Conference unifix::sailing

    How big is the boat?  I've done it a couple of times.  Once is okay. 
    Halifax doesn't thrill me as an end point.  Don't volunteer to help
    bring the boat back.  You'll be motoring in fog for four days.
    
    Electronic navigation is okay as far as I know.
    
    Dave

    The boat is a 39-9 Crocker Cruising Cutter.  The skipper is a very
    experienced sailor and racer who seems to win a lot of the races he
    enters.  I planned to take the ferry and a bus back, thanks for the
    warning.

    Mark

re .0:

Take lots of warm clothes. It can be cold and damp off Nova Scotia. 
Expedition weight Patagonia capilene underwear is a good way to start.

re .1:

Uh, aren't you just as likely to be drifting for four days in the fog 
going to Halifax?

:-)

    .3   you never drift in a race. Once the gun goes off, your are
    "racing". The difference is that the captain is allowed to tell you to
    shut up as you are not going back.  ;>) ;>) ;>)

    The main difference is that when you are motoring you are at least
    fairly sure you get there before the beer runs out. ;^)
    
    As luck would have it, the two times I've done the Halifax race it was
    absolutely gorgeous.  All the sweaters stayed in the duffel.  The last
    race we put up the chute at Eastern Point, never took it down and only
    jibed twice!  Not very interesting, but a great cruise!
    
    I've only been suckered into one return and the weather was miserable. 
    Hence my bias.
    
    Dave

    
    	Thanks a bunch, guys!
    
    	I'm thinking seriously of doiung this, first time, but I'm unable
    to have the thing sailed back for me, so return crew is more difficult
    to find! So much for my entering THAT note. 
    
    	Actually, 2 guys I know doing it on other boats and need to return
    pretty much immedeatly. As their rides up are cruising home, I may get
    next swipe.
    
    	Electronics, I understand are more than just allowed, they're
    suggested. You might be thinking of some Bermuda race, which is
    (rightly) an easier ride home. Anyway, I've heard so much about the
    fog, hesitation is creeping in. 50% of my time in fog? Is Nova Scotia
    that great? Hmmmmm.
    	
    	Anyway, the M'Head sponsor, Boston YC, is turning celebrating a
    major birthday this year, so the activities begin Wednesday, 5 days
    before the start of the race! I also understand the Halifax end also
    knows how to throw a party.
    
    	This is no beercan race. You need almost all of the safety stuff;
    the raft, flares, stormsails, EPIRB, you name it. Category 2. You must
    submit the crew list; skipper and naviguesser must have a few long
    distance RACES under their belt. AND a few bucks entry fee, etc...!
    
    	But I'm really curious... Alan, and other Maine-iacs, is this the
    fog AND light air season? Doubt the boss would buy that excuse-
    
    	Also, what's that Fundy joint like?
    
    	Anybody else interested? Especially in that WONDERful return trip?
    
    	One other idea is to park the boat, maybe half to 3/4 way home-
    what's the transient mooring scoop? -then cruise it the rest of the
    way...
    
    	Dave, what were some of the transit times of yours and other boats,
    when you did it? Mine's 32' with a good waterline, but no lightweight-
    
    	360 miles, I dunno....
    
    	Scott_the_dreamer

    On an Express 37 with a great breeze right off our ster quarter the
    whole way it was a little over two days up.  Amonth to get the bloody
    thing back.  The "oh, we'll just cruise it back" routine doesn't work
    unless somebody starts cruising right away.  Plus the cruising route si
    substantially longer than the straight offshore route.
    
    The party up there is held in a warehouse.  Don't do the race
    anticipating a great time once you are there.  This is one race where
    the race itself is the reward.  It can be a great time.  It's just a
    long way back.
    
    The only comparison I have are the Mackinac races (Chicago and Port
    Huron).  At least in those you end up in a very nice island with a heck
    of a party!  Also, you have plenty of fresh clean water all around you. 
    We had a rule that every crew member take a bucket shower both mornings
    we were racing.  The races take two days or so for both Macs.
    
    If you've never done a Halifax race, make it the focal point of your
    racing season and put it under your belt.  Then you, too, can casually
    drop it into conversation.  "Yeah, we did it.  It was okay..." ;^)
    
    Dave

>>>    	But I'm really curious... Alan, and other Maine-iacs, is this the
>>>     fog AND light air season? Doubt the boss would buy that excuse-
    
According to the Canadian Coast Pilot, average wind speeds off the Nova 
Scotia coast are fairly low, as I recall. About the same as Boston and 
Maine. You can get periods of little to no wind. And, says the Pilot, 
July is the foggiest month -- about half the time.

If I may twit a few racers and bring wrath upon my head, what's so bad 
about the return trip? So the prevailing wind is SW, so the return 
course is SW, I thought racers liked sailing to windward and I thought 
racing boats sailed well to windward. So what's the problem? It is us 
cruisers that should be worrying about sailing into the prevailing 
winds, right?     
    
>>>    	One other idea is to park the boat, maybe half to 3/4 way home-
>>>     what's the transient mooring scoop? -then cruise it the rest of the
>>>     way...
    
Uh, what moorings? The only moorings I recall seeing were in Mahone Bay 
(we didn't get as far as Halifax). Facilities for yachts are very, very 
limited in most of Nova Scotia, compared to the US anyway. I would 
advise lots of heavy ground tackle for cruising in Nova Scotia. One 
return stategy would be to hug the Nova Scotia coast as far as Cape 
Sable, anchoring overnight perhaps (we had several very windy days 
followed by calm nights) and then crossing the Bay of Fundy to Maine.

    
    	Actually the idea is to motor/sail/both to, I dunno, the Mt.Desert
    neighborhood with some racers (who'll sail day & night) then park the
    boat, in a harbor that can be found by our sagwagon, then do a 3-4 day
    easy buzz home, the next weekend.
    
    	Am I dreaming here? I've got OK tackle; I'd dual-anchor, but a good
    block of granite, or mushroom, would probably make me feel safer. But
    if some kid in a whaler zips up demanding big bucks transient fee, the
    fun diminishes. Hopefully not the gear while we're gone as well....
    
    	Yes we like to think we can get to windward pretty quick. But when
    your only competition is the vacation-time-clock, 5 knots is, indeed, a
    slow walk.
    
    	Geez, Dave, a party in a wharehouse?? Big deal! I've heard better
    reports from others, but they weren't too specific. Actually a buddy
    who raced his Ericson up there was awakened the next morning by
    bagpipes, and when the crew popped up thru the hatches, were pelted
    with cans of beer! Sounds like the sailor's definition of mixed
    feelings!
    
    	Thanks for the info. Now it's back to bottom sanding.
    
    	Scott.

    
    	Well the hat's tossed in; Aventure is a contender for this year's.
    Two weeks away, lots yet to do. The rules say stuff like 2 anchors, 2
    independent bilge pumps, jacklines Solas flares- on & on it goes.
    
    	We're looking for one more to make the ride home. The plan is to
    leave Halifax sometime during the weekend of July 13, and hit home a
    few (!) days later. Anyone out there interested in some offshoring?
    
    	Also, any inside scoop? Strategy? Or just rhumbline it? The Loran's
    all programmed, the Magellan's warming up, and the sextant is champing
    at the bit!
    
    	Scott.

    
    	Well, we're home- no broken legs, no confetti-ized chutes, cabin
    intact- a successful race. We finshed lower third; 10 or 11 out of 16.
    I take comfort knowing we kept up, and PHRF ratings are meant for
    olympic triangles, not broad reach/run races. We were even money on a
    42 foot (Frers?) and gave lotsa folks time. Overcaution may have cost 3
    or 4 places, but the keel's still intact, too!
    
    	We didn't partake in the Marblehead partying during the week of the
    4th- we worked for paychecks till Wednesday, then on the boat Thurs-
    Sunday. The Canadians did just fine without us, I understand! A good
    bunch of folks. Our fleet was 9 Canadian boats, 7 US I beleieve.
    
    	The bagpiper opened the skipper's meeting Saturday, and about 300
    people of YC seminobility were trotted out, recognized, thanked, etc
    etc., then the rules, then the J. Collins rules, then weather
    breakdown, jokes, niceties, et al. Then back to the boat for (over)
    provisioning and tweaking.
    
    	Sunday was just sorta nasty. Fog and spitting skies. Having heard
    how foggy Nova Scotia tended to be, our spirits were dampening too. But
    the spectator fleet was like something I've never started in. Two Coast
    Guard cutters, big dudes, one each from US and Canada, were helping
    mark the line, along with hefty RC boats from the clubs. I was still
    having a hell of a time sighting the line for all the boats wandering
    in and out. A humungous fire boat (sorry forget the name) was promising
    to soak anyone in the starting area without a class flag on the
    backstay, but nobody was daunted. Then when our start finally came, our
    little bit if momentum was broken by another (clueless) competitor
    right on the line. Oh, well, we've got 360 miles to work that off!
    
    	So we tight reached for a while, climbing over, being climbed over.
    One of the tri's looked like she'd pass to windward, but the collective
    menacing stare of the crew must have pushed them down- they slacked
    sails and slingshot right under us. Impressive. That boat, Swamp Fox I
    think, was the 2nd to finish, right after Congere! 
    
    	The FogRainChop finally gave us a break, and the breeze filled in
    as we lost sight of the coast. We are having fun. Watch schedules
    started kicking in, stomachs got in tune, coffee was flyin'. I
    over-crewed a little, figuring better to have and not need- in case
    someone was sick or hurt- but 8 was a crowd. Fortunately, the wind and
    weather averaged out so good that spirits remained cooperative. The
    boat moved.
    
    	By the time Brazil Rock (closest thing to a turning mark in the
    race; southeast tip of NS) was cleared, the breeze was getting big. A
    few hours later, I found the true feeling of Dave J's `Rock&Roll
    Surfing Party'. 4 people (about 1000 lbs) on the pushpit, the chute
    screaming for mercy, speeds I've never seen for more than a couple
    seconds, the pole and boom alternately threatening to rip chunks out of
    the ocean.... YaaaaHOOOOOOOOO!!!
    
    	Well the seams of the chute were getting more pronounced- John
    Kelly from the North loft admitted the .6 oz 30/20 really WASN'T quite
    the strength of a 3/4 oz- and it was time for a 1� oz anyway- a sail I
    don't own- so time for a change. A particularly brave crew bopped up
    front, popped the shackle, and the #1 was poled out. The breeze kept
    a-comin'. We saw 11.4 on the knotmeter- my tiller arm is STILL a foot
    longer than the other! Great stuff.
    
    	Just before daybreak on Wednesday, the RC boat loomed REAL large-
    she was some big naval or coast guard vessel- we finished with Special
    Kiss, the Canadian all- women's team. US women were whooped, I later
    found out. Given the size/speed of that boat, we thought we'd done damn
    well- but not well enough. A 42? 44? foot Freedom, rating 120(!) had
    lapped the whole fleet. The rest of us finished REAL tight, like an
    hour and a half, corrected. Amazing, out of 60 hours travel time.
    Anyway, that was plenty fast for me!
    
    	So after straightening up the boat, and a 3-dozen-egg/2-loaves-of-
    bread/3-pounds-of-sausage/etc etc breakfast, the Customs guy cleared
    us, and it was off to the showers and nap time!
    
    NEXT: Party Time in Halifax.
    
    Scott.

    
     Scott,
    
         You are mistaken on the all women U.S. crew.  A friend of mine
    sailed on the all women boat "Gabriella", and they finished Tues at
    approximately 11:30 p.m., coming in fourth in their class and beating
    the Canadian women.
                                         Mary Ellen    

    
    
    	Whoops My apologies to Gabriella & Crew. Brain Fade and dancing
    with S.K. crew.
    
    	Sounds like they came in 3+ hours before- excellent! I guess those
    guys in the 3-corner hats (Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron) will be
    sending some lobster down.
    
    	I'm still waiting for final results. There were PC screens all over
    the club and grounds, displaying results, but not really clearly, at
    least to me. But it sounds like the main info center had people who
    were happy to fill us clueless types in.
    
    	The Squadron did a fine job on entertainment and hospitality, I
    thought. The Spar Shed was sort of Party HQ, and served meals at lunch
    and dinner up till Friday. The clubhouse itself was much more
    imaginative, gourmet type choices, not really ridiculously expensive,
    compared to the neighborhood. A live band and cornball DJ were there
    Wednesday and Thursday nights. On Wednesday, Willy, the bagpiper,
    rolled in and jammed a little with the band. Fun stuff. 
    	During the days, there was as much to do as we could handle- one of
    our `neighbors' in the river told me he had `party watches' and one
    shift would be going in while the other, exhausted, was coming out to
    the boat!
    	My highlight was a ride on the Bluenose II- she lived in town, by
    the marine museum (EXCELLENT place, btw) but the Squadron got her out
    to the club, and we got our own private ride! Seems not many people
    either heard about it or were interested, cuz there were more crew than
    passengers. Spoke with some club cheezes and the Race Committee. The RC
    admitted that, yep, several classes were over early, but calling them
    back would have been a pain and confusing..... hmmm. Make a note,
    tacticians! Anyway, since the boat was filled with racers, no kids or
    aging matrons, the crew heated her up a little (unchoke that big gaff,
    in other words) and she sprang to life. What a boat! After a few hours
    that lasted about 10 minutes, she had to get home- so we played tourist
    till the midafternoon, when we rode down to another club further into
    the river for a nice reception. Tough life, huh?
    	Then the trophies- lot's of `em- were handed out, each by a
    different dignitary. Pompous fun! The Cook's Trophy, for the last over
    the line, went to a Cal (or C&C) 27, I think. Great sportsmanship, and
    no easy ride, for them! There were some seas off the NS coast!
    	Friday morning, the formerly packed river looked like a ghost town-
    time for us to fuel up & split, too. Kind weather and fairly easy seas
    made the wind-in-your-face easier to take- home before Tuesday
    daybreak, just in time to grab a nap & shower before rolling back into
    here!
    	What's next?!?
    	Scott_who_may_see_you_in_P-town_or_Duxbury_Bay_this_weekend.
    

RE: .11,

>>>    One of the tri's looked like she'd pass to windward, but the collective
>>>    menacing stare of the crew must have pushed them down- they slacked
>>>    sails and slingshot right under us. Impressive. That boat, Swamp Fox I
>>>    think, was the 2nd to finish, right after Congere! 
    
FYI:  Swamp Fox is one of the NEMA fleet, an F-27.  F-27's are probably
the most successful production cruising multihull ever (hundreds now, @
~$50K per copy), with the added feature of folding akas (crossbeams) which
allows trailering or slip berthing.  Under 3000 lbs all up.  

Swamp Fox happens to be well sailed, but not perfectly so, as we've beaten
her on corrected as well as elapsed time in the Condor 40 a couple times. 
(F-27s rate discouragingly close to the Condor 40s, and have a frustrating
habit of passing us in light-to- medium winds.) 

J.

    
    	Nope, not an F-27, much more Luke Skywalker looking. Quite swoopy.
    Also substantially longer, tho not a 40. Might have been another `Fox'
    as there were 2 in that fleet of Tri's. 
    	My dream is a big pilothouse tri (opens up in warm weather of
    course) which I can singlehand on Christmas day at 20-30kts whilst
    sipping coffee w/ just a touch of Black Seal...
    	Still waiting on results... we were 10th or 11th out of 16. But
    then I don't have Congere's boom repair bill, or Ted T. jr.'s schedule!
    
    	Scott_who's_ready_to_go_again

    I had the pleasure of accompanying Scott back from Halifax and can
    attest that the return trip was no where near as exciting as the way up
    sounds.  No surfing and no hairy edge spinnaker flying sessions.  The
    chute stayed stowed the whole way as expected.  The first day started
    out really nice, sunny and warm with a fair breeze.  We had a nice sail
    down the coast toward Sambro Light and gradually the warmth ebbed away
    and turned noticably cooler as the afternoon wore on.  Evening found us
    all well bundled but the breeze held and the sky was clear.  Nothing
    like the night sky at sea except for a full moon rise on the ocean. 
    The really nice thing about our start was we found that the boat
    balanced real well and would steer a decent course with the helm lashed
    with a bungee cord.  This allowed for hands free sailing for a majority
    of the trip.   
    
    Saturday dawned to overcast conditions with heavy fog.  Visibility
    varied from very poor to zero.  We had only one scare (at least for me)
    with a ship that appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  By my reckoning we
    were on a too close for comfort crossing so we fired up the motor and
    did whatever was necessary to get out of the way.  He veered off also
    so they must have seen us and made adjustments accordingly.  Only heard
    one more ship which we also talked to to confirm their position etc.  
    They indicated they saw us on radar and passed what seemed to be close 
    to port but in actuallity were pretty far off.  Their fog signal made it 
    sound as if they were right on top of us though.  We passed Brazil rock 
    without incident and hardened up for Boston.  Saturday night continued to 
    be foggy and started to rain off and on.  Winds were light so motoring 
    was the order of the watch to keep up our speed.  Actually the winds were
    on again/off again allowing for a couple of sail changes to keep us moving
    and occupied.  
    
    Sunday dawned (I think) with similar conditions to Saturday.  The winds
    gradually filled in to the point of needing a reef and reduced sail. 
    We had the working jib tied down to starboard from the night before but
    the lashings must have worked loose.  When I went forward to ready for
    the sail change, the no. 3 was dragging in the water secured with only
    two sail ties.  A small fire drill got us tacked and rearranged.  The
    sail was changed and the number 1 secured and soon we were merrily on
    our way.  Late Sunday afternoon the weather broke and the front or
    whatever passed over to give us a really nice sunset.  Sunday night was
    wonderfully clear with even more stars visible the farther offshore we
    got.  
    
    Monday found us with a fair breeze early and a truly cloudless sky. 
    Warmth, sunshine, a good breeze added up to ideal conditions.  There
    was an apparent close crossing with another sail boat heading in the
    opposite direction and a fishing boat but I slept through all of this. 
    Unfortunately we were heading too much to the South and wandered pretty
    far down from our intended track.  By late afternoon, the winds had
    lightened to the point of needing the motor if we were ever to get back
    within a reasonable time.  On the way in we saw all sorts of wildlife. 
    Breeching whales, dolphins by the score and jumping tuna all added to
    the enjoyment of the day.  We ended up back in Weymouth at 0230 Tuesday
    morning, exaclty 85 hours after leaving Halifax.  
    
    All in all a good trip even learned a thing or two.  No injuries, nothing 
    broken, no real emergencies.  Lack of sleep and the cold were the only 
    detractors for me.  Did not get sick so that keeps my record clean for
    seasickness, ain't happened yet.  Did manage to catch a doozy of a cold
    which I kept at bay with vitamins and a decongenstant.  Scott was a
    pleasure to sail with and Aventure proved to be a comfortable and well
    behaved boat.  
    
    Brian - looking forward to a next trip somewhere out of sight of land

RE: .15,

>>>    	Nope, not an F-27, much more Luke Skywalker looking. Quite swoopy.
>>>    Also substantially longer, tho not a 40. Might have been another `Fox'
>>>    as there were 2 in that fleet of Tri's. 

Don Watson (a NEMA member) has his own 35' design, "Swamp Fox", somewhat 
in the shape and style of Newick, and very light.  It's a light air witch, 
and as last year's Floating Hospital race showed, one of the fastest to 
accelerate in that class.  Well sailed, too.

There is an F-27 named "Swamp Fox" somewhere (I thought the owner's last
name was Merriam, I think, hence the possible historical connection with
Francis Merriam of Georgia fame), but now I'm not at all sure where I saw
it.  Aging brain cells; probably a two-week infusion of fresh salt air 
would help cure it, but alas....

J.

    Yes, I belive the Swamp Fox in the race was around 35'. Most of the
    tri.s in the race were 35ish with I think on 40. The Swamp Fox that 
    passed us and went on to take, I believe, first in her class was
    certainly not an F-27 as I'm extremely interested in those boats and
    believe I would have spotted it as such in seconds flat. Then I'd have
    gone on to be overly impressed with her taking the class against
    clearly larger boats.
    
    	I too was on Aventure. I had a great time in the race, Tuesday was
    just amazing with the 11+ knot burst, 8 foot seas and winds above 20. 
    I found the 20:00-24:00 watch most difficult, especially in the damp
    and fog of the fist two nights. It was all I could do to stay awake,
    but I think I was there when I was needed. I like the idea of doing
    more offshore stuff, but I understand we had pretty favorable
    conditions.
    
    Geoff

    
    	FINALLY got the results- I'll type `em as I get time/patience.
    
    	As the Multihull division is being discussed, and only 5 finishers,
    here they are;
    
    Division IV: Multihulls
    -----------------------
    
      2  	Swamp Fox	CST 35 	US	Watson		35:15:59
      60 	Greenwich Propane NEW 40 US	Barry		35:55:23
     2095	Barbara Anne	NEW 50  US	Bedell		38:24:44
    32608	Margaret	AMA 35	US	Doelger		49:38:10
    97149	Damiana		SHW 35	US	Soronen		45:44:27
    
    	Quick, or what? For comparison, the Pedrick 82 CONGERE took
    35:05:50, and busted a boom. Mike Frigard's J44, Loose Goose, took
    47:54:11. We were nipping their heels with 61:52:29!!
    
    	I'm impressed...