Hot Rum Series 2015

     San Diego Yacht Club.
The Hot Rum series consists of 3 races in November and December.   

140 boats entered the racing.

Good results for the Tanton 73'

Sail number 22208. Name Velos. Owner Kjeld Hestehave . Class 1. Rating 1.049.

Race 1. Fleet 2/ Overall 20. Race 2. Fleet 4/ Overall 9. Race 3. Fleet 6/ Overall 44. Place 13 Overall.

Vendredi 13. Souvenir, souvenirs.

Vendredi 13.

- A visionary boat by Jean-Yves Terlain, financed by Claude Lelouch of "A Man and a Woman" filmmaker fame, designed by Carter Offshore and built by Tecimar at St. Nazaire France.

- At 128', V13 was at the time the longest single-handed boat in the world. She still is in her original configuration the lightest fiberglass, at 30T. (66000lbs.) pleasure boat ever built. One of the first large resin-infused vessels in the world. Also, probably the most bang for the bucks in history of sailing. Budget $360,000.00 on a turnkey contract and 6 months to design and build this one of a kind.

On the Drawing Board 2015

- A cruising shoal draft aluminum boat with a "twist", as for the sail configuration. The "Elia System" for mast, rigging and sail plan. The renderings are showing an earlier version of the boat before modification to the deck with a pilothouse to give more headroom for the tall owner.

                 

- Evolution for the 33. From double chine to triple. Increased headroom with a "pilothouse".

- What is underneath?
- A couple of different configurations.

Next:

- A Trawler of 50' in length, based on the Owner's specification about style, size, and layout. The project is on hold,  the owner having his present boat for sale.

A Westerman 51ft. Pilot Cutter 1998. Designed by Nigel Irens & Ed Burnett. Built by Covey Island.
If interested in purchasing this Classic beauty, please let me know. Full information readily available.

   

Next:

- The GLC 40 is underbid now. The ambition is to complete the Great Loop Circuit. Designed for a repeat customer, this aluminum boat is on the simple and rugged side of Yachting.

- The project started, based on the "Gentleman Cruiser" but evolved to something different, more adapted to the method of construction, and the ultimate goal for the vessel.

- The interior is for a couple, and does not allow guests to feel comfortable for long, the way it ought to be.

- It has been decided to drop the nose to increase the visibility from the pilothouse. This boat is a coastal, riverboat with the Great Loop in mind.

Next:

- Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year; the longest time I ever took to deliver  Preliminaries!

- Well, well. It started with a question?  If an RV (recreational vehicle) 37-40' long with an 8' beam for interior could be fitted into a sailboat. I guess simple enough and with a projected length of 49' as depicted with a provided Plan view, it ought to be a piece of cake.
- Except that.

- The other stipulations where to be. A double-ended hull for 3 free-standing masts, aft cabin, center cockpit, a pilothouse, and sure enough, the RV interior to fit inside. In my only telephone conversation, I expressed that the challenge would be with the emplacement of the 3 masts for the accommodation to circulate around. Plus the 3-dimensional aspect of hull shape, balance, stability, and sail handling.

- The hull is 48'-3" long, with a beam of 14'-10" necessary to important passageways with full headroom on either side of the center cockpit. The 1Rv's is short of another cabin simply because it was not anticipated on the photos and documents delivered for the project. So, what we have, starting from the stern; a double berth in the Master' cabin with a full complement of storage, hanging locker, drawers, and a dresser/ bureau. Going forward, a private head and shower on the starboard side. On the port side, we are going forward through the galley to join with the Saloon. Both version have similar interior arrangements to this point.

- On deck, the center cockpit is followed by a sunken pilothouse, with a dinette to port and an inside steering station. To starboard, a step brings you down to a day head and a full navigation area. Forward of the main bulkhead and a few steps, the location opens up to a double sofas type of layout. Clearly, an arrangement for a couple and with not even a guest cabin or separate sleeping except for a pilot berth squeezed onto the starboard side. This is all in all for the Rv's Accommodation Plan.

- 2Ap, with the second version there are things in common with the Rv; essentially the same layout for the aft cabin, the cockpit, the galley, and the head on port and starboard. I managed to keep the masts in the same position. Where things change, are the treatment inside the Pilothouse, the Saloon, and more importantly, the addition of a forward cabin. In the Pilothouse, the steering station is to starboard, and to port access is given to the galley down below. Ahead, below a couple of steps, the Saloon with a U. shape dining area supplemented by a small dinette position from right across. The forward cabin is very versatile and can eventually be transformed into different layouts like single beds, up and down bunk beds besides the double berth as shown. In any case this cabin offers many options. Storage is important all over and well represented in this configuration. So all for now and we will see where the above will lead us.

- Next:

- A 65' steel sailboat cargo ship.

Shallow draft, keel centerboard. Unfortunately, the preliminary did not go too far. It would have been fun to be involved with this project.

The first proposal featured a double-ender. I like this version, but the transom probably makes more sense.

                        

            

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Delivery.

An interesting word in English to describe the travel of a boat from one place to another. Usually with an absentee owner who has not the time, since he has to work to afford other people and his own boat. "Convoyage", is the word in French meaning the same thing.
I like deliveries, for it describes for me deliverance of a certain discipline routine where there is very little leeway for error, mistakes and  tolerance in my day to day life.
This time, a trip from Newport to Fort Lauderdale. This is the period, like last year where on the same boat I took on the journey.
The passage is regulated by the rise of the sun and the length of the day to sunset, to start all over again after a few hours.  So there it is.

Out of the water.

Study of bows and sterns.

Who can say boats look alike. There is nothing like it in shapes and forms. Maybe, the only comparison could be made about dogs. Big, tall, small. hairy, shaved etc. to have so many different presentations for a purpose.
I am not talking about insects and other species.
A few weeks ago I am in Canada, on the Saint Laurent river. To be exact at Pointe Au Pic to visit family on my mother side. Originally from Belgium, they moved to the US after WW11 and spent many Summer seasons at the Malbaie before setting permanently in retirement.
A little further South, there is a small Museum dedicated to boats running the river in the past and where I took the photos.

Sail Majesty at Sea.

Drew Doggett, a well known name in the photographic world if not yet in the Sailing World. But this is going to change with the introduction of his Coffee Table Book, titled "Sail Majesty at Sea".
Drew is staying with us at the house for the occasion of the Newport International Boat Show to exhibit his work and his book. Now, in the Sailing Capital of the USA with a collection of some of the top world photographers living around here, you would thing there is nothing to ad. But if you see The Book, all black and white reminiscent of the old work of Rosenfeld's and Beken's at Cowes in England, you can see the tradition has not been lost. Only invigorated by the renewal of the Classics J's and 12 Metre boats. Such magnificent vessels are alive and well with a whole new generation of new built or resurrected from ash or mud. So, if you are in Newport stop by his booth and get a Signature book also dedicated to a noble cause. Read the text below before I get on too long, pictures speak for themselves.

History. Seahorse. John Rousmaniere's article about Richard E. Carter.

- Well! It is a young and fun time when at 25 years of age you design World Class Racing and Cruising sailboats. Really, and for all of us in the Tower. It would be impossible to duplicate these days. Thank you for John and Seahorse for the publication of this article. And thank you Dick for believing we could translate your visions.

Mentors.

- John H. Ilingworth, Francis Bouygues, Baron Bich.

- This post is prompted by an e-mail I received following the article by John Rousmaniere about Dick Carter in the August issue of Seahorse magazine. See the above Post.

- P. A wrote: " In my life, I have worked for three or four "Rock Stars" and Dick Carter was the first. We were all in our twenties
(and Dick was only 42) when he hired all of us and gave us the freedom to do great things".

- I wish everyone to have had Mentors like I have been privileged to be associated with. No less than three, whom by finding something in me, allowed me to find myself.
- Their paths crossed mine. Fond of boats, Yachting, and enthusiast with sailing, their presence allowed someone very young to pursue a passion in many interesting ways.
- Yes, this is talking about myself but thanks to the Social Media and search engines, one can find everything there is to find about the above personalities. All larger than life.

L'Hermione.

Extracts from Newport this week; Pat Blakeley.
L'Hermione, the almost authentic replica of the 210' ship that carried the Marquis de Lafayette to America with news of  French support for the revolution in 1780.
The reconstructed French frigate took almost 20 years and $30 million to build. The Hermione was the fastest ship of its day, and the replica was constructed to original specifications in Rochefort France, where the first ship was built. The original vessel took 11 months to build. her namesake used the 18th century building techniques to re-create the three masted frigate. Two thousand oak trees were selected for their size and curvature to make the hull, and 26 cannons were cast by the same foundry that had supplied armament for the first L'Hermione. More than 15 miles of rigging was needed to outfit the vessel, and 19 linen sails encompassing more than 2,200 square yards, were hand stitched.

Transatlantic Race 2015.

Today was the last of the staggered starts for the 2015 Transatlantic race.
Featuring Phaedo 2 and Paradox, the two trimarans and then Rambler and Comanche the monohulls.
After a couple of hours, instant speed gives Phaedo at 31knots and Comanche and rambler at 20.