The Leukemia Cup is on Saturday! This event has generated a lot of money, and hence progress, in the fight against leukemia and lymphoma, two of the most heinous diseases.
The event is being hosted by Elliott Bay, and that’s where the sailing will start and end. There’s still time to enter. Supposing you already have plans for the weekend, you can go to the website and make a donation.
It’d be great to see a large fleet out there. Racing on the water is casual and will leave a feeling of camaraderie and the satisfaction of having done good as well.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
I’m still hoping to get some inside stories from the Seventy48. For those of you unaware, last weekend’s race was a non-sailing (all human powered) prelude to the R2AK. Seventy miles in 48 hours. The course, simply from Tacoma to Port Townsend. The winners Greg Spooner and Thiago Silva did it in about 11 hours in the two person shell Imua.
Jan Anderson stepped up once again with some great shots. Like the R2AK, this event is much more about participation than it is the winning and losing. Check these pix out, the check out the full gallery.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
John Neal and Amanda Swan Neal’s 2-day seminar in Anacortes is sold out, but they have several events on their calendar that cruisers might want to work into their calendar if they want to take a short hop to California.
It’s starting with a series of three full-day seminars with Nigel Calder at the Pacific Boat Show in Richmond, CA, April 5, 6 & 7: Link. And a 30th anniversary party that we’re doing with Swiftsure Yachts (sailish.com sponsor!) aboard the Hallberg-Rassy 340 they’ll have in the Richmond Boat Show.
Click HERE to register for either Nigel’s or our seminars:
APRIL 5th - PARTY TIME!!! To celebrate our 30th year of sail-training expeditions aboard Mahina Tiare II & III, we’re providing cake during the free OFFSHORE CRUISING FORUM on Friday, April 5 from 2:15-4:15 at PACIFIC BOAT SHOW, Richmond, CA. We are honored to be asked to join this panel which always draws standing-room-only crowds at multiple boat shows.
Hallberg Rassy 340
….AND MORE PARTYING ABOARD A BRAND NEW HALLBERG-RASSY 340 following the Offshore Cruising Forum! If you’ve ever been curious about the incredible quality and consistency in business that has had us choosing and sailing Hallberg-Rassy’s since 1979, join us for cake aboard a lovely (and a little radical) spanking new, Frers-designed, twin-ruddered HR 340 at 5PM, Friday, April 5 at the Pacific Boat Show in Richmond, CA. This will be our first time aboard this new design which we’re excited to be checking out. Ryan Helling and Brad Baker of Swiftsure Yachts (both occasional seminar presenters with us) will be on hand to answer questions.
Also: 2020 MAHINA WORKSHOP DATES ARE SET! 2020 - March 21 & 22 Mahina Workshop Weekend at Anacortes Marine Tech. Plan ahead!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
There’s a party next Thursday, March 28 to celebrate the arrival of Seattle’s Sail Sand Point’s new executive director Seth Muir. It’s also a celebration of Mary Anne Ward’s third retirement. Yeah right.
The party will be at the neighboring Magnusen Cafe and Brewery, and lasts from 4 to about 7.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Not surprisingly, even for a relatively small town, Port Townsend has a great season’s schedule of racing. See the graphic below. A lot of these races aren’t the old bloody-knuckle, squeeze-in-as-may-starts as possible kind of races. So, take a look at your calendars and plan to attend some of these events. And if you sail from there already, you’re set. Further information on racing and other sailing events at the Port Townsend Sailing Association web site.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
We don’t know if the mystery guest was stooping or at full height.
Sometime during the height of the recent snowstorm, a rockstar sailor appeared on the Shilshole docks. They are seen here with Paul Baker and Suzette Connolly. The true identity is unknown at this time. The sunglasses were part of the wily veteran’s deception.
It has already been conjectured that it may be Carol Hasse escaping the peaceful climes of Port Townsend. Another theory has it that Russell Coutts was tired of the New Zealand summer and visiting as a break. Connolly and Baker aren’t talking.
It is suspected that another sailor traveling incognito, seen at left, is a bodyguard or assistant to the one with the sunglasses. He or she appears to be inebriated.
If you know who this rockstar is, please send it in. If there are further sightings, please snap a photograph and send it in. We will ascertain the true identity!
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
In this era of #metoo it’s essential, especially in sailing, to pay homage to the women who broke ground without the support of social media and an international conscience. Tracy Edwards was a giant in this regard while racing Maiden in the 1986 Whitbread Round the World Race, and remains so today as she sails the restored racer (now The Maiden Factor) around the world putting focus on empowering and educating girls worldwide.
As for this movie, it should be captivating as an adventure story, not just a women’s story. The equipment, boats and training just weren’t what they are today! The sailors onboard Maiden accomplished something amazing.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Practice
Boating Knots at The Seattle Boat Show, FREE for All Ages; Northwest Women in Boating’s “Knot A Boat”
By
Marilyn Michael and Margaret Pommert
Introduction:
Have you ever learned to tie a boating knot in a classroom or at home,
only to suffer amnesia when you try to tie it on an actual boat? Lots of us
have! Including Vivian Strolis, who owns and skippers a large powerboat! So,
she conceived and led a collaborative effort among a large group of local
maritime organizations to create, “Knot A Boat”.
Knot a Boat is a display boat with real railings for you to practice tying fenders to real deck cleats and Samson Posts to cleat dock lines to, and friendly volunteers and instructional flyers to encourage you. It’s totally free! It’s great for families, newbies, and even “Old Salts”. Volunteers at the booth love to teach basic boating knots, but also love it when an old salt comes and teaches a new one!
You’ll find Knot A Boat at booth West 56 at the Seattle Boat Show this
year (2019). That’s on the lower level, near the Information Booth and Food
Court. It’s also outside the Women’s restroom, so a nice way for husbands and
friends to pass the time while a woman is “indisposed”.
We hope you’ll come and visit us and practice some knots! Perhaps you
might also be inspired by the story of how one women’s vision, and the generous
collaboration from local maritime businesses, schools, and individuals created
something for our entire boating community…
What IS Knot A
Boat?
It’s an 8’ by 8’ bow of a fiberglass boat outfitted as a knot-tying training
station. It offers a realistic, three- dimensional opportunity to learn and
practice tying the many knots that we as boaters need to or should use to make
our boating lives safer and easier, but…which we are often out of practice with…or
perhaps never learned.
Where did the IDEA
for Knot A Boat come from?
It came from the creative imagination of the co-director/creator of
Northwest Women in Boating, Vivian Strolis. She wanted a hands-on three-dimensional
way of making knot tying stick. A focus of Northwest Women in Boating is
helping improve boating skills for greater safety, and this was a unique way of
supporting that. Plus, there was an enthusiastic community of boat-loving gals
to adopt the idea!
Where did Knot A
Boat itself come from?
It came from ‘the depths of the Puget Sound’. Yep, creative Vivian asked
herself, “Where can we get a boat and someone to cut the end off for us?” It
turned out that the Derelict Vessel Removal Program was the perfect source.
These are the folks who drag up derelict, sunken boats from the depths, and
gather other abandoned boats from around the sound. They were so thrilled that
someone actually wanted to take one of the boats off their hands, or at least
part of one, that they did the actual cutting off of the bow to Vivian’s
specifications!
How did it go from
derelict to ship-shape?
Through the kind generosity of dozens of maritime businesses and folks
around Seattle, Knot A Boat emerged as the attractive teaching station that it
is today. It was a community endeavor embraced by all. Here is a list of those
who made, and continue to make, Knot A Boat possible:
Government
organizations:
WA State Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) –
Derelict Vessel
Removal Program - Melissa Ferris/Jerry Farmer
Sandy Kawamura &
Lance Pascubillo – carpet for booth
Anastasia Reed – carpet for booth
Why is Knot A Boat Featured
at the Seattle Boat Show?
Knot tying is an element of safety onboard that is often overlooked by
boaters. From the beginning, the Northwest Marine Trade Association embraced Knot
A Boat as a unique feature at the Seattle Boat Show. The Booth is
non-commercial, and fun for both those volunteering and the boat show attendees
stopping by. They can relax, engage in conversation and practice the actual
tying of all kinds of knots, using the instructional boards or the expertise of
volunteers. It is an interesting way to promote a feature of safety on board.
What did Knot A
Boat offer to Northwest Women in Boating?
Boating has long been seen as a predominantly male dominated activity. Yet
there are so many talented women doing amazing things on the water! There are
so many women eager to become more knowledgeable and “in charge” out on the
water. There are many women wanting to take a more active role in the boat they
own with a partner. Women who embrace
Northwest Women in Boating are proactive about improving, and even sharing,
their boating skills. Knot A Boat gave women an effective teaching tool to improve
their skills. Very importantly, though it offered an opportunity to put women
‘out front’ as actively involved with promoting and teaching boating skills and
safety on board. Knot A Boat, in a way, became a visible statement to other
women and the larger boating community of women taking charge and saying, “We
are capable of learning and mastering the skills of boating.”
What’s Knot A Boat’s
Future?
Knot A Boat arriving at new home at Seattle Maritime Academy. (Left to
right: Northwest Women in Boating member Juli Tallino, Vivian Strolis, Seattle
Maritime Academy Director/Associate Dean Sarah Scherer)
Vivian continued as caretaker of Knot A Boat, but it needed a permanent
home between Seattle Boat Shows. With the help of Director/Associate Dean Sarah
Scherer and others, it was donated to the Seattle Maritime Academy in Ballard,
where it resides proudly in their lobby as an educational display. They use it
as an inter-active educational display for visiting groups of High Schoolers,
and others, interested in the maritime programs offered by Seattle
Maritime Academy. It’s also used for knot tying classes for
recreational boaters, part of a variety of classes offered to the local boating
community.
Knot A Boat fits in perfectly in Seattle Maritime Academy’s Lobby
Northwest Women in Boating still features Knot A Boat at the Seattle
Boat Show, staffed by volunteers.
We also have this display at the booth, with more pictures and story of
Knot A Boat’s history.
Look for us!
—
Marilyn Michael is co-director of Northwest Women in
Boating. To learn about this no-dues organization for women involved with
boating go to www.nwwb.wordpress.com.
Margaret Pommert is Northwest Women in Boating’s Knot A Boat
booth organizer for the Seattle Boat Show.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
I guess old boat aficionados are a lot like old car buffs. We love the history and we love seeing what was done before. Below is a reprint from an article that first appeared in the May 2015 issue of 48 North. Author Ken Howe has offered it up again, and we’re happy to reprint it here as part of an ongoing effort to promote community sailing programs and entry-level sailing. The Washington Yacht Club is certainly one of those opportunities for University of Washington students, alumni and alumni club members.
(If your club or community sailing organization wants some coverage, email me and let’s get it going.)
The UW Husky
By Kenneth Howe
The Husky. Not to be mistaken for an E-Scow.
In 1950, the new University of Washington sailing club needed racing dinghies and they wanted to call them Huskies. They needed six boats to sponsor competitions and teach sailing to a growing membership. Previously, club sailors had been sharing their own personal boats for instruction. After the old Shell House on the Montlake Cut was remodeled, the club was offered space to house boats and gear in the building. A design competition was held by the club asking local boat builders for a dinghy that would be stable enough for teaching and also be competitive in intercollegiate competition. The University agreed to loan the new club $3000. Bill Nightingale of Olympic Boat won the competition and the contract to build the Huskies. His self -rescuing 18’ sloop featured a mahogany plywood hull with fore and aft deck hatches. It had a bow that was designed to plane like a scow. The sloop rig and single rudder in a deck insert made it like the Geary 18, “flattie” that had been popular for instruction.
Over several months, the six boats
were delivered and then rigged by club members. Three of the hulls were painted
blue and the other three yellow. The decks were varnished mahogany. On February
5, 1951 the boats were dedicated and given Husky mascot names. From the Canoe
House, the Huskies on dollies were winched down the ramp into the Montlake Cut.
A small dock was available, but the launching site proved challenging for new
students and reports of damage when landing appeared often in club minutes. The
Husky mast was too tall; it needed to be partially lowered to fit through the
opening cut into the hanger door. Lowering the mast became one of several skill
requirements for a skipper rating on a Husky.
Alan Murray, commodore in 1971, relayed
a club story about how fast a Husky sailed downwind, “Since Huskies were
normally sailed during heavy weather, they would plane very fast down the cut.
Apparently this was noticed by the Seattle police boat who pulled the sailors over
for exceeding the 7 MPH speed limit. The foreign-born skipper was quoted as
saying to the officer, “Vel, vat you vant me to do, drag my foot?”
The Husky sail area turned out to be
inadequate for light wind sailing and required stronger winds to perform well.
This resulted in skippers challenging themselves in high winds and often sailing
single handed. In 1951, the UW Daily reported, “Sailor Swims When Sailboat
Becomes Sub” describing how a new member took the Husky out by himself when
storm warnings were posted. After he capsized three times, he abandoned the Husky
and tried to swim to shore. Harbor patrol and the crew launch went out to
assist him.
A fine party boat too.
Norm Ahlquist, a member since 1966,
described sailing a Husky single -handed and what probably happened to the
rescued skipper.
“Sure. I did it a few times, but not
in a blow (defined as 20+ for Huskies). I easily steered with my foot, leaving both
hands for the main. To sail upwind in a blow you had to sail with a big heel to
narrow the hull for the waves, but it’s difficult to dump the sails single handed,
as he apparently discovered.”
Norm went on to describe the other challenges
of the Husky, “As I recall the legend, the club wanted something that would be ‘self-rescuing
and plane.’ The Huskies were that, provided the hatch covers stayed on and the
wind blew over 40. When completely swamped, they would float deck awash. If you
stood on it you would sink to about your armpits.”
A spinnaker was eventually added to
the Husky and the varnished decks were painted over with non-skid paint to make
them safer. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, three Huskies became boats for
experimentation. An extension was spliced onto the mast and a larger sail added.
The hope was that the boats would
plane in lighter winds and work with a trapeze. The new design was called the “Super
Husky.” One boat was changed to a full scow design.
Beyond
instruction and racing, the Huskies were used for club cruises on Lake
Washington and Puget Sound. Fraternities and local colleges were allowed to
rent the Huskies for races so they also became a source of income for the club.
Because the Husky could hold up to six people, it became invaluable to the club
during Open House events. Students would see a Husky displayed on campus and
then come down for the Saturday free sail with a club skipper.
In the 1960’s, an
outboard motor bracket was designed that fit over the transom and slipped into
the back hatch. This made the Huskies independent through the locks and self
powered as a parade float.
In the Opening
Day parades, the Husky was used as the platform to cover with decorations. The
Husky paraded as a killer whale chasing mermaids, a little tug towing a duck, and
a bicycle powered paddle wheeler.
As other designs
were added in the 1970s, the three remaining Huskies sat unused inside the
Canoe House. The roof leaked so much before restoration that one boat had
already rotted away inside the building. Earlier, a boat with a damaged mast
was converted to an outboard powered committee boat. The Huskies lost respect
to the point that a motion was made at a club meeting that the remaining boats should
be stripped of rigging, towed to Blake Island, and broken apart to feed a giant
bonfire. This did not happen. Two boats were sold and the last totally rotted
one was broken apart and sent to the dump.
In 1980, the old
wooden Shell/ Canoe House was preserved as a historic landmark, while the old wooden
Huskies who called it home for 30 years were preserved only in memories.
Ken Howe joined WYC in 2010 as his retirement project; he became Head Fleet Captain and Instructor, and also known for his energetic boat decorations for Duck Dodge.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
This sounds like a very worthwhile meeting. Considering our geography, boats might be key to helping out the community in a crisis scenario. Over the decades, private boats and skilled skippers have often been key to helping out, and knowing some of the considerations beforehand can only help. The meeting is at 1900 hours at CYC-Seattle. -KH
Learn how the boating community can come together to help each other in a time of crisis. Byron Hardinge, the City of Seattle, Office of Emergency Management’s Disaster Preparedness Expert will walk us through potential disaster scenarios and train us to be ready when disaster strikes. Shilshole boaters have the unique opportunity to provide transportation on the regional waterways and communication via HAM radio, the city’s only reliable method of communication during a disaster. Take the first step to being prepared and join us on Thursday, Jan 17th from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Bar will be open and light snacks available.
Registration is limited to 80, so sign up soon! Link.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
