New Boat 4 Sled

[jamottep]

Whee, the National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for waters offshore Santa Cruz: You don't see "waterspout" and "stay below deck" usually mentioned in our local weather. Secure the cat and chickens.

I was planning to go sailing this afternoon ... Should I cancel or consider this as an opportunity to practice reefing (only have 1 reef) and flying the #4? My main concern would be coming back into the harbor and seeing breaking waves at the entrance. I know I'm asking for opinions on a topic that can endanger life. I won't hold anyone responsible

 

[sleddog]

Looks like a good afternoon to go sailing. The Harbor is open and last night's rain and squalls have passed. No prayer meeting BBQ this afternoon at the hoist. Some of the group has gone land sailing in the desert.
I have info for you from the crew person aboard DOUBLE EXPRESSO in last summer's race to Hawaii. Give me your e-mail address and I will forward it to you.
The keel from the outside looks fine. Yes, it did hit a rock, but that was repaired nicely. A nice smooth bottom you have.
If you want to practice the steps of reefing/unreefing before going sailing, give me a call and I'll meet you at the Harbor.
~skip eight3one-4sevenfive-zero278

 

[jamottep]

Thanks for the help! New plan is to go sailing Thursday.

 

[sleddog]

Meanwhile, I have recently learned the only surviving Herreshoff catamaran, AMARYLLIS II, was lowered from the rafters at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, R.I. This interests me, as I have been lobbying to get AMARYLLIS lowered down where she can be viewed by the public.

HMM staff even rigged AMARYLLIS, stepped the mast, and hoisted sail. I can't imagine what the 80 year old cotton canvas was like. It was reported "rigging the boat proved to be a day-long experimental archaeology project and a chance to puzzle out the mechanics of what it might have been like to sail her in the 1930’s,”

Did the staff at Herreshoff Marine Museum dare to launch and sail the fragile AMARYLLIS? You'll have to wait to find out. Not sure myself.
View attachment 2212

Speaking of sails. I just got off the phone with Bill Lynn, Executive Director of the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, R.I. Bill said that the first time they rolled AMARYLLIS outside and figured out how to rig her, they did not have the sails. Later, AMARYLLIS sails were discovered stored upstairs in a loft of old stuff. Bill and crew again rolled AMARYLLIS outside and were going to see if they could hoist sail. But it was too windy, and the sails have yet to be set. According to Bill, that will happen in the future, as now AMARYLLIS is front and center at the Museum.

I asked Bill if he thought AMARYLLIS would float? Bill thought so. In fact, he was keen to sail her again. But says he was "discouraged by higher ups" to attempt to do so. Hey, Bill, you're in charge. Go for it. I said I'd come East to assist.....

Things happen slowly at maritime museums. Except here in Capitola, where you never know what the event of the week will be. Currently we have discussions underway about WWII submarine net technology, lengthening a retro camp trailer, the appearance of an Arctic Tern, reefing techniques, not to mention flying cats (feline type).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQH4EBsZ_sA

 

[hodgmo]

speaking of flying cats... https://youtu.be/5mQE9XIVAtA

 

[sleddog]

You don't have to be a cat whisperer to enjoy a love story. And there is no better than Kedi, a tender and beautiful documentary about the citizens of Istanbul and its population of cats. Filmed with a drone above and a nimble and remote controlled cat cam at street level, Kedi is fun to watch, as Istanbul in one of the world's oldest and most beautiful cities. Kedi tells Istanbul's story, a story of a thousand years, of how cats enrich the whole city. Kedi is catnip for the soul, relaxing in a low stress sort of way, and fun for every one. No animals are abused. The kitties are well fed, have an open tab at the vets, and even crew on boats on the Bosphorus.

Meeow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKq7UqplcL8

 

[AlanH]

That Artic Tern that Skip refers to is a sailboat designed by Scotsman, Ian Oughtred. Ian is a unique sort of lad. He responds to phone calls, if you can find his number. He gladly responds to written letters, but he refuses to use the internet or e-mail. He creates his designs by hand and then hands them off to several companies who will supply you with CAD-cut parts to assemble into lovely plywood glued lapstrake boats.

I think my favorite Oughtred Design is Tirrik.

At 16 feet, Tirrik is a good boat for sailing around solo, or for doing some camp-cruising. It's also big enough to do some rowing in bouncy water, but not so big that it's a chore to move it a couple of miles by oar.

Tirrik can be rigged as a balanced lug, a yawl with a balanced lug mainsail and a triangular mizzen, or a gunter sloop.

Here's a pretty Tirrik rigged as a gunter sloop, made by Denman Marine in Australia. Denman Marine sells CNC-cut kits to built your own Tirrik.

 

[AlanH]

I an has designed a wide array of boats, though he's best known for his open, double enders based on Shetland workboat designs.

However, he's also designed some small cruising boats....here's Ian's "Grey Seal".

Here's a Gray Seal rigged with a bowsprit, allowing the boat to sail as a cutter.

and another....

If Gray Seal is a bit large for your tastes, Ian also has plans for a smaller version, the "Wee Seal"

 

[AlanH]

Probably the two best-known of Ians designs are the Caledonia Yawl and the Ness Yawl. Both make absolutely spanking great camp-cruisers and open-boat daysailors for two. To my mind, 19/20 feet and 500 pounds is a lot to move by oar, by myself, though.

Caledonia Yawl by Denman Marine.

Does anybody remember the movie a few years ago... the Narnia movie "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" ? Well, the ships longboats were Caledonia Yawls, built by Denman Marine and gussied up with exotic paint jobs and fancy woodwork.

personally, I would pay some serious money for one of those boats, before they disintigrate in the Aussie sunshine.

The Ness Yawl is similar in size, identical in rig but a bit "finer" in her lines and construction than the Caledonia Yawl.

 

[AlanH]

Finally, if someone decided that they really loved the open boat, double-ender look of Ians designes, but wanted something a bit simpler to construct, his Skerrieskiff 15 and 17 would be prime choices. This all goes double if you like to row, as the skerrieskiffs are more optimized for rowing than the yawls, or Tirrik. The Skerrieskiff's are flat-bottom designs so they are a lot like three-plank gunning dories....a thoroughly American boat. Ian designed the Skerrieskiff 17 to be build by a high school shop class, and indeed, the first two were built, and rowed all over Scotland by the kids from Lochgilphead..

both the 15 and 17 make just wonderful pulling boats...

and they sail quite nicely, though I would pick a sailplan that keeps the COE somewhat low....a low-aspect lug without too much sail area would be ideal. The boats row so well that when the wind drops, it's faster, and just as much fun to row them.

The advantage of the flat bottom is that the boat sits upright on the beach, when camp-cruising. The 15 is a great size for soloing, the 17 is too, but happily carries two, or an adult and two kids. Classic Marine in the UK will gladly sell you a set of plans.

https://www.classicmarine.co.uk/boa...m/203-skerrieskiff-17-double-ended-dory-skiff

https://www.classicmarine.co.uk/boa...m/202-skerrieskiff-15-double-ended-dory-skiff

 

[AlanH]

The Artic Tern is another "largish" double-ender dayboat or camp cruiser..

http://people.duke.edu/~gmtencer/tern.html

Artic Tern can also be rigged as a lug yawl....Skips friends boat is rigged this way, or it can be set up as a gunter sloop.

Artic Tern, at about 18 feet is a bit smaller than the Caledonia Yawl at 20 feet, and weighs rather less. It's still large enough for two, but not so heavy as to be completely miserable to row. The "evolution" of all these open yawls, is....more or less.... the Sooty Tern. Now, "evolution" of these designs is kind of debatable, as the workboats on which they are based have been in existence for nearly a thousand years. They are not far removed for the Viking faerings. Nonethless, here's a Sooty Tern. I believe the Sooty Tern came about through correspondence between James McMullen and Ian. James had built several of Ians designs and had some thoughts about changes he wanted to see. Basically, he wanted permission to pen some modifications. Ian consented, there was correspondence. Drawings went back and forth, and in the end.....Sooty Tern.

This is Jame's Sooty Tern, "Rowan"....the boat that really set the hook in me on the whole concept of small, double-ended boats for sailing, rowing and camp cruising. James and I have butted heads pretty hard on the Wooden Boat Forum, but I gladly acknowledge his supreme skill as a boatbuilder, and how his interaction with Ian has produced an absolutely lovely design.

I hope you've enjoyed our sail through the designs of Ian Oughtred, one of Scotlands best-known small boat designers.

 

[sleddog]

I received a letter yesterday from our county sanitation district saying they were discontinuing their low water use discount, and increasing low water users' bills $11/month.

The letter didn't explain fully the reasons for the removal of this discount. But after talking with sanitation engineers this morning, I learned the real reasons. It seems every time a toilet is flushed, its contents have to be pumped miles underground to the county waste water treatment plant, where chemicals and aeration are added before again pumping, this time a quarter mile out to sea.

The problem with customers cutting down on their water use is "solids get plugged in the sewer pipes, costing the sanitation district time and money." The sanitation engineers admitted they need more water use, not less!

The same is true for the local water district, they who pump us fresh water from the local aquifer. For years, during our drought they have encouraged conservation, even mentioning me as "low water user of the month" in their newsletter. Customers have reduced water consumption dramatically, so much so that the local water district is running low on funds, and had to steeply increase their rates. Again, the more water you use, the better for them. Just not for the depleted aquifer, where saltwater is intruding inland into the wells.

"Out of sight (underground), out of mind." I thought I had it figured out: having lived on a boat for much of 33 years, conserving water, as well as electricity, is ingrained. Move ashore, and things might be different.

 

[Steevee]

I always believed that every sink in a house should be equipped with Whale type foot pumps instead of pressurized faucets that are usually left on. That alone would save a lot of water.

 

[MAGICdreamer]

Iain Oughtred's boats

The Artic Tern is another "largish" double-ender dayboat or camp cruiser..

<snip>

I hope you've enjoyed our sail through the designs of Ian Oughtred, one of Scotlands best-known small boat designers.

Thanks, Alan (and Sleddog) for the fine tour of some of Iain's designs. We are delighted that the appearance of WEE BONNIE sparked this portion of the thread.

Sooty sailors, Craig and Vicky

 

[AlanH]

Since you have gotten me onto the subject of Scottish boat designers, let us not forget Nigel Irons.

Here is Nigels website - http://www.nigelirens.com/

Most of us know of Nigel because of some of his performance trimarans.

and also, most likely because of his "Gunboat" designs.

However, while I enjoy watching ORMA trimarans tear across the water, just like anybody else, the Nigel Irons design that I like the most is actually Romilly, and her slightly older, big sister Roxane.

Note the extremely high-aspect lug rig, combined with a little dinky mizzen for balance.

You can read about the original design "Roxane" and her smaller sister, "Romilly" here... http://www.roxane-romilly.co.uk/

...and here - http://www.classicboat.co.uk/buying-and-chartering/nigel-irens-2/

 

[sleddog]

Thanks, Alan (and Sleddog) for the fine tour of some of Iain's designs. We are delighted that the appearance of WEE BONNIE sparked this portion of the thread.
Sooty sailors, Craig and Vicky

WEE BONNIE is not the only love of Craig and Vicky's life. Meet Chula, who in the photo below, looks to be in "plug and play" mode.

I was once witness to a COB. It was amazing to watch the cat walk on water, barely getting wet, before being hauled to safety with a look of "that didn't really happen."

 

[AlanH]

I could go on at length about Scottish racing sailboat designers and yards based on the Clyde, back in the 1920's through 1940's but I'll spare you.


What I WILL do is go backto Ian Oughtred again, for one particularly, incredibly cool project he did. OK, everybody knows about viking longboats. What folks don't think about much are the Viking knarrs....yes, that's where the Class's name comes from. While the Longships were meant to take people the knarrs were merchant ships, designed to carry animals, lumber, grain and so on.

Well, in the Highlands of Scotland, along the north coast, the Longships were observed and a variation on the longship developed. The big, big change here, was that the Highland scots invented a new thing. It was kind of revolutionary.

--> The rudder.

Before that invention, all ships were steered with steering oars. Well, we all know what a royal paint THAT is. The style of ship that was developed was called a birlinn. There are stone carvings of ancient birlinns, but none have survived to this day.

Here is a sixteenth century (1500's, roughly Henry VIII's time) of a birlinn, clearly showing the rudder.

here's an EIGHTH CENTURY carving of a birlinn, on a tombstone again clearly showing the rudder...also the forestay and typing square-rigger yard rigging.

I, personally in a visit to Scotland in 2014, have seen thirteen to fifteenth century gravestones much like these. The sword motif is common, so are the intertwined roses. However, the birlinns are not.... but the fact that a birlinn shows up, prominantly on a gravestone of that age indicates how common, but yet important they were.

Well, Ian Oughtred drew up a lovely skiff for a group called the Gal Gael. Gal Gael is a foundation in Glasgow which aims to take drug addicted, alcohol addicted, and generally troubled Glaswegians, and teach them a trade. Much of the traditional industry of Glasgow is gone and that City has a pretty seedy and violent underbelly. Gal Gael aims to help with that though, primarily woodworking skills, but also other skills. Here's GalGael - http://www.galgael.org/

. Well, what Ian designed was the Saint Ayles Skiff, which is a pretty sophisticated, multi-plank boat.

After the enormous Saint Ayles skiff success, there are upwards of 40 of them, now, and rowing clubs all over Scotland use them... Ian took on the project of designing a birlinn.

 

[AlanH]

The end result of Ian's work, plus hundred of hours of work by Gal Gael volunteers and interns, was Orcuan.

It's hard to describe the cultural impact of the building of Orcuan. The closest comparison would be how the building of some modern voyaging canoes has ignited a pride in Polynesian and Micronesian cultures which had been missing for generations. There are now a couple more birlinns sailing around Scotland.

Aileach

Thanks for reading!

 

[sleddog]

This is Jame's Sooty Tern, "Rowan"....the boat that really set the hook in me on the whole concept of small, double-ended boats for sailing, rowing and camp cruising. James and I have butted heads pretty hard on the Wooden Boat Forum, but I gladly acknowledge his supreme skill as a boatbuilder, and how his interaction with Ian has produced an absolutely lovely design.

Thanks, Alan, for the tour! We would be remiss not to mention James on ROWAN tows a beer dinghy.


Shortly before I took the second photo, Jame's beer dinghy came adrift just outside Port Hudson and was about to be smashed to bits by the onshore wind and shorebreak on the shingle beach. James smartly jibed ROWAN, sailed within feet of shore, backed his mizzen to turn head to wind, and rescued the wayward beer dinghy. Off they went, happily ever laughter.

 

[AlanH]

I think James is living in Singapore, now. This may be a temporary development, not sure.