside from lines that are on the bow.

If leaving the boat outdoors, store it in a low traffic area, skidoos or pedestrians can cause damage to a boat. If you don’t have a full boat cover that sheds water well, then turn the boat upside down, and place it on 4x4 lengths, so the hull rests above ground.

Wrapping the boat in a tarpaulin can also be effective, but make sure you tie several lengths of line completely around the boat and tarpaulin to secure it. Any flapping from the wind will cause it to rip, making an ugly mess. If you do have a good cover and are leaving it on a trailer, then block the trailer so the tires aren't taking the weight of the boat. Wax the hull if you don't have a boat cover. Wax keeps dirt from sticking to the surface of the hull. Clean boats are faster. Allan

(Editor’s Note: One sailor said that when it comes to blocks and boat maintenance, you should avoid WD-40 like the plague since it contains silicone. Your thoughts???)

Canadian Contingent to Send a Container to Largs, Scotland

Plans are underway to send a sea container full of boats to the 2009 Albacore International Championship in Largs, Scotland. Organizers Warner Monteiro and Henry Pedro plan to have a container ready to load in Toronto in June, 2009. The container will be loaded immediately following a staging regatta, possibly the RCYC open if the schedule permits. But there is a possibility that the 2009 regatta schedule might not fit the timeline required to get the container to Largs.

"There are many variables in the international shipping business," says Henry. "We need to make sure that there is enough buffer time."

Warner estimates the shipping costs to be reasonable. He hopes to keep the costs around $1000 but that depends on the number of participants. Two options are possible: an eight boat container and a twelve boat container. Since the costs are similar, a larger container with more than eight boats is preferred.

Those wanting to ship their boats to Scotland need to pay a non refundable deposit of $500 to Warner Monteiro or Henry Pedro. Contact information: Henry Pedro: [email protected], Warner Monteiro: [email protected]

ROUGH TIMELINE:

June 14, 2009: Container load
July 10-14, 2009: Container arrives in Largs
July 16, 2009: Registration opens in Largs
July 18-24, 2009: Albacore International Championship
July 25, 2009: Container load in Largs
August 25-31, 2009: Container returns to Toronto

Message from the Editor

Photographs courtesy of Peter Norwood, William Pettigrew, Kirk McGregor, Brian Ritskes, and Lynn Pashleigh. Many thanks to all contributors. All articles welcome! And could I please make a request for even more articles about helpful hints like boat maintenance, technical details, rule interpretations and the sort? Very much appreciated! Have a great winter holiday. Jelena

Canadian Championships – Livin' on a Prayer (of not being OCS)

Thirty-nine boats competed in the Albacore Canadians held over three windy days at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Kingston, from September 19-21. Boats came from Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Quebec, and as far away as Maryland. The event lived up to its billing as one not to miss, with challenging conditions on the water (and for some, challenging conditions off the water too). It was an all around great time with spectacular sailing and a healthy dose of shenanigans to complement the tricky conditions on the water.

On the shenanigans front, things started early. Expert travel agent Allan Measor thought he had found the perfect vacation spot. However, when he returned from dinner Thursday night, everything was gone from the room, including a bed and lumpy mattress! Richard Piercey quickly fessed up to the crime and returned the furniture before causing irreparable damage to the helm/crew relationship.

Sailors woke up to an atypical direction for Kingston on day one: South. The 180 degree wind direction was at odds with the usual southwest direction that Kingston is known for. Those expecting the usual "southwest, go left" scenario were dismayed in realizing they would have to think out there. Launching was complicated by a narrow ramp with a lot of boats wanting to leave at the same time. Sailing out after launching was no less dodgy as it required tacking up a gusty channel on the way to the course with some harrowing crossing situations in close quarters. However, everyone made it out and, after a short delay, racing began. Wind speeds ranged from 12-16 knots, a velocity that many had not experienced all year. Warner Monteiro and Sonja McAuley (the husband/wife team) won the first race and put up a 3, 4 before sailing their drop in race 4. Raines Koby and Abby MacInnes (unarguably the favourites going into the event) sailed from behind in the first two races to salvage a 4, 9 before posting a bullet and a 2 to put them within reach of the lead. Allan and Richard would have had three firsts and an 11 for the day, but an OCS in race one dropped them down the standings. Of particular note were the consistent scores from Tim Broughton and Laurie Harrison who led after day one with Teresa Miolla and George Carter a point behind.

The Canadian Albacore Annual General Meeting was held following racing, complete with a buffet and silent auction. The Master of Ceremonies was the outgoing Commodore, Teresa Miolla. Teresa efficiently steered us through the orders of business, and of particular note a controversial sail measurement amendment passed without difficulty. The only real controversy was spearheaded by maverick Albacore helm Dave Harris, who tried to elect one of the more unsavoury characters of the fleet as Commodore. A display of common sense prevailed after a few moments of indecision by said unsavoury character and this move was thwarted, thus ensuring that the class would not fall into ruin. A much more sensible and competent individual, Cathyann White, was elected as the new Commodore for a two year term, an excellent choice.

After things wound down at the AGM, some sailors found the Portsmouth Tavern next door. Unluckily for its other patrons, it was Karaoke night. Bob Bear did a stirring rendition of “Teen Angel”, while it is rumoured that Jon Bon Jovi made an appearance. Kevin Soldaat, Jelena Balic, Raines Koby, and Allan Measor also participated. Apparently, someone was channeling Michael Jackson with seat spins and his version of the worm, which witnesses likened more to very excited push-ups. Regardless, everyone made it home safely in preparation for Day 2.

The second day was similar in direction to day one, but with a wind intensity that had strengthened to 20 knots. The forecast called for it to diminish in the afternoon, but instead, the wind strength stayed in the 18 knot range with significant lulls on the course. Dominating in the breeze with far superior boatspeed and strong tactical decisions were Teresa and George who posted a 2, 2, 3, 1 for the day. Adam Nicholson and Jennifer Yap also did well in the windy conditions posting a 5, 4, 5, 2 with all of their other races consistently in the top 5. Raines and Abby stayed close with a 3, 1, 4, 6. Allan and Richard dropped their OCS after race 5 and had a great time in the breeze winning two races and adding a 4, 6 to put them back in contention.

The wind took its toll on Jason McVeigh and Pamela Leeuwestein's centreboard, breaking it in half. As luck would have it, Allan and Richard had a spare and offered it to the pair, letting them know it was in the grey Subaru. Unfortunately, Jason missed the vital information of the colour of the Subaru and through some bizarre coincidence there was another Subaru—a blue one—parked right next to Allan's Subaru. This blue Subaru also had a centreboard in it and the owner of said Subaru also hid his key in the same spot. Adding insult to injury, the centreboard was not a perfect fit and Jason drilled a hole into the blue Subaru owner's board. It was all sorted out in the end.

Because of the super efficient race committee on Echo Course, our days ended fairly early. Pasta Night saw a number of sailors linger since you could get a plate only after meticulous examination of three forms of identification. And then an impromptu party began in the boat park. One less fortunate sailor got a little tired and decided a quick nappy-nap was in order at a major Kingston intersection; in the end, a ride home was arranged.

The final day had two races scheduled as prescribed by the sailing instructions. The wind had switched around to the north overnight, providing much different conditions than the previous two days. The breeze was more unstable, both in direction and velocity. The windward legs had many boats tacking to stay lifted. The two starts were busier with more boats pushing the line than before. After completion of the two shifty races, it was thought that Raines and Abby had taken the championship by decisively winning the last day. It wasn't until the final results were distributed that showed the duo had been OCS in the last race; Teresa and George were the champions sailing an excellent regatta, edging out Raines and Abby by one point. Particular recognition should go to Adam and Jennifer, who sailed consistently well all weekend and finished a close third. It was an exciting end to a great regatta, and all should be congratulated for contending with some tough conditions.

'Til next year,
Dave

Rules Rant

I was asked to write an article about frequently misunderstood rules. Not that YOU frequently misunderstand them but others have been known to.

Let's start with the rule about protesting. At the 2008 Canadian Albacore Championships one of Toronto's finest, X, felt his boat had been illegally obstructed by Anonymous Al. X informed AA that he had committed a rule violation and that AA should "do his spins". When AA failed to spin, X hailed "Protest". It went to a Kingston Protest Committee. The protest was disallowed because X was found to have not protested correctly according to the RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing).

In the larger sailing world, Protest Committees take this section very seriously, as they do all the sections. They interpret the phrase "at the first reasonable opportunity" to mean that a hail of "Protest" should have been the first words out of X's mouth (unless there was a compelling reason why he couldn't do that).

X learned his style of protesting in the Toronto Albacore Fleet. In Toronto, it is common to not even hear the word "Protest" let alone a hail, and rare indeed to hear it as the first word hailed after an alleged rules violation. If the above protest had gone before a Toronto Protest Committee made up of Albacore Sailors, it is almost certain that no fault would have been found with X's protest and the hearing would have gone ahead.

Our rules (Toronto) for Friday Night Races, Regattas, etc say that we are to be governed by the RRS. If there is to be an exception, it is noted in our rules.

So say it Loud and Proud (and say it first): PROTEST!!!! Then say anything else you feel like.

Now, onto the water and heading towards the windward mark. You are approaching on port, about 2 boatlengths below the port layline. I am on starboard about ½ boatlength above the starboard layline. You are clear ahead but not by much. You tack to round the mark and you clearly tacked within the 2 boatlength circle. I am almost right next to you and I yell "you have no rights here". Well, you are not so sure about that. You keep going and we both get around the mark without touching though I had to slow down and sail higher than before to avoid you. I hail "PROTEST", and grit my teeth. You sail on jauntily.

The Protest Committee is from Kingston, but even so, my protest is allowed because I hailed "Protest" as the first words out of my mouth. So far, so good. I feel smug. I am asked, did you cause me to change course when you were tacking? I have to admit I did not have to change course then, but only later when we actually were passing the mark. I am asked if I had to sail above close hauled to avoid you. Well, no, I say, but I WAS forced to change course.

Protest denied. I go back to read the rules again. Turns out you did have one right after you tacked inside the 2 boat length zone. As the inside boat you did have the right to go around the mark provided you didn't force me above close hauled or otherwise prevent me from rounding the mark. Damn.

Protest Committee recommends that I take Uncle Al's Rules Quiz at http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIT/race.related/RacingRulesOfSailing/RulesIndex.html (or google Uncle Al's Rules Quiz).

I do not get all the answers correct.

Protest Committee recommends I retake the Quiz every year until I get it 100% and therefore will stop coming to them with silly protests. It may be some time before I feel smug again. Maxim

Brief Up-Date on Sails from the IRC

Dave Weaver, IRC Chair, Chief of Specifications, CAA, IAA

Sail Replacement Anniversary Date

As most of you are aware, the International Rules Committee (IRC) of the IAA proposed a rule change with regard to the anniversary date for sail replacement. This proposal was approved unanimously at the CAA AGM but was defeated at the US AGM. The proposal was approved in principle by the NAA AGM but there was insufficient notice for a formal vote to be taken at their AGM.

The final determination is carried out by the IAA with each member country having a number of votes in proportion to its number of members in good standing. Thus, the negative vote at the US AGM is not necessarily fatal for the proposal. The final outcome will only be known after the UK formalizes their vote and the IAA deals with the results in accordance with the IAA Constitution as indicated above.

In the meantime, and until such time as the IAA has properly dealt with the issue, the interim rule using the sail replacement anniversary date as proposed (basically, 1 suit by endorsement 12 months after the previous endorsement date) will be in effect in Canada.

Test X-Jib Program

Last year, the IRC introduced an experimental jib program for the purpose of establishing whether sailing safety might be enhanced through greater visibility using larger windows without significantly increasing the cost of the sail or reducing its durability. Sufficient sails were built under this experimental program that construction of new Test X-jibs was terminated in September and we are awaiting reports from the sail users and makers as specified in the program guidelines. We expect this study to be completed within the next 6 months and will report on the outcome as soon as we can. One possible outcome of the study could be a proposal to permit larger windows in sails than currently allowed.

2009 Canadian Albacore Association Executive

Canadian Albacore Association
111 Sunnyside Ave., Toronto, ON M6R 2P1

Dear Albie

Dear Albie:

The sailing season's wrapped up. With winter approaching, what's a sailor to do? How can I pass the time until I get my Albacore back on the water? Winter Blues

Dear WB:

A sedentary activity would be to build a model boat. Not the same as sailing a boat but if you want an activity that ties you down for hours at a time, this might be it. There's a new place in Toronto which looks like its got lots of choices of boats: http://www.castyouranchor.ca. Or if you have thrown in the towel sailing wise, look forward to the certainty of snowboarding or skiing. If really pressed for something to do, I have a yard full of leaves and lots of pruning to do, which hasn't been done in months because I have been sailing. If you need a goal oriented activity, let me know. I may help out, certainly I will offer refreshments after, but if it's a nice day I'll be sailing… Albie

Plan that final day of sailing to fall the day before the first day of skiing. If there's overlap, all the better.
Photo courtesy of Peter Norwood

More options: My skipper and I will be in couples' therapy– Stephanie Mah…. Hope for a fantastically cold winter, affix skates to the bottom of your boat and try ice-sailing– Chris White…. Party. Before you know it, spring will be here– Chris Lambert…. it on a board of a non-profit organization, indoor rock climbing, snowboarding, skeet shooting, sitting by the fire outside toasting marshmallows– Kevin Soldaat…. Read the sailing books collecting dust (not likely), do crunches and planks (right!), catch up with sailing buds on the slopes (more likely!)– Jason McVeigh….

Photos, Photos, Photos

Can you match them with the articles in this edition?