southwindsjune2004

June 2004For Sailors — Free…It’s Priceless

2004 Regata del Sol al Sol

Charging Batteries: How Slow Can You Run Your Engine?

Morgan Stinemetz Sails to Cuba

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40 ft. to 44 ft.44 Morgan ‘90 . . . . . . $169,90044 C & C ‘69 . . . . . . . $74,90043 Hunter ‘97. . . . . . . $169,50043 Hunter ‘96. . . . . . . $168,90043 Endeavour ‘81 . . . . . $139,00042 Pearson ‘80 . . . . . . $105,00042 Hunter CC ‘97 . . . . . $189,50042 Hunter CC ‘96 . . . . . $177,50042 Catalina ‘01 . . . . . . $189,50042 Catalina ‘96 . . . . . . $119,00042 Beneteau ‘83 . . . . . . $72,000411 Beneteau ‘01 . . . . . $174,00041 Morgan ‘89 . . . . . . $119,90040.5 Hunter ‘93. . . . . . $119,90040 Jeanneau ‘03 . . . . . $184,00040 Jeanneau ‘00 . . . . . $184,00040 Island Packet ‘98 . . . $249,90040 Endeavour ‘81 . . . . . $84,000

40 Caliber ‘96. . . . . . . $259,000400 Catalina ‘96 . . . . . $134,900400 Beneteau ‘97 . . . . . $134,500

35 ft. to 39 ft.380 Hunter ‘00 . . . . . . $115,00038 Shannon Ketch ‘79 . . $114,900382 Morgan ‘79 . . . . . . $59,90038 Morgan CC ‘97 . . . . $125,000380 Island Packet ‘99 . . $245,00038 Hans Christian ‘83 . . $139,000380 Catalina ‘00 . . . . . $134,000380 Catalina ‘99 . . . . . $152,00038 Catalina ‘81 . . . . . . . $40,000376 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . $121,00037 Jeanneau ‘96 . . . . . . $69,90037 Hunter ‘98 . . . . . . . $95,00037 Hunter ‘97 . . . . . . . $82,00037 Endeavour ‘83 . . . . . $52,50037 Beneteau Idylle ‘86. . . $61,900365 Pearson ‘80 . . . . . . $56,000365 Pearson ‘76 . . . . . . $55,00036 Tashiba ‘87 . . . . . . $135,00036 Jeanneau ‘97 . . . . . . $92,50036MKII Catalina ‘99 . . . . $109,90036 Marine Trader Europa ‘84/’96 $165,00036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . $79,90036 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . $66,200

36 Catalina ‘90 . . . . . . . $71,500351 Beneteau ‘96 . . . . . $77,500350 Catalina ‘03 . . . . . $154,50035 Island Packet ‘91 . . . $119,90035 Baba ‘84. . . . . . . . $120,000

30 ft. to 34 ft.34 Catalina ‘94 . . . . . . . $74,50034 Catalina ‘87 . . . . . . . $44,90034 Cabo Rico ‘90 . . . . . $129,00033 Hunter ‘95. . . . . . . $64,500320 Catalina ‘96 . . . . . . $69,00032 Island Packet ‘90 . . . . $94,50031 Catalina ‘03 . . . . . . . $91,00030 Hunter ‘88 . . . . . . . $36,50029.5 Hunter ‘95 . . . . . . $46,900290 Hunter ‘00. . . . . . . $59,900

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SAILBOATS - NEW AND BROKERAGEBeneteau Sailboats Back CoverCompac Boats East 6Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 63,64,64Windcraft, Trimarans and Catamarans, Sail or Power 22Boaters Exchange/Catalina Sailboats 43,63Carson Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverEastern Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverFlorida Sailboats, Inc. 65Flying Scot Sailboats 65Hanse Sailboats 65Hunter Sailboats 10Massey Yacht Sales/Catalina/Jeanneau/Hunter/Mainship 9,16,31,61,IBCMasthead Yacht Sales/Catalina 29,68Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau Back CoverRaider Sailboats 65Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage 55,58Sarasota Youth Sailing Program donated boats 62St. Barts/Beneteau Back CoverSuncoast Inflatables/ West Florida 59Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 53Tampa Sailing Squadron donated boats 62Weathermark Sailing/Catalina/Vanguard/Hobie 10

GEAR, HARDWARE, ACCESSORIESAir Duck Hatch Windscoop 26Bluewater Sailing Supply, www.bluewaterss.com/ 58Boaters Exchange, boats, gear, etc. Rockledge FL 43BoatUS 7Bo’sun Supplies/Hrdwre/Rigging www.bosunsupplies.com 39Coral Reef Apparel Company 46Defender Industries, www.defender.com 68Fujinon Binoculars 27Garhauer Hardware/www.garhauermarine.com 31Glacier Bay Refrigeration/ www.glacierbay.com 37SSMR/Hood 57Hotwire/Fans & other products 67Island Marine Products/Davits,motorlocks,etc. 34JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 37Martek Dinghy Davits 67Masthead Ent. www.mastheadsailinggear.com 29,68Nautical Trader/buy/sell/consign 55Rparts Refrigeration, www.rparts.com 30Sailor’s Soap 21,28,51Tackle Shack/Hobie/Sunfish, St. Petersburg 53West Marine 15,IFC

SAILS (NEW & USED), RIGGING, SPARS, RIGGING SERVICESAltlantic Sails 30Banks Sails/new, used, repair & canvas/ West Florida 56Nuclear Sails 14BoatUS 7Cruising Direct/sails online by North 14Dwyer Mast/spars, hardware, rigging 67Forespar 64Hood/SSMR 57Masthead/Used Sails and Service 29,68National Sail Supply, new&used online 36Nuclear Sails 14North Sails 13,17Porpoise Used Sails 68Sail Exchange/www.sailexchange.com 21Schurr Sails, Pensacola FL 47\SSMR/Hood 57UK Sails, www.uksailmakers.com 49Ullman Sails/West Florida 6West Marine IFC

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ADVERTISER INDEX BY CATEGORY (See page 69 for alphabetical list)

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MARINE ENGINESBeta Marine 26Fleetside Marine Service 67RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 22

RESORTS, MARINAS, RESTAURANTS, BOAT YARDSBob and Annie’s Boatyard 20Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina 13Pasadena Marina, St. Petersburg 61Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage 55,58

CHARTER COMPANIESFlagship Sailing 57Sailtime, Time-Share ownership 3

MARINE SERVICES, SURVEYORS, INSURANCE, TOWING,BOAT LETTERING, ETC.Aqua Graphics/Boat Names/Tampa Bay or buy online 56Beachmaster Photography 66Coast Weather Services 68First Patriot Inc, Insurance Agency, Paul Phaneuf 18

MARINE ELECTRONICSDockside Radio 24JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 42Sea Tech/Navigation/Communication 25

BOOKSBubba Stories Book 17Great Outdoors Publishing 55Gunkholer’s Cruising Guide/West Florida 55

REGATTA ADVERTISEMENTS, BOAT SHOWSSouth Carolina Maritime Festival 17Regional Sailing Services Directory 33Sailing Services Directory West Florida 56Subscription Information This PageAlphabetical Advertisers’ List 69

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NEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS SOUTHWINDS June 2004 5

From the Carolinas to Cuba…from Atlanta to the Abacos…SOUTHWINDS Covers Southern Sailing

SOUTHWINDSNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS

8 From the Helm

10 Letters

18 Bubba Marvels at Tripwire’s Sway with WomenBy Morgan Stinemetz

20 Short Tacks:Upcoming Events and News of Interest to Southern Sailors

24 Sailing to CubaBy Morgan Stinemetz

28 Hurricane Season Begins:Predicted Storms by Kim KaminskiFinding Safe Harbor in a Marina by Jo Webnar

32 Boatek: Charging Your Batteries. How Slow is Too Slow For Your Diesel?By Stephen Sommer

34 XXXVI Regata del Sol al Sol.By George Crook

36 Southeast Coast Sailing: Carolinas and GeorgiaEvents and Race Calendar, Etchells Race, Flying Scott Regatta

40 East Florida Sailing:Events and Race Calendar, Mug Race, MYC Spring Regatta,

44 Southeast Florida Sailing:Events and Race Calendar, Southeast Florida Race Report

46 Upper Gulf Coast Racing:Events and Race Calendar, Corsair Championship, Dauphin Island Race

50 Florida Keys Sailing:Events and Race Calendar, Wreckers Race Series

52 West Florida Racing:Events and Race Calendar, West Florida Race Report

63 Classifieds

70 Abandoned Boat Ramps in the Dark and Dancing Sailors:When a Turn isn’t a Tern

By Bruce Sanspree

33 Regional Sailing Services Directory56 West Florida Sailing Services Directory69 Alphabetical Index of Advertisers4 Advertisers’ List by Category4 Subscription Form8 Calendar Photo Contest

XXXVI Regata del Sol al Sol. Photo by George Crook. Page 34.

Morgan Stinemetz sails to Cuba. Photo by Morgan Stinemetz.Page 24

Cover: Cat’s Meow sails in the Regata de Amigos, part of the Regatadel Sol al Sol, in 2003. Photo by George Crook.


SOUTHWINDSNEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS

Southwinds Media, Inc.P.O. Box 1175, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218-1175

(941) 795-8704 (877) 372-7245 (941) 795-8705 Faxwww.southwindssailing.com

e-mail: [email protected] 12 NUMBER 6 JUNE 2004

Copyright 2004, Southwinds Media, Inc.

Publisher/EditorSteve Morrell

[email protected]

FounderDoran Cushing

Advertisers & Editors

Production ProofreadingHeather Nicoll Kathy Elliott

Contributing WritersSherry Beckett Rebecca Burg George CrookDave Ellis Rona Garm Meg & Hutch HutchinsonKim Kaminski Jim Kransberger Roy LaughlinArturo Perez Capt. Bill Robinson Bruce SanspreeStephen Sommer Morgan Stinemetz Jo Webnar

Contributing PhotographersRebecca Burg George Crook Cindy GoeberMeg & Hutch Hutchinson Kim Kaminski Jim KransbergerBite Me Arturo Perez Bruce SanspreeMorgan Stinemetz

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: ARTICLES & PHOTOGRAPHY:SOUTHWINDS encourages readers, writers, photographers, cartoonists, jok-ers, magicians, philosophers and whoever else is out there, including sail-ors, to send in their material. Just make it about the water world and gen-erally about sailing and about sailing in the South, the Bahamas or theCaribbean, or general sailing interest, or sailboats, or sailing in some far-offand far-out place.

SOUTHWINDS welcomes contributions in writing and photography,stories about sailing, racing, cruising, maintenance and other technicalarticles and other sailing-related topics. Please submit all articles elec-tronically by e-mail (mailed-in discs also accepted), and with photographs,if possible. We also accept photographs alone, for cover shots, racing,cruising and just funny entertaining shots. Please take them at a highresolution if digital, or scan at 300 dpi if photos, or mail them to us forscanning. Contact the editor with questions.

Subscriptions to SOUTHWINDS are available at $12/year, or $20/2years for third class, and $24/year for first class. Checks and credit cardnumbers may be mailed with name and address to SOUTHWINDS Sub-scriptions, PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach FL, 34218-1175, or call (941)795-8704. Subscriptions are also available with a credit card through asecure server on our Web site, www.southwindssailing.com.

SOUTHWINDS is distributed to over 500 locations throughout 10Southern states. If you would like to distribute SOUTHWINDS at your loca-tion, please contact the editor.

Read SOUTHWINDS magazine on our Web site,www.southwindssailing.com.

Steve MorrellNational and West Florida AdvertisingWest Florida Regional [email protected](941) 795-8704

Gary HuffordNational and West Florida [email protected](727) 585-2814

Florida KeysRebecca BurgRegional [email protected](305) 304-5118

The Southeast Coast:Carolinas and GeorgiaRona GarmRegional [email protected](910) 395-0189

The Northern Gulf Coast:Florida Panhandle, Alabama,Mississippi, Louisiana, TexasKim KaminskiRegional [email protected](850) 384-8941

http://www.compaceast.com

mailto:[email protected]







Local News For Southern Sailors SOUTHWINDS June 2004 7

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FROM THE HELM

With June we again have the beginning of another hurri-cane season, a season that strongly affects the readers

of Southwinds, who mainly live in those states most threat-ened by tropical storms-from North Carolina south intoFlorida and into the Gulf Coast states. In this issue we haveinformation and articles on helping you prepare your boatfor tropical storms. You can also go to our Web site,www.southwindssailing.com (our new recently redesignedsite), go to past issues, July 2002, and get an article which is aBoatUS (also go to the BoatUS Web site, www.boatUS.com)reprint about more information on protecting your boat instorm conditions, along with some success stories.SOUTHWINDS will, in the coming months, print more storiesabout others’ experiences with their boats and how they faredin these storms.

This year, forecasters predicted eight hurricanes, three ofwhich they foresee being intense storms (this does not dis-count the severe damage that a tropical storm can do). Theyare predicting a 52 percent chance of a major storm (category4 or 5) to hit the East Coast, including the Florida peninsula,and a 40 percent chance that one will hit the Florida Panhandlewest through Texas. Here in the Tampa Bay area, many feelthey live in an region which has little chance of a major storm,although, a few days after 9/11 (which resulted in little cov-erage of the storm), in 2001, tropical storm Gabrielle, thoughnot of hurricane strength, did enough damage, largely be-cause of the storm surge, to boats that some were completelydestroyed, along with some serious marina damage. See page28-30 where we have an article about protecting your boat ina marina and dealing with marinas.

Many whom I have talked to, especially in the TampaBay area, have no real plan beyond, “I’ll worry about it whenit happens,” or, “I’ll probably take it over to an anchorage Iknow.” Most have one common theme: “I’ll make sure I’mcurrent on my insurance payments.”

In 1979, only two weeks after my girlfriend and I hadreturned from a summer cruising the Bahamas, while livingin southeast Florida and under the threat of Hurricane David,I spent a long day moving my 26-foot sailboat to an anchor-age that was a well-known protected hurricane hole. A lot ofboats were moving on the ICW that day, and fortunately theanchorage I came to rest at was not too crowded. I was luckyenough, after the storm moved through, to have minimal (abroken topping lift and smashed compass) damage to the boatand two muddy anchors to clean. We spent the week in asmall apartment with a filled bathtub watching weather re-ports on TV.

Today, 25 years later with a lot more boats out there, Iwonder how many boats would crowd the ICW and otherwaters as they all scramble to find that perfect hurricane hole.Let’s all hope for a quiet hurricane season, with minimal im-pact-but let’s not forget to work on having a plan. Have extralines and fenders ready, extra anchors for those hurricaneholes, and everything else needed to minimize damage fromwind and storm surge.

And a safe and happy hurricane season to all.

Steve MorrellEditor

SOUTHWINDSannounces the

2004-2005West Florida Racing Calendar

& Yacht Club Directory.

This calendar will cover West Florida racingfrom September 2004 through August 2005.

Call now to advertise in this publication:

Steve Morrell, Editor, (941) 795-8704,[email protected]

Gary Hufford, Advertising Representative,(727) 585-2014,

[email protected]

Contact Steve Morrell, Editor, to list yourupcoming races and regattas!

Photo Contest

for photos

for the

2005SOUTHWINDSCalendarSend your photo in! Go to our Website, www.southwindssailing.com

for more information.

HURRICANE SEASON 2004 BEGINS JUNE 1 (and ends November 30)


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“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.” H.L. Mencken

In its continuing endeavor to share its press, SOUTHWINDSinvites readers to write in with experiences & opinions.

LETTERS

See LETTERS continued on page 13

CHANGES IN THE CUBA SAILING SCENEYou may have already heard about this new marina in Cuba. Itis in a very useful location, though it wasn’t open when wewere in the area last in February, 2003.

We have found many changes (mostly for the better) onthe south coast of Cuba since the Calder and Simon cruisingguides were published—Cubanacan and Gaviota are takingup the slack left by PuertoSol at several marinas, includingMarina Siguanea on Isla de Juventud, Cayo Largo andCasilda/Trinidad.

Some charterboat companies have found fertile groundhere, too: SunSail has a bunch of cats and monohulls at Casilda,a Canadian guy is starting up at Cayo Largo, and Patten Yachtsis at Cienfuegos. There is a hefty $10/day/person tax on char-terers, though time will tell how well these businesses fare.The challenges to this type of tourist business are pretty bigright now, including the prohibition on Russian citizens be-ing on any private boats in Cuba. (Seems some Russians char-tered a boat and took it to Florida to defect!)

Since 2002, the port of Cabo Cruz is now closed to foreignboats. We were allowed to anchor near the entrance to theharbor and even to dinghy around a bit but were not givenpermission to go ashore. The village is for fishermen and mili-tary personnel only. Too bad—it looks pretty, and the light-house was touted to be a nice climb.

Fair winds,Elena Pimiento

s/v Habanero III

Elena,Ah! What Cuba must be like for those who can go. But it is good tohear about changes in the island’s sailing and cruising communityjust to whet our appetite. Thanks for doing that. Hopefully, we won’tbe punished for thinking about spending our money.

For those who have not heard, it was recently reported that atthe end of 2003 the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had 21fulltime agents working Cuba violations and just four fulltime work-ers hunting Bin Laden’s and Saddam’s riches. That’s an interestingallocation of funds.

Editor

PETER GOLDSMITH SPEAKS THE TRUTH ABOUT U.S.GOVERNMENT’S ACTIONS IN CUBA RACEThank you, thank you, for publishing the news and lettersconcerning the U.S./Cuba relations and the Conch Republicfiasco.

I have traveled to Cuba with my fellow sailors in theConch Republic Cup race. I’ve seen firsthand the thousandsof dollars worth of medical and humanitarian aid the sailorsbrought with them for the people of Cuba.

The “Grand Jury” investigation, currently ongoing in KeyWest, speaks to what is wrong with our present leadership inWashington today.

Thank you, Rebecca Burg, for helping to spread the truth.I was there; I saw it all. Peter Goldsmith is telling the truth

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LETTERS Continued from page 10


[email protected] Web site: southwindssailing.comPO Box 1175,Holmes Beach FL 34218 Fax: (941) 795-8705

about the final hours before the race of 2003.Signed

A sad sailorName withheld for fear of government reprisal

Sad,We are planning to continue bringing updates on the Cuba situa-tion and Peter Goldsmith’s dealings with the U.S. government.Please take a look at Morgan Stinemetz’s article in this issue on hisrecent sail to Cuba (he went under permit from OFAC as a journal-ist in April). It is interesting reading on the logistics of making thecrossing by sailboat and his experiences in Cuba.

Unfortunately, the current administration has recently tight-ened travel restrictions to Cuba for Americans and their freedom tospend their money there. I guess Bush thinks the money doesn’tbelong to the people who earned it, although I swear he said some-thing contrary to that about taxes.

Editor

CUBAN DICTATORSHIP CONTINUESWhen you so often and so eloquently call for normal rela-

tions with the country 90 miles from here, do you keep inmind that it is the longest-lasting dictatorship in the WesternWorld? Are you aware and willing to make your readers awarethat in Cuba there are hundreds of jailed and persecuted po-litical prisoners? While you guys party, the Communist Partythere ruins lives with impunity.

Think about that when you want to advocate business asusual...

Sincerely,Frank Resillez

Frank,I just don’t believe embargoes work. In my opinion, open movementbetween peoples is the best way for democracies to evolve and emerge,and one of the best ways for that to happen is through trade, besidesinteraction in other areas such as education, tourism, etc. Peopletalk and interact, and I believe this will bring about change in theCuban system of government faster than anything else. I believethat embargoes are at the bottom of the list in terms of change andthe top of the list in maintaining the status quo.

Besides, Cuba is the biggest island in the Caribbean, and a lotof people want to sail there. They have a right to, and this is a sail-ing magazine.

Editor

BOAT SCAM RESPONSEThe inquiry to purchase a boat unseen by a foreigner is usu-ally a scam. What often happens is he sends a cashier’s checkfor a greater amount and asks you to wire the difference tohis account. You think you have a good deal, but the checktakes about two weeks to be discovered counterfeit, and youhave already sent the difference. The bank charges back thetotal amount from you, and you are out the money forwardedto the account (which is usually overseas). Also, no one showsup to pick up the boat/car/property deed.

The criminals involved in this are often associated withthe “poor souls” who have lost their royal family memberand want to trust you, a “friend” they never met, with depos-



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iting money to be held but need taxes paid or some other fee.The best thing to do is not even reply to deals that seem

too good to be true. Any sailor worth his salt will survey aboat or have someone do so on his behalf.

Federal agencies do investigate such cases if there is aloss. They have stopped compiling all such leads/faxes/e-mails making the offer. There have been sad cases of retiredfolks being bilked of life funds on such scams. In other cases,people who traveled overseas to make bank deposits havebeen kidnapped and more funds extorted as ransom.

To Bob: your BS detector was working well that day. I hopeyou find a real buyer for your boat. (Sorry, I already have one.)

Good luck,R. G.

Former fraud investigator

CELL PHONE USE IN THE BAHAMASI’m writing again, this time to offer what I can for your readerasking about using cell phones in the Bahamas. I’ve been deal-ing with the subject for a few years now, and I’ve yet to com-plete a call with my phone from the United States.

The most foolproof advice I can give is to get a phonefrom the Bahamas Telephone Company (BATELCO). I don’tknow how to do this from the United States, and it may notbe practical anyway. The coverage provided by BATELCO isquite good. I see a signal on my U.S. phones over most of thenorthern and central Bahamas, even when far out of sight ofland. When I try to make a call, I connect to something andget a recording, but I’ve never been able to complete the call.

The only people I’ve witnessed making a call from a U.S.phone in the Bahamas were using Cingular. I used Cingulartwo years ago, but I was never successful using them in theBahamas. They used to require you to preregister for use inthe Bahamas. That meant that you call them before you leaveand ask to be put on the Bahamas system for the days youexpect to be there. I found that for many holiday weekends,they sell out all their spots weeks in advance and can’t getyou on. They also would charge $1 per day to be on, regard-less of whether you make any calls. I’ve also heard that theyrecently dropped the pre-registration requirement.

I now use ATT Wireless. I’ve never been successful usingthem in the Bahamas either, though when I ask customer ser-vice about it, they tell me that I should be able to.

So, next to getting a BATELCO phone, I suggest findinga fellow cruiser who has been successful with his U.S. phonein the Bahamas, and ask a lot of questions (what phone tech-nology, pre-registering, international calling, etc.) And, don’tcount on the customer service of your phone company to beany help. When you’re out there and your phone doesn’twork, you can’t call them back until you return, and then whatyou learn will only be useful for your next cruise.

Norm HansenHighland Beach

With respect to U.S. or Canadian cell phones in the Bahamas,it seems that some services work occasionally, possibly withoutrageous roaming charges that show up weeks later. NoU.S. system is reliable there, since BATELCO seems to pre-



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vent U.S. phones from working once they discover that theydo work. For reliable cell phone service in the Bahamas, youare stuck with signing up for Bahamian (BATELCO) serviceor using a satellite phone like Globalstar. Calling the UnitedStates from a landline in the Bahamas costs $1 per minuteusing a BATELCO card. Most people learn to rely on e-mail!

Colin WardGreen Cove Springs, FL

Colin and Norm,Although, I too, take my cell phone almost everywhere (not every-where - I do have my standards). I remember when I was youngand used to backpack into the mountains frequently on extendedtrips. One of the pleasures was being out of range of anyone get-ting hold of me, and also, not hearing from the rest of the world. Itwas a real escape.

In the Bahamas, 25 years ago, on my first sailboat escape, whichlasted several months, my only radio (and only electronic gadget)was an AM radio, and I was in a similar situation. Are we surethese cell phones everywhere are a good thing? I remember the Ba-hamas, like the backcountry, as a wild place. It won’t be long andno place on earth will be safe from cell phone use, and all that willbe over, probably forever.

Sentimentalities aside, Southwinds will continue to publishthis information to help those out there who cannot get away fromeverything. Besides, somebody once told me that it was because ofthe cell phone and the fact that they could take it with them thatenabled them to get away-maybe not from everything, but from alot more than being without it.

Editor



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Bubba Marvels at Tripwire’sSway with WomenBy Morgan Stinemetz

Southwinds Sailing

Southwinds does not have the electronic rights to the Bubba articles.

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Upcoming Major Eventsin the Southern SailingCommunity & News of

Interest to Southern Sailors

See Local Racing Schedules andNon-Racing Calendar of Events in theRegional Sections:

■

Charleston Maritime Festival,June 17-20, Charleston, SC

The largest gathering of tall shipsin the United States this year to date willbe berthed in Charleston Harbor overFather’s Day weekend. Sailing, boatbuilding, music, food, festivities.www.charlestonmaritimefestival.comor call (843) 722-1030. See festival adver-tisement page 17 for more information.

■

June 20-21, Summer SailsticeCelebrates Its 4th Year with a

Grand Prize of a WeeklongMoorings Charter

Summer Sailstice(tm) is a new, globalholiday celebrating sailing annually onthe solstice, the longest sailing day of

the year.June 2004 will be the fourth anni-

versary of this global sailing holidayfounded by John Arndt in 2000, whichevery year increases in both sailor par-ticipation levels and geographic distri-bution. In 2003, over 1,400 people signedup with Summer Sailstice from all overthe world, growing from 400 in 2002 and200 in 2001. Sailors signed up from 12countries, 40 states in the United States,five Canadian provinces and sailed asfar north as Alaska and as far south asVenezuela. The farthest east and westwas Tel Aviv in the Med and Tokyo inJapan! One early bird sign-up for 2004will be sailing in Croatia.

Summer Sailstice 2003 was on June21, and because 2004 is a leap year, June21 was going to fall on a Monday. How-ever, due to the careful calculations of ce-lestial physicists, they’ve determined sol-stice 2004 to fall on June 20 – a Sundayand therefore still on the weekend. Thisaccording to the old Farmers Almanac.However, if you search enough, you canfind some that will call Monday the 21stthe solstice, so we’d suggest you make ita three-day weekend and go sailing bothdays just to make sure.

This year, Summer Sailstice is offer-ing a grand prize of a weeklong chartercourtesy of The Moorings located in theBritish Virgin Islands. “WOW, what a

great grand prize for 2004,” notesSherrie Bonk of White Bear Lake, MN.“I will definitely be signing up for Sum-mer Sailstice 2004 and will be tellingfriends to sign up, too, in hopes that theywould consider taking me with them onthe weeklong charter in the BVI if theywin...well, at least now I have somethingto think about while I sit here and freezein ‘Minnesnowta.’ ”

In addition to The Moorings char-ter, Summer Sailstice 2004 prizes in-clude a $500 shopping spree at theWest Marine and over 100 otherslisted on the Summer Sailstice Web site,www.summersailstice.com. Prizes areawarded by random drawing to thoseparticipating in Summer Sailstice sail-ing on June 19-20 and signed up onlineat www.summersailstice.com. The Sum-mer Sailstice Web site helps sailors con-nect with other sailors by giving them achance to post their sailing plans onlineand find other sailing crews to sail onthe longest day of the year or just checkin and see what’s happening in their re-gion of the Northern Hemisphere. Sail-ors celebrate in all shapes and sizes ofboats; the largest party in 2003 includedover 300 people celebrating at OCSCSailing in Berkeley, CA, and the mostmembers of a single yacht club signedup was from the Branched Oak YachtClub in Nebraska. The smallest boat

SHORT TACKS

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participating in last year’s celebrationwas an El Toro, with the largest boat aSanta Cruz 52.

Summer Sailstice is not simplyabout where you sail, how you sail orwhy you sail. This global holiday forsailors is intended to celebrate the free-dom we all have to sail. If you haven’talready planned to go sailing, or racingor cruising on the weekend of June 19-20, organize your friends, your yachtclub, your class association or your kidsnow and make your Summer Sailsticeplans. Summer Sailstice 2004 is not to bemissed. For more information, visit andsign up at www.summersailstice.com.

Fair winds!

■

Regatta Time in AbacoJuly 2-10, Abacos, Bahamas

One of the largest and most popu-lar regattas in the Bahamas. Starts withthe captain’s meeting on July 2 and theneight days of racing and festivities in theAbacos. Web site: www.rtia.net, Jon andCarol Ewing, (305) 665-0316, Fax: (305)665-0318, E-mail: [email protected] regatta advertisement page 23.

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway(AIWW): NMMA and MOAA

Join Growing Coalitionfor Grassroots Effortto Save the AIWW

What is the AIWW and what is theproblem? The AIWW connects Virginiato Florida, providing for a navigable wa-terway that is vital to this nation’s in-frastructure. The AIWW is used by vari-ous groups, not least of which are thethousands of recreational boaters whoseasonally travel to and from Florida inan effort to escape the harshness of win-ter along with various commercial enti-ties. Congress originally authorized theAIWW to be created and maintained ata depth of 12 feet. Unfortunately, due toa continuing decline in budget alloca-tions to the Army Corps of Engineers,the entity responsible for the AIWW,there is currently a backlog of mainte-nance projects, and it is estimated to take$38-million to restore the AIWW.

Why should I care? The U.S. CoastGuard closed the AIWW in December2003 at Lockwood’s Folly Inlet, NC, be-cause the depth there was less than threefeet at low tide. This closing has createdserious safety concerns and delays in fuelshipments to military bases along thewaterway. Safety is a very real concernthroughout the AIWW. A recent fatalityof a professional captain in South Caro-lina increases concerns about the dangersboaters face when they are forced to leavethe AIWW and travel the ocean. The AIWWis going to close unless it is funded!

How do I get involved? Please con-

tact your member of Congress regard-ing the funding crisis affecting theAIWW by visiting NMMA’s B.O.A.T.Web site. You can customize the letterto suit your company or simply add theaddress of your elected representativeand send.

Please copy [email protected] you respond to your elected rep-resentatives.

For more information, please con-tact NMMA’s legislative counsel, JeffGabriel, at [email protected] or (202)737-9764. Also contact Rosemary Lynch,Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Assn.(703) 719-7273.

Post ICW Conditions Online:www.atlintracoastal.org.

This Web site has a discussion pageso that users can communicate witheach other and post waterway conditionupdates that will help others.

■

New Round The World SailingRecord for Fossett and Crewon Cheyenne: Nearly six days

faster than previous mark,April 5, Isle d’Ouessant, France

Fifty-eight days, 9 hours, 32 minutes,45 seconds after taking the start on Feb-ruary 7, American skipper Steve Fossettand his international crew of 12 aboardthe 125-foot maxi-catamaran Cheyennecrossed the official WSSRC start-finishline at Le Stiff lighthouse on the Frenchisland of Ouessant (Ushant). They havejust demolished the two-year-old Round

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The World Sailing record by almost sixdays (an improvement of 5d 23h 4m 39s).Their time topples the May 2002 mark ofBruno Peyron and Orange I, and fullfilsFossett’s decade-old ambition to achieve“the most important record in sailing.”

Steve Fossett speaking from Chey-enne via satellite phone at the finish line,“The past 24 hours were slow at first, butimproving winds became very strong bythe time we crossed the line with 2 reefsand staysail. It was very dramatic. Wehad our hands full—around this islandthe tides were whirling. Everyone is justso happy; we are all emotionally drained.It’s quite a celebration. Everybody on thiscrew is absolutely delighted; this is a sat-isfying moment for all of us.”

When asked if he ever thought hewould not make it, Steve said,”When westarted out, I thought the chance was 50/50that we would get around. Then I wonderedthat the boat might not be fast enough...”

For more information go towww.fossettchallenge.com.

Sailrocket, a radical-looking newtwo-hulled sailboat, was recentlylaunched on April 23 in England. The“catamaran,” one of the most unusual-looking sailboats to hit the water, was thedesign of Malcolm Barnsley, along withPaul Larsen, the man behind the project.

The current record held by the Aus-tralian boat, Yellow Pages, stands at 46.52

knots and remains unmatched since1992. Many believe that the record hasremained unbroken for that long be-cause the design of Yellow Pages was atits limit and a new design would beneeded.

Larsen, an Australian who lives inSouthampton, and Barnsley hope tohave created that new design with

SailRocket Aims at the World Speed Record

Sailrocket. Courtesy sailrocket Web site.

SHORT TACKS

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Sailrocket. They also hope to break the 50-knot barrier with the boat. Several otherinternational projects are currently un-der way in the effort to break those twobarriers. Many should be launching theirboats in the near future.

Windsurfers are rapidly approach-ing the Yellow Pages record and there is acurrent campaign on to continue that ef-fort.

For more information on Sailrocketgo to www.whbs.demon.co.uk/sr2/.

■

The US Coast Guard ChangesLocal Notices to Mariners

The Coast Guard is changing theway notices will be made available to thepublic. It will continue to publish elec-tronic versions of these notices and makethem available free of charge via theInternet, but it will no longer print andmail copies of each notice. This changetook effect April 1.

For Local Notices to Mariners, go to:www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/.

Hunter Marine is theOfficial Sailboat of the 2004Water Works Wonders Tour.

Hunter Marine Corporation ofAlachua, FL, has again joined the Na-tional Marine Manufacturers Associa-tion (NMMA) and the RecreationalBoating and Fishing Foundation tosupport the Discover Boating andFishing Tour presented by WaterWorks Wonders.

Hunter Marine will display a newHunter 146 sailboat at each of the 25stops of the tour throughout the UnitedStates to promote boating and fishing.The tour is housed in a 53-foot customtrailer that is emblazoned with imagesof boats and the logos of the participat-ing companies. Once on-site, the trailerunfolds to house a selection of exhibitsranging from the ocean floor and thefisheries to several types of boats to en-joy the water with.

“The Hunter 146 was chosen as aperfect example of a family sailboat,”said John Peterson, Hunter Marine’ssales and marketing director. “The boatis stable and easy to trailer and sail. It isalso unsinkable, which will give parentsand their children a higher level of con-fidence to learn how much fun sailingcan be,” he added.

“This is the second year for theWWW Tour, and Hunter Marine hasbeen with us since the beginning,” saidJohn Marcinek, NMMA’s integratedmarketing director. “They experiencedadditional interest and sales during lastyear ’s tour, and we are extremelypleased to have them back with us as oursailing partner this year,” he added.

■

Cruising Cookbook Makes listof Best Florida Cookbooks

The Galley K.I.S.S. Cookbook andCruising Galley K.I.S.S. Cookbook II, byCorinne Kanter, by Sailco Press, was se-lected among 83 Florida cookbooks se-lected to contribute in the Best of the Bestfrom Florida Cookbooks from QuailRidge Press.

The Cruising K.I.S.S. Cookbook II isCorinne’s third and most detailed cook-book. Her first book, the Galley K.I.S.S.Cookbook, sold over 25,000 copies andwas acclaimed the best-selling marinecookbook ever. The cookbooks are avail-able nationally at West Marine, Barnes& Noble, Amazon.com and most na-tional chains and chandleries. The bookmay also be purchased online at:www.sailcopress.com.

http://www.whbs.demon.co.uk/sr2/

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http://www.rtia.net


CUBA

I t was as if the Gulf Stream and the Straits of Florida hadbeen paying attention to presidential proclamations regarding travel to Cuba. This time, as opposed to four other

times I have crossed that stretch of blue, the trip down toCuba was tough.

My sole crew member, John Lollar of Texas, and I leftfrom the Dry Tortugas at 3 p.m. on a Thursday, after arrivingthere only that same morning at first light. The forecast was forwinds out in the Stream to get to 20. They were, however, asteady 25 knots. The gusts hit 30. The waves were most likely10-12, which is a large lump for a 27-foot boat. Some were break-ing. Most were not. Still, it was more than we bargained for.

I got both seasick and hypothermic. The former was afirst, which cleared up right after my obligatory bout of park-ing my lunch in my Ericson 27’s wake. The hypothermia came

Against All Odds

Sailing to Cuba 2004By Morgan Stinemetz

Annual Hemingway fishing tournement sign welcomestravelers to the quay where boats and passengers arecleared into the country by Cuban officials.



when a miscreant wave man-aged to slosh cold water rightdown the neck of my foulweather gear and soak me tothe skin. It may have beenlate April out in the Straits ofFlorida, but it felt like winterto me.

Because of my condi-tion, Lollar got stuck withmost of the steering thatnight, and he responded likea soldier. We were doing it allby hand. The autopilot I haveon board is useless in stuff like that anyway.

The rhumb line course from the Dry Tortugas, where wedeparted, to the entrance of Marina Hemingway, eight mileswest of Havana, was 175 degrees. The best we could do was195. Southeasterly winds wouldn’t allow us to sail the boatwhere we wanted to go, so we hoped that we could get a liftfrom the east-going current.

Some time during the night, the exact time was never re-corded, the working jib blew out. It ripped along the foot,and the clew also ripped out. After a trip to the foredeck, har-ness and tether hooked up to hard points nearly every sec-ond, I got the jib under control and under some heavy-dutyshock cord that forms a V on the foredeck. From then on itwas sailing under the reefed main alone. The storm jib, whichI carry all the time, was not in a place where it could be recov-ered easily. It was buried under mountains of things in disar-ray, in a locker in the forepeak. Standing up and attemptingto get it was not in my cards. The cold was leaching my abil-ity to think clearly right out of my gray matter.

As John steered around and over big waves, I managedto get out of the wet clothing and into something dry andwarm. It wasn’t fleece; it was only cotton, but it was dry cot-ton. My sea boots that I managed to struggle into far too lateprovided the capper. Warm and dry is life-giving after coldand damp.

Sometime in the early morning hours we could see theloom of Havana off to the east. We were steering 180. Sailingdue south toward an unlighted shore with an off-lying reefmade me start shivering again, so we tacked over to port andsailed 060. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fast. It was, on the otherhand, safe.

After sunrise, we were able to pick out some of the fea-tures of the Cuban coastline. To our south was a tabletop kindof mountain, so we were west of where we wanted to go. To

our east was the skyline ofHavana.

Marina Hemingway, ourdestination, was somewherein the middle. Finally, withNigel Calder’s guide to helpus locate the landmarks, wepicked out the entrancethrough the reef into MarinaHemingway. The sea buoy(red, black and white verti-cal stripes) is just a quartermile from the reef. The waythrough the reef is marked

with two big red cones to starboard and two stakes to port. Itis a tight squeeze, not to be tried at night.

As one enters the cut, a Guarda Frontera (Cuban CoastGuard) building, painted blue, will show up 45 degrees offthe port bow. Though we had called on channel 16 severaltimes—entering Cuban territorial waters, six miles out, threemiles out and again near the sea buoy—we got no response.Inside the reef, however, an official came out and waved usaround the 90-degree left turn around the seawall. Fendersout, we stopped along the concrete seawall and welcomedthe various officials aboard. First was a doctor who also didan agricultural inspection. We brought no eggs or fresh meat.They would have been confiscated. The doctor hit us up forsome money, inspected the boat’s first aid kit and sprayedsome kind of disinfectant into the head. He was aboard for atleast 20 minutes. We also had Cuban customs, immigration,the Guarda Frontera and, I suppose, the equivalent of theCuban DEA. The latter came with a dog that sniffed around

If you lead an exemplary life, your ideas will endure. Cuba was celebratingthe 45th anniversay of the revolution the day after we departed.

http://www.sea-tech.com


CUBA

for contraband. We were clean.Assigned a slip on Canal One, the one closest to the ocean,

we tied up and relaxed. One uses up an amazing amount ofenergy sailing in rough seas and clearing into a foreign coun-try. It felt real good to have to do nothing whatsoever.

From my perspective, Cuba has changed since I was therelast in 1999. There seem to be more regulations, more restric-tions. Americans, though now a rare commodity because ofthe draconian rules involving travel to Cuba promulgated bythe Bush administration, are not the curiosity they once were.On the other hand, it seems that the authorities have moreexperience with Americans and can handle some of the curveballs that come their way. The best game plan is to tell all andhide nothing. Though our check-in inspection was cursory atbest, having a Cuban official uncover something you weretrying to bring in covertly would bring real headaches. I sup-pose, if the transgression were bad enough, they could tellyou to leave.

Cab fares into Havana are about the same as last time,$10. It’s a good value for two. The Cuban people have lostnone of their sense of humor or appreciation of life. Their spiritand friendliness bridge all kinds of linguistic gaps. Most knowsome English. Some can speak Russian, too. If there is a trea-sure to be found in Cuba, it lies in the heart of its people.

Downtown Havana looks less battered. The Museum ofthe Revolution is the former presidential palace, and we wereable to tour it for a couple of hours. It is worth the effort. Thesetting is lavish, several stories tall and reminds one thatBatista lived large.

Old Havana (Habana Vieja) has in it several gorgeoushotels. Hotel Florida and Hotel Raquel are but two. They aretotally restored, doubtless by foreign capital, and exude charmand style. A double is $140 a night, cash. But staying in HabanaVieja is the real deal. We stayed on the boat, I blush to admit.We hit some of the hot spots. I spent $6 for a daiquiri atHemingway’s old haunt, La Floridita Lounge, until I foundthat they were half that amount and even better just a fewdoors down the street, where we could sit outside and watchthe ebb and flow of the Cuban people. Practically within spit-ting distance is the Monserratt, another bar with music to die

for inside. Cuban musicians don’t seem to stop during theirsets; it’s one long musical jubilee as they segue from one num-ber to the next. Gets in your blood.

Beer—most of which is excellent, particularly Fuerte andCrystal—goes for about $1.50 just about everywhere. It comesin bottles. Late on one day we managed to find ourselves in abar where beer was only 50 cents. It wasn’t as good as thepremium brands, and it was served in glasses made from cut-off Havana Club bottles. The rim of the glasses had not beenbeveled at all, so a seriously cut lip could come from inatten-tion. We were down and dirty in local culture, to be sure, butI prefer better and higher priced beer and a more sophisti-cated atmosphere.

Courtesy of a lovely English girl, Katherine McDowlan,who hosted a safari to the famous Tropicana nightclub, wegot to see one of the legendary Cuban floorshows. A lavishproduction it certainly was, but it reminded me of the EdSullivan Show more than anything else. Balancing acts onbongo boards, frenetic dance numbers with themes of humansacrifice and such. Time warp city. The rate was $75 a head,and that included a bottle of the cheapest Havana Club rum,several colas and a tub of ice.

There was far more of Cuba that we wanted to see, but Igot bogged down in red tape attempting to get a journalist’svisa. I should have been issued one on entry into the country,but the technical details were beyond our immigration officer’sken. Besides, it was nearly lunch hour—wherein all of Cubashudders to a halt—and his boss was not to be found. Afterspending nearly a half a day with helpful people from the

Coffee-drinking writer, Katherine McDowlan and JohnLollar of Texas at dinner at El Ajibe.

http://www.airduck.org


The entrance to Ernest Hemingway’s house outside Havana.Situated on a hillside with a distant view of Havana, thehouse is airy and open.

marina and hitting several different offices in downtown Ha-vana, I was at the National Press Center when I was told Ididn’t need a journalist’s visa. Upon my return to the boat, Iwas feeling kind of punk, when a female immigration officer,who spoke no English, showed up to tell me that I could notinterview Cubans without a journalist’s visa. The Cuban bu-reaucracy is just as complicated and as inefficient as any other.Before we knew it, it was time to go. Checking out of Cubawas far easier than checking in. Maybe because a 27-foot boatis not all that big, but no one looked for stowaways this time.Clearing out took 45 minutes.

The trip back to Key West was nearly as tough as the tripdown. We couldn’t point in the seas and the wind. The blown-out jib had been fixed by a Cuban sailmaker, by the way, andit held up. We sailed with a double-reefed main and the work-ing jib. Hard going, and we came out miles west of where wewanted to be. We got to Key West by motor sailing up South-west Channel.

Once in the harbor, with the sails down, I called the Gal-leon Marina on channel 16. The Galleon came back. Tired be-yond reason and with a hearing problem to boot—I wear hear-ing aids that were stored below where it was dry—I nevercould understand what the guy from the Galleon was say-ing. I was also talking to him on channel 16, a no-no. I thoughthe gave me a slip assignment of 19A when he was telling meto switch to 19A. If there was ever failure to communicate,this was it.

We putted in the Galleon a half hour later and looked for19A. When we found no 19A, I pulled into a slip temporarily,tied the boat up and—no kidding—staggered up to thedockmaster’s office. I had no equilibrium ashore. It was a badcase of sea legs, and I had sprained my ankle just before leav-ing Cuba. It is possible that the people in the Galleondockmaster’s office thought I was drunk. In any case, the ap-proaching transaction was filled with palpable angst. Maybeit was my talking on channel 16 that set it off. My coming intoa slip that I hadn’t been assigned was probably another irri-tation for the Galleon’s personnel.

Tired as I was, I was doing the best that I could. And

tired as I was, I also knew when we were just plainway in over our heads with the Galleon. It was bad,and it wasn’t going to get any better. It was a hellof a welcome home.

We cut our losses on the spot, ignored the way-out-in-left-field slip assignment we eventually re-ceived and motored over to Key West Bight Ma-rina where the attitude was as sunny and breezy asthe weather. It felt good to be stationary. And as Iam writing this, 12 days after arriving in Key Weston April 30, it still feels real good.

Clearing in with U.S. Customs was painless andefficient. They said nothing about the two openedbottles of Cuban rum sitting on the counter. Jour-nalists are allowed to bring back such things.

In the end, though, the government got the lastword. Leaving Key West harbor for the last leg

home to Bradenton, FL, we were passed by the Coast Guardcutter Monhegan, a 110-footer. The cutter threw off enoughwake to roll my Ericson, and the more expensive bottle ofrum rocketed off the counter and smashed on the floor.

Hola!



With the Memorial Day weekend behind us, it is time forus to focus on the Summer season ahead. Yes, summer

has begun! And so has the Hurricane Season! Are you pre-pared? According to the weather experts, it looks as if we mayhave an “active” hurricane season this year. The 2004 seasonis expected to have an above average number of Atlantic ba-sin tropical cyclones and an above average probability of U.S.hurricane landfall. The recent upturn in Atlantic basic hurri-cane activity, which was observed during four of the last nineseasons (1995, 1996, 1998 and 1999) is expected to continue in2004. It is expected to be more active than most of the rela-tively quiet 1971-1994 seasonal periods. Active or not, it isalways better to be prepared! Preparation can help you feelconfident that you are ready to handle anything Mother Na-ture has in store for you!

There are plenty of checklists available to help you in mak-ing the necessary preparations for protecting from threaten-ing storms for your home and business, but don’t forget aboutprotecting your boat! Here is a quick list to help you prepare

your boat for the possible storms that may come our waythis season:

• Arrange dock/anchor lines• Add chafe protection• Use extra fenders/fenderboards as needed• Put duct tape on windows and hatches• Insert plugs in engine ports• Strip boat of the bimini, sails, life rings, etc.• Disconnect shore power• Close fuel valves• Close all but the cockpit seacocks• Lock the boat• Notify marina manager

Special Note: If you go out of town, arrange for a friend to carryout your plans during hurricane season. If you are in an areawhere drawbridges are in use, note that bridges will be closedpermanently when winds reach 39 mph or land evacuation isordered.

Plan ahead so that this hurricane season will be a “safe”one. Be prepared!

Atlantic Basin Seasonal Hurricane Forecast for 2004

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Issue Date Issue Date Climatology (in parentheses) 12/5 4/2

Named Storms (NS) (9.6) 13 14Named Storm Days (NSD) (49.1) 55 60Hurricanes (H) (5.9) 7 8Hurricane Days (HD) (24.5) 30 35Intense Hurricanes (IH) (2.3) 3 3Intense Hurricane Days (IHD) (5.0) 6 8Hurricane Destruction Potential (HDP) (72.7) 85 100Net Tropical Cyclone Activity (NTC) (100%) 125 145

Photo by Cindy Goebel

Hurrricane Season 2004

By Kim Kaminski

Open June 1



Probabilities for at least one major (Category 3-4-5) hurri-cane landfall on each of the following coastal areas:1) Entire U.S. coastline - 71% (average for last century is 52%).2) U.S. East Coast Including the Florida Peninsula – 52% (aver-

age for last century is 31%).3) Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to

Brownsville – 40% (average for last century is 30%).4) Expected above-average major hurricane landfall risk in the

Caribbean.(Information provided by the 2004 Forecast by Dr. William M. Gray,Colorado State University, Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences).

Hurricanes:Finding Safe Harbor in a MarinaBy Jo Webnar

Everyone knows that hurricane damage can amount to over abillion dollars, but how about tropical storms? According to

NOAA, “Hurricanes are categorized according to the strengthof their winds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. A cat-egory 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds, while a category 5hurricane has the strongest. These are relative terms, becauselower category storms can sometimes inflict greater damage thanhigher category storms, depending on where they strike and the

particular hazards they bring. In fact, tropical storms can alsoproduce significant damage and loss of life, mainly due toflooding.”

On September 14, 2001, tropical storm Gabrielle hit thewest Florida coast. At 5 a.m. sustained winds were clocked at70 mph, with gusts over 85 mph. Gabrielle arrived nine hoursearlier than the 5 p.m. forecast, was stronger than anticipated,and surprised boaters who didn’t have enough warning to addextra lines. Reuters News Service reported the Manatee Riverwas between 5 and 10 feet above flood stage caused by the 11inches of rain from the storm. From Key West to Clearwater,tropical storm Gabrielle sank boats and destroyed marinas.Why? This was only a tropical storm.

Are marinas in Florida built to withstand these storms? Inthe state of Florida, I could not find any state, municipal, orcounty regulations that require marinas to be built to a specificlevel to protect against wind velocity, storm surge, or flood-ing. If you sign a lease, a marina may tell you that it can with-stand a class 1 or 2 hurricane, but you won’t see a guarantee inprint, and it may not be the truth. There are numerous build-ing ordinances for storm protection, but none of them apply tomarinas. There are no set standards that any governmentagency I contacted was able to provide. What this means isthat you are the only one responsible for the safety of yourboat. Before you sign a contract, you might want to make surethat the marina is built well enough to withstand a class 2 hur-ricane. You’ll have to do your own research, because there is

http://www.mastheadsailinggear.com


HURRICANE

no law requiring the marina to provideyou with any information.

In the state of Florida, we have over960,000 registered vessels and an esti-mated 400,000 visiting vessels. There arelaws to protect the environment, themanatee, harbors, etc. It’s pretty amaz-ing that although this is a large votingforce, there is only one statute I couldfind that protects boaters.327.59 Marina evacuations(1) After June 1, 1994, marinas may not

adopt, maintain, or enforce policiespertaining to evacuation of vesselswhich require vessels to be removedfrom marinas following the issuance of a hurricane watchor warning, in order to ensure that protecting the lives andsafety of vessel owners is placed before interests of protect-ing property.Many states do not even offer this protection. Virginia and

North Carolina are two examples that allow marinas to forceyou to leave in the event of a hurricane. Many boaters are notaware that this can happen. If you are a live-aboard or cruiser,this can be life-threatening. These states need to revise their lawsto protect human life.

What would you do if you found yourself in the direct pathof a hurricane? The more knowledge you have about the localtides, wind, and storm surges, the better chance you’ll have ofgetting through a hurricane. What should you look for in amarina?

1. Find a marina as far inland as possible. Barrier islands andbay marinas offer less protection.

2. Look for tall pilings that are secure. Storm surges can lift theboat high enough to be dropped on top of inadequate pil-ings (6 feet above gunwale).

3. Wide slips. You will need enough room to hold the boat inthe middle of the slip—away from the pilings (140% of your

beam).4. Check the cleats. Make sure they aremounted to the docks correctly and arelarge enough to hold your lines.5. Look for a protected marina entrancethat reduces wave action. Can the wa-ter come straight through the channel?If your boat is tossed around by wakes,imagine how it will ride during a hur-ricane.6. Make sure the docks are maintained.7. If possible, pick a slip that faces thedirection of the approaching storm.8. Ask the residents of the marina ifthere has been any previous storm dam-

age and how they protected their boats.

Remember that the area could be without electric for weeks.Cruisers and live-aboards should make sure their water andfuel tanks are full, and batteries are charged. Check to makesure that your bilge pump is working properly. After a storm,commercial fuel and water can be fouled, and electric is neededto pump fuel.

Don’t wait for a hurricane; know what to do and where togo. If you are cruising, this is twice as important. Any petsaboard? There are motels and even upscale hotels that welcomepets, but make sure you know how you’ll transport them. Itcan be a real problem. Most taxicabs and public transportationdo not allow dogs or cats without carriers.

Many cruising magazines have important information onhurricane holes, and don’t buy a cruising guide without it. Thereare also excellent articles on the Internet and in boating maga-zines that will tell you how to prepare your boat. Don’t forgetto prepare a list of important papers and possessions to take ifyou have to evacuate. You need to post your hurricane list in ahandy place and update it as needed. Don’t stay with the boatif you can get to safety. Boats can be replaced; loss of life is neverworth the risk.

More Hurricane Preparedness Information:

See the July 2002 SOUTHWINDS reprint of the BoatUS article, Hurrican Preparedness, available online at

the SOUTHWINDS Web site: www.southwindssailing.com/articles/0207/hurricaneprepare.html.

Photo by Capt. Bill Robinson

http://www.southwindssailing.com/articles/0207/hurricaneprepare.html

http://www.atlanticsailtraders.com

http://www.rparts.com

http://www.garhauermarine.com



BOATEK By Stephen Sommer

SOLUTIONS TO ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL, AIR-CONDITIONING, REFRIGERATION AND OTHER YACHT SYSTEMS

How slow is too slow for your diesel?Steve, I have heard that it is detrimental to run diesel engines at a low percentage of their rated outputpower. Is it detrimental to the life of my 30-horsepower engine to run it for two hours per day at 1200 rpmfor battery charging?

Your question touches upon one ofthe worst areas of misconception

and bad information in the cruisingtechnical world. While it’s true that it ispossible to run a diesel at very lowspeeds and power output levels, harm-ing the engine, this concern is grosslyoverdone in most cases. I have even seencompanies doing a brisk business of sell-ing huge load-banks for increasing theload on gensets, when the loads are low.This is rarely, if ever, required. If it’s notrequired, it’s a gross waste of diesel fueland wear and tear.

Rules of Thumb are useful for un-derstanding the issue. Propellers andtransmissions are matched so that 100percent of an engine’s output is requiredto turn the propeller when the full speedoutput of the engine is reached. Thepitch of the propeller is adjusted so thatthe full output of the engine is requiredto reach full rpm. The propeller curvedefines the amount of power requiredto drive a propeller at slower rpm. Gen-erally, the power required to drive a pro-peller increases with the “cube” of therpm. For instance, if you are running atone half of full rpm, the horsepower re-quired is 1/8 of full power (1/2 x 1/2 x1/2 = 1/8). If you find it hard to believethat you are using such a small fractionof the available power of your engine,consider this fuel consumption rule ofthumb: Modern quality diesels consumeabout one gallon per hour for every 20horsepower of output. If you usually use1/2 gallon per hour of motoring, you areproducing ten horsepower at most! Onefinal rule of thumb: One horsepower isrequired for each 25 amps of alternatoroutput, after allowing for various losses.

In your case, if you have a 100-ampalternator, you are drawing about fourhorsepower from the engine. Let’s com-pare this to the propulsion load that theengine would be driving at that rpm. Ifyour engine is properly matched to thepropeller at 3600 rpm, you are chargingat 1/3 of the full load speed, which

means that you would be driving 1/27(1/3 x 1/3 x 1/3) of 30 horsepower intothe propeller if it were in gear, or aboutone horsepower. You are actually load-ing the engine much more heavily whencharging than when motoring slowly, at1200 rpm. If you charged at 1800 rpm,one half of full speed, you would beclosely emulating motoring at 1800 rpm,which would require 1/8 (1/2 x 1/2 x1/2) of 30 horsepower. The question,surprisingly, is whether you are over-loading the engine when charging at1200 rpm.

There’s no simple rule of thumb forthe issue of available horsepower fromyour engine. Try to get a power curvefrom your engine manufacturer thatshows this. They almost always includea “propeller curve” also on these graphs,which will show you what power isavailable at medium speeds. It’s some-times hard to find out whether the curvethey provide defines to maximum pos-sible output at various speeds, orwhether it shows the power recom-mended for continuous operation. To besafe, avoid trying to use anywhere nearall the available power. Generally, thepower available is greatest at mediumspeeds, so when in doubt, avoid thelowest and the highest speeds whendrawing a lot of accessory power fromthe engine.

Now for the touchy issue of mini-mum speed: You will get every answerthat you can imagine from sources thatyou expect to be well informed (remem-ber the guys that sell genset load banks).One very well-respected diesel manu-facturer provides some specifics. Theydefine the oil change interval to be 250hours or a specific number of gallons offuel burned. If you do the math, youonly get the 250 hours oil change inter-val if you run the engine at less than 1/4 of the maximum power level. That tellsme that you certainly don’t have to rundiesels at more than 1/4 power to keepthem running okay. This same manufac-

turer claims that any power level is okayas long as the propeller is matched andas long as you do a full power run for acouple of minutes for every 5 to 10 hoursof very low power operation. This samemanufacturer provides a remote controlextra low idle setting to make slow ma-neuvering easier. This tells me that theydo not want you to use the extra lowidle for long periods of time. Never letyour engine run at bare idle speed forlong periods. My personal rule of thumbis never leave an engine running at lessthan 1000 rpm. I wish I had this type ofdetailed information from a lot of manu-facturers, but it doesn’t seem available.

As always, check with your enginemanufacturer’s recommendations, butit looks like you are okay. As with alllightly-loaded diesels, it would be agood idea to run the engine under loadat near full power for a couple of min-utes every few days.

If you have a 200-amp alternator, Icertainly wouldn’t worry aboutunderloading the engine. I would evensuggest that you run at a higher rpm toget to a higher point on the availablepower curve.

Anytime you have accessories thatcan draw more than 20 percent of theengine’s power, I recommend that youinstall a switch in the cockpit that dis-ables your alternator. It’s not often, butsometimes you need all the power forthe propeller.

Stephen Sommer is a degreed electrical en-gineer with extensive experience in electri-cal, mechanical, refrigeration and air con-ditioning systems and holds a USCG Mas-ters license. He consults in all areas of yachtsystems, which include all the equipment onboard yachts beyond a basic hull and motoror sails.

Have a systems problem or question? AskStephen Sommer.Email: [email protected].



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XXXVI REGATTA DEL SOL

St. PetersburgYacht Club’s456 mile raceto Isla Mujeres,MexicoBy George Crook

T rue Cruising and Non-Spinnakerboats started off the 36th Regata delSol al Sol on April 20 with 8 to 10

knot winds at the starting line in TampaBay. The afternoon breeze set in at 3:30p.m., and the boats were off to a great race with winds of 10to 25 knots. Multihull and Spinnaker boats started the fol-lowing day. After leaving Tampa Bay all boats were on a reachfor the balance of the race. Steve Mills, on his J125 Velox, hadthe fastest time to Isla Mujeres with an elapsed time of 63hours, 30 minutes, 15 seconds. Steve was within 1 hour, 44minutes of the record set by Rosebud in 2003. James Fauske’sLagoon 47, Sierra Hotel, established a new record for multihullboats with an elapsed time of 66 hours, 48 minutes, 40 sec-onds. First overall was Ryan Cox’s Island Packet 42, SouthernCross, with a corrected time of 44 hours, 12 minutes.

True cruising was the largest class with 16 boats. FredBickley’s Irwin 44, Mango Latitudes, was first in True Cruising1; Ryan Cox, on his Island Packet 42, Southern Cross, was firstin True Cruising 2, and Kenneth McKinney’s Hunter 37,Quidam, came in first in True Cruising 3. Sierra Hotel was firstin Spinnaker class, and Mitchell Massie’s Island Packet 42,Reflection, was first in Non-Spinnaker.

Each boat reported their coordinates daily, and their lo-cations were available to family and friends on the regattaWeb site, www.regatadelsolalsol.org. The Mexican navy hada vessel at the finish line, and a courtesy boat escorted eachsailboat to a dock to check in at customs and to its designatedslip. This worked extremely well during the evening hours.

Island activities started on Sunday, April 25 with a Wel-come Beach Party. On Monday was a special reception at

Commodore Lima’s Casa de las Rocas for skippers, naviga-tors and authorities. Commodore Lima is 92 years of age andwas the founder of the Isla Mujeres race 36 years ago.

A reception was held by Mayor Paulino Adame at theIsla Mujeres City Hall where skippers, commodores, officialsand race committee chairman were declared DistinguishedGuests of the Island.

After the reception Miss Regata del Sol al Sol wascrowned, followed by Mexican dancers on the square by theCity Hall. The race committee presented numerous suppliesto the local firemen to supplement the fire truck donated bySt. Petersburg Yacht Club and Pinellas County last year.

A beach party with volleyball competition was onWednesday. The Regata del Sol al Sol trophy presentation washeld at Hotel Maria del Mar on the beach on Thursdayevening. This was an elegant party with tables on the sandwith white embroidered tablecloths and silverware. Sailorsenjoyed the outdoor environment and an elegant dinner withtheir feet in the sand.

On Friday a basketball game between the sailors and thelocal Isla Mujeres team took place with the local team win-ning in a close match. Regatta sailors have won only twice in30 years of competition. The Amigo Regata was on Saturday.Boats with Isla Mujeres children aboard raced around the is-land. T-shirts, toys and gifts were given to the children afterthe race. The Amigo Regata awards dinner took place on thebeach. Mexican Navy Admiral Arturo Bernal, St. PetersburgYacht Club Commodore Cox, Club Yates de Isla Mujeres Com-modore Lima and Mexican officials attended.

On Sunday boats were on their way home. Family andfriends took the ferry to Cancun, then by air to their homes. Agreat time was had by all. Get your boat ready to join yourfellow sailors next year to sail in the Regata del Sol al Sol toMexico and enjoy the regatta and cultural experience.

Start of the Regata del Sol al Sol in St. Petersburg.

Sail to Mexico in the 37th Regata del Sol al Sol in 2005!DEPARTURE DATES

April 29th for True Cruising and Non-SpinnakerApril 30th for Spinnaker and Multihull.

CONTACT:Sailing Secretary, St. Petersburg Yacht Club (727) 822-3873

or [email protected] or www.regatadelsolalsol.org

Start of the Regata del Sol al Sol in St. Petersburg.


http://www.regatadelsolalsol.org

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http://www.regatadelsolalsol.org


SOUTHEAST COAST SAILING

THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

SOUTHEAST COAST RACE REPORTBy Rona GarmThe week of March 25, Mike Jones and the North Carolina-basedcrew of Outrageous showed that good boat prep, great crew,and consistency are the name of the game in sailboat racing.Scoring 4,3,3,7,1,3,1 against the top East Coast competitors, TeamOutrageous took not only first in its Division but also was namedPHRF Boat of the Week at Charleston Race Week. North Caro-lina participants and their placement in class were - Teamwork(3-PHRFA), Outrageous (1-PHRFB), Cotton Picker (11-PHRFB),Water Phantom (12-PHRFB), Phantom (1-PHRFD), Tabasco (9-PHRFD), Mischief (5-PHRFE), and Rum At Six (6-J105).

Sailors from across the country gathered for the NationalHospice Cup Regatta in Annapolis in mid-April. Winners fromeach of the individual regional Hospice Regattas are invited tosail in this event. The Jones Brothers and Team Lake Normanfinished fifth; Ron Medlin and Team Pamlico finished eighth ofthe 13-boat fleet. The top finishers were all lake sailors. Firstplace went to Team Niagara, second to Joe Waters and TeamHartwell (SC), and third to Team Sandusky.

Area sailors were among the more than 1,400 competitorswho traveled to the NOOD Regatta in Annapolis the first week-end in May. Ryan Hamm and When Pigs Fly took 4/15 in theMelges 24 class; Treez Decker and Huntin’ Tripp 5/10 (Tripp26); and Walter Kennedy 5/6 (Henderson 30).

The Cape Fear Yacht Club (www.cfycnc.com) held the firstrace of its Summer PHRF Point Series, on April 3, but the sec-ond on May 1 was canceled due to poor weather. In Race One,competitors enjoyed beautiful weather and brisk winds over a19-mile course just off Southport, NC. The top three boats inorder of finish were C Breeze III (Robert Creech), Lucky Stumbler(Scott Kaseman), and Victoria (Ed McKinnon).

At the 12th Annual Running of the Regatta that gave birthto the Cape Fear Yacht Club, competitors enjoyed light windsand a beautiful day. The Rocket Regatta attracted ten boats, allracing without spinnakers over the almost 10-mile course in-volving the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River. Jamie Dealeand the crew of Mr. Dog won by just over a minute, bestingJohn Kluttz’s 10acious.

A gorgeous Easter Saturday saw the Wrightsville Beach

Ocean Racing Association (www.wbora.org) hosting an “AC”Cruise in light to moderate winds. Call it what you want; twosailboats in sight of each other are racing. Jeff Fisher, skipper-ing Jane Baldridge’s Islander 37, Islena, along with their “WishWe Were Pirates of the Caribbean” crew took first with MurraySeidel’s Sundance a very close second.

WBORA then hosted its annual Bud Cup Crew Scramble,one of its more popular races, on April 24. The Bud Cup is per-fect for those just thinking of getting into racing or those justwanting to get together with other sailors in a low-stress envi-ronment. Skippers were able to keep one regular crew memberwhile drawing names from a hat to determine who would com-pose the remainder of the crew. Boats raced around the offshorefish haven buoys to the Masonboro Sea Buoy off Wrightsville.

JUNE UPCOMING EVENTS

June 1 – Atlantic hurricane season begins.June 1 – Carolina Yacht Club, This Wrightsville Beach

landmark starts off its Summer Sound Series with Races 1and 2 this evening. www.carolinayachtclub.org

June 1-13 – Spoleto Festival USA, a festival celebrat-ing traditional and experimental art; a mix of dance, the-ater, opera, music and visual arts. – www.spoletousa.org

June 4-6 – Southeast Lightning District Champion-ships – www.sailsoutheast.org – complete with a sailingseminar by Greg Fisher on Friday, this event will be hostedby the Carolina Yacht Club in Wrightsville Beach.

June 5 – Jeckyll Island (GA) Family Fishing Festival(912) 635-3636

June 11 – Georgia Peach Fest (888) 686-3496 – Byron, GAJune 11-13 – NC/SC Governor’s Cup, a traditional

event which originally had the Governors competing, thisevent is open to only North and South Carolina entries.www.longbaysailing.org

June 13 – Cave Spring (GA) Arts Festival – (706)777-3382June 14-25 – Cape Fear Yacht Club – www.cfycnc.com

– is holding a cruise from Southport (NC) to OcracokeIsland (NC) on the outer banks. Plan to participate in theentire trip or just a portion as time allows.

June 17-20 – Charleston (SC) Maritime Festival –www.charlestonmaritimefestival.com – Come join thecelebration of Charleston’s magnificent, historic, work-ing waterfront. Free with something for all ages forFather’s Day weekend. See advertisement page 17.

June 18-20 – 15th Annual Whartonsville Yacht andTractor Club Regatta – www.towndock.net.

June 18-24 – 2004 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship.Carolina Yacht Club and College of Charleston, SC.www.ussailing.org/youthchamp/2004

June 19 – Melon Mania - (229) 273-1668 - Lawnmower racing at its finest in Cordele, GA.

June 20-21 – Summer Sailstice. Go sailing and cel-ebrate. See “Short Tacks” page 20 for more details.

June 21 – Summer Solstice. Longest day of the year.June 25-26 – Mountain Top Rodeo (800) 231-5543 –

Dahlonega, GAJune 25-27 – Wilmington Nautical Festival, a

family fun event including visits from two magnificenttall ships. – www.nauticalfestival.com

http://www.carolinayachtclub.org

http://www.spoletousa.org

http://www.sailsoutheast.org

http://www.wbora.org

http://www.longbaysailing.org

http://www.cfycnc.com

http://www.charlestonmaritimefestival.com

http://www.towndock.net

http://www.ussailing.org/youthcamp/2004

http://www.nauticalfestival.com

http://www.nationalsail.com


Beach (NC) in a calm breeze, which built to 15+ knots from theeast. After starting out sailing as a full-contact sport with thebuoy, Murray Seidel’s Sundance blew through the last leg un-der spinnaker to take first.

The next Jackson Beverage-sponsored WBORA event, theMichelob Mini Series, also attracted a fair number of boats onMay 8. Tolerating light winds and a beautiful day, sailors ranthree short races just offshore of Wrightsville Beach (NC) beforeadjourning to King Neptune’s for the after race party. First placeawards were presented to Cothran Harris (Double Dare) withthree bullets in Racing and to John Karlof (Epsilon) in Cruising.

ETCHELLS “SPRING FLING” REGATTAAPRIL 17-18, ORIENTAL, NCBy Jim KransbergerThere must be something special, very spe-cial about a regatta for Etchells sailors heldin Oriental, NC. While their numbers werenot exceptional (fourteen boats), they camefrom all over the Eastern United States andCanada, too. Oriental is located on the Intra-coastal Waterway, in the middle of nowhere.Therein lies a great deal of the regatta’s charmand attractiveness.

Oriental is on the southeast side ofPamlico County, maybe 30 miles from any-thing more important. It is like a movie setfrom a ’40s film. There may be more, but aquick count of restaurants found three - Mrs.Syl’s Kitchen (where the village meets forbreakfast), M&M’s (near the marina area andconvenient for lunch) and Oriental Steamer(where you wait your turn for a table). Howgreat-how simple. Like a flashback of a child-hood memory at an old cottage and the trappings of the end-lessness of another time and place.

Oriental’s a bit like a fishing village that’s been discovered.There are three fisheries within the Oriental harbor. All threestill look like bits and pieces of “Cannery Row” with their tin-clad buildings and aging wharfs. Behind one, on a small fingerpoint, a new building is being constructed that will replace oneof the older structures, but there appears to not be any particu-lar rush towards completion. When asked about an Oriental

Yacht Club crest on the back of a building down along the river,Mick Roberts replied, “Oh, that’s old. It was painted there along time ago, kind of as a joke. They did it when there was noyacht club and they would say ‘we have 120 slips, but they areall already rented.‘ ”

The marinas line the creeks. One might think-by the veryway boats are so snuggly placed-of Fort Lauderdale and its riv-ers. Hurricane tides rip into the area every now and then, yetthere was no apparent damage to what had to be “experienced”real estate, and repairs from the last storm had already beenrepaired. Triton Yacht Service, where the event was hosted,

looked ready for the movers, high on a cross hatch of railroadties. It’s being lifted above high hurricane tide levels at the in-sistence of their insurance company.

The annual event host is the Oriental Dinghy Club. TheOriental Dinghy Club facility is locally known as Triton YachtServices and supplies the club its space. Saturday’s first racebegan in light seasonal winds and built through the day to anice sailing breeze for the fourth race. It was a great day forHank Lammens and crew (Zarco Duggs and Arlo Hulric) when

Lammens, Druggs and Hulric take Etchells Spring Opener at Oriental Dinghy Club. Photo by JimKransberger

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http://www.jroverseas.com


SOUTHEAST COAST SAILING

they took three firsts and what became a throw-out fourth.On Sunday, two races were held. The first was the sched-

uled final race of the regatta, and Kerry Klinger (Chris Bowoveand Kevin Fallon) won. Having met the required number ofregatta races, an additional “fun” race was run as not to wastethe day. Again, Lammens and crew won this race too.

The social aspects of this regatta are great. After racing cook-outs and no shortage of libations made the post racing partiesexceptional. Friday night, oysters were the fare, Saturday, a pigroast. On Sunday, the usual presentation ceremony even in-cluded an extra local trophy for the fun race. Lammens andcompany received the much coveted bottle of (allegedly) au-thentic North Carolina moonshine.

FLYING SCOT REGATTA, LAKE NORMAN, NCAPRIL 30 - MAY 1By Jim KransbergerThe spring opener for Flying Scots in the Southeast is the Great48 Regatta at Lake Norman Yacht Club in North Carolina. Thisyear’s regatta set an attendance record at 40 boats. Bill Ross,class president and local sailor, greeted the competitors at theskipper’s meeting Saturday morning and alluded to the possi-bility that the attendance was a reflection on the excellence ofthe boat, the quality of the competitors and the hospitality ofthe yacht club.

However, the wind gods were not in agreement on Satur-

day. The best decision that PRO Claude Sommers made any-where in North Carolina was made early into mid-afternoon:He postponed the racing and sent all ashore. After the last startlimitation of the sailing instruction was reached, the race wascalled, and the Jimmy Buffet party was eagerly anticipated.

It’s hard to have imagined that the sailing contestants hadaccess to as many appropriate and proper Island shirts. Someshirts were right handsome; some were not. All were festiveand another LNYC successful party was recorded.

Starting time for the scheduled Sunday race was advancedone hour. The breeze filled and Harry Carpenter, the FlyingScot builder, promptly took the Championship fleet lead andwas never challenged. Carpenter started on the right andpromptly went to port as he must have anticipated the shiftthat headed the rest of the fleet. David Neff took a second.

In the second race, with no time for recovery if one werewithin the pack, the starting became quite aggressive. To thatextent a general recall by PRO Summers was made and theChallenger fleet was started.

When it came time for the Championship fleet to start, thewind had nicely freshened, and all were looking for the properend. Carpenter made for the middle where he could pick andchoose. However Larry Vitez, in a controlling position, sat onCarpenter’s stern quarter, and Carpenter could not tack untilhe had sufficient room. David Neff, who had gotten right im-mediately after the start, followed a route somewhat parallel toCarpenter’s earlier success and won. Carpenter took second.

David Neff and crew Allyson Summerfeldt took first placein the regatta as they won the last race in their tie with Carpen-ter, each having a first and a second. The peculiar thing is thatthe second race on Sunday had never been listed on the noticeboard and could have been thrown out, had anyone objected.The same results in the Challenger division determined BobSummerfeldt winner.

Flying Scot sailors tend to be very experienced. Most havesailed in more competitive fleets and among very competitivesailors. Maybe this experience is what makes Scots such a suc-cessful boat and fleet…wherever they get together.

Results: Championship Division:1- David Neff & Allyson Summerfeldt 2,1,3; 2- Harry Car-penter & Carrie Carpenter 1,2,3; 3- Tom & Patti Lawton 5 3 8;Challenger Fleet: 1- BobSummerfeldt & J.C. McDavid 2,1,3; 2- Robert & Leanne Roberts 1,2,3; 3- Rich Dimenna &Bill Randall 3,5,8

Jim Kransberger is an active sailing photographer and has completephotographic coverage of this event available. Check out his Web siteat: www.waterlinephotos.com.

David Neff and Allyson Summerfeldt on downwind leg. Photo by JimKransberger

http://www.intheshd.com

http://www.waterlinephotos.com


EAST FLORIDA SAILING

JUNE SAILINGBy Roy LaughlinRacingJune is a changeover month for sailboat racers in east Florida.The big regattas such as the Miami-Key Largo race or the MugRace are done. Most local yacht clubs start a summer or week-end series in June for locals who plan to stay in town for thesummer. Racers will find on every weekend an opportunity torace somewhere within a hundred miles.

Only the catamaran fleets stage major regattas alongFlorida’s east coast in June. The Jetty Park Ocean Regatta, June5-6, held at Port Canaveral, in its 31st year, is the grande dameof Florida east coast regattas. It brings catamaran sailors fromall over Florida for two days of ocean triangle races. The DaytonaSummer Sizzler is the other big early summer beach cat regattaon the east coast. This year, Hobie Fleet 80 will hold the event inmid-July to avoid a conflict with Space Coast Catamaran’s 45 x45, which is held June 26-27. This is a 45-mile (one way) week-end race in the ocean from Cocoa Beach to Vero Beach on Satur-day and the return on Sunday.

Many catamaran sailors will associate the 45 x 45 withHobie Fleet 45. That fleet is now part of the Space Coast Cata-maran Club. Names change, but the event remains one of thehigh points of summer sailing for local beach cat sailors.

Coastal CruisingJune weather gives coastal cruisers and day sailors reason-able ability to sail without having to worry about afternoonrains every day. Afternoon rains will begin inland some timebefore the end of June, but usually more slowly, often with lessinitial intensity along the coast. In the meantime, some of thewarmest sailing breezes and most bug-free evenings make Juneday sailing and camping the best of the year.

Day sailors and coastal cruisers along Florida’s central eastcoast enjoy some of the most extensive protected deep watersfor sailing anywhere. The best sailing areas are in the Intra-coastal Waterway between Daytona and Stuart, but add in theSt Johns River system in North Florida and there is no shortageof achievable weekend adventures throughout the whole area.Spoil islands (the debris of channel dredging decades ago), alongwith a few natural islands are the sailors’ play pens along theIntracoastal Waterway. They all have a different character. Someare little more than sand bars seasonally exposed. Others areheavily wooded, with coquina cobble instead of sand beaches.A few are bird rookeries and therefore off limits to humans.Sailors will smell the difference between a rookery island andany, the others even if no birds or DEP signs are visible.

Sailors who are less nature-oriented will enjoy an increas-ing opportunity for “destination sailing.” Resorts with mari-nas, or public marinas near chic waterfront communities av-erage 20 miles apart across the whole east coast. St Augustineis the best sailing destination along Florida’s east coast andperhaps anywhere in Florida. The nation’s oldest city is hardlythe only waterfront city with such appeal. Stuart, Vero Beach,Cocoa and other cities along the Intracoastal Waterway havecompact, completely walkable old town areas perfect for along weekend on the sailboat without the need to rough it foreven a day. June is the bitter end of the tourist season, so spe-cial rates and prices are a significant inducement for destina-tion cruising at this time.

JUNE UPCOMING EVENTS

June 1 – Atlantic hurricane season begins.June 1 – Mermaid Regatta,. Cocoa Beach Yacht

Club http://www.cbyc-fl.orgJune 4 – Summer Rum Race #2. Melbourne Yacht

Club. www.melbourneyachtclub.comJune 5 – Race Series #2. Rudder Club, Jacksonville.

www.rudderclub.orgJune 5-6 – Jetty Park Ocean Regatta, Cape

Canaveral’s Jetty Park, Space Coast Catamaran Assn(321) 863-4426, [email protected]

June 6 – Club Race #6. Fort Pierce Yacht Club.www.ftpierceyachtclub.homestead.com.html

June 12 – River Rendezvous and dinner at Cap-tain Katanna’s Restaurant. East Coast Sailing Associa-tion www.ecsasail.com.

June 12 – Marriott Cruise Fort Pierce Yacht Club.www.ftpierceyachtclub.homestead.com

June 18 – Summer Rum Race #3. MelbourneYacht Club www.melbourneyachtclub.com

June 20 – Father ’s Day Race. Melbourne YachtClub www.melbourneyachtclub.com


June 21 – Summer Solstice. Longest day of the year.June 26 – River Race #1. East Coast Racing Asso-

ciation. www.ecsasail.comJune 26 – Race Series #3. Rudder Club, Jackson-

ville. www.rudderclub.orgJune 26-27 – 45 X 45, (ocean distance race: Cocoa

Beach to Vero Beach and back) Space Coast CatamaranAssn. (321) 863-4426, [email protected]

June 27 – Summer/Fall Race Series #1. IndianRiver Yacht Club. www.sail-race.com/iryc

BLUE-WATER CRUISING:“LOOK MOM, NO HURRICANES.”Summer blue-water cruisers are either finalizing boat prepa-ration for the summer cruise, or leaving for the Bahamas andperhaps points farther south. Hurricane season starts in June,but storms are rare, making this the month to get the boat

http://www.cbyc-fl.org

http://www.melbourneyachtclub.com


http://www.rudderclub.org

http://www.ftpierceyachtclub.homestead.com.html

http://www.ecsasail.com

http://www.ftpierceyachtclub.homestead.com



http://www.ecasail.com

http://www.rudderclub.org


http://www.sail-race.com/iryc

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and family to the Bahamas. At some point in June, prevailingstrong easterly winds and the 4-6 foot seas they generate willgive way to southwest winds of much lower magnitude. Theseare the easy cruising winds for a trip from Florida to the Ba-hamas. The traditional path was to sail the Intracoastal to theLake Worth Inlet and go overnight to West End. These days,with electronic navigation and more reliable weather fore-casts, sailors leave from the nearest inlet and head across thewater to the Bahamas and other points south. Many cruisersheaded for race week in the Abacos think leaving from PortCanaveral or Fort Pierce and going directly to the eastern Ba-hamas is the easiest course this time of year. On an activeyear, sailboats are spread like bread crumbs across the wholeocean from Florida to the Bahamas in June.

No matter what type of sailing appeals to you, you’ll findthe best time for it in June and perhaps the best opportunityto enjoy it with others on Florida’s east coast.

51ST MUG RACE, MAY 1, JACKSONVILLE, FLBy Roy LaughlinThe Jacksonville Rudder Club bills its annual Mug Race asthe longest river regatta in the world. At 38 miles, the MugRace will likely keep that distinction for a while. The alwaystantalizing behavior of the wind and its display of multiplepersonalities is more notable than distance. This year was nodifferent, just a variation on a theme.

At dawn, a crisp southwest wind was blowing in advanceof an approaching cold front. This was a notable improve-ment from the typical calm dawn conditions. Monohulls,which start as much as two hours ahead of the last multihullclass, got off to a good start and had several good hours afterthat. The wind continued for all the starts through 10:30 anduntil well after noon. It was a good morning for all the classes.

The first four boats to reach Shands Bridge at Green CoveSprings, the halfway point, were monohulls this year. The firstwas a sailing canoe, skippered by Enge Noble. The other threewere Raiders, and they were well ahead of the first catama-ran to reach the bridge, a Hobie 21 crewed by Lloyd Berryand Pete Haley.

Then the winds went away in the middle of the after-noon, leaving nearly all the Mug racers somewhere north ofShands Bridge, but well south of the finish line. The lull gavesome racers a chance to watch storm clouds gather in the westand wonder, “What will we experience first, the storm or thefinish line?” Other crews watched as ephemeral zephyrsplucked a single sailboat from within their midst (and it didwith Tom and Eric Worthman) and propelled the craft half amile ahead, leaving crews on stationary boats hardly a hun-dred yards away to ponder the unfairness of fate and the wind.

The sailors on multihulls, some of the Raider crews andsome sailors on the largest monohulls finished the course asthe first squalls moved from west to the east across the St.Johns River. Then a strengthening storm east of the river blewgale force winds back to the west about an hour later. Thiswas the evil twin of the westerly winds that taunted but even-tually favored the first teams to cross the finish. It over-whelmed a few boats, and slowed down nearly all those whohad the last leg from the mug to the finish line.

When it was over, fickle winds and storms made win-

ners from those who had not led the race earlier. Eric and BillRoberts crossed the line first on Silver Bullet, a RC30 Catama-ran, and won the Mug Cup. David Moring and crew onScreamin’, an E Scow, won the Sullivan E Howard Award forthe first dinghy to finish. Jason Hastings and crew in a Mor-gan 27, Cracker Jack, was the first PHRF sailboat to finish. Theytook home the Ed Burroughs Trophy for that. Harry Antleyskippered a Mirage 5.5, Lee Roy, to a first place finish in hisclass and received the Archie Markland Trophy for the ac-complishment.

The Mug Race is one of most “doable” of Florida’s long-est distance races. It, nevertheless, always challenges sailorsin a familiar environment. This year was no different.

There were 21 racing classes in the Mug Race. Completeresults by class, and additional special trophies are availableon the Internet: www.rudderclub.com/51MugRaceResults.xls

OUR FIRST MUG RACEby Meg and Hutch

Hutch at the helm, clearly puzzled at how many boats could still be be-hind us. That won’t last for long.

That the Jacksonville Rudder Club chose May Day for its 51stMug Race might have given pause to the 198 other participat-ing boats, but we were gung-ho. Our first Mug Race, and stillin our first year of sailing, we were almost too excited to sleepas we dropped anchor into the St. Johns River late Friday night.

Before dawn, Hutch awoke and rigged a spinnaker thatwe’d just received a few days earlier from an eBay auction.“A spinnaker can overpower then overturn your boat — don’ttie a stopper knot onto the sheets, so you can let go quickly,”an experienced sailor had warned Meg the night before atdinner. She, too, had a difficult time remaining in Morpheus’arms before dawn, but clearly for different reasons. “Sailingwith a spinnaker requires a lot of practice” came back like asong that wouldn’t leave her head.

With a start time of 7:47:19 in recognition of Aurora Blue’sPHRF rating of 258, we were in a large group of small cruis-ers — over there was the Davidsons’ boat, and not too farbehind us was Dave Edwards in Alcyone. Sam Trickey’sspeedy San Juan was nearby…briefly.

The start of the race, in reverse order of calculated boatspeed, appeared as a stately procession of hat-wearing la-dies strolling through a garden on a quiet sunlit morning.With ten knots of wind from directly astern, and many boats

http://www.rudderclub.com/51mugraceresults.xls


flying colorful spinnakers, our parade of brilliant flowers glidedsilently, save the occasionally ratchety winch, due north on thefirst leg of the 38-mile course from Palatka to Jacksonville.

Passing the power plant bend, we turned east, and thebeam reach of the next leg separated the pack, as those whoflew big genoas could crank up their apparent wind speed.But soon enough, we turned northerly and were back to whatpromised to be a day of leisurely downwind running.

Meg, her fears allayed as the spinnaker floated in the glo-rious breeze, went below for a nap. This un-race-like behav-ior caused her to miss the fleet of small catamarans and one-design dinghies as they raced by in iridescent colors, lookingfor all the world like water beetles weaving among the lum-bering cruisers..When Hutch’s watch was over, the spinna-ker was doused, and Meg took the helm so Hutch could alsoindulge in un-race-like behavior. Around 1:30 p.m., she calledbelow, softly at first as not to intrude on his meditation, thenwith greater insistence. “We’re dead in the water, Captain,and almost all the boats have left us behind.” Concerned thatwe had run aground, Hutch came above to see that we’d en-tered the dreaded Picolata doldrums. The river was oily calm,and all the cruisers within sight appeared virtually station-ary, as roasting flesh sizzled in the cockpits. We scroungedfor every available square inch of cloth to hang, and endedup with the main, jib, and spinnaker wafting, the biminiangled forward to catch any stray wind molecules, and tow-els tied between the shrouds. Along the shore’s edge, weghosted along. Soon, we felt a puff, then another, and soonwere making way. What a sight as we rounded the bend - 90boats in one long, clear stretch of river. The wind was defi-nitely coming around, and soon the spinnaker, which hadevolved into a gennaker, had to come down, as Meg experi-enced what being overpowered by a sail means.

Ground-strike lightning was now preceding the distantrumbling we’d been hearing for some time, and the thundergained volume. Clouds down-course blackened quickly. Twostorm cells on either side of the river suggested we mightglide through without a drop, but it wasn’t to be. Reportsradioed in from the SeaRay safety crews, ever ready withweather updates, reported that the lone wind surfer hadswamped and was being brought in. The SeaRays startedsearching for and assisting numerous capsized Hobie Cats.We battened down, got the reefing lines ready, and donnedthe raingear. Suddenly Aurora Blue was ripping along in araging Force 7 gale. All those Hornblower stories became realas our jaunty craft plowed through the roiling St. Johns sea.For years, we’ve always chosen to go out in weather—hik-ing, biking, or in our canoe—as that is when Her Majesty Na-ture is most splendid, and you can usually count on being alone.

But we weren’t alone, as just ahead we spied a two-masted wooden sailing canoe remaining gamely upright, evenas it was being swamped by large waves. Its luffing foresailwas approximately eight square feet, its main less than twenty.We looked for the skipper, but nary a soul was in sight. Thenwe saw him in the water holding onto the boat. We jibedaround and asked if perhaps he could use some assistance,and he opined that yes, indeed, that would be most welcome.We treated this as a crew overboard drill, headed up, andretrieved the floating line from the lazarette. Up close, cir-cumstances appeared a bit more out of control, so Hutch swam

the rope over to lash the canoe to our boat. The skipper wasbrought aboard, using the winch and a good grip on hiswetsuit. When Captain Halsey, who looked to be a spry eighty,mentioned he was probably getting too old for this, we rec-ognized a kindred spirit. We hope to still be sailing in weatherwhen we reach his age.

After a SeaRay took Captain Halsey and his craft aboard,we reviewed our drill and found it wanting in some key ar-eas, such as our inability to radio our position because a fewweeks earlier our GPS had not returned from its own over-board drill. In gale conditions, it’s difficult to stop a boat. Wewere simply lucky that we’d been able to hold position longenough to get a rope to the canoe without drifting apart, andour recently installed swim-ladder certainly saved the day.

After this diversion, we were determined to finish therace. The bone went between the teeth; we bellowed Arrrgh!and headed back into the wind with a reefed main and the jibstowed. We’re no estimators of windspeed, but the radiowarnings were for 50-knot gusts and the sting of the horizon-tal rain wouldn’t deny it. There was no shoreline, so with onlythe compass and depth-finder as guides, we clawed north.Eventually the storm abated, and in the binoculars appearedThe Mug, tipped over but magically not spilling its contents.With the finish line in sight, we performed our obligatory turnsin snappy nautical fashion and looked back in exhilaration -there were still a few boats behind us! We saluted the raceofficials as they asked us where our registration numbers were(they’d blown off the sail), and we congratulated ourselvesover spaghetti and beer for finishing the first of our manyMug Races to come.

Robert Hutchinson and Meg Niederhofer won theCorinthian Cup…for the last boat to finish.

They sail in Aurora Blue, a 21-foot Sirius, with the Gulf-Atlantic Yacht Club of Gainesville. [email protected]

MELBOURNE YACHT CLUB SPRING REGATTAAPRIL 17-18 AND APRIL 24-26by Sherry BeckettThe 2004 edition of Melbourne Yacht Club’s “laid back” SpringRegatta followed through on the MYC promise of “great sail-ing, great food, free beer and awesome trophies.”

The first weekend of the two-weekend event was for smallboats; primarily one-design racing sailboats under 20 feet. Thelargest fleet attending was the Sunfish class, with 14 boatscompeting, including such notables as Linda Tillman, JamesLiebl, Tony Elliot, and Paul Strauley. The wind was fairlystrong both days, favoring the younger sailors. James Lieblwalked away with first place, with wins in five of six races.

In the seven-boat Laser fleet, Dick Tillman also walkedaway with his class, with wins in five of six races. Battling itout for second and third were Mike Moody from Michiganand David Hartman from Vero Beach. Tied with 11 points atthe end of six races, Mike won second place on the tiebreaker,by taking a first place in the last race.

A contingent of Force 5 racers came up from South Floridato make a five-boat class. Jim Bigham and Steve Perry, bothfrom Miami, swapped firsts a number of times throughoutsix races. The pair ended up tied for first with eight points,but Jim Bigham won the class with a first place in the lastrace. The third and fourth place boats were also tied on points,



but Tom Hicks won the tie-breaker to take third place,with a win in Race #5.

Six boats competed inthe Flying Scot class.Chuck Tanner walkedaway with first place withwins in five of six races.The fleet had great funsailing. Winds were bois-terous, yet the water rela-tively calm in the pro-tected waters of the In-dian River.

The Multihull fleetcomprised three Interna-tional 20s, 2 Hobie 16s, aNacra 5.2 and a P182. TheFinish Line committeeboat really enjoyed seeingthe multis screaming intothe windward mark andlaunching those bigchutes. There were acouple of spectacularnon-launchs too! At theend of six races, Terry andRick Loewen in their In-ter 20 were tied on pointswith Chuck Pickering in aHobie 16. Team Loewentook first place by virtue ofthree firsts in the last threeraces. It took them a whileto get “dialed in,” but oncethey did, third place wentto Richard “Gilligan”Uschald in a P182.

The most unusualone-design class was theRaider fleet. These aredelta-shaped boats with aLaser-like rig. Some folkscame all the way downfrom Georgia and North

Carolina to participate inthe seven-boat class. CarlSaylor and his daughterAshley, both from Geor-gia, battled it out for firstand second in nearly ev-ery race. Carl ended uptaking first with more con-sistent higher places. JohnMacNeill of Melbournewas a close third in a bor-rowed Raider.

The Portsmouth fleetwas a disappointing twoboats. Last year’s winner,Mike Barile, in his 30-year-old Daysailer, wastrumped in every race byJames Cook in a Van-guard 15.

The Regatta party Sat-urday night featuredmass quantities of excep-tional Mexican fajitas,and lots of free beer. Ingeneral, a great time washad by all.

The second weekendof the Melbourne YachtClub Spring Regatta fea-tured PHRF and big boatone-design racing. Theweekend was kicked offwith the traditional Fri-day night Rebel Rally, areverse handicap non-spinnaker race. The earlyfinishers in this race fin-ished in the middle of aspectactular sunset, whilethe tail-end boats finishedin the dark. Nineteenboats competed in the Fri-day night race, with theLindenberg 28, Five Speed,finishing first overall, fol-

lowed closely by Sea Turtle, a Beneteau 38, and Slot Machine,an SR-Max 21.

Saturday morning dawned, another spectacular spring day;clear blue skies, and winds 15 knots out of the ESE... it doesn’tget any better than this! When registration was completed, theSpinnaker boats were divided across four classes; Melges 24,Lindenberg 28, Spinnaker A, and Spinnaker B. The Lindenberg28 sailors were ecstatic to be given their own class, and declaredthe regatta the “Lindenberg 28 World Championships.”

In the Melges 24 fleet, Ray Laguna in Mr. Hyde took firstplace, with a consistent string of second places. Second wentto Mike Nulf in Immediate Impact, and third to DuncanMacKenzie in Moving Target.

Gary Smith in Five Speed walked away with the

Ashley Saylor and crew in a Raider, hiking mightily. Photo by Sherry Beckett.

James Liebl Hamming takes another first place finish in his Sunfish. Photo by SherryBeckett


http://www.funma.com


Lindenberg 28 “WorldChampionship,” takingfirst in four of five races.His only second came ina race in which he washoled below the water-line at the windwardmark on the first laparound the course. Bythe time Five Speed hadreached the next mark,his most efficient crewhad already patched thehole with duct tape,bailed the water, andFive Speed continued onto finish second in therace. Sherry Beckett inFast Lane finished sec-ond overall, with con-sistent 2-3 finishes.Beckett was followedclosely by the Henry/Yates team in Roo-key, anew addition to the lo-cal fleet, sailing withmostly borrowed sails.The L28 crews were really exhilarated by the highly competi-tive one-design racing (“with no PHRF whining!”).

In Spinnaker A, Hasty Miller took first in his Nightwind35, with four firsts in five races. Hot on his heels in nearly everyrace was Ray Nowak on Gaucho, a Tartan 10. Another Tartan 10from Cocoa claimed third place, skippered by Bob Salmon.

In Spinnaker B, Larry Etheridge, in an S2 7.9, and GreggKowalski, in a SR-Max 21, slugged it out for first and second.The lighter winds on the second day of the race favored the S2,and Etheridge finished with two firsts to clinch first place inclass. Ed Luscinskag took third in a well-used Lindenberg 22.

The non-spinnaker fleet saw some very competitive rac-ing, with old rivals Jerry Ross in the J/30, Sleighride, and JimMiller in the Beneteau 38, Sea Turtle, battling it out for firstand second. After five races, the two boats were tied with 11points. Miller took first overall with the “more firsts” tie-breaker. Third place was claimed by John Drawe and PaulAlexy in Da Pope, an S2 7.9.

Only one (fool)hardy soul came out to compete in the Cruis-ing fleet. Rick Cope in Southern Breeze, a Beneteau 352, took fivefirsts in five races to win first overall in the class. This was Rick’sfirst regatta, so he was ecstatic with his performance.

At the awards ceremony on Saturday, the winning boatswere presented with beautiful half-hull trophies, hand craftedby Noble Awards. During the awards presentation, RegattaChairman Jim Edwards took the opportunity to thank the rac-ers for “clean racing”... “No protests in 2 weekends of racing-not even with a hole in one boat!!??” After awards were pre-sented, the crews partied til the beer ran dry (and then de-parted swiftly). One departing skipper was heard to remark,“We’ll be back in the fall!!”

Complete results and more photos can be found onlineat www.sail-race.com/myc/springresults.htm

Team Brevard Challenge I20 in their yellow catamaran on a screaming close reach. Photo by Sherry Beckett.

http://www.boatersexchange.com

http://www.sail-race.com/myc/springresults.htm


SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA SAILING

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA RACE REPORT:SUNBURN REGATTA, MIAMI. APRIL 25Thirty-eight boats, 12-knot breeze and sunny skies, mix themall together, and you end up with the annual Sunburn Re-gatta hosted by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. The race, whichis part of the BBYRA Series 1 championship, provided someserious racing in each of the participating classes. Fortunately,everyone had energy left over to continue with the festivitiesat club-side. After the stories were told and the barbeque hadall but disappeared, the awards were handed out to the topthree finishers in each class.

Results:PHRF 1: 1 - Rubin/Shellow, Triptease, Tripp 33; 2 - Stuart Hebb, Thin Ice, Aerodyne 38; 3- Tom Seghi, Group Therapy, Henderson 30; PHRF 2: 1 - Pat Cacace, Blackbird, C & C 99;2 - Art Perez, Tiburon, Lindenberg 28; 3 - David Berg, Hot Air III, J30; PHRF 3: 1- RussellHorn, Mild to Wild, Morgan 27; 2 - Steven Stollman, Stoked, Ultimate 20; 3- Jaime Topp,Touchstone, Yamaha 33; PHRF 4: 1 - Edward Asmus, Leprechan, J22; 2 - Richard Hall, St.Clair, Cal 29; ARF: 1 - Kerry Gruson, Blew Ba You, Sonar 23; 2 - Bill Beavers, Finesse,Tartan34.4; 3 - Albert Ivaldi, Lickety Split, Ericson 32. J24: 1- Pete Benziger, Gotta Go; 2 - MikeCastleberry, J Tripper, 3 - Gonzalo Diaz Sr, I’ll Go.

MIAMI TO KEY LARGO RACE, APRIL 17, MIAMI, FLBy Art PerezThe 49th annualMiami to KeyLargo Regatta,hosted by the Mi-ami Yacht Club,had all the ingre-dients for success.Over 168 entriesregistered for thisprestigious eventbenefiting theMYC Youth Sail-ing Foundation. With winds out of the NE at 20 to 25 knots, the42-mile course to the finish was sailed in time.

The multihulls were quick off the starting line with theirspinnakers flying. Achieving speeds in excess of 20 knots, thefirst multihull to reach the finish was Leandro Spina in a timeof 2:02:29 on a Tornado. One hour later the first monohullsarrived. Jim Williams aboard Elysium, sailing in the Open class,was first to cross in a time of 3:22:56. Close behind, leadingthe PHRF 1 fleet was Pat Cacace in Blackbird, finishing first inhis class. Pat said, “We started aggressively from the start inspite of not having our full crew. We didn’t hesitate to set ourspinnaker, and once up, we pressed hard all the way down tothe Featherbeds. We managed to hold the boat steady anddidn’t make many mistakes.”

The race was not without its suspense. The Multihullsdisplayed their acrobatic skills when a few of the cats majes-tically flipped over in the strong breeze. The Monohulls didn’tescape the carnage either. Spinnakers were left tattered alongthe course. Certainly a field day for sailmakers!

Results:PHRF 1; Blackbird, Pat Cacace: PHRF 2; Stoked, Steve Stollman: PHRF 3; Mild 2 Wild, RussHorn: PHRF 4; Hot Streak, Jack King: Open; Elysium, James Williams: ARC 1; Wind Pirates,Tracy Whelan: ARC 2; Beverley Ann, Bruce Hutson: ARC 3; Victory,Victor Cribb Sr: ARC 4;Whiskers, Dave Olsen: ARC 5; Karen,John Kearns: ARC 6; Penguin, Joe Worley: ARC 7;Bubbles, John Pastorik: High Ports; Hobie, John Mcknight: High Spinn; MS No Excuse,

Leandro Spina: Inter 20; Tybee Island, Kenny Pierce: Low Ports; Cayote, Nelson Eads:Low Spinn; Gotta Go,Robert Onsgard: Narca 5.8; Merk Mueller: Hobie 16; Dick Russell:MASF; Man O’War, Andy Roedig

USODA 2004 TEAM TRIALSAPRIL 29-MAY 2, MIAMI, FLBy Art PerezOne hundred fifty-seven entries from all over the UnitedStates showed up on Biscayne Bay for the Opti team trials

Some cats flipped in the Miami to Key Largo Race.Photo by Andrea Newberry.

JUNE UPCOMING EVENTS:

June 5-6 – BBYRA PHRF/OD #6. Miami. Host:KBYC. annual regatta held as part of the BBYRA Series’championship. Open to all PHRF (Sat.) and One design(Sun.) boats. Contact: www.bbyra.net

June 12 – Saturday — Ocean Watch 16th AnnualReef Sweep and Beach Cleanup! Broward County

Since its inception in 1989, this ocean cleanup hashauled in more than 20 tons of harmful garbage.

Already a South Florida tradition, local charterboats, private boaters and beach walkers will sweep ourbeaches and coral reefs clean from harmful garbage anddebris. We are expecting over 700 volunteers. Publicbeach cleanup efforts by beach walkers will start at 9:00a.m. and continue through noon at six locations inBroward County.

Hundreds of volunteer hours are needed to makethis annual event successful, and all participants are in-vited to the Reef Sweep Party immediately after thecleanup at 12:30 p.m. at the Baja Beach Club at the FortLauderdale Las Olas Riverfront Complex whereOSCARs (Ocean Watch Saves Corals and Reefs) will beawarded to the people who collect the most garbage,rope and monofilament. This lively party includes food,drinks, live entertainment, raffle and door prizes. Bringyour children, too. Phone: (954) 462-5604), [email protected], or go to the Web site,www.oceanwatch.org for more information.

June 19 – BBYRA PHRF#7. Miami. Host: CRYC. Fi-nal race of the BBYRA Series’1 for the PHRF class. Con-tact: www.bbyra.net


June 21 – Summer Solstice. Longest day of the year.June 26. BBYRA OD#7. Miami. Host: CGSC. Final

race of the BBYRA Series’1 for One-Design class. Con-tact: www.bbyra.net

JULY UPCOMING EVENTSJuly 2 – Abacos, Bahamas - The Great Turtle Cay

Race. Host GTYC. Tune-up race for Regatta Time inAbacos.

July 3 -11 – Abacos, Bahamas - Regatta Time in theAbacos. (305) 665-8316. Fax: (305) 665-0318, [email protected]. Web site: www.rtia.net. See “ShortTacks” page 20 for more information.

http://www.bbyra.net


http://www.oceanwatch.org




http://www.rtia.net


hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club. The top five finishers quali-fied for the World Championships being held in Ecuador lateron this year.

For most of the regatta, winds were 15 to 20 knots requir-ing a good deal of sailing skills from these young competi-tors. After four days of racing, Austin Anderson fromCenterport YC sailed to victory with four first-place finishes.The local talent was not to be outdone. Nick Voss, sailing outof CGSC, finished a respectable second place, also winning aberth for the Worlds. Tommy Fink and Sean Moynaham fromCRYC placed eighth and ninth respectively and will be rep-resenting the United States at the European championships.

BBYRA #5 SERIES REGATTA, CRYCMIAMI, MAY 15By Art PerezWho says it’s not windy in Miami? May, so far, has been thewindiest month on record. A Bermuda high that has heldsteady for the past three weeks has maintained its pressure

Opti sailors in Miami. Photo by Art Perez.

gradient over South Florida producing steady winds in the18 to 25-knot range. Saturday morning was no exception. Atstart time, the breeze was holding steady at 18 knots, gustingto 20 knots. It was another perfect day for “heavy air” sailingon the bay. Racing nine-mile windward/leeward courses, allhad the opportunity to practice their spinnaker handling tech-niques all afternoon.

Afterwards, crew and their skippers met at CRYC for theaward presentations and the usual exchange of “stories”.

Results: (skipper/name/manufacture)PHRF 1: 1 - Gordon Ettie, Sazerac, Swan 40; 2 - Rubin/Shellow, Triptease, Tripp 33; 3 -Mike Catalano, Moving Party IV, Melges 24;PHRF 2: 1 - David Berg, Hot Air III, J30; 2 - CraigSetzer, Mistral, Beneteau First; 3 - David Beheney, Xtreme, Santana 35;

PHRF 3: 1 - Russell Horn, Mild to Wild, Morgan 27; 2 - Jaime Topp, Touchstone, Yamaha33; 3 - Steve Stollman, Stoked, Ultimate 20;PHRF 4: 1 - Karen Mitchel, Three Gimps,Sonar23; 2 - Edward Asmus, Leprechan, J22; 3 - Lea Hume, Maiden, Tartan 28;

ARF: 1 - Kerry Gruson, Blew Ba You, Sonar 23; 2 - Kenneth Ellis, Freebird, C & C 29; 3 - BillBeavers, Finesse, Tartan 34.4;J24: 1 - Mike Castleberry, J Tripper; 2 - Pete Benziger, GottaGo; 3 - David Rucker, Geronimo’s Cadillac.


UPPER GULF COAST SAILING

FLORIDA PANHANDLE,ALABAMA, MISSISSIPPI,LOUISIANA, TEXASJUNE SAILINGBy Kim KaminskiEven though the hurricane season officially begins on June 1,sailors can anticipate enjoying numerous days of fun along thecoastal waters with a little preparation in case of changingweather conditions. The weather during the month of June canbe predictable at times with warm moderate breezes duringthe mid-morning hours and late afternoon summer rain show-ers, which quickly dissipate, leaving mild conditions for a pleas-ant summer evening. Temperatures range in the mid 80s to mid90s, with moderate winds of 8 to 12 knots that fill in from theGulf of Mexico generally from the south-southeast.

For many of the southern areas of FL, sailing activities mayslow down a bit during this time of year, but here along theGulf Coast June is busting out all over with sailing fun. TheFiesta of Five Flags Festival in Pensacola, FL, kicks off the firstof the boating activities for the month. Starting June 3-12, thecity holds an annual celebration, which recognizes its historyas the first European settlement in the United States. Thisweeklong celebration honors this heritage with treasure hunts,boat parades and other outdoor events, such as the re-creation

of the Don Tristan De Luna’s landing party on the shores ofSanta Rosa Island. Pensacola is a city that has been under therule of five different flags; Spanish, French, British, Confeder-ate and American flags. The Fiesta of Five Flags celebrationwelcomes the diverse background of the city as well as pro-moting community pride.

The Cancer Society Regatta held by the Pensacola YachtClub helps to embrace that effort by offering an opportunityfor the sailors in the area to compete in an event as well as prov-ing a way to give back to their community through the dona-tions raised during this special regatta held on June 5.

On June 5 and 6 the Gulf Yachting Association continuesthe inter-club competition between the 33 GYA members byhosting the Chandler Regatta at the St. Andrews Bay Yacht Clubin Panama City, FL. Competitors will be racing on the inter-club one design boat, the Flying Scot, in several races to be heldthroughout the year.

On June 18-19, sailors will be gathering at the Gulfport YachtClub in Gulfport, MS, to prepare for another GYA racing event,the Challenge Cup, where the best boats from each club in fourdifferent PHRF classes compete in a two-day racing competi-tion held over the Father’s Day weekend. On the followingweekend, June 24-25, these same competitors will have the op-portunity to participate in a 100-mile race along the Gulf Coastfrom Gulfport, MS, to Pensacola, FL.

Attention, ladies; Get ready to enjoy your day in the sunbecause July is filled with sailboat races just for women. Watchfor the details in next month’s issue.

Enjoy a summer filled with sailing opportunities here alongthe Gulf Coast. There is something here for everyone to enjoy.And if you want to explore some other fun events that can befound here along the northern Gulf Coast, check out the activi-ties listed below:

UPCOMING EVENTSJune 1 – Atlantic hurricane season begins.June 3-12 – Fiesta of Five Flags celebrates 55 years!

Pensacola. (850) 433-6512June 5 – Cancer Society Regatta – Pensacola Yacht Club,

Pensacola, FLJune 5-6 – Chandler Regatta – St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club,

Panama City, FLJune 12 – Commodore’s Cup Race #3 – Navy Yacht Club,

Pensacola, FLJune 12-13 – Area D Quarter Finals – Mobile Yacht Club,

Mobile, ALJune 18-20 – Challenge Cup – Gulfport Yacht Club,

Gulfport, MSJune 20 – Summer Solstice. Longest Day of the year.June 20-21 – Summer Sailstice. Go sailing and celebrate.

See “Short Tacks” page 20 for more details.June 25-26 – Gulfport to Pensacola Race – Gulfport Yacht

Club / Pensacola Yacht ClubJuly 3-4 – Junior Olympic Festival – Pensacola Yacht Club,

Pensacola, FLJuly 3 – Patriot’s Day Regatta – Pensacola Beach Yacht Club,

Pensacola Beach, FLJuly 10-11 – Meigs Regatta – Fort Walton Yacht Club – Fort

Walton Beach, FLJuly 10-11 – Rhodes 19 Regionals – Fairhope Yacht Club -

http://www.coralreefsailing.net


Fairhope, ALJuly 17 – Fast Women’s Regatta – Point Yacht Club,

Josephine, ALJuly 17 – Summer Regatta – Mobile Yacht Club, Mobile,

ALJuly 24 – Bikini Regatta – Navy Yacht Club, Pensacola, FLJuly 24 - 25 – Junior Lipton Cup, Bay Waveland Yacht Club,

Bay St. Louis, MSJuly 31-Aug 1 – Race for the Roses Women’s PHRF Cham-

pionship, Pensacola Beach Yacht ClubJuly 31 – Weatherly Regatta, Gulfport Yacht Club,

Gulfport, MSOpen Entry Fun Sailboat Races – on the second and fourth

Wednesdays evenings of every month, from April to October -at the Pensacola Yacht Club

Open Entry Fun One Design Races – Wednesday eve-nings, Pensacola Yacht Club

For additional race schedules check the Gulf Yachting As-sociation Web site at: www.gya.org

UPPER GULF COAST RACE REPORT:

10TH ANNUAL CORSAIR-FARRIER TRIMARANNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AND RENDEZVOUS,PENSACOLA, FL APRIL 20-23By Kim KaminskiDennis Connor’s catamaran Stars and Stripes showed the sail-ing world how well a multihull sailboat could go to weather inthe America’s Cup campaign held in San Diego, CA, years ago.His catamaran proved that even the world’s most high techand newly designed monohull sailboat could not keep up (eventhough the boat was almost twice its size). Did you know that atrimaran sailboat is even faster than a catamaran going to wind-ward, By combining the stability of a monohull with the pon-toons of the catamaran, Corsair Marine created a sailboat knownfor its maneuverability, stability and balance, which enable thisboat to exceed greater speeds than that of a conventional sail-boat or catamaran. Perhaps that is one reason why the Corsairtrimaran has become one of the most popular sailing vessels inthe country and why the number of competitors has grown innumbers for the 2004 Corsair-Farrier National Trimaran Cham-pionship and Rendezvous.

This year’s 10th Annual National Championship was heldin Pensacola, FL, on April 20- 23. Competitors from various re-gions across the United States could be seen transporting theirsailboats by trailers to the Pensacola Yacht Club facility in prepa-ration for the weeklong racing event. These contestants con-verged out on the waters of Pensacola Bay for some of the mostideal racing opportunities to be found-ideal because the weatherconditions could not have been more perfect for this highlycompetitive regatta. Temperatures during the event were in themid 70s, with winds averaging in strength from 14 to 16 knots,and sunny to partly cloudy skies filled the horizon with only 10minutes of rain during the entire occasion.

The race schedule included five classes with three startsper race. These racing classes include: the F-28 R, the F-24 andF-24M, the F-31 and the Open class. Forty-two racing class boatsentered the championship, while six cruising boats signed onfor the rendezvous adventures. The Rendezvous was an eventorganized to provide those trimaran owners who wanted to be

Chris Blaschke from Richmond, Texas and his team on Rumline kicked uptheir heels prior to the start of racing on the last day of the Corsair FarrierTrimaran National Championship held by the Pensacola Yacht Club inPensacola, Florida. Photo by Kim Kaminski.

a part of the championship activities but were not interested inparticipating in the racing competitions with an option. Therendezvous sailors were able to sail and visit various landmarksas well as raft-up locations near the Pensacola area, allowingenough time for these adventurers to return to the PensacolaYacht Club facility for the evening festivities.

The racers enjoyed four days of intense competition for atotal of eight races in all. During the first two days of racing,

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UPPER GULF COAST SAILING

halfway through thecompetition the F-28R class had a verytight battle going onfor the top honors inits division. Theteams aboard BadBoys, Rockateer II andCondor engaged in athree-way tie for firstplace. On day three,their tie was brokenwith only one pointseparating the teams.When the final racewas completed, BadBoys had movedahead and capturedthe first place honors.

Peter Wann, asailor from Littleton,CO, and a competitorin the Open class di-vision, enjoyed his first experience racing on the Cor-sair during the championship. He has sailed onmonohull boats previously and now in the Open classdivision on a Corsair 28 CC - R trimaran named Tri toFly. Peter said ‘Sailing on a Corsair can be compared tothe difference between driving a Chevy on the free-way and driving a race car on the Nascar Speedway…itis an unbelievable thrill.‘ Thrills could also be foundwith the team on Lei Loe in the Open class division.Not only did this El Paso, TX, team find themselvesracing on the newest boat (an F-31R1D) in the fleet butalso found they had earned the first place position ineach of the races of the Championship, finishing witha total of seven points. Besides winning the first-placeposition in the Open class division, H. L. Enloe and histeam on Lei Loe earned the title of the 2004 CorsairTrimaran National Champion.

Results: 2004 Corsair - Farrier Trimaran National Championships: The top fivecompetitors overall include: First place, H.L. Enloe on Lei Loe; Second place,Randy Smythe on Rockateer II; Third place, Robert Onsgard on Priorities; Fourthplace, Bob Harkrider on Bad Boys; Fifth place, Glenn Howell on Adios!

DAUPHIN ISLAND RACE, MOBILE BAY, AL, APRIL 24By Jim KransbergerThe 46th Annual Dauphin Island Race may well be the crownjewel for Mobile Bay sailing. It’s sort of a multiple-layered, pro-gressive sailing party for anyone who wants to do a rather shortsail between parties. Well, actually, there are other feeder races:one the week before the Dauphin Race and the other the dayafter the race. The feeder before the Dauphin Island Race has areception party at the host club. Serious doubt can be cast onthe thought that there would be anyone of sound mind andbody who would entertain the idea that the return home feedershould have the need to party more, so good was the sociality.

Dauphin Island Race is an annual Mobile Bay regatta. Fourclubs, within the bay, alternate hosting the event. While thefeeder races from each of the non-hosting clubs terminate at thehost club, the actual event is sailed each year on the exact samecourse. As luck may have it, the compass rose on the MobileBay chart is as close to a mid-point between the participatingclubs, and that’s where the race begins. The course is nearlysouth, and a boat may not enter or cross the Mobile Ship Chan-nel until reaching Middle Bay Light. At the light, and the nextmarker south, racers can cross the Ship Channel and tack forthe finish line at Dauphin Island.

The hosting club this year was Fairhope Yacht Club. Thethree other clubs involved are: Mobile Yacht Club, BuccaneerYacht Club and Lake Forest Yacht Club. The hosting club hascomplete responsibility for everything for their turn, includ-ing race committee, social committee and whatever else isneeded.

The unique factor of the event is that it allows nearly any-one, yacht club member or not, to participate. The only restric-tion is that a boat be at least 16 feet long. Kon-tiki qualifies andcould enter only to find that the finish line was long gone as of1730 CDT on the day of the race. This aside, there were 228boats registered this year, and the largest single showing or fleetparticipating might be the Pearson Flyers, with five.

The rest of the fleet was a polyglot. A little of this, a little of

Peter Freudenberg and his team on Condor en-joyed an early morning practice spinnaker runprior to the last day of the National Champi-onship. This team had been in a 3-way tie forfirst place in their class division during the firsthalf of the championship and battled on to fin-ish in third place in their class. Photo by KimKaminski.

Tyrant rounds the Middle Bay Lighthouse. Photo by Jim Kransberger.



that. There were three divisions: PHRFclasses, Portsmouth classes and One-De-sign and Multihull. In order for the divi-sions to have some sense of balance within,they were broken into subdivisions of nomore than eight, somewhat alike boats.That’s quite a table full of racing trophies!There were boats that qualified as offshoreracers, boats that were small day sailers.There were boats that were world classcruisers and boats that were not. The uni-fying thread that pulled this dissimilar flo-tilla together was that it was an open event.It was a fun event. It was great because itbrought together all these different peopleinto a three-day activity.

Ashore, Friday night before the race, theAnnual Pre-Race Party had an island theme. The décor was pureisland, complete with Tiki huts and a customs money exchangewhere foreign dollars were changed for the local currency. Thedifferent huts served the normal sailing beverages, straw hats,T-shirts and a tattoo or two for children. The music was pureKey West and should have been because the band was rumoredto be the warm-up band for Jimmy Buffett.

A unique award was presented during the evening. RearAdmiral Jeremiah Denton, retired USN, was in attendanceand surprised to be named honorary race chairman. Denton,a former POW, gave a brief acceptance, only to be immedi-

DeCompressor II sails in the Dauphin Island Race. Photo by Jim Kransberger

ately given a plaque from President Bush. The plaque waspresented to Denton by Joe Bonner, Republican congressmanfrom Mobile.

In very light air, the race began Saturday morning. Onefleet after another piled up just over the line in a very lightbreeze. Some went east against the shore; others sought out thecenter of the bay, close to the ship channel. The air died and thedrive began. White Trash, a Olsen 40 owned by Greg Smith, wenttowards the center and was slowly eking out a small lead over

See UPPER GULF continued on page 61

http://www.uksailmakers.com

The Keys Sailing SceneWeatherCalendar of EventsHot Happenings

Florida Keys June Weather

AVERAGE TEMPERATURESKey West 79o lo - 88o hi

GULF WATER TEMPERATUREKey West 85o

For real-time eastern Gulfweather, winds and marine forecasts, go tohttp://comps.marine.usf.edu

JUNE SAILINGBy Rebecca Burg

Like nestlings just learning to fly, the flockof Optis awkwardly crowded together asthey left the pier. Bumbling into eachother, tiny sails fluttering, the sailboatseventually scattered into the light breeze.From a distance one could hear the joy-ful shouts and giggles of very young skip-pers learning how to sail. A larger andswiftly moving sailboat, obviouslyhelmed by one of the instructors, careful-ly herded his charges like a dutiful moth-er duck. Heralding the start of summer,these kids had just been released fromschool. From a boater’s point of view, it’ssurely a sensible way to start the season.

Though June’s average wind speed isaround 9.8 knots from the southeast, it’ssufficient enough to motivate sailors ofall ages in the Keys. Leisurely daysailersglide over calm, clear seas with watertemperatures at an average range of 82to 86 degrees. Sailboat races challengeone’s light air skills and patience. Thosewho sail out on an enchanting excursionunder the stars enjoy nightly tempera-tures averaging 79 degrees. When thesun rises, daytime temps rise up to 88degrees. Rainfall amounts vary along theKeys chain, but 3 to 4.6 inches was theoverall average for the past few years.“It’s hot and rainy,” quips a local chartercaptain. “I like it!” Cruisers who stickaround for the summer take a littlelonger to reach the next stop and mustdodge June’s rain and T-storm activity. Anaverage of nine T-storms pay a visit,

fueled by rising tropical humidity and thewarm ocean surface. While on the water,be cautious of a brewing storm’s suddengust front, frequent lightning and theformation of waterspouts. These locallyunique on-water tornadoes do not playfair and are capable of sneaking up on ananchored boat at night. The official startof the Atlantic hurricane season beginsthis month, but the more serious stormsusually don’t make it up this way untilAugust.

On land and on the water, most sea-sonal residents have migrated north bynow. The anchorage’s thin, slip space iseasier to find, and boat ramps have moreopen parking spaces. Charismatic only-in-the-Keys establishments such as thePelican Poop Shoppe or the waterfrontHarbor Lights Bar, where a scene from aJames Bond flick was filmed, reluctantlywatch the tourist season wind down. Thepace slows. Visitors still trickle throughthe Keys, and June is full of entertainingand highly creative events worth investi-gating. From tasty tropical fruit fiestasand a parade devoted to Key West’scrowing wild roosters, the Keys are a cel-ebration of color and diversity. Many ofthe cultural events also celebrate thebeauty of our own human diversity sincethe Keys are not timid about the asser-tion that our world would be a muddy,boring place if we were all exactly alike.Where else could a sailor find this muchcolor and creativity while on land?

Key Largo

Marathon

Key West

Cape Sable

Dry Tortugas

5 366 34

June Prevailing WindsSee page 62 for Windrose legend

FLORIDA KEYS SAILING

Keys Events &HappeningsCalendar

Every Saturday - Open House atthe Key West Sailing Club. 10:00 a.m.to 1:00 p.m.

Every Friday - Women’s SailingProgram at the Key West Sailing Club.Noon. Women of all ages and sailingexperience meet at the clubhouse,learn new things and enjoy hands-onsailing.

http://comps.marine.usf.edu


FLORIDA KEYS SAILING

June 1 - Atlantic hurricane season begins.June 7 - Key West Sailing Club, Key West. Youth Sailing

Program begins. Beginner sessions in morning and advancedsessions in afternoon. Instruction in clubhouse and on the wa-ter with club boats. Contact: (305) 292-5993

June 5-13 - Pridefest in the Florida Keys. This event, withthe openness that the Keys is usually known to have for gayand lesbian locals and visitors, celebrates human diversity anduniqueness. Community Center (305) 292-3223

June 14-19 - Key West. Cuban-American Heritage Festi-val. Entertaining and delightfully educational. The Florida Keyschain is full of Cuban tradition, culture and history. Contact:(305) 295-9665

June 17-20 - Key West. Chicken Fest. An all-in-good-funnew event to recognize a long-time tourist’s delight and theoccasional local’s bane; Key West’s free-roaming roosters, hensand baby chicks. Poultry-related dances, costume contest,“tastes like chicken” cook off, street fair and parade. Contact:[email protected]

June 21 - Summer Solstice - Longest day of the year, andthe days start getting shorter.

June 20-21 - Summer Sailstice. Go sailing and celebrate.See “Short Tacks” page 20 for more details.

June 25-26 - Key West. African-American Heritage Festi-val. Social fun, food and entertainment to appreciate and cel-ebrate a rich heritage that has shaped Keys culture. Contact:(305) 747-4544

June 26 - Marathon. Tropical Fruit Fiesta. Free family funfor lovers of exotic fruit. Presentations, samples, tree sales anda special area for the kids. Contact (305) 292-4501

June 30 - Key West. Waterfront Playhouse season ends.You still have the month of June to enjoy fine theater perfor-mances at the Playhouse, which overlooks the scenic harbor.Within walking distance of the bight and dinghy docks. Con-tact: Florence (305) 294-0431

July 4 - Islamorada. Holiday Isle Fireworks. A beautifulbeachfront, tiki bars and tropical atmosphere is a great way tocelebrate Independence Day. Village of Islands includes day-time family fun for the kids before the fireworks show at night-fall. Contact: Eileen (305) 664-2321.

Club RacingKey West. Wednesday Night Racing has started at the KeyWest Sailing Club. Racing begins about 6:00 p.m. Bring yourown boat or crew on a club boat and join us in a series of socialraces around the buoys with beer, soda and food after racing.

Racing CalendarJune 13 - Key West Sailing Club. Single-handed race in the

seaplane basin. All boats 20 feet and over invited. Skipper’smeeting evening of June 11 at the Sailing Club in Key West.Contact: Fleet Capt. David (305) 296-7939

KEYS SAILING CLUB LOCATIONS & CONTACTSKey West Sailing Club. In Key West off Palm Avenue to SailboatLane. Sailing out of Garrison Bight. (305) 292-5993Marathon Sailing Club, Marathon Key. Web site pending.Upper Keys Sailing Club. Buttonwood Sound,

Key Largo. www.upperkeyssailingclub.com

Keys Race ReportWrecker’s Cup Race SeriesKey WestBy Rebecca Burg

For four months, from January toApril, Schooner Wharf Bar hosts

the Wrecker’s Race Series in Key West.Sponsored by Schooner Wharf,Pusser’s Rum and West Marine, thisintense event is an all-out drag racefrom the harbor to Sand Key light.Boats sail a total of 14 miles. Visiting and local sailing vessels ofall sizes from schooners to daysailers race side by side in friskywinter winds and seas. During all four races, sailors faced windsfrom 15 knots to gusty 21 knots and steep 3-4-foot rolling seas.Capt. Alex’s Pterodactyl, a 31-foot trimaran with otherworldlyspeeds, flattened the multihull class and won every race as wellas winning the series for being the fastest overall. Long, slinkynewcomer Aces aced February’s race for monohulls over 30 feet,while blue beauty Constellation and wind-loving Adastra wereback in action and leading the pack this year. In an elegantsailboatish display of dominance, Constellation would consis-tently strut over the finish far ahead of her rivals. Cruising ketchDefiant used her sturdy full-keeled figure to tidily crash throughthe rough seas and place first in January and second in March.Light on her feet, Moonspinner leapt into third in January andsecond in April. At times she heeled over so far from the stronggusts that one could see a painted decoration on her curvedunderside. Though Blow Me did not escape playful ribbing byher fellows, the suave sailboat proved to be tough competitionfor the over 30-foot class.

For the monohull under 30-foot class a solid group of J-24shad an impressive face-off with a mix of small cruisers anddaysailers. Close contenders J-24 Thin Ice and Class Act domi-nated the fleet with the highest rankings. In mid-series, a newbad boy on the block, Golden Omen, scrambled the status quoafter spending time on the stands and resembling the haplesssubject in the game “Operation.” Happy to be wet again, thiswell-sailed sloop took second place in March and kicked sprayat her rivals to win first in April. Cruisers Wild Oats and Thumperhung out behind the flock while Nina and Chelae fluffed theirsails and contested each other. In Febraury, Sirius II enjoyed thedubious attention of winning the DFL trophy for being the last

Wreckers’ Race, first race in se-ries. Photo courtesy Bite Me (anon-profit anti-dog group).

Advertise in this Keys section. Call Rebecca Burg 305-304-5118

See FLORIDA KEYS SAILING continued on page 13

http://www.upperkeyssailingclub.com


Cedar Key to Cape SableRacing News & CalendarCruisingUpcoming Events CalendarWest Florida News for SailorsSailing Services Directory

West Florida June Weather

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES St. Petersburg 74o lo - 89o hiNaples 72o lo - 90o hi

GULF WATER TEMPERATURESt. Petersburg 84o

Naples 85o

For real-time eastern Gulfweather, winds and marine forecasts, go tohttp://comps.marine.usf.edu

Cedar Key

St. PetersburgTampa

Fort Myers

Key West

Naples

Cape Sable

8

5 36

10

June Prevailing WindsSee page 62 for Windrose legend

WEST FLORIDA SAILING

SAILING IN JUNEBy Dave Ellis

Summer has arrived. Suddenly there arevery few regattas to attend. Racing isenjoyed in the evening, hopefully afterany thunderstorms pass by on their wayto the Gulf.

The Gulf water temperature isapproaching 80 degrees. The afternoonair approaches 90. The Bermuda Highwith its easterly flow across Florida push-es any cumulus clouds that form fromthe rising heat toward our west coast.

Sometime during the day the seabreeze, from the west, will stop and thenovercome that easterly. As the easterlywind dies, it will become very shifty,probably in the late morning. Watch forthe sky in the low horizon to the west toturn brown. That is the land pollutiongetting to the west and then collectinglow and coming back at you. Oh joy.

When the little black flies, love bugsin June, start collecting on your sails,look to the west for the new, freshbreeze. On Tampa Bay near St. Pete itwill come in at about 210 degrees. InClearwater it will be more like 290. Ittends to go directly toward what it con-ceives as being the shore, the major heaton the land.

There are puffy clouds to the eastthat are driving this sea breeze effect.

How can you tell if that big, bad-looking puffy cloud is headed your way?Look at the bottom of it. If there is a “roll

cloud” that looks like an elongated, verygrey hot dog and it is perpendicular toyou so you see the whole roll cloud, it isaiming straight at you.

If you see that cloud and there is an,ahem, appendage sticking out of oneside, then what you are seeing is oneend of that cloud’s roll. It is going that-away.

If the cloud looks sort of hazy andmisty at the bottom with no roll, it isgoing the other way.

If it is just all pretty and well formed,especially if it seems to be collapsing inon itself, it is probably staying in oneplace and raining itself out. Watch outfor other clouds forming quickly nearby,maybe over you!

Events CalendarJune 1 – Hurricane Season Begins.

June 1 through November 30.June 2 – Full MoonJune 7-8 – Juan Levique Day and

Merchant Expo in John’s Pass Village,Madeira Beach. Honors the day thatJohn Levique discovered a hurricanehad created St. John’s Pass in 1848.(727) 393-1947

June 20 – Father’s DayJune 21 – Summer Solstice. Long-

est day of the year, and the days startgetting shorter.

June 20-21 - Summer Sailstice. Gosailing and celebrate. See “ShortTacks” page 20 for more details.

June 26-July 4 – Pirates Days Cele-bration. Treasure Island CommunityCenter

July 2 – Full Moon – July 4 In-dependence Day - Fireworks.

http://comps.marine.usf.edu



Kids Windsurfing Instruction

North Beach Windsurfing, Tampa Bay, teaches beginneryouth windsurfing clinics in the summer; Ages range

from 8-18 years old. Using top quality, custom-sized equip-ment for kids makes windsurfing fun, easy and SAFE. Thedates are May 22- 23, June 5-6, June19-20, July 10-11, July 24-25. 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. $60. This camp orlesson is really for those kids who have never done it beforeor who need the basics. For more information, please call (727)656-6569 or visit www.nbwindsurfing.com

Scholarships for ClearwaterYouth Summer SailingProgram for Kids WithLifeThreatening Circumstances

Clearwater Community Sailing Center announces scholarships for their Summer Sailing Camp Program. The

scholarships are intended for children (or siblings of children)living under life-threatening circumstances. Qualifying chil-dren will be between 6 and 15 years old living with a termi-nal illness or other life-threatening circumstance. These grantsare for at least one free week of sailing day camp at the Sail-ing Center located on Sand Key. Qualifying children will begrouped with kids of their own age and sailing skill level.

The Sailing Camps are taught by US Sailing certified in-structors. Each group of 6 students is assigned at least onecertified instructor. While the children do not have to be ex-pert swimmers, they should be comfortable (not panicky)treading water in a life jacket. The camps are available in ei-ther half-day or full-day weekly sessions beginning May 24thand running through the week beginning July 26th.

Please contact the Sailing Center at (727) 517-7776 for fur-ther information.

Racing CalendarTo have your race, regatta, or club races listed, please [email protected] by the 10th of the month. Races listedshould be open to anyone.FLORIDA WEST COAST & INLAND LAKESThe races and regattas listed here are open to those who want to sail.

June 2-6 – Corinthian Regatta. Manatee River inBradenton to Key West Bight Marina. Motorsailing possiblewithout being disqualified. Call Capt. Miller Time (941) 765-4646. Bradenton-Yacht-Club.org

June 8 – Florida West Coast regatta calendar planningmeeting. St. Petersburg Yacht Club, 7:00 p.m.. Call PhyllisEades, Sailing Secretary (727) 323-3724

June 12 – St. Petersburg Sailing Association Commodore’sCup. PHRF racing on Tampa Bay. spsa.us

June 19 – Dunedin Boat Club, Larkin Regatta; Gulf, pointto point PHRF, dunedinboatclub.org

June 19 – Race #2 Cortez Yacht Club Cup Series.www.cortezyachtclub.com

http://www.nbwindsurfing.com

http://www.bradenton-yacht-club.org

http://www.dunedinboatclub.org

http://www.cortezyachtclub.com

http://www.tshack.com

54 June 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com

http://www.nboat.com



SUBSCRIBE TO SOUTHWINDS$12/YEAR $23/2 YEARS 3RD CLASS

$24/YEAR $45/2 YEARS 1ST CLASSSEE PAGE 4

July 3 – Cortez Yacht Club. Party 4-8 then Fireworks atBeachhouse on Holmes Beach. www.cortezyachtclub.com

July 4 – Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Firecracker Regatta1:30 warning. sarasotasailingsquad.com

July 9-11 – US SAILING Area D Semi-Finals. Bemis (La-ser), Smythe (C420) Sears (J-24) Davis Island Yacht Club, hostdiyc.org

July 11 – Race #3, Cortez Yacht Club, CYC Cup Series.www.cortezyachtclub.com

Club Racing Open to Everyone Wanting to Race

Davis Island YC. Thursday evenings. Tampa.Windsurfers, dinghies, cats, PHRF, keelboat One Designs. 6:30start of first class, sailing around upper Hillsboro Bay. Lots ofboats; Daylight savings time of year. Must be US Sailing mem-ber. Register before racing, once for summer. An RC duty daymay be in your future. www.diyc.org

Davis Island YC - Wednesday Evenings Dinghy Series.First warning 6:30 p.m. Laser, Laser Radial, C420, Sunfish,Lightning, Flying Scot, 470, Fireball. Andrew Sumpton [email protected] or Allison Jolly at [email protected]

Bradenton YC. Thursday evenings. Starts with daylightsavings. PHRF racing on Manatee River. For info call BobMiller, (941) 795-4646

St. Petersburg YC. Friday evenings. 6:30 start off the Mu-nicipal Pier. PHRF, Snipes Starts May. Look for the RC boat atthe Pier if an easterly, a half mile downwind from the pier inother breezes. Course around nearby navigation buoys. Sailby the RC boat to register. Anywhere from 10 - 25 boatswww.spyc.org

Treasure Island Tennis and YC. Friday evenings.7:00 startoutside of John’s Pass in Gulf of Mexico

PHRF racing. Starts May. Get together to go under thebridges. www.tityc.org

Clearwater YC. Friday evenings. 7:00 Start off ClearwaterPass in Gulf; PHRF racing. Starts May www.cyc.org

Venice Sailing Squadron. Saturdays. First Saturday ofeach month, PHRF racing. Start at mouth of Venice Inlet.www.venice-sailing-squadron.org

Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Friday evening. Begins April9. Start at 6:30. Everyone welcome. www.sarasotasailingsquad.com

Edison Sailing Center, Ft. Myers. Sunfish and dinghyracing once a month, year-round [email protected]

Port Charlotte. Third Saturday of month, [email protected]

West Marine/BoatUSFree Seminars for June (Call the store-reservations sometimes needed)

BoatUSBradenton, 5627 14th ST West, 941-755-9670, Start time 6 p.m.

6/6/04 – Sidewalk Sale (soda/hot dogs) All DayClearwater, 11477 US HWY 19 N., 727-573-2678, Start time 6 p.m.

6/5/04 – Troubleshooting Your Boat’s Electrical System,Mike Markowski

6/9/04 - Varnishing Tips, Bob HavensTarpon Springs, 41286 US HWY 19 North, Start time 7 p.m.

To be announced, call store for details



http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com

http://www.diyc.org

http://www.diyc.org


[email protected]

http://www.spyc.org

http://www.tityc.org

http://www.cyc.org

http://www.floridabooks.com

http://www.sailorswharf.com

http://www.nauticaltrader.net

http://www.venice-sailing-squadron.org

http://www.sarasotasailingsquadron.com




West Florida SailingServices DirectoryFrom Cedar Key to Cape SableTo advertise e-mail [email protected] or call (941) 795-8704.See page 29 for ad prices.

ADVERTISE IN THIS DIRECTORY3- line ads for $8 a month4-line ads for $10 a month

1" boxed in ads for $20 a month

Ads paid in advance for 1 year

Taller boxed in ads start at 2" tallfor $34 a month

See page 29 or call (941) 795-8704

RIGGING SERVICES

SSMR. Inc. 727-823-4800Complete Rigging Services

On-Site Swagging & SplicingCommisssioning Services

At Harborage Hi & Dry Dock • Crane ServiceFax 727-823-3270 ............. St. Petersburg

SAILBOAT SERVICES AND REPAIRS

ELLIE’S SAILING SHOP ClearwaterLifelines, rigging, hardware, repairs

Serving small boat sailors Since 1958Sunfish Boats and Parts...........(727) 442-3281

SAILMAKING, REPAIRING & CLEANING

ADVANCED SAILS (727) 896-7245Quality Cruising Sails & Service

Closest Sailmaker to St. Petersburg MarinasKeith Donaldson.................... (727) 896-7245

Scuba Clean Yacht ServiceSee ad in Underwater Services

SARASOTAPORPOISE SAILING SERVICES

• New and Used Sails• Buy • Sell • Trade

• Furling Packages • DiscountSunbrella

(941) 758-2822 ww.porpoisesailing.com

Cedar Key

St. PetersburgTampa

Fort Myers

Key West

Naples

Cape Sable

SAILMAKING, REPAIRING & CLEANINGcontinued

SUNRISE SAILS PLUS WEST FLORIDAComplete Yacht Outfitting Service

Sails – New, Repair, CleaningComplete rigging service, masts, cushions,

canvas & more(941) [email protected]

SAILING INSTRUCTION/SCHOOLS

Adventure Cruising & Sailing SchoolA sailing school for Women and Couples• ASA • West Florida and Chesapeakewww.acss.bz .......................... (727) 204-8850


Deliveries • Gulf • Atlantic • Caribbean(866) 221-2841 .. [email protected]

FLAGSHIP SAILING/TAMPA BAY AREAASA Sailing Instruction –

Basic thru AdvancedInstructor Certification • Sailing Club

Bareboat & Captained Charterswww.flagshipsailing.com ...... (727) 942-8958

YACHTING VACATIONS SW FLORIDALive-aboard/non-live-aboard

ASA instructionwww.yachtingvacations.com .. (800) 447-0080

UNDERWATER SERVICES

Scuba Clean Yacht Service• Underwater Services • Canvas Shop• Sail Cleaning & Repair • Detailing

• Mechanical • Electrical • ElectronicsServing Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota,

Pasco & Manatee Counties.(727) 327-2628

Advertise in this 1" tall adfor $20 a month.

See page 29 for detailsor call (941) 795-8704.

BOAT LETTERING – GRAPHICS

THE SIGN FACTORY FLORIDABOAT GRAPHICS

Screen Printing • T-shirts • Hats(941) 792-4830 ..... [email protected]

CANVAS & CUSHION SERVICES

Banks Sails TampaSee ad in Sailmaking

Scuba Clean Yacht ServiceSee ad in Underwater Services

CAPTAIN SERVICES


Deliveries • Gulf • Atlantic • Caribbean(866) 221-2841 .. [email protected]

COMMUNICATIONS

Dockside Radio – Pactor II/III modem sales &support; FCC marine radio license filing; SailMail& WinLink installation and trainingwww.docksideradio.com .........(941) 661-4498


http://www.docksideradio.com


http://www.boatnames.net

http://www.acss.bz



http://www.flagshipsailing.com

http://www.yachtingvacations.com


http://www.porpoisesailing.com



WEST FLORIDA SAILINGWest MarineApollo Beach, 268 Apollo Beach Blvd., 813-645-6144,

Start time 6 p.m.6/16/04 - To be announced, call store for details

Bradenton, 4569 14th Street W., 941-753-3585, Start time 7 p.m.6/9/04 - Splicing Basics, Fred6/23/04 - Intro. To GPS, Gary

Clearwater, 1231 Cleveland, 727-443-2280, Start time 7 p.m.To be announced, call store for details

Clearwater, 18891 US Hwy 19 N., 727-536-4002, Start time 7 p.m.To be announced, call store for details

Crystal River, 160 SE Hwy 19 N., 352-563-0003, Start time 5 p.m.6/3/04 - Kayak Seminar, Capt. Gary Harris

Holiday, 3346 US Hwy 19 North, 727-846-1903, Start time 6 p.m.To be announced, call store for details

Largo, 10289 Ulmerton, 727-586-7040, Start time 7 p.m.To be announced, call store for details

St. Petersburg, 3905 W Cypress St., Start time 7 p.m.To be announced, call store for details

St. Petersburg, 5001 34th St. South, Start time 6 p.m.6/29/04 - Installing an Inverter/Charger Capt. Charles

Johnson, P.E.St. Petersburg, 119 1st Ave North. 727-822-6565 Start time 3 p.m.

To be announced, call store for detailsTampa, 3905 West Cypress, 813-348-0521, Start time 6 p.m.

To be announced, call store for details

West Florida Race Report

Jabbo Gordon Invitational Regatta,Englewood, FL, March 20By Mary Gordon

John Kremski of Fort Myers won four out of five races to cap-ture the adult Sunfish division at the Jabbo Gordon Invita-

tional Regatta on Englewood’s Lemon Bay on Mar. 20. Kremskiplaced second in the second race to Jack Scragg who finishedsecond overall. Mike Mierswa took third.

The adult Sunfish skippers were competing in the Ports-mouth Handicap division with junior Sunfish, Club 420 andLaser Radial sailors. In the final race, Kremski beat the entire15-boat fleet on corrected time. Because of a scoring foul-up,Kremski did not receive an award, but upon discovering theerror, officials said he would be rewarded handsomely.

Sammy Waldron, representing the host Venice Youth Boat-ing Association, overcame a sixth place in the first race, sailedhis Laser Radial to two firsts and two seconds and garnered thetop Portsmouth division honor. Charlotte Sims, also of theVYBA, skippered her Sunfish to second.

The VYBA’s Jackie Sims won the Opti class, while AbbyFeatherstone of Sarasota came in second in the 21-boat fleet,largest of the 73-boat regatta. Caroline Wallace of St. Petersburg,racked up first place in the Opti Green fleet, which is for firstyear competitors. J.P. Jaquith of Venice was second. ElizabethOrren of Englewood won the Walker Bay 10 class in a tie breakerover Matt Gamel.

The regatta, formerly known as the Harriett Corrigan Regatta,attracted almost double the number of sailors as any prior year,including one from as far away as the Lake Eustis Sailing Club.

The one-day event featured two races in the morning and threemore in the afternoon over a trapezoid course. Moderate easterlybreezes prevailed most of the day, and there were a few capsizes.

http://www.flagshipsailing.com



David Mendelblatt wins 2004 FloridaSunfish Regional ChampionshipBy Charlie Clifton

Thirty-five sailors competed in the Florida State RegionalSunfish Championship at the Mobetta Yacht Club in up-

per Charlotte Harbor May 15 and 16. A 5 to 20 knot, gusty,shifty easterly persisted the whole weekend.

Mark Mendelblatt started strongly with two firsts and asecond. 15-year-old Connor Blouin showed he was going tobe a force as he won the third race after finishing 3 and 2.

Jeff Linton finally found the groove and won the fourthand last Saturday race.

Sunday began with Mendelblatt leading Linton by 2points and Blouin by 5. Jeff reeled off two straight bullets.Connor beat Mark in one of those races to put Linton aheadby one point going into the last race. Mendelblatt would haveto either win or put a boat between him and Linton to takethe regatta.

Great Grand Master Erik Erickson led at the first wind-ward mark with Linton second and Mendelblatt deep. Markfound a lane way right of the fleet on the run, passed 10 boats,and rounded the leeward mark second with Linton right be-hind in third. They overtook Erickson on the second beat, heldthe same positions on the last run, and began the last beatfighting for the lead and the regatta.

As Linton and Mendelblatt duked it out on the right ofthe last beat, Blouin and another junior, Fred Strammer,streaked off to the left where they found a little pressure andlooked as if they would both beat Mark, which would giveJeff the regatta. Although Blouin won, Mendelblatt managedto edge out Strammer right at the finish, giving him the boathe needed to win the world qualifier.

Results1. David Mendelblatt, St. Pete, 15; 2. Jeff Linton, DIYC, 16; 3. Connor Blouin, DIYC, 24; 4.Pete Merrifield, St. Pete, 47; 5. Chris Lowrie, Melbourne, 53; 6. Fred Strammer, Venice,59

2004 Hula Cup, Sarasota Bay, May 8By Charlie Clifton

Thirty sailors were on Sarasota Bay May 8 for the Women’sFlorida State Sunfish and Pram Championship. Beautiful

weather with a 6-10 knot westerly set the stage for seven racesin three hours.

Linda Tillman won the first Sunfish race, Cindy Clifton thesecond. Then Rita Steele, who was OCS the second race, reeledoff four straight bullets. In the last race, at the last leeward mark,

Steele was deep in the pack. She managed to pass just enoughboats on the last leg to tie Tillman and win via tie breaker.

Teal Strammer, the tiniest sailor in the regatta, won the PramJunior Division by one point. 2002 Opti National Green FleetChampion Jackie Sims was second. Both Teal and Jackie wonthree races.

In the Women’s Pram Division, Tampa’s PJ Summervillewon every race to take the overall Pram Perpetual Trophy.Results:Sunfish:1. Rita Steele, Sarasota,13;2. Linda Tillman,Melbourne,13;3. RebeccaRom,Venice,18;4. Cindy Clifton,Sarasota,25;5. Donna Steele,Tampa,27;Pram Junior1.TealStrammer,Venice,9;2. Jackie Sims,Venice,10;3. Michele Thomas, Venice,22;Pram Women:1.PJ Summerville,Tampa,5;2. Meredith Wyble,DIYC,12;3. Terry Holcombe,DIYC,18

Back Row L-R: Julie Burnett, Cindy Taylor, Cindy Clifton, Olga Oliver, BridgeSnitih, Rita Steele, Donna Steele, Bonnie Sevier, Linda Tillman, Lori Siff.Front row: Chanelle Strammer, Loretta Garber, Rebecca Rom, TealStrammer, Molly McKinney, Michelle Thomas. Photo by Carol McDowell.

http://www.bluewaterss.com

http://www.sailorswharf.com



Rolex Women’s Match, St. Petersburg,FL, April 9-11: Sandy Hayes WinsGrade 4 Women’s EventFrom Media Pro International

Eight teams of women match racers competed in the RolexWomen’s Match, an International Sailing Federation Grade

4 event, on April 9-11. Two-and-one-half days of round robinracing took place in Sonar keelboats on Tampa Bay, in St. Pe-tersburg. Sandy Hayes (Scituate, MA), sailing with KimHapgood, Chafee Emory and Heidi Ziskind, won nine of her10 matches and was named champion of the 2004 RolexWomen’s Match. Organized by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club,with support from title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A., to intro-duce women sailors to one-on-one match racing, the regattaincluded a skills and rules clinic with match racing world cham-pion Ed Baird.

“The Rolex Women’s Match was a great event for us,” saidHayes. “I was very pleased with our teamwork of getting theboat around the course. We had great speed, boat handling andpositioning.

“SPYC always runs a first class event. The clinic with EdBaird before the event was fantastic. I can’t wait to spend timere-reading my notes and processing the information he pre-sented. Henry Menin also did a fantastic job of spending timeexplaining situations and the rules during the event.”

Other participating skippers included: Louise Bienvenu(New Orleans, LA), Kristin Britt (St. Petersburg, FL), ArabellaDenvir (Irvington, VA), Pat Seidenspinner (St. Petersburg, FL),Rachael Silverstein (St. Petersburg, FL.), and Kris Zillman(Cleveland, OH).

With this win, Hayes receives an invitation to the RolexOsprey Cup at St. Petersburg Yacht Club, October 27-31.

Results are posted on the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Website, www.spyc.org, and the Rolex Women’s Match Web sitewww.rolexwomensmatch.org.

Results: (Overall Finish, Skipper, Hometown, Crew)1. Sandy Hayes (Scituate, MA) Kim Hapgood, Chafee Emory, Heidi Ziskind; 2. RachaelSilverstein (St. Petersburg, FL) Kira Devers-Jones, Trisha; Birkenstock, Meredith Pelton; 3.

Kristin Britt (St. Petersburg, FL) Evan Brown, Kelley Simpson, Reguli Granger; 4. Jo AnnFisher (Arnold, MD) Lynda Hiller, Martha Fisher, Maegan Rhulman; 5. Kirsten Zillman (Cleve-land, OH Kristi Patterson, Angela Scheibner, Janet Walker; 6. Pat Seidenspinner (St. Peters-burg, FL) Carole Bardes, Karen Park, Laura Jeffers; 7. Arabella Denvir (Irvington, VA.) Jessa-mine Lewis, Bridget Creney, Dianne Sullivan; 8. Louise Bienvenu (New Orleans, LA.) MarcyLake/Helen Larsen, Michelle Hitter, Midge Tandy;

Sarasota SailfestSarasota Sailing Squadron – May 1-2By Charlie Clifton

Strong southerly breezes provided challenging conditions for174 young sailors at the 2004 Sailfest on Sarasota Bay.

In Laser Radials, Sarasotan Chris Enger had just returnedfrom representing the United States at the Laser Radial YouthWorlds in Australia. He started slowly with an 8 in the firstrace. After a 2 in the second race, he reeled off four straightbullets to win that class by 7 points.

Four of the 44 Opti Open sailors were each a point apartgoing into the last race. At the end, Naples’ Kristopher Woodsmoved from second to first with his third straight ace as IanHoltzworth moved up from third to second.

Martin County Opti Green Fleet sailor Colleen Hartmanshowed that she is ready for Opti Open Prime Time. She wonevery one of the six races to finish 9 points ahead of secondplace Chris Stocke of Sarasota.

The 15-boat Sunfish Class had by far the widest age range,with sailors from 14 to 75. Rick Pantall dominated that fleetdespite stopping in the last race to aid a boat in distress. Fol-lowing Dave Connolly, 120-pound Connor Blouin sailed re-markably in 20 knots of breeze to finish 3rd.

Three boats were tied at the end of the 420 series. JamieCurran won the tie breaker, followed by Ben Alcocer and NoahKaplan.

The 2004 Regional Sears Cup representative, FredStrammer, showed his heels to a Flying Scot fleet of adults bywinning every race.

Complete results at: www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/raceresults.htm

http://www.sarasotasailingsquad.com/raceresults.htm

http://www.rolexwomesmatch.org

http://www.suncoastinflatables.com



North U, South Seas Resort, FL:Let’s Go to Sailboat Racing SchoolBy Dave Ellis

So you have been racing sailboats for a while and enjoy it.But you think you may enjoy it more if you were up nearer

the front of the fleet more often, maybe even eventually be-ing required to polish some silver occasionally.

Just so much can be done to hone skills with your localfleet. Unless you sail with a very skilled fleet, you probablyneed outside help.

There are schools that can infuse racing skills in a shorttime. No, you won’t become an overnight rock star. Impres-sive gains in a fleet have been experienced, though.

The sailor learns principles behind the winner’s reason-ing. A good racing school will look at your individual styleand temperament and work with you to gain the skill neededto greatly increase your skill level.

J-World in Key West for the harder-core racer, RickWhite’s race weeks near Key Largo for Laser, Sunfish and allmanner of catamarans, and Offshore Sailing SchoolRaceweeks are proven choices to jump-start your racing game.North U has traveling classroom seminars, which may havecome to your club.

Offshore has had raceweeks for over three decades. WhenI decided to get into the sailing business in 1985, I answeredan ad in Sailing World, or whatever it was called then, for a“racing instructor.” “Sure, come on up to City Island, NY,and interview,” said owner Steve Colgate.

I had never raced a boat with a spinnaker before, so Iread Colgate’s book on the subject and memorized his tried-and-true method. In the interview when questions about spin-naker work were asked, I parroted the book. Naturally, theyfigured I was an expert and hired me. The upshot was that Iwas able to teach spinnaker work very well. Empathy for thestudent and breaking things down into simple steps madeteaching, and learning, easy.

Let’s go inside a week of North U/Offshore Sailing Schoolracing class at Captiva’s South Seas Resort. The classroomportion is in the morning from 8 to 10. If you have ever been

to a North U presentation on tactics or speed, this is the same,but expanded. North U founder Bill Gladstone is a skilledmoderator who welcomes questions, yet keeps the flow oflearning progressing.

It is the on-the-water time that makes this week espe-cially effective. Six identical Colgate 26 sloops were lined upready for four adult clients and one on-board instructor apiece.After introductions Monday, we went sailing on Pine IslandSound in a fresh breeze and flat water.

The first morning I like to just let each person sail theboat and work every position so that I can get a look at theirskill level and they can get used to the responsive boat. Thefour sailors assigned to each boat stayed together with thesame on-board instructor all week. Gladstone tooled aroundin a powerboat taking videos and notes for the evening recap

Racing with North U.

http://www.seaschool.com



Tyrant, which had gone inshore. Tyrant, an Oyster 40, isowned by Mark Lockhart. The wind almost died, leavingthe fleet becalmed, when it went right and lifted Tyrant intoan advantage over White Trash. Locked against the ship chan-nel, White Trash was forced into a headed position that she couldnot recover from.

The shift and a quite strong sea breeze prevailed therest of the race. Winds that were barely a mile an hour quicklyreached 18. The smooth seas became an instant substantialchop of nearly 6 feet with a very short frequency. At theMiddle Bay Light there were only a few spectator boats tosee the fleet cross the channel. It was wet and rough. Al-though the finish line was maybe four miles farther than theLight, 40 boats nearly reached that point, withdrawing.

Saturday night’s surprise. There was another party heldon Dauphin Island. Attendance was very good, and ex-hausted sailors accepted trophies and thought about thepossibility of the same conditions recurring in the returnfeeder race.

One return that is certain to happen is great attendanceat next year’s race. Dauphin Island Race is an open idea, onethat includes all the sailing community. As such it is build-ing an active audience, keeping new blood flowing, makingall remember what attracted them to sailboats in the first place.

Jim Kransberger is a professional sailing photographer andlives in North Carolina. Photos from this race can be seen at:www.waterlinephotos.com.

UPPER GULF (continued from page 49)

from 6 to 7. One clip showed our boat coming to a dead-stopgrounding under full spinnaker in 15 knots of wind. Oops.No damage to the Colgate 26, just our pride, as the video wasrewound repeatedly that evening.

On the boat I was assigned, Frank owns a B-25, so he wasused to the performance. His strong personality needed to beconvinced that teamwork was important.

Jim was the fixer. He seemed to have an eye for how thingsworked, but he had little tiller time.

Dave was studious, observant and willing to learn, buthe, too, had not steered much.

Jim owned a Colgate 26, but was just getting into racingand needed confidence and lots of practice.

I needed to make these disparate guys into a team so thatthey had a chance to win the “bragging rights” regatta at theend of the week. The first step is boat-handling. Holding thetiller extension correctly, stepping across the boat, detailedmethods of how to handle the sheets, who does what andwhen, all make the boat-handling second nature.

By Tuesday afternoon’s sailing session we are supposedto get into boat speed. That week, however, the winds gustedto over 30 knots. So we just reefed and learned how to handlethe conditions. Spinnaker work had to wait a day.

It surprised most crew to learn that the person assignedto the foredeck to handle the spinnaker pole is simply a me-chanic. It is the persons in the cockpit handling the lines whomake the foredeck person look great or terrible. It is also theskipper’s course that makes their job easier, or not.

By Thursday, after three mornings of intense classroomand nearly twenty hours of sailing, teamwork starts to takeplace. Only then can tactics and strategy start to be effective.Shifts are so much more important than pure boat speed. In aten-degree shift on a beat, one boat will gain 25 percent of the

distance two boats are apart if the headed boat tacks. No-body is that fast.

Thursday morning there is no classroom. But by 10 weare back to practice starts, real starts on short windward-lee-ward-finish courses.

On Thursday afternoon it is tough for us on-board in-structors, sitting on the back of the Colgate 26, to begin hold-ing back our constructive chatter. The most successful boats,however, are those that are allowed to sail a race and thenafterward be questioned about their decisions and actionsduring that race.

By Friday’s short races a sort of pecking order seems toemerge, with one boat dominating and others near the backof the fleet. It doesn’t matter. Each crew has learned so verymuch that if they had that skill level on Monday, they wouldhave horizoned the others.

Saturday dawns and it is time for the instructors to getoff the boat. I do race committee duty so, I get a good view ofthe starts. In the morning we have practice races where theinstructors can make comments afterward and, in the case ofanyone with issues, during the racing.

But in the afternoon, it is regatta time. We set the coursea little longer, and the six boats jockey for position. The boatthat had been dominating, sort of, had the wheels fall off atthe start, then fouled a boat halfway up the first leg, doingthe requisite 360 and barely made it back to fifth place. Theyrecovered for a couple of firsts among the five races.

Each boat must let each person aboard sail each posi-tion. Teamwork and cooperation are essential. Frank sailedtwo of the five races, winning both. They were delighted wheneverybody else placed first or second in their heats to get thesilver plates for first in the regatta.

Just wait until they get back to their unsuspecting local fleet.

http://www.waterlinephotos.com


DONATEYOUR BOAT

Tampa Sailing Squadron is lookingfor boat donations for their

youth sailing program. Take a taxwrite-off and donate a boat to

YOUTH SAILING, INC.a non-profit organizationto help kids learn to sail.

Call Bud at 813-645-5704

www.tampasailingsquadron.org

Explanation of Wind Roses

Each wind rose shows the distribution ofthe prevailing winds in the area and

month. These have been recorded over a long periodof time. In general the lengths of the arrows indicate howoften the winds came from that direction. The longer the arrowthe more prevalent were the winds coming from that direction.The length of the shaft is generally to a scale to indicate the per-centage of the winds from that direction, but not as printed in themagazine, but the proportions are correct and as a general indica-tor, the diameter of the circle is a little over 15 percent.

The wind blows in the direction the arrows fly. When thearrow is too long to be printed in a practical manner, a number isindicated. In the sample here, that would be the number 32, whichmeans that 32 percent of the time the wind blew from the west.The number of feathers on the arrow indicates the strength of thewind on the Beaufort scale (one feather is Force 1, two is Force 2,etc. See below). The number in the center of the circle shows thepercentage of the time that the winds were calm. They all add upto 100 percent. In this example, 32 percent came from the Westand 9 percent were calms (a total of 41 per cent), so the remainingarrows add up to 59 percent. These symbols are used here to gen-erally show where the winds came from during that month, howstrong and how often.

In this example we can see that about a third of the time thewinds came from the West, about 20 percent of the time from theNE, Force 3, about 20 percent from the SE, Force 4, maybe 15 per-cent from the south, Force 2, about never from the NW, and 32 per-cent from the West, Force 3. It was calm 9 percent of the time. We hadsome winds from the East at Force 4 and the SW at Force 2.

Beaufort Scale (in knots): Force 1(1-3); Force 2(4-6); Force 3(7-10);Force 4(11-16); Force 5(17-21); Force 6(22-27); Force 7(28-33); Force8(34-40); Force 9(41-47); Force 10(48-55); Force 11(56-63); Force12(64-71 Hurricane)

Wind Roses are taken from Pilot Charts

http://www.tampasailingsquadron.org

NEWS & VIEWS FOR SOUTHERN SAILORS SOUTHWINDS June 2004

12’ 1981 Areys Pond, Catboat, monohull, 10”draft, gaff-rig, teak trim, bronze fittings, fiberglasshull, Shoreline trailer, all in very good condition.$5500 or best offer. (239) 218-6969. (7/04)

Hotfoot 20 Sportboat 1985, Similar to Ultimate 20,recent hull paint, PHRF 168 - Lift bulb keel, 1000 lbdisplacement, Mainsail,155% ,UK Tape Drive blade,spinnaker, Boomkicker, Galvanized trailer, $7400.Atlanta, Call Scott at (678) 947-8875 or [email protected] (6/04)

1980 Skipper 20’ Shallow-draft sloop and trailer. 3sails, self-bailing with motor well, displacement2,000 lbs. Adult v-berths, opening ports, and quar-ter berths. $2100 OBO. Stuart, FL (772) 878-4721(6/04)

“In August, you began running an advertisement to sell my diesel engine in your classifieds section. I am pleased to advise you thatI have a buyer as a result of the advertisement. Please discontinue it. FYI, I have also had inquiries from West Africa and France asa result of the Internet ad you made available. I’m MAJOR impressed!! Thank you very much.” Capt C.T., St. Petersburg, FL

C L A S S I F I E D A D S

63

1. Classified ads for boats are $5 a month forup to 30 words, 3-month minimum ($15).Check or credit cards accepted.

2. Add $5 a month for horizontal photo (ver-tical photos $5 a month more), 3-monthminimum, ($30 for three month ad for boatwith photo).

3. Free ads for boats under $500 (sail anddinghys only), all gear under $500, andwindsurfing equipment. Add $5 a monthfor photo.

4. Boats must be for sale by the owner to

qualify for the above.5. E-mail ads (including art/photos to

[email protected]. Add $5 typ-ing charge for ads mailed in or faxed in (in-cluding free ads).

6. Photos not accompanied by S.A.S.E. will notbe returned. Photocopies of photos will notwork. E-mail or send actual photo.

7. Ads (and renewing ads) must be received bythe 10th of the month.

8. The last month your ad runs will be in paren-theses, e.g., (10/04) is October, 2004.

All ads go on the Internet, and your Web site or e-mail address in the ad will be linked by clicking on it.SOUTHWINDS will only be responsible financially for mistakes for a one issue period. Please check your ad. Let us know any mistakes by the 10th of the month.

CLASSIFIED ADS for $5 PER MONTH9. All other ads are $20 a month for up to 20

words. Add $5 a month for each additional10 words. $10 a month for a horizontalphoto. Frequency discounts available. Con-tact editor.

Now pay on-line at out Web sitewww.southwindssailing.com

[email protected]

PO Box 1175, Holmes Beach, FL 34218-1175(941)795-8704 (941) 795-8705

www.southwindssailing.com

DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDSAdvertise your business in a displayad in the classifieds section. Sold bythe column inch. 2 inch minimum.

(3 column inches is 1/8 page) Monthly Cost Minimum Total

Ads Per Inch Inches Cost

12 $17 2" $346 $20 2" $403 $23 2" $461 $27 2" $54

22' Ensign Class Sloop. Sailing school fleet. Olderboats in sailing condition. With main and Jib. Four avail-able from $1500-$2500. Call (305) 665-4994 (6/04)

23' Southerly, excellent day and light weekendcruiser that can easily be raced. Several suites ofsails. Also 4hp outboard Mariner to put in cockpitwell. Proven PHRF jib and main winner. An excel-lent boat for the family. Truly a boat to see and sail.$2800 OBO (813) 503-6728. (8/04)

Precision23 (1995) for sale - 150% jib (2002),bimini, auto helm (2002), 8HP Yamaha (2002) 4stroke with electric start & tilt, VHF, instruments withyard trailer. Reduced to $14,900. Extra equipmentavailable separately. Call (941) 351-6207 or [email protected] for additional info. (6/04)

1982 Merit 25. Great condition. Stored out of wa-ter 8 of the last 9 years. Photographs and details athttp://www.intelligentstrategies.com/merit.$7,995. (770) 932-9382 [email protected] (6/04)

BOATS & DINGHIES

9' CAPTIVA ESCAPE with trailer, great fun, easy tosail, good for learning. $950 OBO. Call Nora at (727)397-4309. (5/04)

8' Vanguard Pram, multi purpose sailing dinghy.Ideal for camps or clubs. Used 2 times, all equip-ment, cover, Seatech dolly and extras. $1100.Tampa (813) 792-1319 [email protected] (7/04)

10-foot sailing dinghy, fiberglass, sail rig in goodcondition. $600. Eve. (850) 648-2241. Panama City(6/04)





http://www.rockledgeboats.com



June 2004 SOUTHWINDS www.southwindssailing.com

Accepting offers: 1978 Buccaneer 27’x8’, docu-mented, shoal-draft hull/rig. Interior removed. Zeroblistering. No sails. Most voluminous trailerable sail-boat built. Delivery possible. (850) 442-6510. BobBurnham. 392 East Lake Rd., Quincy, FL 32351.(6/04)

27' Pacific Sea-craft Dana 24,1987. Blue waterboat. 3’10" draft.Yanmar diesel.Staysail. H/C pres-sure water. Cock-pit shower. Pro-pane stove w/oven. Muchmore. Lying Mi-ami. $47,500.(954) 683-7372;[email protected](7/04)

27' Watkins, 10' beam, 3’8" draft. Ideal cruiser.Well equipped. 20-20 Yanmar diesel, roller furling,new bimini, fully battened main, lazy jacks. (305)852-8158. Key Largo $14,[email protected]. (7/04)

28’ Bristol Channel Cutter 1993-94. 27 hp Yanmardiesel, ABI windlass. 300’ new chain, traditional lay-out with work bench. $135,000. For more infor-mation go to: http://bcc.fortworks.com [email protected]. (7/04)

Cape Dory 27’ 1977, Yanmar 8hp diesel. Roller furl-ing, bilge pump, depth meter, full keel, 4’ draft.Carl Alberg design. Sleeps 4. Xlnt. $17,000. Ma-deira Beach, FL. Call for appt. (727) 398-0796

27’ Stiletto, super nice, totally re-done. Outstand-ing fast sailor, goes from 14’ sailing width to 8’ totrailer. All gear, Yamaha OB, sail ready. $23,900.(727) 235-1173 [email protected] (8/04)

27' Tartan 1978 A quality boat. Westerbeke die-sel, 12hp. Wheel, rlr frl jib & main, spin., 3’2" draftw/centerboard. Dodger, awning, life lines, swimldr. $17,950. (239) 454-0889 (8/04)

Argonauta 27 folding tri, fast Newick design, hightech fg, aft cabin, center cockpit, wheel, bimini,roller furling, trailer, only 3 built!!! 45k firm or con-sider coastal land trade, (361) 442-9351 [email protected] in Texas. (6/04)

Catalina 270 Wing-keel, full electronics, autopilot,spinnker and gear, walk-thru transom, North Sailsnew 2001-2002 (3 jibs, main, spinnaker) Vessel giftedto charitable organization.This organization eager tosell boat for cash. Best offer: asking $26,900. Con-tact Lou at [email protected] or phone (305)394-0901(6/04)


1978 Tartan 27 full keel/centerboard, 3' draft, 6'headroom, 6 opening ports, 12 hp diesel, large v-berth, new marine head, stove, sink. stealthis $3000 in Melbourne. (321) 960-0235 (8/04)

1978 Catalina 30, Yanmar 3GM 30 100hours, 12000BTU AC/Heat, tiller steering w/autopilot, speed,depth, compass, stereo, pressure water, 2-speedwinches, $16,500. Eve. (850) 648-2241. PanamaCity. (6/04)

30’ Hunter designed by Cherubini. S/V Uluru is be-ing offered for sale. Complete refit from stem to stern.Turnkey cruiser. Our loss your gain. Bought 42’cruiser. For a detailed inventory, [email protected] or call (239) 280-7434 (6/04)

Voyageur 30.5 LOA,cutter, AJA, 1981, traditionalcoastal/bluewater, 3.4 draft, Florida/Bahamas, 5sails, Yanmar 8 hp. 1/3 gal/hr, full keel, tiller, heavyrigging, custom teak topsides and below, gimblekerosene 2 burner w/oven, excellent ground tackle

64

30’ IRWIN 1980 CITATIONWon’t Last Long – Only $19,900

2004 Yanmar 15HP diesel, autopilot, New reverse cycle air, new electric head,

new cockpit cushions, new stereo & VHF,New Profurl roller furling, bimini.See photos www.gcyachts.com

(888)882-551 (727)822-5516

http://www.gcyachts.com


http://www.gcyachts.com

http://www.jsyachtsusa.com



http://bcc.fortworks.com






C L A S S I F I E D A D Sw/new lines,9 opening bronze ports, ideal for 3 orsmall family, asking only $29,500 for prompt sale,[email protected] (941) 794-1604 (7/04)

Bombay Clipper 31’ 1978 sloop 11.5' beam, 3.5'draft, 6’2" headroom. Furling jib. Well maintainedwith new bottom job, batteries, alternator, stoveGreat for cruising. $24,995 OBO Details:www.bombayclipper.blogspot.com (321)946-1275(7/04)

Hunter 31, 1986, 18hp Yanmar, Profurl, 150%,135%, working jib, spin, LOF #2, windlass, 80 ftchain, Bimini, Dodger, interconnect canvas, teakdoors, Mermaid Air & heat, cockpit table, refrig-eration, 3 batteries, microwave, wind, speed,depth, inst. TV, $29,500. Located 5346 Bay PointCt., Cape Coral, (239) 549-0001 work, (941) 575-8834 home. (7/04)

31' VanDerStadt 1969 Harmony, full keel, 5ft.draft, new Harken roller furling, 4 Lewmar self-tail-ing, Auto Helm 4000+, solar, wind generator, 27hp.Yanmar, $20,000. St. Petersburg, FL, (727) 434-4586. [email protected]. (6/04)

32' Catalina 320 1999 WK, Yanmar 30 (240 hrs)ac, ap, km, df, Bimini, Adler Ref, Bottom Aug. ’02,VHF W/DCS-GPS, Reduced $92,000, lying ShalimarFL (850) 499-0264 (6/04)

Island Packet 32, 1990. Fully Equipped, BeautifulCondition. Ready-to-cruise; just add food andclothes. Newly finished teak. Bimini and dodger.Yanmar 3GM-24hp. Maintenance records available.$91,900. (727) 409-1768. [email protected](7/04)

Pearson 323, 1983. Volvo diesel, roller furling jib,whisker pole, self-tailing winches, autopilot, depth/speed log, factory bow pulpit with anchor roller,transom-mounted boarding ladder. Epoxy bottom2002. Asking $29,000. Call: (850) 380-6236. (7/04)

33’ Morgan out-islander, 1977, Bimini & dodger,hot water shower, 108 Perkins engine, autopilot,ac/reverse cycle, generator, inverter, 5.2 freezer/refrigerator, watermaker, GPS, power windlass, 2anchors (50 ft chain each) 210’, 350’ line, davits,hard bottom dinghy, outboard, recent rigging andMack-Pack for main and 135 roller furling jib. Sleeps5. Reduced to $33,500 obo. Call (305) 893-0436.E-mail [email protected]. (6/04)

Pearson 33 1986 Hull #16 Draft 3’10' w/cb, per-fect for racing or cruising the shallow waters ofBahamas & Florida. A/C, davits, refrig., many ex-tras; documented, $37,000. [email protected];(239) 549-2849 (7/04)

Irwin 33 Center Cockpit Sloop, 1986. Sale or Trade.Diesel 3’ 10” draft. $40,000 value. Trade for prop-erty or motor home. Boat is clean and ready for theBahamas. (239) 691-6580. Located Ft. Myers, FL.E-mail: [email protected] (6/04)

Catalina 34 1986, Tall Rig, Good condition, Cus-tom Bimini, Dodger. All standard features sleeps 7,new cushions, Chartplotter, many upgrades, Slip inSt. Pete Municipal; can transfer $43,900 (813) 831-1011, [email protected] (6/04)

1986 Schock 34 GP. Consistent winner GYA Chal-lenge Cup-Sugar Bowl- Gulfport/Pensacola. Yanmardiesel, chart plotter, recent sails. Berthed NOLA.$39,000 Jack (228) [email protected] (6/04)

65

See Classified info on page 63


http://www.bombayclipper.blogspot.com



http://www.radiersailboats.com






http://www.flyingscot.com


Jason 35 bluewater cruiser,fiberglass Brewer de-signed double-ended cutter. Radar, chartplotter,SSB/ham, autopilot, 100 gal water, 60 gal fuel ask-ing $52,900, see at escheel.com/boat (941) 773-3715 (6/04)

1983 C & C 35 Mk III Great cruiser/racer, Yanmar,11 sails, bunks for 7, stove with oven, A/C (’00),refrig (’00), feathering prop (’03), self tailingwinches, Harken roller furler, bimini, covers for ev-erything, autopilot, new batteries, etc., etc. Thisboat needs nothing. $62K. (504) 392-0840 [email protected] (7/04)

1984 Morgan 36 K/CB. Diesel, auto pilot, AC, Furl-ing genoa, wheel, GPS plotter, sleeps 6. Berthed PC,MS. Ted cell (504) 723-8766. (8/04)[email protected] (6/04)

984 37’ Dickerson Cutter, Beautiful boat featuredin World’s Best Sailboats. Furling main and jib,staysail on boom. New ST6000 AP, new waterheater, lectrasan head. 4’6” draft. Perkins 4108 die-sel, new sailor prop. $77,000/Best offer [email protected] Cortez, Fl. 941-755-9316 (8/04)

Lagoon 37 1994. totally equipped for comfortable,safe liveaboard/cruising excellent condition. Origi-nal owner. $185,000 (239) 543-7208 or (239) 898-9522 (8/04)

1975 Seafarer Ketch, 38' “Rhodes Design” - readyto sail or live aboard. R/furling & cutter, new inte-rior , 50hp Perkins, Radar, GPS, Auto-Pilot, refrig,Bimini, davits, p/water, A/C, fantastic upgrades, 4’draft, $41,900 JAX FL (904)[email protected] (6/04)

39' Bristol Yawl, 1968, Westerbeke 4-107 diesel,hard dodger, ss 3 burner stove w/ oven, Aries windvane steering, auto pilot, depth sounder. contactBill at (907) 388-3035 [email protected] (7/04)

Endeavour 40, 1985. Center cockpit sloop.Perkins 4.108, roller furling jib, full batten main withMacPac, dodger, bimini. New epoxy bottom, freshbrightwork. All systems working. Good basic boat,ready to go anywhere. Asking $72,000. Call: (850)380-6236. (7/04)

1996 Beneteau 40. 3 cabin, 2 head. Fullyequipped. New Caribe v-hull inflatable. Listed at$118,600 but see reduced price and photoswww.TheCruisingDVDs.com/Beneteau40 or [email protected] (8/04)

41' Gulfstar Ketch 1973 cruising equipped, readyto go. 2002 - 10 barrier coats and Strataglass en-closed bimini, lived aboard 14 years, selling medi-cal reasons, photos, details: $55,000www.shevard.com (904) 284-9986 X2040 (6/04)


66

DISPLAY CLASSIFIEDSstarting at $34/[email protected]

1976 CT41 Cutter-rigged ketch. Come to Louisi-ana to see La Mouette, beautiful, seaworthy double-handed cruiser. Many improvements. Offered byliveaboard owners of 20 years. $80,000. (985) 781-5625 Details www.ct41ketchforsale.com. (9/04)

Catana 411 catamaran, 1995. Loaded for cruis-ing. SSB, Radar, Chartplotter, APs, generator, so-lar, wind generator, liferaft, EPIRB, much more. Sheis fast, safe, comfortable. Excellent condition.$265,000, Go to www.catana411.com, (949) 463-8287 (7/04)

Brewer 42’ 1986 Ted Brewer-designed sailboat. 80-hp Lehman/Ford, just rebuilt. Two staterooms, 2heads, full galley, 4.5 generator. Center cockpit,bimini & dodger. Ready to cruise. (727) [email protected] (8/04)

1989 Irwin 43 CC Sloop Raytheon ST50 Knot LogDepth apparent wind and speed, Raynav 520+plot-ter WAAS GPS, AP7000 auto pilot, radar RX20,ICOM dual station VHF, roller furling, Stack Packby Mac Sails, main 2 years old, Jib 4 years old. 2AC reverse cycle units, full galley with SS stove andoven, microwave, Adler Barbour freezer/refrigera-tor, 2 heads with separate showers, large saloonand large nav station. 8KW Genset, 66HP Yanmar1500 Hours, fuel polisher, 3 anchors, 2 Plow 35 &45 and Fortress, 165’ chain and 300’ rode. Newcockpit cushions. Safety package and much, much,more. $137,500 or BRO. (941) 350-8113 (7/04)

1983 Southern Star 43’. Excellent condition.$75,000. S.J. Brown or Collene Johns. (850) 453-3471. (6/04)

REDUCED

See Classified info on page 63

http://www.ct41ketchforsale.com

http://www.catana411.com

[email protected]

http://www.digiproofs.com/beachmaster/

http://www.shevard.com

http;//[email protected]

http://www.thecruisingdvds.com/beneteau40





http://www.escheel.com/boat




67

CREW AVAILABLEVisit SOUTHWINDS new boat and crewlisting serviceat southwindssailing.com

CREW WANTEDVisit SOUTHWINDS new boat and crewlisting serviceat southwindssailing.com

ELECTRONICSSeaTech Systems – Computerized navigation &communication. Call for free Cruiser’s Guide tothe Digital Nav Station and CAPN demo disk. (800)444-2581 or (281) 334-1174,[email protected], www.sea-tech.com

Best Prices – Solar panels, windgenerators, chargecontrollers, deep cyclebatteries, solar paneland wind generatormounting hardware.Authorized dealer forSiemens, Kyocera, Solarex,and Uni-Solar solar panels, AirMarine wind generator, Deka, Trojan, and Surrettedeep cycle batteries.™ Toll free (877) 432-2221www.e-marine-inc.com

HELP WANTED

Ad Sales Reps wanted in the south for [email protected] or (941) 795-8704

Sail Boat Rigger - Massey Yacht Sales & Service-Palmetto-Regatta Pointe Marina has sailboat rig-ger position available. Work with Florida’s bestsailboat rigging and outfitting team. Good pay,insurance, paid vacation plus benefits. Must havesubstantial sailboat experience and superior rig-ging skills. Call Ed Massey at (941) 723-1610

Yacht Sales Person Wanted. Massey Yacht Saleshas sales position available for professional, suc-cessful yacht sales person. Harborage Marina atBayboro dealership location. Dealer for Catalina,Hunter, Caliber and Mainship. Need to be com-puter literate, self-motivated with good knowledgeof sail and power industry. Best marketing and salessupport system with large lead base for the rightcandidate. Call Bill Wiard for interview appoint-ment. (727) 824-7262.

MARINE ENGINES

DINGHY DAVITSOnly $360.00

www.martekdavits.com

727-686-5020

MISCELLANEOUS BOAT GEARNEW & USED

Wanted: Marine single-side band radio transceiver/receiver. (941) 235-1890 (7/04)

Remanufactured engines, cheap: 12V71 DetroitMarine. 16149 Detroit Marine. 3208 Cat Marine En-gine. S.J. Brown or Billy Brooks. (850) 453-3471.(6/04)

Bimini Top with front and side zip-in clear curtains.Approx size: 94" front X 72" sides X 45" height.Excellent condition. Dove Grey color. Call for ex-act dimensions and details. Asking $500. (850) 624-0470 (8/04)

Mast Mate 42-foot – $125, Fortress FX23 anchor-$125, teak sailing seat-$100, Mark 15 Sextant withcase-$95. Life Sling $50, Deck Sun Cover, Sunbrella,for Hunter 31-$50, Signal Flags-complete set-$40.(941) 769-5794. (8/04)

1988 Brewer 44’ shoal-draft w/board. Center-cockpit cutter, Perkins 85, sale by original owners,(941) 962-7100 or (813) 671-0862 or [email protected]. (6/04)

45’ Columbia Sloop, 1973, 85 hp Perkins, R/FMain and Genoa, completely new fuel system, hardtop bimini, davits, windlass, solar panel, AC, com-fortable cruising boat, Jacksonville, FL, $35,000.(904) 541-1585. (7/04)

51’ Airex foam Trimaran 1976. Cruising Equipped.4 cylinder 40 hp Isuzu diesel. Selling for medicalreasons. $60,000. For more info and photos.www.salinet.com (id#12820) or call (530) 647-2757. [email protected]. (7/04)

APARTMENT FOR RENTApartment for rent in Durango, Colorado. Nice2 bedroom, 2 bath unfurnished townhouse in thewoods in town. Fireplace, deck, garage, dishwasher,refrigerator, great room. $1050 a month. Lease. Niceneighborhood. Quiet. Clean. Available June 1. (877)372-7245 toll free. [email protected]

BOAT SLIPS FOR RENT

Florida Keys boat slip for rent, $450 per month/annual. Live in Dade and dock your boat in thebeautiful Florida Keys. MM 51. Marathon. Zoned,live-aboard community. Full utilities includingpumpout at dock. Easy ocean access. (305) 289-4338. [email protected]. (6/04)

BOOKS & CHARTS

Ocean Routing – Jenifer Clark’s Gulf Stream BoatRouting/Ocean Charts by the “best in the business.”(301) 952-0930, fax (301) 574-0289 orwww.erols.com/gulfstrm

BUSINESS/INVESTMENTOPPORTUNITIES

Construction/Real Estate investment Highly-ex-perienced, honest, licensed, responsible and reliablecontractor seeks investor/partner in new construc-tion/remodeling in west Florida. Perhaps a spechouse or purchase to remodel. Contractor is expe-rienced in custom homes of all sizes, including veryhigh-end homes. Only interested in doing interest-ing and enjoyable projects. (941) 795-8711

Sailtime.com is looking for base operators on theFlorida coast. This may suit existing marine busi-ness owners who wish to add an additional incomestream. Sailtime is a unique business model thatrequires minimal capital and no staff. Tel. (813) 817-0104 or [email protected]




http://www.sea-tech.com

http://www.sailnet.com


http://www.e-marine-inc.com




http://www.erols.com/gulfstrm

http://www.sailtime.com


http://dwyermast.com


http://www.martekdavits.com


C L A S S I F I E D A D SOFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE

Office and warehouse space available for leaseto marine-related businesses. Great for boat bro-kers or sales representatives. High speed Internetaccess. JSI (727) 577-3220

LODGING FOR SAILORS

Ponce de Leon HotelHistoric downtownhotel at the bay,across from St.Petersburg YC.95 Central Ave.St. Petersburg, FL33701

(727) 550-9300FAX (727) 826-1774 www.poncedeleonhotel.com

PERSONALLive-aboard sailor looking for rich woman withconnections to people who can acquire Micron 44bottom paint. This bottom paint is not generallyavailable through the normal commercial channels.Bad government research has determined thatMicron 44 kills shellfish and other marine crittersbecause of the tin content (TBT) in the paint. Be-cause of the fact that Micron 44 is not readily avail-able for a boat of Right’s Guard’s size, the woman Iam seeking has to have some experience in themarine trades and know how to solder electricalconnections. It would also help if she had an Ameri-can Express platinum card, knew how to cook gour-met meals and was drop dead gorgeous. Tobaccochewing optional. Contact Bubba Whartz [email protected]

SAILING INSTRUCTION

SAILS & CANVAS

USED SAILS SAVE $$$ 1000s of headsails, mains &spinnakers. We ship everywhere, satisfaction guar-anteed. We also buy sails. Sail Exchange. (800) 628-8152. 407 Fullerton Ave. Newport Beach CA 92663www.sailexchange.com See Display ad in Index ofadvertisers

One 34’6" B&R Rig Mast complete with standingand running rigging - $2700 Also Lewmar winches,25s and 7s. Much more equipment for boats upto 30 feet. (985) 892-4133 or [email protected]

Famet roller reefing. Seeking best [email protected] (361) 442-9351 (6/04)

Wheels CustomLeathered –Satisfactionguaranteed, 1 yearwarranty. Free turkshead. Over 100satisfied customerslast year. ContactRay Glover atSunrise Sails Plus(941) 721-4471 [email protected]

TIRALO floating deck chair - a beach chair thatfloats in water and rolls easily on the sand. Looksgreat. Folds and fits on your boat or inside yourcar. More info: www.tiralo-usa.com [email protected]

Dripless PackingProven high-techpropeller and rudderpacking that outlasts allother packings and isvirtually dripless. Easy toinstall. Bilges stay dry.Won’t damage shafts.Economical. Dealerinquiries welcome. TollFree (877) 432-2221 orwww.e-marine-inc.com

AC/DC Refer, 22# Bruce Anchor, Anchor Ball,Sospenders, Magma Grills, Mariner 9.9, MercuryLong Shaft 7.5 HP, Folding Bikes, Windsurfers,Metzeler Sailing Rig, Windscoop, Drogues, Lifesling,Type I Life Jackets w/strobe. Nautical Trader. (941)488-0766. www.nauticaltrader.net

SERVICES FOR SAILORS

68

See Classified information on page 63

http://www.sailcovers.net

http://www.porpoisesailing.com

http://www.mastheadsailinggear.com

http://www.coastweather.com

http://www.sailexchange.com

http://www.nauticaltrader.net

http://www.e-marine-inc.com

http://www.sta-sail.com

http://www.tiralo-usa.com




http://www.poncedeleon.com


http://www.defender.com


Air Duck 26Aqua Graphics 56Atlantic Sails 30Banks Sails 56Beachmaster Photography 66Beneteau Sailboats BCBeta Marine 26Bluewater Sailing Supply 58Boaters Exchange 43,63BoatUS 7Bob and Annie’s Boatyard 20Bo’sun Supplies 39Bubba Book 17Carson/Beneteau BCCoast Weather 68Compac Boats East 6Coral Reef Apparel Company 46Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina 13Cruising Direct Sails 14Defender Industries 68Dockside Radio 24Don’s Salvage 60Doyle Sails 9Dwyer mast 67Eastern/Beneteau BCFirst Patriot Insurance 18Flagship Sailing 57Fleetside Marine Service 67Florida Sailboats, Inc. 65Flying Scot Sailboats 65Forespar 64Fujinon Binoculars 27Fun Maritime Academy 42Garhauer Hardware 31Glacier Bay Refrigeration 37Great Outdoors Publishing 55Gulf Coast Yacht Sales 63,64,64Gunkholer’s Cruising Guide 55Hanse Sailboats 65Hood/SSMR 57Hotwire/Fans and other products 67Hunter Sailboats 10Island Marine Products 34JR Overseas/Moisture Meter 37JS9000 PHRF Racer 64Martek Dinghy Davits 67Massey Yacht Sales 9,16,31,61,IBCMasthead Enterprises 29,68Murray Yacht Sales/Beneteau BCNational Sail Supply 36Nautical Trader 55NBOA 54North Sails 13,17Nuclear Sails 14Pasadena Marina 61Porpoise Used Sails 68Raider Sailboats 65RB Grove/Universal and Westerbeke 22Regatta Time in Abaco 23Rparts Refrigeration 30Sail Exchange/Used Sails 21Sailcovers and More 68Sailor’s Soap 21,28,51Sailor’s Wharf Boatyard and Brokerage 55,58Sailtime 3Sarasota Youth Sailing Program 62Schurr Sails 47Scurvy Dog Marine 48Sea School 60Sea Tech 25Shadetree 38South Carolina Maritime Festival 17SSMR/Hood 57St. Augustine Sailing School 68St. Barts/Beneteau BCSuncoast Inflatables 59Tackle Shack 53Tampa Sailing Squadron 62UK Sails 49Ullman sails 6Weathermark sailing 10West Marine 15,IFCWindcraft Catamarans 22Yanmar Diesel 67Sailing Services Directory West Florida 56Regional Sailing Services Directory 33Calendar Photo Contest 8

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

69

BUBBA (continued from page 19)

to cross the finish.Classics division was graced by

wooden vessel Clay Basket, a consistentfirst-place winner who sparred withOriana, a sprightly little cutter who wonthe DFL prize in April. Pterodactyl domi-nated the multihull division and mayhave generated what locals thought wereUFO sightings. Unable to play withPterodactyl, the rest of the multihull rus-tlers had a showdown with each other.Tri-Ala-Mode breezily slid into second inFebruary, while classy cat Conch Pearl, thesleek Java Cat and tiny Troika sprinted fora placing. Troika, my peevish 16-foot tri-hulled steed, proved her mettle by steal-ing third in February and second placein April. It wasn’t easy.

In the schooner class, several mag-nificent tall ships maneuvered for prizes.In February, Liberty Clipper and Appledoreengaged in a dramatic bow-sprit-to-bow-

sprit finish. The video of the race had tobe repeatedly viewed to determine thatLiberty Clipper’s long spar crossed the linefirst. Beautiful blue Dreamcatcher placedfirst in both January and April’s races. Inthe Challenge class, schooner America andsuper fast cat Carribbean Spirit fought it out,and the cat clawed out ahead.

Hats off to Evalena and PaulWorthington of Schooner Wharf Bar, themasterminds behind Key West’sWrecker’s Race tradition. Sheree Rufworked hard behind the scenes and main-tained order. Professional Capt. Jeff Stottsmanned the committee boat, A.K.A. “cock-tail cruiser”, and took charge of the pre-race and award ceremony parties. Prizesof Pusser’s Rum, West Marine gear andSchooner Wharf goodies were well-en-joyed by the winning boats. For detailedresults visit www.schoonerwharf.com andview the special events pages.

FLORIDA KEYS SAILING (continued from page 51)

http://www.schoonerwharf.com


This story is for allthe sailors outthere who have

non-sailors on theboat. My friend fromhigh school bought asailboat, a Catalina 22.He was moving upfrom a Newport 16.When we sailed in theNewport 16, things were very infor-mal; however, with the Catalina wewere instructed to be more nauti-cal. He wanted all the correct termsused such as port and starboard,stern and bow. When on the boatwe had to rehearse these for the newskipper. We decided to go out to alocal lake in October to sail a littleand camp out on the boat. This lakeis Belews Lake in North Carolina, aDuke Power lake mostly undevel-oped. The tree line borders the lakeon all sides.

We sailed all afternoon, usingcorrect nautical sailing terms. If Iused an incorrect term such as frontor back, he would correct me withfore and aft. If I noticed somethingon the left side, I would be correctedthat it was off the port bow. Hal-yards, jib sheets, tacking, point ofsail, jibbing, close hauling, beamreaching, and so the day went.

As we went through theevening he insisted on using all thecorrect sailing terms. I was begin-ning to get the hang of it, at leastthe basic ones anyway. I shouldmention here that he is the sailorand I am not. The winds were calm

and the evening was turning darkwhen we decided to anchor for thenight. We were the only boat on thelake at this point. We were operat-ing under outboard power as welooked for a place to anchor andspend the night.

He let me take the tiller andpoint the Catalina toward an inlet.As trees surrounded the lake up tothe water line I was instructed tokeep an eye on the tree line andmake sure the trees stayed in the dis-tance. He would go up to the bowand begin the anchoring process. Hesaid he would give me instructions.No problem I thought, as the treeswere in the distance.

After a few seconds he began tojump up and down and shout, “Turnturn turn.” I was fairly sure that thiswas not a nautical term so I assumedhe was talking about the coastalbird or perhaps the song from the60s. I was trying to decide andwondered what is a coastal terndoing this far inland. “Where is it?”I called back. I was wondering whyhe was so excited about a bird. “No.”he shouted back. “Turn.” At onepoint jumping up and down and

Abandoned Boat Ramps in the Dark & Dancing Sailors:

Know Your Nautical TermsBy Bruce Sanspree

flapping his arms. I wasthinking he was trying toimitate the bird and wasa little confused as to why.Quite frankly, I was think-ing he looked a little silly.I was racking my brain asto what nautical phrasethis might be.

As I was trying to re-call if he had ever been interestedin birds, I realized that we wereheading directly at the shore. Ap-parently there was a spot wherethere used to be a boat ramp, andthe tree line had been cut back 100yards from the shore. A black as-phalt parking lot ran from the treeline to the water. We were about togo up the boat ramp. So I turned.

As you can imagine, he as-sumed this was my fault for notturning the boat when he directedme to do so. I held fast to the posi-tion that he did not use the correctnautical term of port or starboardas we had been using all day. Wejoked about this that night and intothe next day. Much discussion washad on the point of whether wewould tell our wives how close wecame to wrecking his new boat.

So here is a lesson for all expe-rienced sailors who care abouttheir boats. Be very, very clearabout the instructions you give tothose novices on board who are as-sisting. They get confused. Youmay also want to be very clearabout where the old boat ramps arewhen anchoring.

Sailboats in Belews Creek, NC.

southwindsjune2004

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