New Boat 4 Sled

[sleddog]

" Bring what ya got" is familiar litany to SSS sailors. This morning at Essex, CT, Maritime Museum, I boarded a unique single handed vessel, the TURTLE. Actually, it was a working replica of the original TURTLE, which was the first submarine to be used in warfare back in 1776, during the Revolutionary War.

David Bushnell, then a Yale student, began building underwater mines in his dorm room. Deciding that a submarine would be the best means of delivering his mines in warfare, Bushnell built an eight-foot-long wooden submersible that was christened the TURTLE for its shape, really just a large wooden barrel, barely big enough to stand up in.

TURTLE was entirely human powered. One crank propeller pulled her forward, another raised her up and down. There was a small barn door rudder, and a 1" diameter drill bit for attaching the TURTLE to the underbody of an English man-of-war.

Like most singlehanders, TURTLE required more hands than the crewman possessed to propel and steer, all the while looking out through small ports.

Singlehander Ezra Lee piloted TURTLE unnoticed out to the 64-gun HMS Eagle in New York Harbor on September 7, 1776. As Lee worked to anchor a time bomb to the hull, he could see British seamen on the deck above, but they failed to notice the strange craft below the surface. Lee had almost secured the bomb when his boring tool failed to penetrate a layer of copper sheathing. Lee retreated, and the bomb exploded nearby, causing no harm to either the EAGLE or the TURTLE

During the next week, the TURTLE made several more attempts to sink British ships on the Hudson River, but each time it failed, owing to the unwieldy design of the barrell/submarine.

Only Bushnell was really able to competently execute the submarine’s complicated functions, but because of his physical frailty he was unable to pilot the TURTLE in any of its combat missions. During the Battle of Fort Lee, the TURTLE was lost when the American sloop transporting it was sunk by the British.

Despite the failures of TURTLE General George Washington gave Bushnell a commission as an Army engineer, and the drifting mines he constructed destroyed the British frigate CEREBRUS and wreaked havoc against other British ships.

The replica of TURTLE into which I climbed was built 40 years ago, and launched once. I'm sure RAGTIME! would have felt right at home. I, less so. Bring what ya got. Even if it's a TURTLE.
https://www.google.com/search?q=tur...&ei=HOKWVezsFYrx-QHm1K74Dw&ved=0CD4QsAQ&dpr=1

 

[BobJ]

Lee was one gutsy guy.

"I'm sure RAGTIME! would have felt right at home." That took a second. I think Sled is referring to this old post.

Seeing that series of "remembering" posts reminds me that I never told the story about the little red-haired girl I met at Bethel Island. She was just like the little red-haired girl in "Peanuts" (and I reacted to her like Charlie Brown did) AND she had an El Toro, named BILBO. Her family's Newport 30 was named HOBBIT. That was when the Hobbit stories were still all sweetness and light. So was she. (Sigh.)

 

[sleddog]

Here in New England it is not hard tripping over sailing history. My host, BP, is a direct descendent of Capt. Nathaniel Palmer. Palmer, as a 21 year old, in 1820 sailed his 47 foot sloop HERO south in search of much prized seals. He found none in the vicinity of Cape Horn, so kept sailing south.....

On Nov. 17, 1820, Palmer and his five crew sighted Antarctica, the first Americans to do so. They were also the first to discover the S. Orkney Islands at latitude 60 S. Today, Palmer Land, the Palmer Archipelago, and Palmer Station are named in his honor, as his the icebreaker RV NATHANIEL B. PALMER.

Capt Palmer went on to become a noted Clipper Ship captain and designer. His designs were fast and seaworthy and Palmer is credited with being the co-developer of the Clipper Ship.

Yesterday, after sanding and prepping, I varnished BP's classic 1937 Herreshoff 12-1/2 PRIVATEER. There's a lot of wood in PRIVATEER (16' LOA). Today, I again don my Painters Union gear and paint PRIVATEER's hull (Hatteras off-white with green bottom.)

I've a lot to live up to. PRIVATEER won the 1976 National Champs, and in 2006 won the Herreshoff Festival "Best in Show" restoration.

Good Sailing to the 2015 Long Pac fleet!

 

[Philpott]

Yesterday, after sanding and prepping, I varnished BP's classic 1937 Herreshoff 15 PRIVATEER. There's a lot of wood in PRIVATEER. Today, I again don my Painters Union gear and paint PRIVATEER's hull (Hatteras off-white with green bottom.) Good Sailing to the 2015 Long Pac fleet!

Hi, Skip! Boy, it would be great to see a photo of you in your Painters Union gear with that boat. Both treasured sailors in the same shot.

 

[sleddog]

In the case of Essex, MA, it took a village to build a schooner. Visiting Essex Shipbuilding Museum yesterday, I found buildings along the waterfront housing different materials, tools, and remains of what were once five shipyards building more two masted wooden schooners for New England commerce and fishing trades than any other place in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vHPK0t3ymM

In this day of carbon fiber, electric winches, and hi-tech rope, it was enlightening to see ships that were built of wood using trunnels (tree nails), essentially oak or black locust pegs driven into holes drilled into the ship's planking and frames. The trunnels had a slotted head into which a small wedge was driven, thereby securing the trunnel into its hole. The advantage of trunnels over metal fastenings is they did not decay the surrounding wood. Also, contact with water causes wood to expand so that the trunnels gripped the planks tighter as they absorbed water.

I asked our tour guide about ballast in the big Grand Banks schooners built in Essex. His answer was surpising. Ballast was internal: Ice in the bilges to keep the fish cold, and fish in the holds was the ballast. The more fish caught from the 12, two man dories, the stiffer the schooner became. ???

The Essex schooners were launched on their sides on greased skidways. No railways or Travelifts needed. But high tide was mandatory, as the river at Essex is only about 9 feet deep and 100 feet wide.

The schooner races between the Canadian BLUENOSE and the Gloucester GERTRUDE L. THEBAUD are the stuff of legend. THEBAUD was an Essex built schooner, and schoonerman turned actor Sterling Hayden was her navigator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_F6zL3TUdA

I came away from Essex Shipbuilding Museum, with a new respect for what came before. Across the street, a bronze bell cast by Paul Revere in 1767 tolled in the church steeple.

 

[sleddog]

Just down the street here on the Boston waterfront, a key event in American history transpired in 1773 when American patriots dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxation "without representation."

The Boston Tea Party, as it became known in history books, precipitated the Revolutionary War. Fighting British troops, things were going poorly for General George Washington and his ill outfitted soldiers until, in 1781, the French Marquis de Lafayette brought ships and reinforcements, leading to the decisive victory at Yorktown.

Lafayette's flagship was the 32 gun frigate L'HERMIONE, which crossed the Atlantic westward to America in 1780.

In 1997, some HERIMONE lovers in Poitou-Charentes district of France on the Atlantic, north of Bordeaux, had the idea of recreating Lafayette's ship and sailing her back to the U.S. to celebrate ties between the two countries.

It took these visionaries 17 years, six schools, and 30 companies to complete construction of the new, 213 foot L'HERMIONE. Traditional construction was used where possible.

After a shakedown cruise, the new L'HERMIONE crossed the Atlantic this spring, and safely arrived in Yorktown, Virginia, on June 5th.

I was fortunate to see L'HERMIONE this Saturday on her arrival in Boston. The French Tri-colour waving bravely was the size of a small house. The bronze cannon in the gunports weighed in at a hefty 2.5 tons each in Lafayette's time. Fife and drummers greeted the ship as Captain Yann Cariou expertly backed L'HERMIONE into Rowe's Wharf. Grand Marshal Henry Kissinger stood nearby, bent on his cane, ready to welcome the crew.

It seemed half of Boston was on hand to welcome L'HERMIONE. And just down the waterfront was another tall ship, the magnificent SAGRES, the sail training ship of Portugal and sistership to the USCG EAGLE.

Good thing the Boston fireboats directing celebratory geysers of water skyward weren't about to run out of water.

 

[Wylieguy]

"Wooden Boat" had a nice article on "L'Hermione" (air-mee-OHN). The National Maritime Historical Society's "Sea History" had an even better one (I think). One of the interesting background things is that although the original "L'Hermione" was lost in a wreck, the British captured a sister ship in 1783 and took the lines off, preserving them in the Admiralty's files all these years. This allowed the Association Hermione-La Fayette to build an almost duplicate ship, using traditional shipbuilding, sail making, hemp and manila rope "walking", black smithing technology. Hidden away are the two engines, generator, and current required safety equipment. I am a little puzzled, however, in that every photo of the ship sailing shows the guns served and ready to fire. Most of the time similar ships sailed with their guns, which weighed 2.5 tons, safely secured and the gun ports sealed against incoming seas. I know that Nelson's ship-of-the-line, HMS "Victory's" current "guns" are fiberglass so the even heavier weight of the originals doesn't cause damage to the decks - perhaps "L'Hermione's" are lightweight replicas, too?

In the same "Sea History" edition is an article about the current "U.S.S. Constitution" re-build that's going on at the Charleston Navy Yard. There are some old photos, one showing the hull with planking removed. The framing is revealed and is so closely spaced it's hard to see that it's framing and not vertical planking.

Comparing two somewhat similar frigates in one magazine is interesting. I wish I could be on the East Coast to see "L'Hermione" up close and personal.

 

[sleddog]

Yesterday's tour of the Portuguese Naval Academy tallship SAGRES was an eye-opener. SAGRES was one of three steel sisterships built by Germany in 1937, and confiscated after the War.

SAGRES is 295' overall, flies 23 sails, totalling 21,000 sq. feet on three masts, and is crewed by 17 officers and 55 second-year cadets (15 women). SAGRES is bark rigged by definition, meaning she has a square rigged foremast and mainmast each carrying five massive yardarms. The mizzen is fore and aft rigged. The height of the mainmast is 150'.

For docking purposes only, there are two capstans with 6 foot spokes manned by 10 crew each. All trimming of sails is manual, taking six or more crew for each sheet, guy, or halyard. SAGRES under sail is magnificent, with linen white sails each carrying the distinctive red Order of Christ Cross. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wik...scola._Forças_Armadas_Marinha_Portuguesa..jpg

Talking with the cadets, all of whom spoke English, was enlightening. There are three, 6' diameter, steering wheels, and a fourth emergency steering wheel aft. Three cadets are at the helm at all times, increasing to six during docking maneuvers.

It was revealed that on this current training cruise, SAGRES had reached an average of 13 knots one afternoon at a heel angle of 15 degrees. The cook then complained his pots were sliding off the stove, and they had to take in sail.

Everything on SAGRES is shiny: paint, varnish, bronze. I saw zero rust, no rope unwhipped or poorly coiled, and perfect harbor furls in the sails. Good job!

Last evening SAGRES departed Boston for the Azores, then Amsterdam. I wish them Fair Winds.

 

[BobJ]

"There are three, 6' diameter, steering wheels, and a fourth emergency steering wheel aft." Would we still make them carry an emergency tiller, "capable of being fitted to the rudder stock"? Okay, I'm meddling.

She's a beauty. Thanks for these posts Sled.

 

[sleddog]

Category 4 Hurricane Dolores, with 115 knot winds, is currently SW of Cabo San Lucas and traveling NW at 15 knots. Her projected track will take her into the sphere of influence of the now underway Los Angeles to Honolulu Transpac Race.

Dolores will rapidly diminish in intensity as she travels northward into cooler ocean waters. Hurricanes cannot maintain their integrity in ocean waters 81 degrees or cooler.

Nevertheless, Dolores' remnants have the Transpac Thursday and Saturday starters scrambling. Uncharacteristic light headwinds will greet this portion of the fleet. Thoughts of race records falling are being replaced by forecasts of a record slow race, at least for the medium and big boats. The Monday starters are already launched, and making fast progress towards Hawaii. The overall winner of the Transpac will likely come from this group.

In response to pessimistic weather routing, the big trimaran LENDING CLUB withdrew this morning from the Transpac, to pursue her own agenda. Spin doctors, and sailing politicians are in telephone conversations about what to do to gain headlines in absence of wind. It will be interesting to watch what the maxi-hybrids (motor assisted) WILD OATS XI and RAGAMUFFIN, both from Australia, plan, as both are entered in Transpac to gain the outright Los Angeles to Honolulu sailing record, not the Race Record (Barn Door Trophy.) which is only awarded to non-hybrids.

For those wondering what a "hybrid" sailboat is, in the current lexicon, a "hybrid" ship's engine, or generator, runs 24/7, providing instant or stored electrical or hydraulic power for continuous canting of the keel to provide stability, and to power the winches to provide fast trimming of very large sails.

It can be debated whether a hybrid is a sailboat at all, or a motorboat. There is no propeller turning. But the fact remains a hybrid would have difficulty trans-ocean racing without the engine running.

Meanwhile, WILD OATS' navigator in the Transpac, Stan Honey, will not be making the Race. Stan was launched across COMANCHE's cabin in the recent Trans-Atlantic Race and banged the back of his head. Though initial reports of Stan being knocked unconscious were sensationalized and in error, Stan's doctor has advised him to lay low and not sail on WILD OATS until all possibility of a concussion is ruled out.

It will be interesting to hear Stan's report, and whether he thinks helmets are in order on board boats averaging 25 knots, like COMANCHE was when Stan sustained his injury. My very best wishes to Stan for a speedy recovery.

 

[sleddog]

I knew I should have worn my SSS Singlehanded TransPac Bronze Belt Buckle.

Yesterday, preparing to fly home from Boston, I entered the Logan Airport Security Line. Soon I was in the full body scan booth, hands raised overhead for 6 seconds.

Apparently the TSA inspector wasn't happy with what he saw. He asked if I wanted a private room for a full body frisk, including private parts. I declined, and he felt around my pants pockets and asked if I had anything in them. I pulled out a pair of foam ear plugs. He felt again. This time he found an Ibuprofen pill I intended to take before boarding. He kept patting my belt area.

I was pulled aside for a chemical and explosives search, using an electronic device that resembled a showerhead. Apparently I passed. The inspector offered his explanation. My belt was a length of 5/16" rope tied at my waist with a square knot. To the inspector, the tails of the square knot resembled an explosive fuse, ready to be lit.

I reclaimed my backpack, only to discover my empty water bottle had been confiscated.

Can't be too careful in Boston.

 

[sleddog]

Departing Boston, the City was reveling in the mayor's announcement that the 75 foot high mountain of snow from this past winter's epic snowfall had finally melted.

From the air, 33,000 feet below, California looked parched and shriveled with hardly any snow on the Sierra peaks.

Last night, at home in Capitola, the sky was lit with lightning, and the distant rumble of thunder coming from the remnants of Hurricane Dolores, now entering Southern California waters and bringing rain and flood warnings to the Big Sur Coast.

Current racing from the California Coast to Hawaii is a mixed bag. Congrats to the all women, British rowing team on DORIS who set out from the Golden Gate 90 days ago in search of a rowing record to Hawaii, and encountered numerous detours that would have likely derailed a less determined team. DORIS will be finishing the first leg of their row to Australia this evening as they tie up at the Hawaii Yacht Club.

Nearby, the 105 foot maxi-trimaran LENDING CLUB will have just completed their sub 4 day crossing from San Pedro to Honolulu, a new sailing record. Average speed is an astonishing 23 knots over the 2125 mile course.

Except for the most northerly boats above the Great Circle course, the Monday starters in the TransPac race are about to be consumed from behind by light airs. Light winds have already bedeviled the Thursday starters of 50 footers. Yesterday's start, including three 100 footers, and a bunch of TransPac 52's and Santa Cruz 70's, are scattered all over Southern California coastal waters in search of a way to slingshot past now dissipated Tropical Storm Dolores.

News worthy reports from the fleet are scattered. Apparently a J-133 has turned back with loose keel bolts, and the Hobie 33 has lost her rudder and been DITW for 36 hours. One hopes she can get some emergency steering rigged up.

My personal favorite, the 108 year old schooner MARTHA, has not been able to reach potential speeds, 9-10 knots, of which she is capable. Her crew encountered major leaks through the deck and debilitating seasickness over the first 48 hours which likely sapped their strength and resolve to push their old warhorse, risking further breakage.

Good sailing to All. And good going to the seagull on Berkeley Marina's O-dock who built a nest and hatched its chick on the bow of an abandoned sloop. The chick is now nearly ready to fledge. That's determination in the face of adversity, just like the crew of DORIS.

 

[sleddog]

In a rare display, Monterey Bay has changed color from its usual blue/grey to a vibrant tropical turquoise/aquamarine. Marine biologists report the color change is due to a bloom of phytoplankton called coccolithophores. Despite their long name, these tiny single-celled microorganisms develop limestone scales that reflect sunlight, turning the water pastel.

Though the reported need to wear sunglasses when viewing the coccolithophores may be exaggerated, there is no doubt this is a striking development, one that is not only rare, but unexplained. Scientists report the White Cliffs of Dover were created from the sediment of coccolithophore scales. This ocean color change has temporarily usurped local headlines away from news that several dozen juvenile great white sharks have been seen congregating off the Cement Ship in Rio Del Mar.

A few miles up the Coast, off Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, locals turned out Sunday to watch pro surfers ride replica redwood surfboards of the same type ridden by three Hawaiian princes when they introduced surfing to the modern world 130 years ago, on July 19, 1885, off Santa Cruz's San Lorenzo River mouth.

These replicas of the first surfboards were large planks of redwood, finless, some 17 feet long and weighing up to 250 pounds http://www.ksbw.com/news/surfers-sport-replicas-of-historical-santa-cruz-boards/34247572.

In the ongoing publicity warfare with Santa Cruz as to which is the real "Surf City," 400 miles to the south in Huntington Beach, 66 surfers piled onto a 42 foot, 1,300 pound specially built surfboard to ride a wave for 12 seconds and become the new Guinness World Record for most surfers riding a wave on a single board.

Personally, I call the HB record "bogus." No one on the giant board paddled, and the crew was towed into the wave with jet skis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqrwEH27grQ

Yiiii Doggies.

 

[Gamayun]

Your bloom of cocolithophores reminds me of this great story on Radio Lab: http://www.radiolab.org/story/190284-war-we-need/. Nature is unbelievably cool.

 

[sleddog]

Becalmed.

It takes about 3 knots of wind at sea level to break surface tension and create wrinkles on the ocean's surface.

On the ocean, in less than 3 knots of wind, progress under sail is difficult. Residual ocean swells rock the boat, creating a pendulum effect between the keel and rig, rolling the boat and causing sails to "slat." Slatting sails cannot assume their proper aerodynamic shape, and provide little forward progress. The noise and chafe can become intolerable as expensive sails wear themselves out against the rig. Spinnakers can wrap, and overlapping jibs can get holes poked by the spreaders.

One technique I have seen work in calm conditions is to hoist a #3 blade, or smaller, non overlapping, jib in the foretriangle, and sheet the sail on centerline to the base of the mast. By keeping the foot tight and leech open, the jib's slatting can provide push, as well as reduce rolling.

Similarly, the main boom, held amidships with nylon mooring lines for shock absorption, can add speed when the knotmeter is reading triple zeros. Just hold the boom up a bit with a topping lift or spare halyard to open the leech, like on the jib.

This technique is not guaranteed, and takes some practice. But I have seen boats rocking themselves dead "downwind" at 1-2 knots while we "reached" back and forth, making near zero VMG on a glassy sea.

In these conditions, single-ply toilet paper telltales are more sensitive than anything electronic.

And keep an eye out for the ripples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHo1fNnXFVU

 

[mike cunningham]

Now you tell us!!!

 

[sleddog]

Here in Capitola, on the northern shore of Monterey Bay, we are currently blessed with visitors from deep in the Southern Hemisphere. Surf is head high in sets, the result of a southwest swell from two gales spinning 7,000 miles away, in the Southern Ocean, off the southeast coast of New Zealand.

Our south swell is the same one that two days ago led to High Surf Warnings and close out sets of 10-15 feet at Ala Wai Harbor in Honolulu, keeping half a dozen Transpac Race finishers from entering Ala Wai until daylight.

It's that time of year. Riding the swell off New Brighton Beach in the evening flockup are thousands of sooty shearwaters. They are packed so tightly, the inner birds in the circle can't take off until the outer rows become airborne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPjPnTahK6U

These sooty shearwaters, like the ocean swell, also come from the Southern Ocean, flying extreme distances from New Zealand and Tasmania to overwinter (our summer) off the California Coast.

My direct observation over 40 years, as well as scientific census taking over the last 20 years, is the previously huge number (millions) of sooty shearwaters making the migration is much reduced. Burrow nests on 36 islands off the South Island of New Zealand are hunted for shearwater chicks and the young birds plucked, gutted, salted, and shipped overseas, as well as sold at corner shops as "mutton birds."

Mutton bird oil is used to rubdown the coats of greyhounds, racehorses, even athletes. "Good for reproductive organs and teeth," says the sales come on.

Wanna buy a dozen, 25, 50 or more salted mutton birds online, "a delicacy rich in Omega 3 fatty acids," delivered to your doorstep? http://www.muttonbird.net.au/index.htm

Sustainable harvest? Not to my way of thinking, especially when marketed overseas. Bummer.

In the early morning hours of August 18, 1961, thousands of sooty shearwaters became disoriented in the fog, and flew into the lights of Capitola, crashing into homes, cars, lightpoles, and shoreside structures. Dead and stunned birds littered the streets in the foggy early dawn. Startled by the rain of birds and the overpowering stench of disgorged fish, local residents rushed out on their lawns with flashlights, then rushed back inside as more shearwaters flew towards their lights.

The "invasion" caught the attention of local resident Alfred Hitchcock, and he used the shearwaters of Capitola as the basis of one of the all time classic horror movies, the 1963 film "The Birds."

Itsa foggy night tonight. I know the shearwaters are out there. "We'll Leave the Light On For You" is probably not a good idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrN_U830_Gc

 

[sleddog]

Since Day 1 of the first "TransPac" Race, June 11, 1906, from San Pedro to Honolulu, there has been controversy at the Finish.

Dampening the Spirit of Aloha is not intentional. Apparently this year is no different.

The TransPac Race Committee tersely reports at least nine competitors have failed one or more of the required e-mail position reports and protests have been filed. The group includes First-to-Finish, the Barn Door Winner, at least three Class winners, and other podium finishers.

It will be interesting to see if the RC follows through, and what penalty, if any, is prescribed.

Two other boats, including our local SWEET OKOLE, are being protested for failing post race inspection protocol.

A reminder that a close reading of the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions is mandatory. Even the all pro crews, with highly paid navigators, may not have followed the fine print.

 

[Christian]

Skip,
Please check a private note from me in your mail on this board.
Best,
CW

 

[Harrier]

Skip:
Re the toilet paper telltales in one of your previous: I have long liked to use the 3/16" cassette tapes attached to an old loran antenna on Harrier's stern. And I still use them for music aboard, too! Tried to wire up an automobile CD player, but was not immediately successful...so decided to stay with the tapes. Convert CDs to tapes on a home electronic device...also out of print. Oh well.....