Letters
The
Boat Shed
Flare
Disposal
Cleopatra’s
Barge
Polar
Regatta
Paddling
Alone
Cape
Chignecto
Boat
Design Questionnaire
Jamie Vanbuskirk:
Thought you might like to add a web link to the newsletter. This is the log of the Picton Castle from Lunenburg to near the Galapagos. Good writing. Nice images. Cool links to other pages. Yes it really does need all those freaky characters.
http://www.tallshipnewswire.com/news.php3?edition=captainslog
Fraser Howell:
I’ve been kayaking
a bit with an old friend, Chris Bennett, who helped me build I&S(Itchy
& Scratchy). He has several kayaks, and lets me use his “river runner”,
while he uses his 25-year old plywood kayak. We went out yesterday, to
the Head of St Margaret’s Bay. Followed the shoreline around Schooner cove,
to Mackerel Pt., to Wynacht Pt., around Slaunwhite Pt.,
back to Sheep I.
There is a Friendship
sloop, the same as the one in 50 wooden boats, hauled up near Slaunwhite
Pt. Handsome boat, that looked good in the falling snow. A harbor seal
was off the end of Slaunwhite. It swam along with us for
about 10 minutes.
As long as we didn’t look right at him he stayed on the surface.
Last weekend, in the
same kayaks we circumnavigated Lawlor’s Is. Coming back we met up with
Rob (Robert Fraser) and a friend in two Volkskayaks, on their way to Wreck
Cove. Rob has offered to let me try out one of his Volkskayaks, and I’ll
take him up on it next good weekend that he is available.
I ordered my Christmas
present, a 3mm neoprene “farmer john” from MEC. I enjoy kayaking in the
stabler boats. That SOB (you know this one) SOF (skin on frame) of mine
is too extreme. It is my ambition to be able to use it with confidence,
and I’m a long way from that.
Cheers;
Fraser
Crane Stookey (NS Sea School)
I write to wish all of you the very best in what I hope will be a healthy, prosperous and warm-hearted new year for everyone.
This year, more than ever, the Sea School is looking ahead. We envision a year-round boat building program offering both extra-curricular and for credit programs, that produces a fleet of expedition boats like Dorothea operating on all the coasts of the province.
This effort will involve a major capital campaign and the work of a large group of volunteers.
In the meantime, we continue to offer the experiences to a student enrollment that is straining our resources. Our weekend boat building program in Lunenburg is over booked. The conversation in the boat shop and at the dinner table ranges from how to handle a saw to how to handle drugs in school, from the difficulties of planking the hull to the difficulties of planning a career, from the pain of mistakes to the joy of having a piece of wood, or the piece of the puzzle of growing up, fit just right. When summer comes this community will put to sea and take many new students with them. I hope that you will all enjoy such a strong community in your own lives this new year, and that you will share in ours as well.
Crane W. Stookey,
Founder Nova Scotia
Sea School
November 19,2000
Decisions!,Decisions!,Decisions!
I think that I have finally decided on a design for a small boat that can
be easily built, easily transported and easily sailed. I down-loaded a
lot of stuff from the Internet - small boats no more than ten feet long.
Going through my design files, I found a set of plans for “Pixy” a little
cat-rigged dinghy - a little under 8 feet long, and a beam just under 4
feet - with a sharp bow, designed by Viktor Harasty. I am also looking
at “Eight Ball” which is also a cat-rigged dinghy with a bluff or “pram”
type bow. It is 7' 10" long with a beam of 4' 4". It is made of plywood
and weighs about 75 lbs. and
requires 2 sheets
of plywood.
The plans for this boat cost U.S.$75.00. I also have plans for “Rinky Dink”. (extracted from an ancient edition of Mechanix Illustrated). It is a small sloop-rigged dinghy, a little under 10' long and about 4' beam. Also I have a set of plans for “Sabot” 7' 11"long, with a 4’beam extracted from an ancient issue of Mechanix Illustrated. It is sloop-rigged, and the hull is a pram style hull. If I want to build either Eight Ball or Sabotina, then I would have to rob the Treasury for some expensive “Bucks” for the plans. However, seeing as I already have a complete set of Plans for “Pixy” I am leaning in that direction.
At the same time, the plans for Sabot and Rinky Dink in the Mechanix Illustrated edition appear to be sufficient to be able to build the boat. It’s not quite the same as having a nice set of blueprints. If anybody is interested in a set of plans for Rinky Dink, or Sabot, let me know and I will send them a photocopy of the plans which I extracted from Mechanix Illustrated (no cost). “Sabot” is 7" 11" long, and a 4" beam. Also,I have a set of plans for “Sabotina”. It appears that “Sabotina” is 7' 10" long, and 3" 11' beam. Eight Ball, Sabot, and Sabotina are all cat-rigged prams. These boats all are “stitch and glue” built. However, my love affair with “Epoxy” has terminated because of a sensitivity derived from using it over a long period of time. So, instead of “stitch and glue”, I will simply install chine logs, to which I can nail and glue the bottom panels, and the side panels. I would use a good quality “Exterior-grade glue, and 3/4” silicone bronze ring nails. I would frame the two transoms so that they could be fastened to the side panels and bottom panels with glue and silicone bronze screws or nails.
Over the years I have
accumulated a number of Sets of Plans for small boats i.e.- Piccolo, a
12" 8" sailing canoe, 32" ketch by Arthur Wycoff,a 30 ‘ Gillmer ketch,
a Severn Kayak - stitch and glue,14" 6" long,and a 26" beam, H-28 Auxiliary
ketch designed by L.Francis Herreshoff, plank on frame, and a 30’ cruising
ketch designed by Thomas Gillmer. None of these plans have been used by
me or anyone else. I always felt that if you felt at all serious about
a particular boat, you need something more than just study plans. As will
be obvious to all, I have great taste when it comes to wooden boats but,
unfortunately, my
Exchequer does not
come at all near satisfying my rather expensive dreams. Anyway, as we Boatbuilders
all know, “dreaming”about great boats is half the fun, Right?
Best wishes to all our fellow boatbuilders in SWBANS who know how to make good use of their time during Nova Scotia’s wet and windy winters.
Regards, John Hill
From David Lewis
I have just purchased
a Wineaumet Kitten, number 35, from Charles Colville, who purchased it
some years ago from ?? O’Malley, who hauled it here from Mass.
They are (still) built
by the Bigelow yard in Cape Cod. I have seen an article from the Cape Cod
Times on the Bigelow Yard and the Kitten .
The original form,
still being used, was built in 1901 by the great-grandfather of the present
owner of the yard. Length overall 13' 6" (excluding the barn door rudder).
Beam 6' 6" (approx, I don’t have this data). White cedar over oak ribs
(carvel construction.) Marconi rig ( since it’s a cat, only one sail).
Number 35, with original
hardware. O’Malley had restoration work done at Bigelow, and Charles Colville
has done considerable additional work.
At your suggestion,
Ryerson, I had Fred Cox, of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, survey
the boat prior to my purchase, and he gave it basically a clean bill of
health. Charles had removed the deck, and I have rented a heated garage
space so that we can complete the work that is necessary toput it in the
water.
I previously owned
a Witholtz Corvus (cat, loa 15 ft, hard chined) but I have not seen the
Kitten (although there is a fleet of these in Cape Cod). So, if any our
members have any experience with this boat, I would appreciate any advice
they care to offer. I will launch the boat (which has a trailer) somewhere
in this area in the late spring, for a shake down sail, but I will sail
it in Caribou harbour, Pictou County. I have some pictures taken from the
net, and I’ll send you these and my personal photos for the next issue
of the Newsletter.
By the way, I am a
member of the Catboat Association, and they have a website, which includes
cats for sale, and there is a picture there of a Kitten. Members can find
this site by searching for catboat.
Again, many thanks
for you help. I hope that I can attend the next Association meeting.
From Anne and Ryerson Clark
Our replacement Baidarkas have been started. Those new to the association may not have seen the ones we had stolen last spring, but they are basically a sea kayak that was used on the northwest coast of North America as the Greenland style (more commonly seen) developed on the Northeast coast. Our old boats were 18' long with a beam of 22". These were large boats with lots of room for gear. We have decided too much room for our needs so the new versions will have the same beam but be 16' in length.
The older boats had a considerable overhang at the bow for surf piercing and they were 100% dry in chop. No spray reached the paddler. The new boats will have the same water line length, but no overhang. We hope they will still shed the water the same, but only time will tell. They should be lighter and have the same easy to reach hull speed.
At the time you are reading this, the hulls are wired together and may even have some epoxy and tape in the joints. We hope to finish the boats mid February with trials shortly after.
Flare
Disposal
by Doug Kernaghan
Back in 1985 I was the commodore of the St. Margaret’s Sailing Club and at one of our meetings a member asked how to dispose of expired flares. We did not know of any way at the time so I called the Coast Guard and asked them.
They assumed I was talking about a few flares and suggested that I take them to the Police for disposal. Armed with this information I informed our membership and volunteered to collect old flares and drop them off at the police in Halifax.
Two weeks latter with two large cartons of flares in my car I dropped into the Police Station carrying one of the two boxes up to the front desk and announced to the officer on duty that I had some expired flares for them to dispose of. At this point, with a great flurry of activity and the very prompt arrival of the bomb disposal unit in bomb proof jackets and helmets I found out that an expired flare is an explosive device!
In about 10 minutes both cartons of explosive devices ( formerly expired Flares ) were safely inside a bomb proof trailer. During the next half hour I filled out forms for the police and decided that this was not the best way to dispose of flares. Well times have changed and it is now easier to get rid of expired flares.
In a call to the Coast Guard, 1-800-670-0771, I have found out that the Base at the foot of Parker St. in Dartmouth will accept them with no problems as will any other base or substation. The Halifax Police will also now accept them in small quantities, call ahead to Explosives Disposal Division 490-5143. The Coast Guard also advises that most rural Fire Departments will also accept expired flares but again call ahead.
I want to stress that it is strictly illegal to fire off a flare, either before or after it has expired, unless an emergency exists. The Coast Guard also advises that the use ( or storage) of expired flares may also be dangerous.
Cleopatra’s
Barge
by Jack Bearden
“Cleopatra’s Barge” only became the name of our beloved Greenwood canoe after the weight of 20 some odd coats of paint and age (ours) started to effect our resilience and recovery from portaging her over the Big Hardwood Carry at Keji. She’s an 18’prospector built by W.E. Greenwood in Richmond B.C. She’s red cedar on yellow cedar ribs, with oak half ribs reinforcing her floor. She’s canvas covered and build in the Chestnut, Peterborough tradition.
Lois’s parents gave us $600 as a wedding gift, sorta after the fact, in 1973. We were living in an old post office which had been transported by barge up the Tofino inlet. We drove into Richmond in our 53 Chev panel truck to place our order with W.E., whom I originally took to be a stroke victim because of his peculiar speech impedement. Only when he determined that I might be a cash customer rather than another spaced out, smokey smelling freak from the island who regularly drooled over his magical crafts, did he spit out his mouthful of brass fasteners and continue our discussion with crystal clear diction. Several weeks later we cranked up the old truck to journey once again to the city to claim our prize.
She’s the symbol of our bond. In the early days we joked that we could never split up because we couldn’t effectively cut her in half. Over the decades her emblematic significance has increased, even though she’s now one of several boats. She has carried us literally thousands of knotical miles. She’s had Grey whale pass two feet under her. She let us sneak up on black bear in the driving rain. We’ve hidden from feeding killer whales in her and driving hail storms under her. We’ve actually filled her with live oysters and salmon. I’ve got a ridiculously long ash paddle I use for stand up paddling while fishing. All four of our kids spent much of their infancy and childhood in her.
Approximately five years ago Kip McCurdy recanvassed her for us. Last year I adorned her port bow with a flying Canada goose. It’s a magical touch on those glassy fall mornings. Building boats has become a nearly all consuming passion for me and I delight in the crafts I’ve built over the last couple of years. Our kevlar Gillies canoe is far gentler on our aging frames on the portages. But I know we’d sacrifice all the other boats before the old “Barge”. She’s the lowest common denominator of our materialism and assures the life of our marriage.
This is way more than you’d ever want to know about the old canoe, but that’s what happens when the nostalgia flood gates are allowed to open.
Polar
Regatta
by Fraser Howell
The final act was two plain grey whalers gunnel to gunnel, baring their bilges, raging wing on wing through their own 27 ft troughs. Whalers hard on the upper end of hull speed, spars bent, barely answering their helm. Service whalers on the downwind leg of a 2 mile triangle in 20 minutes.
Which was the final race of the first regatta of the season in Halifax, on New Year’s day at Shearwater, the annual Polar Regatta. The SWBANS crew did not participate in that final act. Anne and Ryerson, David Rimes, Robert Fraser and I had joined the beer-drinking crowd by then, outpointed in our heat by the team from Pictou.
It was a fine event, very well organized and graciously hosted by the Shearwater Yacht Squadron. Fourteen teams showed up to race over hot and cold refreshments, chili and chowder. Elimination heats went quickly in a freshening northerly breeze, as new crews took over the rigged boats. The winds built to 20 kt, gusts about 25, slight wind-chill, horizontal sleet.
After a holiday of poring over nuances of kayak design, it put some perspective into prismatic coefficients, give or take a half inch of rocker, and a shaving off a couple of pounds. Ugly and cranky as they(whalers) are, these boats worked superbly in their element. It was lots of fun.
Next opportunity to get into a whaler race will probably be the United Way Regatta in August.
Paddling
Alone
by Bonita Aalders
Last July I was vacationing by myself in the Lahave Islands. One morning I left the cottage on Bush Island with my kayak for a half hour paddle (not to be confused with the now infamous three hour cruise of the SS Minnow). My plan was to spend a little time seal watching before packing the car to go back to Halifax.
The water was calm at eight in the morning when I pushed off for the short quarter mile trip around the island. I didn’t bother packing water, food or safety gear as I intended to return shortly. Remember, it was supposed to be a half-hour paddle.
Water here is shallow and warm with lots of islands to break the ocean swell. I saw no seals so I paddled on looking over the side at the reef and starfish. It was a beautiful dreamy morning. I was alone in the quiet calm water. There was no doubt that I dawdled a lot and didn’t really didn’t pay attention to where I was in relation to the cottage or Bush Island. In fact, I hardly lifted my head as I paddled. I was truly mesmerized by the dance of the sea life happening under my boat.
About an hour into the trip I became hungry so I decided to head home. I looked up and realized I didn’t have any idea where I was in relation to Bush Island. All of the islands looked the same and I had no idea which way to turn. If I turned around how would I know which direction to take? I knew the open ocean was just beyond the islands and I knew I didn’t want to end up there.
OK let’s take stock. I had a boat, paddle, life jacket and it was sunny and warm. The water was pretty warm also. Those were the good things. Let’s look at what I left behind at the cottage. My phone, my safety gear, my water, my food, my dry bag and my paddling partner. Well, I learned why I should never have left without my stuff, even for a short paddle.
Now I was beginning to get a little worried because no one knew where I’d gone. (Oh right, that was something else I forgot) Also, as I was on vacation, no one would even know I had gone paddling for many days or weeks. This was when I decide that I’d break into a cottage if things got really dicey. I haven’t yet defined dicey but I figured I’d know it when I saw it. Also, I didn’t want to appear weak. I’m very comfortable as a woman who built and paddles her boat but I didn’t want to be responsible for any reinforcement of the helpless woman stereotype. The fact that I was, at that point, a pretty helpless person who happened to be a woman meant nothing to me. I simply didn’t want to look like one.
I continued paddling in what I thought was the right direction when I spotted a man who reminded me of Grizzly Adams coming out of the woods walking toward a small beach. He was loading a dory. I was trying to be coy not wanting to appear lost. I started with some small talk. I asked him the name of his island hoping it might spark some memory that would help me get back. In a very thick Lunenburg accent he told me it was “Mo-sha Eye-lund, dee-ah”. “Wot eye-lund you from?” I told him Halifax. That alone should have told him I was either lost or insane. Eventually I told him I was staying at Bush Island. I asked him where it would be from here. He told me “Just around the cor-nah”. I didn’t ask which corner and he was leaving so I didn’t press him for more detail.
He told me to be “cah-full” because out “they-ah” was Ironbound and the next stop is England.
At that point I learn what my definition of dicey is. I had been many hours beyond my “planned” thorty minute paddle and I was getting worried. I paddled straight ahead hoping to find that “cor-nah” so I could go around it. I could see Ironbound ahead of me, a light house beside me and my calm beautiful day had turned into a lousy day in rough swells. It was still warm and sunny but the wind picked up and the waves were scaring the life out of me. The landscape had changed from lots of islands where I could choose to go ashore at any time to a completely hostile environment where there was no landing spot. I hadn’t been out of my boat for about four hours and really needed a break. Too late for that.
I was still looking for that corner but it was nowhere to be found. As I came around the next corner I still don’t recognize anything. My legs had gone to sleep, I was really hungry, my arms were tired, I needed to pee and I couldn’t land on the shore. To add to my discomfort, the high waves had me well soaked and salted.
I felt I had probably rounded that corner and, if I kept paddling in a straight line, the cottage would miraculously appear. An hour later I finally spotted a familiar land mark off in the distance and I paddled as if for Jesus. I finally arrived home at two in the afternoon, soaked, shaking, cold and tired, but happy to be there. I’d wondered if I would ever tell anyone when a carload of my friends showed up to see me at my worst and I had to confess as my boat was still on the beach, I was a salty, wet mess.
Obviously, I have taken some necessary lessons from this including making sure I have my safety gear, food and water, and that I tell someone where I am going. Later I learned one special lesson. You can really impress a Wardroom full of Argentinian sailors with an account like this. They had a difficult time believing that I had built my own boat but to hear my war story really blew them away. I was the center of attention and seeing their reaction was a treat. But I still would have preferred to have found that corner a lot sooner.
Cape
Chignecto
by Jamie Vanbuskirk
I had heard about. I had read about it. The time had come to actually see it so Crystal and I set out for Parrsboro and points north one Saturday in late August in a steady rain with a favourable forecast. Since all the information I could gather told me that the Cape Chignecto area is one nasty piece of water we felt truly fortunate to be ultimately treated to two days of light winds and calm seas.
After what seemed an eternity of driving past spectacular mountain scenery, rugged coastline and stunning vistas we found ourselves at one of Nova Scotia’s newest provincial parks. I paid the modest fees and drove down to the beach at Red Rocks. Those of you without four-wheel drive... or a seasoned Volkswagen might want to stay up top and hump your gear by hand. After a few minutes we were on the water and headed to our destination, Refugee Cove, about two hours away.
The hiking trail follows
the coastline for most of the 30km trip around the Cape to Eatonville and
we were greeted with many a wave from day hikers as we poked along at the
base of the cliffs in a falling tide. A tide which created strange surface
turbulence. At one point I stopped paddling to glide along in one direction
only to have the boat turn 30 degrees to port then zoom off at 45 degrees
to starboard. Water seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once
and it was easy to imagine the famed huge volumes of water snaking around
and over the massive rock formations soon to be revealed a few
hours later.
I was a bit nervous since Crystal is a new paddler and she was piloting a boat I had yet to fit with a full set of pads and braces. She on the other hand was thoroughly enjoying herself in the company of loons and the odd seagull. It’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of kayaking and forget the simple pleasure of being on the water. We made a few stops along the way to strain our necks up for the view of the rock face or down to see what new flotsam had boiled up from the depths. We even staged a shot of the photo that graces the cover of Scott Cunningham’s book. That was cool.
The wind picked up as we neared the Cape, a few kilometers past our destination. That small taste of weather reminded us how dangerous this trip could have been had we not had such favourable conditions. As we landed on the cobble beach we were greeted by a half dozen hikers and their dog who had made the four hour trip overland. A trip they said was “Rough at best” and is described in the brochure as one of the most challenging hikes in North America.
Camp was made on the barrier beach at the mouth of a steep walled canyon at Refugee Cove and some fantastic rock hounding followed a tasty supper. I had forgotten how creeped out I could be until I found myself face to face with thousands of the biggest barnacles I had ever seen. Even now the thought of the evil hoards gives me the willies! Mind you, walking around on the bottom of the ocean was pretty amazing.
Night fell fast and sleeping on the round beach stones did little to fend off the cold. Take my advice, the official camp sites located inland are buggy and there are only a few comfortable spots to pitch your tent near the beach. Arrive early to ensure a good night’s rest.
Morning brought another calm day and an awesome sunrise as we prepared to hike the trail that leads up the 600+ foot cliff toward the Cape. Now, I’ve hiked in BC and other hilly places but I’ve never seen anything like the goat path these sadists carved out of the woods. Even so, the view was incredible as we sat wheezing and watched eagles soar in the mists and seals bob among the rocks.
Back on the beach we packed up and set off for the return trip to Red Rocks. Once again the swirling currents and strange patches of loose seaweed kept me amused in my CLC Patuxant as Crystal paddled along in her three piece VK. The high multicolored cliffs, the birds, the warm sun... it all contributed to a great finish to an excellent adventure.
If you plan to explore the area let me pass along these tips. Plan to paddle elsewhere or be storm stayed should the weather turn sour... Five Islands Provincial Park would be a great place to use as a base. Take sturdy footwear and a small pack to check out the hiking trails. Be sure to pack an extra foam pad to ensure a good nights sleep. And lastly make sure you invite me along. It’s an amazing trip and I’d go again in a second!
Here are the total responses to the questionnaire. There were 17 responses and multiple choices were included. We’ll discuss the project and try to set up a committee at the meeting in January. If you can’t be at the meeting and have some ideas to pass on contact Anne or Ryerson.
What type of boat should
the Association have?
Power - 4
*Sail - 14
Rowing - 5
Paddling - 2
Other - 0
Combination - 4
What size should the
boat be?
under 12 ft - 0
12 - 15 ft - 3
*15 - 18 ft - 9
18 - 20 ft - 5
20 - 25 ft - 1
over 25 ft - 1
What should the maximum
hull draft be?
under 6 in. - 2
*6 - 12 in. - 6
*12 - 18 in. - 7
18 - 24 in. - 3
24 - 30 in. - 2
over 30 in. - 0
What hullform should
the boat be?
planing - 2
*semi-planing - 7
*displacement - 7
monohull - 1
catamaran - 0
trimaran - 0
What construction material/method
should be used?
carvel - 0
lapstrake - 9
strip plank - 1
cold mould - 2
*plywood stitch &
tape - 8
plywood batten-seam
- 1
hard-chine plywood
- 2
What should the maximum
dry weight of the boat be?
under 200 lbs - 4
200 - 500 lbs - 10
*500 - 1000 lbs -
3
*1000 - 1500 lbs -
4
1500 - 2000 lbs -
0
over 2000 lbs - 0
What deck / mechanical
equipment should be stock on the boat?
*outboard motor -
8
inboard motor - 0
winches - 5
other (list) - misc
How many adults should
the boat be able to daysail?
two - 3
*four - 10
six - 5
more than six - 1
How many permanent
berths should the boat have?
*none - 12
two - 5
three - 0
four - 0
What accommodations
should the boat have?
none - 3
*cuddy for stowage
- 10
cabin - 5
sink - 2
stove - 2
icebox - 2
lights - 5
What type of head should
the boat have?
none - 9
cedar bucket - 4
*chemical toilet -
7
fixed head w/ holding
tank - 1
What do you think the
primary use of the boat will be?
*day sailing - 13
week-ending - 9
racing - 4
training - 1
tender - 0
beer cooler - 2
Where do you expect
the boat to be primarily used?
protected coves -
7
small lakes &
rivers - 4
*open bays & estuaries
- 11
coastal cruising -
5