here - Polynesian Catamaran Association

#29

l l l 

Jeckells & Sons Ltd. 

W roxham , Norw ich, N R 12 8UQ . 

Tel: 06053 2223 

Sails for M ultihulls call for special design knowledge and special making skills 

W e at JECKE LLS % ve been associated with the design and developm ent of 

catamarans and trimarans since their appearance on the yachting scene. 

W e are the recom mended sailmakers for the W HA R RAM range of cats, and proud of it! W e are 

know n to produce weI I setting, strong sai Is at reasonable prices for these craft. 

C ontents A dvertising 

R ates 

A W ord In Your Ear 

Jims's Colum n 

Readers W rite 

Pyxis Cruises To The Eastern Seaboard 

The Boatyard 

A Canadian Page 

Voyage To Multihull M eeting In Stavern 

W alked Any Good Planks Lately? 

The Conslruction & Destruction Of'Joel' 2:25' 

Over W hich Horizon Did You Sail? 

A Few TM ughts On Anchors 

For Sale 

The Boatyard l l 

Surfœ t Noa-Noa 

Cooks Corner 

2 ouarter page 

4 

Half page 

5 

7 W hole page 

9 Back page 

1 1 

Published twice yearly in June and Decem % r 

12 

ja Copy 1st of October, lst of April 

14 

1 6 

19 

21 

22 

25 

27 

SMA LL ADS FREE TO PCA M EM BERS 

AII articles Copyright of 'The Sailorm an' 

E15 

f30 

f50 

E55 

Cover Pboto The new ''Tl KIA ' car-top fourteen-footer f rom 

# 

Jam es W harram Designs.

Editor: N ick Arm strong 

Secretary: 

Anthea Evans, St Antony, 

Church Road, Llanstadwell, 

Nr Milford Haven, Dyfed 

Treasu rer : 

M ike Higham 

Sailing Secretary: 

M ike Briggs 

Chairm an: 

Bob Evans 

Publ ished by: 

TH E PO LY N ESl AN CATAM A R AN ASSOC IATI ON 

Printed by: DEREK SM ITH PR INTE RS 

H igh Street, Brom pton, Gillingham , Kent 

l 1 I l 

A w o rd in 

yo ur ear 

The response to my plea for more articles from 

m em bers has been more than adequate and I now have 

enough for the next issue and a bit Ieft over for the next 

Editor to kick-off w ith. 

I am forced to relinquish the Editorship after this 

issue as I can no longer devote the time necessary to the 

job. l undertook to produce four issues and this I have 

done. 

A new Editor is now urgently required - If you feel 

that you would l ike to take over the job ( no previous 

journal istic experienœ is needed) please Iet me know 

soonest. You do not need to I ive central ly ( l have never 

been able to actualy visit the printers) and now that 

members are writing in with enthusiasm your task w ill be 

quite easy. 

W hatever happens I cannot continue after Decem ber's 

issue so please if you are in any way tem pted to try . . . . 

Otherwise there w ill be NO E DITOR for 1982! 

I have had several enquiries about information on 

Iocal waters - a series of articles by members from 

zarious parts of the cou ntry concern ing sa il i ng cond itions 

in their area wou Id be m ost welcome; even if they onI y 

point out useful approaches, anchorages and pubs. 

Jim's colum n is very interesting this tim e as it shows 

clearly the direction in which sail ing in the #80's is 

movi ng. The idea of the small, easily transported, cam ping 

and ''trekking' multihu l is withoul any doubt the 

solutio n for would-be sa ilors with l im iled m eans and time, 

in a period of recession and reactiona ry governm ent. 

I am bidding a tem porary f arewel! to multi-hull sail ing 

for a few m onths as l have swapped my Tane f or a 

Ballerina monohull (only bec-ause I was unable to fi nd a 

buyer and I hope therefore to be able to seI I the new 

boat fairly easily and at the right price before the 1982 

season). l still have a Swift catamaran that I sail in the 

Sum m er m onths, when on hoI iday so I am not yet 

entirely w ithout a m ulti. I n any c-ase I hope to get 

another cat by next season, though it w ill have to have 

more accom modation than had 'Tai-l-ua' 

Any-one Iike to buy a 21ft 6 ' Balerina, with lrailer, 

outboard etc. A very pretty and seaworthy bilge-keeler 

designed by Robert Tucker built in m arine pIy and cuuer 

rigged with tan sails - a snip al E2,500. 

May Tree Cottage, 

H igh Street, 

Sw inderby, 

L i n co I n L N 6 9 LW 

W E STILL N EED YO UR CON TRIBU TIONS 

*. . T H E POLYNESIAN Re CATAMA journal RAN of ASOCIATION*. . 

3

4 

Jim 's C o lum n 

The editor of the 'Sa ilorman' has asked me for this 

issue to describe ''our new advances' to go w ith his 

photographs of our tiny off ices in M ilford Haven. 

Most British Polynesian Catam aran builders wil have 

read the article in the September issue of 'Practical Boat 

Owner' and perhaps also the one in the 'Yacht & Boat 

Owner' of the same month , containing these heartw arm ing 

paragrapbs: 

J'As we get to know m ultihulls and what makes them 

safe or not, it brings us back round to understanding 

how good the W harram concepts are. Sym metrical 

huls with ample f reeboard, flared buoyant ends , 

conservative low aspect rigs, accom modation dow n in 

the huls tthe 

high slatled bridgedeck join ing the huls 

wh ich wll Iet waves break through, and the f Iexibly 

connected crossbeam s. A I very good sound seamanl ike 

sense which few cru ising multihu l designers appear 

to have. 

z'The more you th ink about the W harram Cats, the 

more likely they are to m ake sense'. 

The article in the Jpractical Boat Owner' contained 

' the fo lowi ng sentences: 

'There can be Iittle doubt that W harram catamarans 

have done for offshore m ultihull cru ising what the 

M irror d id f or di nghy sa il ing. and ''they are highly -' . ,. ' 

popular am ongst those with a desire to own a capable 

offshore yacht . . . . '' 

It can be seen f rom these articles that the Classic 

Designs and 1he PCA which set the standards for building 

and sail ing have come a Iong w ay since the early days in 

1965-75 when to be a Polynesian Catamaran owner/ 

builder was to be regarded as a 'sa il ing oddbal''. 

'W e are now accepted and respectable !' 

The essential idea beh ind the early designs was that I 

was designing for the ocean sailor, the m an who dream s , 

plans and in so m any cases already achieved his dream to 

sail across the oceans to new continents. 

I n the last two years, arising out of my personal I ife 

experience and m any letters which I received, I have 

becom e aware that for every m an who perhaps can sail 

over the horizon there are 10?, perhaps 100? who know 

tbat for various reasons they w iI l never be able to achieve 

this, even if they have the sam e life dream . 

Yet, they still want a boat to fu If iI one part of 

them selves in bu ildi ng, to be able to sail at weekends , at 

bank holidays and during the annual hoI idays , so as to 

I ive an exciti ng, diff erent I ife. 

It is now m y aim to provide these people with boats 

- catam arans of course. Though I do like m ost sailboats , 

I stil bel ieve that catam arans offer the 'mostest' in 

Cailing abi I ity for the Ieast in m aterials , construction 

ti m e a nd ab i I it ies. 

These new W harram designs are for coastal , estuary 

and inland Iake exploratio n. They have t therefore , to be 

trailed behind a car or, in the smalest slze, , car-topped , . 

W e have solved the I ightness problem by the use of 

epoxy resin. The best known method is the W EST system . 

I have had my eye on this m aterial for 5 years. So far, it 

has withstood the test of time. 

The Iaunching of car trailer boats can be a problem. 

I n the sum mer, on m ost Iaunching ramps along the coast, 

there is a queue of boats. W e are designing these boa'ts to 

be Iaunched off sandy beaches, so, they m ust have 

surf-boat profi les, a developm ent of the Classic and 

PAH 1 designs. lt m akes them Iook quite distinctive. 

Cabi n accommodation in small boats (furniture, table, 

seats etc.) is in my opinion a waste of time f rom the 

com fort, cost and construction angle. This year, Hanneke 

and I enjoyed a hol iday trip with the smallest of this 

new range of 'Coastal Trek Designs', the 14 ft. H ITIA. W e 

had cam ping gear in the back of the car, the H IT IA on 

the roof and sailed in Norway, Denmark, Germany and 

France duri ng a 5 weeks 'Car Cru ise' (doing 60 mph (or 

100 km) down the European H ighways.) 

The proposed 1 7- 18 ft. design will have cam ping 

accom modation on the platf orm , the 20-21 footer 

and the 26 footer (TI KI and TI KI R OA), bunk 

accom modation in the hu ls as weI I as a pram hood style 

tent on the deck. The new decktents used on these 

designs are an integrated part of the design , NOT an 

addition. 

There has been a Iarge interest in these new concepts . 

They w ill attract m any more people to the PCA . I n 

Britain, with its fou l and uncertain weather , we can 

organize better and more successful PCA m eetings with 

these new designs. The W ivenhoe meeting in May was 

'galed out' and so was the M ilford Haven m eeting in 

September. 

The boat which did the most sail ing in M ilford Haven 

was the 14 ft. H ITIA which zipped around Sandy Haven 

and was able to venture outside into M ilford Haven when 

it was too rough and dangerous to sail the big boats in 

these confined waters. 

Transport by road w ill enable people to gather at 

sum mer weekend meetings without having to sail for a 

week or so to ge1 there. I ndeed, I am looking forward to 

trail ing my 26 ft. PA H I to Scandinavia next year to 

attend the first meeting of the newly formed Scandinavian 

branch of the PCA. 

p %h 

N ,' . ' = >. 'ns 

# 

The owners of these new designs wiI I need the help of 

the older (not in years) , mature sailors of the PCA, for 

seamanship, care and watchfulness of the sea is iust as 

essential w ith these new designs as with the oId - in some 

cases m ore so. 

Undoubtedly, ow ners of the new designs in Iearning 

to Iand through surf, cam ping in tiny coves, navigating 

w ith an ordnance survey m ap as wel as a chart wil 

develop a new, distinct sail ing style. 

Bob Evans, when readi ng this w ill say : ''W hen wil the 

plans be ready?' U nfortunately, there is only Hanneke 

and I at the moment for the designing, the buildi ng and 

the drawing up of these designs. W e do get help from the 

odd desisn student, but not suff icient to move forward 

at the speed I want. Due to reasons, 'outside our control' 

we do not bave enough money to take on fu l-tim e staff. 

At the moment of writing, the 14 ft. car-top H ITIA 

has been well tested and the design sheets fully drawn 

out. The PA H I 26 construction is well advanced, and the 

Iines of the 1 7- 18' and 20 footers are em erging in their 

fi naI form . 

I nspite of these new concepts, deep-sea designs are 

still bei ng developed. A major project is a 55 f1. steel 

catamaran to be used as an ocean laboratory vessel by a 

former mem ber of the 'Green Peace' team . 

The arlicles published in the PBO and the 'Yacht & 

Boat Ow ner' set the seal of understanding and acceptance 

of 25 years of work. It is pleasurable to think that the 

whole new world of desisns and sailing experience is 

opening up before us. The unpleasant side of it is: how 

will we be able to keep up with the new ideas without 

driving us in the centre into the ground? 

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D t'ci ! E (1 1 Tol , al)() a 1 I k)i)I I)q wi? 1 1 w 1 1 I I au t 1cl) d 1) 1 98 2 . 

Jtlst rtlce Ived t he Sum mer isue - 1 've been a nx iousl y Dav r(l Goss thas k)I o tI q h t S iltl 1 k(lt$ 1 ( ) tl lhtj f I (è l'n B I is l () i ( () 

kva it 1 rt(j pt S a, r 1va I , l t's a very worthwh iIe pu bl ical ion f or E x motl 1 h and IF f t.I 1 r of I)? cl I se f(.) I i't' I ln a r)(l 1 I r)lj. H av 1 p)(4 

()o Iyca ter S. F rom my pe rspective as a bu i Ider it () ives St?e ,) hef t h l et? yeas s açjo I kvas lt'i ttl I i) St ed ir'i stlt?l (7c1 6z()w 

r'nuch rlrac t Scal adv Ice ' and as a sa i Ior I ca n learn f rom tlht, i'latl wo l n he l t ' 1 p , ou $1(1 t h i) Al la I1t lc 1 1) t ht' h atlfls () f 

ltlq? tgxpt?t itl nce of othel s. l'le' iltl 1 1 df?r S 1 mo 1) Beilsoln S I mo th wa S a ( Is u 7 ) ka f4) 1 kast' 

Baslcal I y I ' m a (.1 ay Sa i I i ng calamari ner as 1 've had an 'Ju rf calqoe ! antl atln'l 1 l s 1 () hav I lnq sa 1 1i'(l Sha 1) 1( l a vt'l y 

a I cor t 'Catf Ish' to sa i l f or ! he past f ew years. l we n't to haf d. H Owever Shatl lda shtlws n o $ Iqtns o f u tn(I ut' wf'q) , 

tht? /'Sa i 1 . I t3' last year and exper ienced what a boa! 1 ike i nti no n0 Of he! io I 1 t S fkïèt?r'n t o l)av(' mtlvtatl al a I $ . Wt) I 1 

Cat i ac! I I was I i ke to sai I , 1 t was just qreat ! 1 'm now (1t') 630 J . W. a lnti lt ' b; nOt ote n I say t h al I 1 l 

l)tI 1 td: r1g o ne myse I f . 4 've also met some swel I fo I ks : VY M *4 NaI a 1 shou 1 (1 be f pIn 1 sht,cl, l lu t , 1 ;) leces, l)y t 1-.6) 

Pol vca t 1 l r)g ls a (? eat expertence ! en d Of August ancl thelp al 1 J '1 1 havt' lo (jo Is f I 13(1 t htl 

l t LS a real boo n to see others' boats a nd to real ise moniE!y t O f I 1 he r ou t so sh p shou ld ine o1) t h(4 wa1 e l l)y 

Svha t 1 h e I l e l1e rg l f?s h av e pro duce d, 1 shou l d 1 i ke t o th a 1 k 1 98 5 l ! ! ' 

d I L y o t) p e o p l e a c , o s s ! h e po 1) d f o r t h e f i n e wo r k y o u ' r e 

CZ k r3 ç) I $3 Tltl t i Ilg 1 Oql)t hilf ' 'Th e Sa i I or ma n' ' I k no w h ow Va ri na R o pe - 1 00 m p rest retch ed poI y este r 1 2 m m 

'riuch tk me and work you al I must put into thls f 49 irlc. vat ex de1 . 

pubdfcatlon. As ofpe vho fi nds six months an awfutly 100m supélr nylon braidline 12mm 

iofl: tl me, do you th iI1 k thal you cou Id make the f48 inc. vat ex del. 

'naflazl l)e a quar terly publ lcatlon? (NO - not unless you al1 otber sizes and types available at similar sorts of prices. 

are prepared to pay four tlmes your curent membersbip from : - Guy Barron 

sub. - Ed . ) 

FI o'T) Stephel Veklf?, Fortescue, New Jersey. 

Dear Editot 

Dea l E(I ltol l have recent I y acqu ,r0(l a (3 Autohe 1 m 1 O00 fol m y 

Cap'ol alnd I have Just retul lned f l om a trI p to Bermuda Tane Nu 1 and wh 1st st I awallnq IlAformat ion f rom 

olh k I R EO. Y ou may l emember that six years ago we Nautech about the f Itlng positlon. have made a bracket 

rnade the same tl lp on otlr H I nemoa TWO RABB 1 TS and and have f ixed 1he autohelm on the Iast beam in such a 

wi? l e l'ewal ded w 1 th a f ive.day gale I n t he G u If Stream on positlon that when the angled rudder stock Is ce ntra I the 

the vtay down, and H u r lcane Blanche on the way home. movement arm of t he Autohelm ls baI f i n h al f out. O n 

tx tl I e I tlt/$' alrded wk t#1 a f Ive-day sale tn the G u I f Stream on beati nq 1 f I nd the autohel m wor ks great, but on a reach , 

tlt? way tiown ald huricane B lanche on the way home. Once 'Walmaru' starts to gasher speed, the bow swpngs to 

kh?'t' did not seta the I 1 kes of elther this t , me, but the starboard or port - usua liy the opposlte directlon to the 

rlassaqe from East Coast U.S. ports to Bermuda is wlnd and off course we qo. Does anyone have arly 

qltlel aily a hard one. The Gu lf Stream cro sinq ' and the su990Stdo ns to experiences with Nautechs Autohel m on 

Ipassl ng throuf)h severai d If fet ent weather systems ma k es smal Cats such as a Ta ne Nu i? 

Fol r ouqh , urlretlictable condlions. l'rhouqh probably Have recently returned from a short cru ise along the 

r)o wol 5f ? thal E nql ish coastal salofs face every day) . Coast of Algarve - Southern Portuqal - from Sagres to 

we were rei?f ecl over half the t imt? b0th ways, and the river Guadiana that div ides Spa in and Portugal - 

' 

com Inq home we made over 60 sail chalhges I n 633 m iles . anyone passinq th is way ls recommended to take t Ime 

T'he deck chal $ could bt? used o ly at br ief Intervals Of f from the passaqe Southwards and cal into Visa Real 

arlt ï thel e wer i' f ew (Iays whep) we felt Ii ke playi nq' d0 San Antonio (Porlugal ) there is a smal 1 harbour 

I'n us I Ca l Ilslru mëlts ()t cook Ilaq t'lalorate meals. totaly protected and then cross to Spain and anchor in 

E! t't 

Bermtltia pas wi,l worth the t,.,p. The people are another smal inartlour adjoinin: the border town of 

1t?S reservëcl thar) thev once were - shorter shorts moro Aymonte (spain) qreat for stockinq uo on sherrv and 

l Shotktl,tl,' etc, - lat,t they arc 'stil h'elpfu-l other booze and then proceedinq up t'lae Guadia 'nia to 

ctlssirqq 

(3r)( i f' it,ncly 

an( 

otlt of tlat? sun Bermuda ls coolt?r than San Luc'ar - wonderful scenery and takes you back to 

. 

New Jersey In Summer, and' the veqetatlon ls fulv Old Portugal and Spain. san Lucar is spanish. suppfles 

l The cof al and fish are as 'ntetestins as in th'e can be obtained and is about 1 7 miles from the mouth. 

tropica . 

Alqtples thouqh the water ls not as clea, . wc iad a great Word of warning, watch the Bar into the river Guadlania 

tl mf? we' . anchort?d mostly at st. oavid's, and for a cotlple and approach from outside the leading Buoys- even if 

o . 

f (Iays at Somerse: Bridfle. Th(? islancl Is so crowded with YOt1 do draw Iess than a metre. We approached in a S.W. 

rnotor bfkes that pt's best to be at one end or the other. force 8 at 10 knots. surfin: . we had r7o cp.ew elther way, which makes a smal boat Further on the way South is Punta Umbria = Spain - 

scem darqer, as w(?I as I içjhtilr arld faster. self-s:oerlns was a delightful Holiday vilage along side the river 'that takes 

esi,ntial and wt' had qood succes wlth John Letcher's you up to Huelva - remember 'tlne Man wiao never was' 

Svstem for wl nd af t the ileam : an elastic pu 1 IS the helm - he is buried in the cemetry in Huelva. 

to Iee, and the headsal I sheet puls St to weather. W lth Yours, Barry Sadler. 

ivp rld f orwarcf o f the ileam . Letcher recom mends that the Qu inta dos Seleiros Herdade do F: u nc j) aj 

ouatro E stradas 

malnsai I sheet r)uI 1 to weathcr, and this (loes not work 8600 uagos Aigarv'e, Portugal. ' 

''ve! 

, 

I on V I R E O ol ol 1 he boats of some of ou r f r iends. 

l n Be rmuda we mct M ark Hasse I au 1 h or of L O V E 

F 0 R SA I L a 1-1(1 h i) c 1 a I m ed t h a t a t ? 1 m t ab fjea r w 1 t h ou t oea, E (1 I t o r 

d i f fe rent i a I l ln kaqe waS glv i ng h im good resu lts. Such a 1 t loo ks I ke youl 1 'ees o f prom lses af e produci ng 

qeal tvou I d not i)e d if f icu I t to bu d I d. O ne t rouble with so lne f lower s at I ast ! I am e nclosing a very poo l f Iower 

sheey .to.t 1 I I el gea l S is th at thi?y wandi?r wh ich m ay not (;f my ow n jr own - u nf ol tu nately - not 1 n t he Whar ram 

atld m uch to th e sl I Stance ru n btlt does cause the Sa i ls to (ja rde la . Ha(1 I k now n more abou! the P.C .A . I n the very 

qtop f ol 1 ln() and the boat to Slow. None-the.les with (,ar.l y (lays j would hdve def Inltely chosen a H 4 NA As It 

Letcher's of .îhe.wl nd he( p and the techp) Iques we h ave îu 4 ned otl t 1 star teCi to bu I Id a n ATTU NG A an Aust ra4 ian 

1 olq used on V 1 R E O f or close.hau 1ed and heav i ly reef ed (jes Ig IR , t h'e s Ize t) Iençj S Im I I al to H I NA' . 20' x 1 0', 

'o nd It ions Caro k and 1 hard I y steered except when tjt! rnou nt at) 1i? wpth a so I ld p I ywood deck hu I Is w ith a 

changi ng Sa i i S or com i ng i 1 to port. qlele! ) V f o rwal (1 a n(I a l most f Ia t at t he ster ns. N o not as 

We Iost two l owet' 5h rou ds on th is tr i p, becau se the Siqawort hy as a H I NA . I flot sluck wi! h that boat - and 

loops arou l1d th e mast were 2' ci rcu m ference and should al t htlufj 1, I bo ughl a set of TA N E pla ns 1 never started 

have beel 3'. Th() mast ks hol low box sectio n, 4' ' x 41 g' '. ltj ild I (lfj . House alncl f am I Iy were f I rst , late I y tbe h igh 

On :he way home Cal'ol said, 'Th is tri p prepare 5 you ç), Ices antl so 1! 1q st1 1 the ATTUNGA - but I StI I l do 

for tra ns-ocean pasages the way 130th i ng prepare s you f or tlot 1 osf' hope . 

lh is. ' B eI' muda I s a real Shake-down but st i l l recom . I anl tlhc Iosl l1ç) a l outl h sketch.map of 1 he area 1 nvo Ived 

mended. We were 5% days gotng, 1 0 days there and So lf you f I !,(1 the 'ztlower' 1 nterestlng elough to be 

k4I mosl 9 days com ing home. F rom here no other I lalnt f?(! I n yotl f o, es! of prom Ises Iet m e k now I wi l l 

(lest I lat 1 on off e, s such change and adventure in so short sd , 1(! yotl a map of t he a , ea wh ich m iq hl bi) more 

cl t i r'n 0 . tyu 1 t a ) 1 () f o I 1-.) r 1 ( 11 I n çj . 

F: l . Om : Thomas F'irth Jones . Auqust 1 : , 'a1 But tfli? exl'erlences tlflscrlbed z coula arlpiy to any 

Marshalvile Road Tuckahoe N.J. 08250. l'olh/caî salot as wel. The Iesson f rom that tl ip could be 

I)u l Ir) thtlse f t? bhl words : P Ia r) you l c' u Ise to the I ast de ta I 1 ! 

Btl 1 htl - l wou Id 13()1 be ab Ie t o wl 4te a f) a r! Icle I 1ke 

L7IkI' (3p 1 l4)p) ps I1LI(!I1fJ lli' fulshlltlq tlïl(!lï/b l(1 Ills hl aral ti3 a tl 

7.) k J af t?! bev i',) y('aI 5 t1 a ,(l bltltj aI1(I à1(IH'S !k) lJp t)I) lh)t. F1 ()I)Cà y ()tI t,ljo y It 1 

!. ' . t, t f : r E ly ! '1 t? s t '.k1 ) I ! 4 )(! Pi . 1 t . ! D tvt . %( i > x 1 lf . (: t $ t k ) t2 t ) I 1 ! ) I t ' ! 1 ' K ()eI ) wa t e r I l1f) t he f 1 o we f S 1 1) y ou l () a l (1 (! 43 1 t a I way s 

pè , s h.': k 3 T,l !)(Ja I ( )ql t 1) Is v' Atl! l 1 t' l3t)s 1 8t$(' k i)(I i) Is llast l.)f 1 Il(Js l estl I ts. Good 1 tlck w lt h you, hal d job a Ild Iook i nq 

' I r il s . I v ' % r i() I 1 t f ) kl(' l tI% kl I k'( t.l r t' f 16'k: l () , Elctvi ' B ( bk' Slsl I b i ()' Wa 1 (1 1 O the ne x! 'SA l L O R MAN ' 

. It. . îl(4 ,rt -. 1,t't k)I (.-, klv-)s, ïvh, . rt. l,t. '-av' .-, tl ; , t) l)t, . 1( I -, 4z' î?k 't h best vvlshes ant, qreet I nqs f rtarn 

p 1in I y-.i.i Icl, 1.,1- l,( hl lt . !( , fk! -, l . )I' 'li-x t yi'-l Gus wlstlky lsee next issue - Ed.) 

SI).' Inci'f h.1 t,I ! , 1) iq f , la ic,l i 1(1 1) I s rhlk 4 T d)l (IcI t ()ct tl t B I.1(!tl( J$l s c.' . G PO F1 oba I'! , Tasma 1 la 7000, Au stl' al Ia . 

Dea l Ed ptor 

So r r 9 a bo u t 't h e d t? I a y , !) , e ;) I 9 1 'aç) t o 9 ou ' l (?l 1 e r b u ! I 

have bee n tur n 1 n(J I I'lvef ness u pslde.dow n I '3 an at tempt 

lo f I nd someo ne who w 1 I t u' 13 L ., f ramtl colour sl Ides 1 nto 

5 x 4 bl ac k and wh 1te ;)r I nts/ sadl y to no ava 1 l . The o nl y 

f I rm who would eve 43 co lslder do (n6) the j ob were not 

o '1I y f r Ightc'n 1 n6J 1 y expe nsivt) lut a I so ca nd ld ly 6? xlressed 

1he opi n Ion that the end resu I t wou Id not just $ f y the 

bother So so ry no photos. 

Regard I ng the iu nk r I(j J.W's probltlms seemed to be 

thal at over 8 k nots to w I ndwar d I n Teh , 1) $ t he sa 1 1 

stal Ied out due to its odd aerodynamlcs. Howevef slnce 

my Tangaroa doesn't # each that sort of speed to wl ndward 

1 do n't th ink the problem wil I al Ise. Wh 1st at the 

1. M. M. in Norway I met Jan n ick Cortsen a Dane who 

wrole about 1 is ju nk-r igfled Ta ngaroa ln 1he July 1 97 1 

'Sa ilorman'. Wc talked a Iot atxut the r 1(j and he sald 

he wo u Id not co nslder a ny other r iq o n a cru IsI ng boat . 

Regardi ng the new car.top ca1 everyone who saw dt 

commented on how nlce It Iooked ( it real ly was most 

eye.calch lnf)l and as far as 1 could see $t seemed to sal 

very wel. I n the 'fam ly race' it beat an awf ul I(?t of 

otbef boats adm ittedly In I ight alrs. lt slmply Iooked a 

Iot of fun! 

Regards Tony Perldqe 

R hua I la n Drumcharcl i r)e K t k h 1 l I Ilve rness. 

Dear Edito, . 

I am wr It i f'ql o t) kl(?ha I f of !1)y il ustlalt who is at 

present worki'x overseas ald holes to k)f? back wlth In 

the rlext tew weeks to resume woî k t)r) tht? Tt,h I l, we are 

bu i Id i nfj , 

We have one hul al most completed ald the second 

hul with the galey to f inlsh. My husbantl suggests I 

write to you asking if you would klndl y ;)ul a no1 1ce in 

the 'Sai Iormanê' enquiri nq if anyone wants to do a spot 

of work in exchange for sail ing at a Iater date or f or 

weekend sail ing at Bala in Wales. Th is would be much 

appreciated. 

Yours sincerely, Claire Marsh. 

Flat 1 , Lloyds Bank. Baker St. , Fenton, 5OT, Stafs. 

Extracts f rom a leuer by Mark Jobnson of South 

Carolina. U.S.A. 

' I used to go ou t of the I ittl e river i nl et (01, the North 

Carol lna/south Caroli na Border) every day. Th is lnlet is 

treacherous at times but 1 could even drlve my little 

'H I N EMOA ' through 7' foaml ng breakers. During an 

unusual Iow tide one time I touched bottom haI f way 

ou t ot the I nlet tried to come about and broached on 

one of these Iarge breakers went about 100' sideways, 

and she stil came down on her feel. 

'Many times 1 was caught i n waves that were higher 

that the 24' mast as l wou ld intentional Iy qo ou1 i n these 

conditions for ex perience.' 

' Later, in Key West, I would be the only boat out 

'f or fu n' in 40 knts. winds and 1 even rode out 

hu rricane ' F rederie' (60 k nt. wi ndsl at anchor. What an 

excitl ng night that wasl ' 

Extract from a leuer by Tim Ainley. Canada. 

'?1 don't know if you have heard yet but we were 

surf i ng Johl Belanger's 45' OR0 'PY X IS' in the gulf 

of 1he S1. Lawrence Iast September. 1 t was at once the 

most exciting and frightening ex perience I have ever had. 

The coast guard annou nced 50 knots of wi nd and with 

the outgoing force 9 and ao incomjn: tide the Gaspe 

passage produced some very sleep waves with Iarge 

break Ing crests. We guesed that the Iarger ones wou Id 

have been abou t 30 f1.' 

'Pyx is' - heavily Iaden - wou Id of ten bu ry her bows 

right up to the 'nostrils' in the bulwarks as she went 

racing into the back of the wave ln f ront of us after what 

seemed I ike m inutes of su rf i nq on each wave. lt was a 

front somercsault that l feared most but 'PY X ts' always 

1 i f ted he r bows i n t i me. 

'As night feI l af ter 36 hou rs of th 1s, we had traveled 

over 200 m i l es a nd were ex hausted ; never h avi ng been 

able to sleep for the excitement. The waves were getting 

steeper a1 the lime and f I naI I v in desperation wi th 

flashl ights. we found al I the components f or and assembled 

a J im Brown drogue with 300 f t. of nylon and a bridle 

to the two stern samson posts. As we threw it over the 

stern we held ou r breath whi Ie the rope went stream ing 

of f the trampol 1ne - over the slern went 1he bridle and 

then as if GCXI had tied us on to a 1 ifel i ne we were 

elastical Iy slowed and our two sterns d rawn f irmly over 

the crest of the nex t wave that threatened to pick us up 

and send us hurtel inq down ts face. What a retief ! 

'Pete and l immed iately wenl beI ow and were able to 

fal easily into a relaxed sleep as the motion of the boat 

had quite changed and there was no more f ear of the 

waler h ising bv ou r ears in those f righten inq bursts of 

whal 1 imagi ne must have been cl ose to 20 knots. And 

al 1 th is under bare poles! ' 

'WeI, 1 doubt i f any of th is Is new to you, but let me 

take this opportu nity to thank you for havi ng deslgned 

such an extraordi narv f orgivi ng vesel 1 have crosed the 

Bay of Biscay on an OCE AN '7 1 and the Bermuda 

Trianqle on a Samson Marlne ferro-cement ketch and 

toth of them were trou ble to handle in less severe 

conditions that ' PY X l S' i n the G u I f . ' 

5

- - . - . . -- - 

my Se j f am r )ot very qood ln rougla weat he r . Very dry 

sal 1nj oIl that boa! and a real two persons cabil wlth 

X 4 

k. 

5 

az 

X 

ux 

bu 17 

l 

k 

h 

7 

o p 

x 

e 

neat' 

y o u 

Iy 

c 

5 

a ! 

teet 

l ta s 

. 

e t h e t r a n s i a t i o !4 o f t h e a r t i c I e b y 

œ 'e - Fred , 1 do n't know lf He1 mut sends you news too . 

Bes! wishes and success wlth next SaI Iorman . This is a 

'' B LU EF IN '' 30 FOOT , FAST very otuer specdal in thls nhaqazl field ne. not to be compared with any 

STAB LE CRU ISE R - RACE R 

CATAM A RAN 

S LE E PS F l V E 

. 

G From: N D. Boon 

' ro n i ngerweg 46 9 7 38 A B G ro n Ingen 

tsee next issue - Ed.) 

s. w. NEws 

TEN SAl LS. f7.000 

EMSW O RTH 3440 W EEKENDS 

Dear E (1l to r 

WI) , Ie hol St1 ng atld I owe? 1 nq the m al nsal Is on a cou pl e 

of Polycals l have notlced that the qooseneck often sticks 

and the boom then needs a f; reat amoun! of m uscl 0 t o 

move ,! ; or 1 he hal ya rcI needs sl ack I n g of f lo rel ease I t . 

Cono r 0/ Br Ien 1 n h is book ' ' Dee p Wa te r Y acht R 1çJ' 

tu rns th e Standa rd Wha rram deS Iqn al ou l4d so th at i l1s tead 

of a short tu be sl I dl rlg on a p t'lng I od a l onq rod sl I des 

, n two spi gots on the m ast bands . A5 the lonq rod can no t 

'f a l l ove r' as t he Sho rt t tabe ca n t h on the st Ick i rlg 

problem Shou pd be overcome. 

œ * O * O 

Another polnt made ln this book wrlttel) I rl 1948 

wou Id redu ce th e nu mber o f bl ocks a t the mast head a r1(1 

h al yards ru bb k ntl and f r appr nj aqa I nst t he mast. To do 

th Is you at tach the toppi nj I If t to the top of thc mast 

leadl ng I t th rough a bl ock on t he e nd of the boom and 

t Ie o ff t he rope to a cl eat anywh el e al ong t he boom you 

fancy. The advantaqes of th is System are a shorler rope 

and al I mov I ng pa rî 5 a t deck 1 eve 1 . 

Hope th rs m ay be of u Se 

You r q, Gu y Ba ron . 

Court Barton, Newton S1. Cyres E xeti? r Devon E X5 5B U 

Dear Ed Itor 

Last vear I wrote you a Ietler dated 1 8 November 

1 980, so I am i?a r I y th ls year . Recent I y I ta1 ked to 

Helmut Wams the Dutch area secretary I Iv, nt) near by, 

and dscused tbe f! nal da te f or newq f o r the ne xt 

' 'Sa I I o r m an ' ' 

A$ f a r as I know t here 1 S an af tl cl e 1 1 stock by m y 

son . 1 l3. I aw arld dauqhter Mar I j ke abou t t he1 r ex pe r lences 

w , t h a wa t6? 4 .fjele ra tof al3(1 the S harp Se1 t.steel' I n(J. Th 1$ 

Is not pl aced so f a r so we d on't !1 eed to f eeI too m uch 

wor r $ed abouî fp Iv ! nfl not man y news , tems fo r t he next 

nu mber, 

F ro m olne of 1 he owners we recel ved a veek ago an 

art tcI e o r7 h ls ex per Ien ceS w hth h Is R ak a . ( F red Pot man ) . 

H e aqreïltl t he te x t beI f3q t ra lsl a ted f o r th e Sa I l or man as 

1 t ca 43 be o f u se f or ot he rs 

I t wl 1 1 b() placi?d t n n ex l 13 u mbe , o f the CTC lpews too . 

Tha! w1$ $ be number 7 5 (N ov , '31 ) numbel 7 4 ls i usl 

i')l o ughl to post.of f 1ce t he l (? 1 s a I)e r pod between two 

nu mbi?r s to be co rn Ilaretl wl t h a ;')f? rl o(I o f t Ight w 1 nds 

betwetlrl gal es 1 4 me to (Io ol he r th I llf .ls amonfls! them 1 o 

vv r ! t e t h , s I e t t e f 

Y o u (1 o ve ry vvf l I 1 o f 1 I I t 8) i? ' /Sa , l o t l'la 13 ' ' w I t h q ood 

r)h o't o $3 i cl t.l t (.! s. O !3e I ) I c ! u t t.' rno st O f t h e t 6 mf.?s (J 1 ve s 

1 'i) t t e t 1 1) f ( ) ( m a! , ta tl t h a 1) d 1 84 () t l Sa 1 (1 wo rcl S a S t 1-1 i? C h 1 n i?se 

sah/ ( D f( l t be'k I f? al I b' qay k '( 7 tloilody co !*1 trol s huch 

rernarks 1 ) 

T h 1 s ye a l t h e r c w as (1 u 1 1 t? c.s # I o 1 1 i t a of V ha 1 r a m 1) oa t s 

d 1) N o r wa y a t t h f? I ')t f? l rla 't 1 on a I n'l ee t I I)(j a 1 S 1 ave l rl . Y o tl 

wl l 1 cer ta ,tl I y l3avf? htlartj allotl t 1 t . To ! t tlfla btve nt t h e' f' v da 

t he West Coast hl a rtia rlqi? I f I ()r(I to t he Sot.l t 83 a !7(1 t.l p 1 n 

t ht? (1 $ I ect lo n of O sl () ha I t way . 

Ot hel ilclat t; pr esen t wef 6? a Talfla ! oa lrom Scot l afld 

F a Io Ieaq ( Ttlny Pf l ! l dqe ) , a lot her Tarlqaroa f rom To l e 

T tl rlhe 1 m va r 1 otI s . H 1 13 a H I Ilennoa a n()1 hi' I N a t a 1 Tane 

f r on1 B I I iy Wf lght y K operl haqe tl ) . H I T 1 A f r om J. W. 

Deslflns I n f ac1 mot t, 1 h)aI) 70 Eloal s o f v ar k ou S t y îles 

wef i? pt ese I1t . 

As you k,) ow I owf) a sma I 1 H av k at now 1 8 f eet k)y 

1 1 i e6l t ca ') 1 t ) c t tl 1 Se ! F a S t a n(i ve r y tl Se f u 1 o n p ro t e cte d 

wa te! s 1 lnoucjh (1 u I te flootl I n rouqh wea ther too . B ut I 

6 

Dear Ed itor, 

Th Is newsleter is bei ng typed by myself wl th two 

fl nqers lnstead of by the 'seat cover' (qirlf riend to yotl 

non C. B. f ansl with ten. No, boatbui Idi ng hasn/t broken 

up anothe r romance it's just that the Ieter won't get 

wrltten I f l don't do it here and now ! So please forgive 

ly ping eïrofs and spesl in9 mi slakes 

May I thank al I those who wrote In response to the 

last Ietter. 1 was surprised to fi nd a couple of members 

who own boats wh ich aren't polycats. David Mi I ner has a 

26' Lock-crowkher trimaral whlch he sald he bought 

instead of a Wharram because it was otfered at a prlce he 

cou Idn't posslbly refuse. Personal Iy l th irlk il had more 

to do wlth the fact lhat it's very Ilght and has more sail 

area than a Naral and is tltod with a sœ edometer f rom a 

Fel rarl , At the other end of thescale Norman Pety has 

a Heave ly Twils for f am , Iy comf ort i n a smal boat. 

Weymouth harbour is hIs home port and he has sent me 

an artlcle on anchorin: ln thls area with the suggestion ( ! 1 

that others may like to contri bute sim ilar pieces on their 

home ports with particular reference to f acdl it ies for cats 

. . . . . how about It you cal) always practice here before 

wrltlnq that article for P 8.0. you always promlsed 

yourself you would 

' In an aqe wben mas society has rendered obsolete 

the qual pties of ind ividual courage and independent 

thought the oceans of the world sti I I remain va st and 

uncluttered beaut ifud but unf orgivi ng , awaiting those 

who w l not submlt. Their voyagesare not an escape but 

f u lf i 1 Iment''. 

So reads the Sntroduction to the Slocum Society whlch 

is, and I quote again 'a non prof it mak inq organisation 

encouraginq Iong dls:ance voyages on smal yachts and 

keeping records of such passages. The society is a 

reposltory of Inf ormation on Iong distance smal boal 

passages. E nqui rtes on th i s subject a re resea rched f rom 

it5 extenslve 1 ibrary and archives. Members may also cal I 

orl the soclety for advice in planning crulses. Membershi p 

i s ope n t o a I 1 . ' ' 

Dues are f 5 per annum for whlch you get a copy of 

'The Spray' twlce a year. Deta iIs from M Ichael 

Hardcaste.l-jsna - address in the membership list. 

b$/, 

* 

( Poem by Horace Dobbs) 

A memory after sai li nlj with Wade and Jan Doak 

aboard thei r Wharram Catama ran ' ' l nlerlock ' ' of f 

New Zealand in June 1 98 1 . 

V 

Star Letter 

Dear Pol 9 nes ian catamaran sa 1 I I 1-1(4 .)t1(1 (1 Iits 

Just a f ew words about î he bu I l(1 l !)() of nl v 35t . 

extended H i nemoa wh Ich I hole to havt) Ia LI rlchtltï by 

th e t i me y ou re ad t h 1 s ! 

F Irsl of al I I am an e xpf?l lenced sa $ l of m aIl a $ l have 

done t h ree voyages f rom the H ambltl R Ive I to a nothlr 

part of the Ha mb le R lve, Il t 1', ree (1 I f t?, t?!l t M I l roI 

d! nghies (or it rnight have been thf? same () I)t') a1)(l o nct? 

sxaw a Drascombe L o nqboat . 1 1) f'nh/ co nsllcret. or): 1) lo rl 

(and Ji m Whar ra m told me t hat ht) afpreesl PoI h/cat S a r ' 

basical Iy good boats Bt1 1 I (1 ec 1(lt?(l t lat t)(! to t'e t ili'y 

woul d tack o r go t o wl ndwa l (1 t ht?y a , t) 1 tl Iltctl of qomt' 

x) rl of modl f Ica î Sons al so I a m n()t t()() stlf e abotl î 

ru nn ing ancl reachi n1 .q O 1) otht?l I3o I l1 s of sa 1 I ilq 1 hi'y 

may weI l be u nsu rpassecl I 

F Irst I eeway ! l am qu re tha t whel 1 6)(,1 to Sa 81 a Wha , l an3 

(d id I mentiot, that l olce 5aw il t r 1 maf al) ? ) I 1 wl 1 I mak tl 

far too mgch I eeway . The re torf.l I CI ,(I a f ew S1 m I)l ti 

ca1 culatl ons des Igned lo asess t h () sl a t pc ( ()a(l , tlf)s o îl tj 

Contesa 32 ma k i nfj 1we Iv() k r)()1s sl tleway s o tl a f a I 1 I nfl 

tide doutlsets it ( as tlea! I'y a$ Po$ ycats hav t? lwo hu $ $s1 . 

knocked a bs t of f the botl om ( N . B. tlot a k 1 !/Vh a l , tlt'n S 

h ave ba I l ast keels al th ough a f t)! r t?a(l1 l)ç) th e , aq t # ',tA. ' 

edili ons of the 'Sa1 I orma n ' ' m osl ttlcl) 10 1 ()(1 Ical ly ! tl , I 't'( 1 

on Po Iycrats have f I te (1 îhe m al (3$1() kvl t 1 a l'ack k p 1 ) 

ce n t r e p I a t e a n d 1 t? e. ') o a l tl s y s 't t , f'rai ) a 1) (. ( I p / ? bv a r t ' ! î t , k r x,s . ' 

ste rn o 1 t h e r) 1 a 1 S f o r r'r'l y f'l'l f3(f 1 f I (' ( l ' ' I (Jl1 t l ) t? t'1 1) h.'i c: t J , 

T h ese a re a s f o I I o vvs : .- 

The truth can now be told about those masts from the 

forestry commlssson. The real cost for two st icks for a 

N ara i , 40' and 30', squared of to JW's sl zes. del ivered 

and wlth aboul 400' of 6 x 1 planki ng was f 1 75 plus al I x 

the orgaolsatholh. $ n retrospect we took a grea! risk in Dpvide by 2 (d lvlcltl by lvvoh ' - 

buylnq logs larse and lonq enough to get square masts 3 ' Afr t- 

out of betore aranuing delvery f rom the sawmil back lo 

our h homes. I f we had had to have lhem del Ivered by 

aul Iers the cost may we1 I have been another :200 splil 

thr ee ways. B y :oo d Iuck Ralph Bradshaw In Southampton 

managed to hlre a non h g.v. lorry with an extra 1 on9 

bed whtch meant t he ove ( hand vka: Just teqat . 

B y t hi? l 1 mtà he had 1 oaded 1he 

t 4 mtlt?t at Hol ,1 on a 1361 (1tè1 lve r f)d t () PI y mou! h aI3(I E x ele 1 

htl hatl tlecsdecl î ha1 i o! t hi? t 1 i) bac k t o Sotl t ham l)l () rp 

vvdî h h Is Ta Ilq ap oa m as ts hi' wotl i( I havt) a 1 I t ht? ovt! , halcp 

51 4ck 1 n(J ou l of t he f rol t wl3t>1 t: h t ' cltl l (1 sf.t' 1 l Ht? 1 (àf 1 

E xelf?t wpth h is nlast wavl fêç) aloti l pI1 f 4 o'lt of 1 Inh (9' ) 

I k e aIl f! Ielhalt 1 4) silaqol ) b/vh 1 ch I (1 1(1 1*1 th p !1 k wds 1()() 

sels! ble igt 1 ()'c1 (lck al 13 Iqlt l-ltlwihvil' hd' lAla(.l(. I 1 

ho r'n e biv I t h ()tI t sf )ea r 8 t )fJ iI ,7 y t)()f l y f ) l h av 1 I l() lh ! $ I 'h ! ( ) I t !(: l I ( ) , ) 

s 1 a ;) f )t',( I o f T 1) e '*r EI t )(1a r ( ) tl I'tl as'r tg ' bv I '? 1 tl t 't a I '.'! 1 F t) l ' l 1 t i' I y 

sI3à $1 l t) ! a fntlt i ! à! () f ()f f . qti l s , f:k J'5! f 1 30 G . B . 

Wh ich proves my pol)t 

rather 1) lcel y, I th lk 

This ls of cou rse for stat'c loadlnq. Anyole bh/ho Caz' 

work out the dynamlc Ioadl ng ls a betti?r matl thafl 1 ant 

wi'th these conclusi ons in rd ind l dec led to l lt a 

black anod ised al u m i n iu m toe.ra i l wh Ich I am bv c(). 

i ncidence produci ng as a cottage industry at the ver'/ Iow 

( I th i nk) pri ce of f 235. 50 i nc. VAT & p&p, i 1) my I itt It! 

f actory i n Ly mi ngton . 

As I have sa id by t he time you read t h Is Ie ter , I hopt' 

to have begtln construction Of my 19f1 . f I l.keeled sl n(1le. 

huled Ari ki , wh ich l hope wi 1 be the fi rst mult ihut t to 

Iegaly enter the Fastnet Race. Also could you tel me tht' 

exact f reque ncy Of I I(J h t t h a t sh ou I d be e cn 1 t 'te (1 by 

9e 

I obu ve I i es ? 

Y ou rs s i nce re1 y , B udd y B . W al k e I 

CAM EO 

Foam slides past 

the h sing bow 

and a wh Isperlng wl nd 

captured by gently.bel I ied sa1 I 

caries them over the sea. 

The SI Iver notes of a f Iute 

f il 1 the air and are gone 

Ii ke raindrops on water. 

Coton-wool clouds jumble !he 5ky ' 

In non.geometric conf uslon 

above a jagged skyline. 

P. S. 1 am of ferl ng my 1 2f t. Fof d Cort - H 1 na f or Fale f o r 

f 3500 so that l can buy a boat or a bigger car. Arlyor'e 

interested? 

I do not know who this joker is - he may not even be 

a member - Buddy Boy Wa1 ker is not on our current Iist 

- however, despite the ponderous nature of his anempt 

to take the piss tbere is a certain amount of truth in the 

idea that some PCA members seem unable to resist 

altering and modifying the standard plans when buildlng 

'beir boals. In any case this is tbe only attempt al humou r 

that anyone has sent in this time . ( Ed. ) 

A beautif ul woman 

h a i r b I o w i n q i n th e w I nd , 

eases the tilker. 

Her beared companlon 

slts on the bows 

contemplatl ng the scene 

wondering If the dolphins wl 1$ come. V

P yxis cruises 

to the 

Eastern S eaboard 

by John Bellenger 

As Diane and I returned from Iast m inute shopping 

our Oro tugged lightly at its anchor w arp, its hu 11 

glistening in the Iate afternoon sun. The Avon was i n 

constant ferry service and Pyxis was covered with people! 

Grog passed freely f rom botlle to I ip. Well w ishes were 

given, joy expressed, and backs were slapped. The decks 

of an Oro are large but our gear and groceries covered 

every square inch of it! Th ings were 'f ire bucketed ' 

dow n to Diane who endlessly slacked and packed f ood 

under seats, bunks, and upon shelves. 

W ill ing hands poked Stuff into every hatch and space 

till things protruded even f rom the m ast cases. Some of 

these th ings remained ''h idden' a month Iater. Bec-ause 

the storage possibil ities are so endless: a manifesto is an 

absol ute must. Stored item s are uncountably many , 

rangi ng through asprin, sail needles , spare bu Ibs, engi ne 

parts, pencils, tools, charts, treats, o iI, fuel, books, 

œ rsonal effects, wet weather gear , strobe safety l ights , 

cameras, new rope, bi noculars, postage stam ps, Primus 

nipples, whistles, foghorn and a ''time bom b' resting 

dangerously up beh ind the W /C. This was not to be 

opened 't il I after the last ( 7th j Iock, g iven as a surprise 

package by our dearest f riends Dave and Neila. 

Our ''Mergul'' (combinalion Seagull and 20 h.p. 

Mercury) thundered into l ife and we swung purposefuly 

through the moored fl eet of m ultihuls. As w e passed the 

beadland and saw our f riends waving we f ired several 

fl ares up into the qathering darkness. 

September is Iate in the year to be heading for the 

fiftieth parallel. Our course now slanted to the east in a 

light breeze . . . The motor was silenced. W ater rippl ing 

sounds. No one was tired, no one wanted to sleep; we 

were aII 'h iqh'' and lay about the deck chatting and 

thinking. Yawns came to aI at about 1 ,30 a.m . . . . so . . . 

who would stand the f irst watch? Some u nlucky sleepy 

perso n, that's who ! The rest of us slept deeply in comf ort 

whilst the helmsman fought bravely to keep awake. At 

some u ngodly hour we were awakened . . . t ired, cold, 

and unwiling. W hat terrible luxuries boats are! 

Once a person has strusgled to keep awake through a 

watch, that person Iearns to get aI1 the sleep possible 

(except for owners). Pyxis needed dozens of small jobs 

do ins, and Iike a fool l fell into the trap: thinking that 

one cou ld navigate, stand watches and f inish preparing a 

boat wh iIe under way ! For your enjoyment, safety, and 

œ ace of m ind; please beI ieve that it cannot be done. 

The boat m ust be ready and com pletely ready. 

Lake O ntario, wh ich wë were sailing on, is about a 

hundred m iles to its end where it flows into the m ighty 

St. Lawrence river and Seaway. These latitudes are a 

m ixing zone for warm and cold air masses, thus it is one 

weather system after another. Continual changes are the 

norm . The sea is about a thousand m iles to the east. 

Constant and dil igent attention to navigation is a 

m inute by m inute th ing; indeed we had, and needed , 

arou nd sixty charts on board for th is trip. Yet perhaps 

an ocean could be crossed with only one! ? 

At a great Speed on a perfect sunny afternoon we came 

broad-reach ins past undulating farmers' f ields and islands 

. . . as if in a d ream . . . i nto more narrow waters - to 

Kingsto n. A strong tail wind made it Seem w ise to f urI 

ma iIs and to lower the motor. 'Propulsion units' a never 

endi I)g love/hate affair. At the critical moment, just 

when most needed our wonderful l ittle iro n horse threw 

up it s heels , gave a cou pIe of fa rts and fel l into an u rgent 

silence . . . This sudden silence now caused m ore shock 

and am azement than the loudest clap of thunder! R ight 

in the ferry Iane ! Drifting down onto a Iow bridge! 

Strong wi nd! 

A frantic pu l or tw o convinced us that it was time to 

devote our attention to things other than m otors . . . 

Saved ! By the anchor. W hat great things are anchors! 

M ore rel iable than m otors and more useful. Perhaps the 

best insurance poI icy that a boat can 'have? At n ight it 

was cold. A silver church steeple pierced the sky. The 

water w as moving reflections and Pyxis tugged gently at 

he r anchor . . . Shel tered f rom the strong but now dy ing 

westerly roaring in the tree Ieaves and darkness above. 

Life was very serene. 

Slowly drifting past countless smal islands, we Iay in 

the su n nibbl i ng bunches of grapes; what a I if e ! Motorsail 

ing into stronger currents we saw the f i rst I ock. H uge 

and a bit frightening . . . but once through one it seem s 

fun. These Iocks take forty thousand ton vessels so have 

no trouble with polycats. Boats are Iowered forty feet in 

each of the seven Iocks ti 1 al the end you are as if at the 

bottom of a huge well looking up the dri pping sides to 

1he sky and faces at 1he edge. At M ontreal we saw 

feI Iow poI ycatlers and their beautif u I W harrams . . . a 

Pahi, Raka, Tangaroa and Hi na. Very enjoyable to be 

am ong the warm and generous French com m unity. Our 

fam ily of four polycatters who had crewed f or us now 

had to leave to prepare their Tangaroa M k.IV . . . 'Cariad 

1 1'' for thei r journey south. Another couple joined us. 

W a iting. Drizzling rain. Head wind. Coldness. So we Iay 

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Patience exhausted, we m otored out onto the sw if tIy 

flowi ng river, which is here wide and fast. After having 

spoken badly about our motor, we must now say how 

wel it ran for ten hours at a time (non-stop) and at high 

revs., never m issing a beat ! W e grew to trust and to 

actually Iove it. Excellent anchorages were located at the 

end of each day. This patlern held . always the sails u p , 

but the m otor was running. The current and the m otor

8 

carrying us down to the sea. 

Another crew change at a smal town along the way 

. . . a polycatter extraordinaire . . . and Raka builder. At 

Iast it was wi ndy and f rom astern ! W e fa irly zoomed 

along. AI1 n ight tbe wind held true and we broad-reached 

very fast . . . and this on top of currents at tim es as high 

as eight knots. Only three of us now and on deck the 

w hole time. It gets busy when you travel at such speed 

at night and its aI strange and new and the traff ic Ianes 

are narrow and shared w ith huge freighters. 

Steering for the distant green Iights, spotting their 

numbers and marking them off on the char't (or you'd 

never have a clue where you were! ) Under a few stars and 

a half moon with a cool wind, we raced on, far now 

from our local waters. W ending our way past wooded 

hils and cl iffs passing Iights at the sides. The ninety m iles 

to Quebec City was done in not many hours but within 

sight of this historical oId city . the wind faded and a 

thirteen foot tide f Iooded against us. The very first tidal 

waters for Pyxis! To reach an anchorage and sleep. . we 

motored into the foul current, our oiI navigation Iam ps 

have never been blown out vet. W e carw strobes at each 

m ast head which we often f lick on w hen a large vessel is 

approaching. Another crew change. Polycats have this 

advantage . . . there is always som eone building and 

needing experience ! 

Soon out of Quebec citv we passed the island where 

zJP iggy ' d id some m aintenance Iast year. l n another day 

we were among whales ! (Pyxis among whales! ) The tides 

here are l ike huge conveyer belts running at a few knots 

first in then out. W e tim ed runs to take advantage of th is. 

There are a few bad ri ps but we avoided them by careful 

planning. Af ter a su nny start we ran i nto a w aI I of fog . and a1 day we ran under motor in quite big swells. The 

fog was dense so we m aintained compass courses. Our 

Iittle Seaf ix R DF gave us one line but we needed help 

from the coast guard via VH F and their radar. They 

ushered us into a tricky anchorage among smal islands 

and reefs and in a fast race of current. Thank goodness 

for the 24' radar ref Iector! Next day we marveled at 

how wel we were placed am ong the natural hazards. 

Even though I have never Iiked electronics of any kind on 

boats . . . I have to wonder . . . what would have 

happened w ithout that 1 ittle V H F rad io 'phone? I n fog 

it is a very real Ieqitimate navigation instrument. Here 

the river widens out rapidly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

Lost more crew at a f ishing port where we refueled etc. 

The wind was f Iapping out tied down sails and whistl ing 

a steady tune in our rigging. A sm al I craft warning was 

out. Surely an ''Oro'' is not a smal I craft? It would be 

beh ind us and we needed m iles. So with a l ittle uneasiness 

we sa iled ! speedi ng off tow ard the darkness i n the east. 

Exhilaratlon is to be out on a big catamaran w ith a tail 

w ind. You can feel the power as the stern I ifts and then 

the surge of speed ! 

Ge1 ready fo r it, get ready . . . hold your breath . . . 

and I ook to the east . . . fu 1 m oon ! Red and Iarqe . . . 

what a I ife. At m om ents such as these one has to pity al I 

the people who wil never know these feelings. Lots of 

m otio n as well as speed caused us to Iower the m ain-sail. 

As Pyx is rose over the swels and dipped inlo the hoI Iows 

here we were . . . eating dinner out on deck moving fast 

toward the rising m oon ahead! 

Great m ileage was made and we achieved one hundred 

and ninety miles that 24 hour period. Under small jib 

and double reefed mizzen . . . and the Iast ten hours with 

no mizzen and double reefed smal j ib . . . and then 

fi nally under poles! Dawn . . . f Iying. Sunny clear sky. A 

time when details and tim e seem to melt together. Pyxis 

is now ridi ng waves of Iong fetch f rom a day oId strong 

gale. A sl ight tilt. A hesitation. And then you start to feel 

,he acceleration ! W e surfed and surfed . The water was 

hissing by and a fi ne spray off our bows on each side was 

as high as our six foot bows! W hat ecstasy , w hat terror, 

what dry mouths! A Iong afternoon of this sunny surf 

wash ing itself. Cold . . . Getting weary. Even in the galley 

the power and speed was audible as the sink drain sucked 

up racing water and gurgled it out. The c bin sole rose 

and feI I a ponderous twenty feet or m ore , throughout 

th is never endi ng afternoon. Going to the ''head ' up in 

the bow will not be described except to say th is it is 

possible . . . given enough determ ination ! At dusk the 

waves were bigger, steeper and closer together. A lready 

under bare poles and yet still surfi ng down about every 

second wave at f rightening speeds. 

A1 I of us were fatigued out . . . another rough night 

was about upon us and somewhere up ahead, we knew 

not where . . . was Iand ! Anticosti I sland. We didn't 

know how far away it was but surfi ng with f ifty knots 

of air pressure behind you, is not good. The time had 

come for a tire to be d ragged. The tire could not bite i n 

but skipped along on a bed of foam. A special tire drogue 

(invented in CaI ifornia) was now coupled up and dropped 

astern. W e knew in seconds that this was it. I nstantly this 

device stabil ised our mad rush to destiny! It slowed us 

dramaticaly and worked extrem ely well. See how its 

Iine cuts down into the approaching wave wh 11st it was 

in a wave behind. 

Feeling safe now, the crew slept. Pyxis was do ing her 

th ing perfectly and didn't realy need anyone to watch 

over her, but I couldn't resist sitting alone seeing another 

m oon rise . . . into a clear sky again. A world of racing 

silver mountains. Occassionaly I peered ahead for land. 

Pyxis made me proud of her th is day and paid back a1I 

the effort of her construction. She was al ive . . . she 

breathed and m oved. J'God I'm glad that I built you 

Pyxisl'' . . . I thought as I touched the gently swaying 

tiler 'I Iove you.' 

Next day when I woke up oId Pyxis was romping 

along u nder ful working sails. Moderate breeze. Pyxis 

self steeri ng al I day. Odd jobs done. Good wakes swishing 

astern. Things hanging to dry. Hatches open to air out 

the boat. Walking about on deck. Cleaning naviqation 

Iamps and refuel ing them . Being uncertain of our position. 

Darkness. A moon in soft cloud. Fair swel. Full sail . . . 

the breeze fals l ight. The œ m pass light is on and brisht 

red. I sit under a rug, feet in the stern hatch. The crew 

sleep. The helm sways gently to and fro as it self steers 

through the night. 

Daw n. Dow n to a warm bunk. Sweet obI ivion. Ten 

a.m. next day we are plough ing into f resh winds and 

crashing into waves. A cold grey day w ith scuds of rain, 

gusts of wi nd and reefed m ain. We ham mer on, closing 

on the M aqdalen Islands. D iane was f irst to sight them 

through thq m ist. Glad to see them too! As the forecast 

was for three gales over the next few days . . . w ithin a 

half mile of 'the I ine of entry buoys we dropped the m ain 

sail, f ired up the motor and went in very fast along the 

buoys, al l busy preparing anchors, lines, glancing at charts 

etc. 

Com ing through the narrow opening, we were in cal m 

waters, but such power was in the wind that our 45 lb. 

CQR couldn't hold us (because of the rocky bottom). 

W e were al m ost bl own onto a very rough sea waI 1, only 

the m izzen saved us for the motor could not force the 

bow into the wind but the m izzen soon blew the stern 

arou nd (God bless itl) . 

We ran at speed onto the Iovely I ittle sandy beach 

and threw out our anchor upon dry sand where it held. W e 

then paid out I ine and hung there secure but in case of a 

wi nd change we paid out a few hundred feet then dropped 

our 60 Ib. danf orth and pu led back between the two. 

Sure enough the wind did change and blew hard. How 

lucky that we had been ready. It is cosy in a catam aran 

on a cold w indy night learinq rain showering down on 

the decks, drinking m ugs of soup and swigging nelson's 

blood from the bottle. W ood fire burning, excited 

talking, then we grew silent and thoughtful, emptied our 

coffee cupsy went up for a pee and a Iook about. It was 

cold and wet and w indy. W e were secure and safe. 

How can words describe the feel ing of well bei ng as 

you l ie there warm and dry among hostile elements in 

the boat you built. It is a whole world. We are now a 

thousand m iles from hom e. lt is too qood to be true. A 

deep good breath, blow out the Iam p, 1 isten to the boat, 

wel earned sleep.

T he B o atyard 

THE BUILDING AND COMPLETIO N O F A TANE 

NU1 IN PO RTUGAL By B. Sadler 

Looking at the m em bership Iist of Portugal it seem s that 

only tw o of us are mem bers, what a pity when for 

certain the waters of Algorve offer such perfect near aII 

year round Sailing. Only last Sunday - 1 1th Jan , with 

winds on the scale of Force 5, beating across Lagos Bay 

at 6-9 knots in a f Iattish sea in bright sunsh ine. 

W ork was started on the 1 2th January a year ago - 

when after a lot of hassle, because the Iaw in Portugal 

demands three com plete sets of plans before giving 

permission to build, and l 'm sure that Ruth W harrem 

thought I was setting up in opposition ! and m any m ore 

problem s we f inally obtained the necessary Marine pIy 

and other m aterials and work begain in earnest. Sadly 

I personally have neither the ability or the time to do 

the build ing so l 'did a deal' with Alan and Kathy 

Richardson, recently arrived from U K, in their zII Ia 

M anu' and soon they had the shape of the huls, painted 

alI the stringers, cabin furniture built, and the pIy w as 

On. 

l decided that it was worth spending the extra on 

materials and the workmanship being put into the 

building was worth the extra costs, so hence we have: - 

Mahogany Ply., pine standard stingers , teakdecks, 

Borden Sheathing totally over the hu lls, Sparl ite masl, 

4 and 5 m m stainless steel rigging, Al I S.S. hardw are, 

made Iocally f rom 3 mm Sheet S.S. welded together to 

give extra strength where needed - i.e. rudders. The 

rudder pintle cam e from a wreck off sagres! ! AIl 

International paints, Gripfast nai ls and brass screws. etc 

AlI this adds up to a sizeable investm ent , but the 

Sheer joy of (a) admiring Iooks f rom the local f isherman , 

and the (b) having a fast, quality craft in Algarve 

without the need to 'Ieave the Country' every year, 

makes it aI very worth wh ile. 

During 1980 George Payne and his w ife and Ruth 

W harram passed through Lagos in Raka and l suppose 

this was the start of the idea. I also copied the zBowsprit' 

off Raka lbat works very wel. 

For power I uSe Jeckel Is Sails, with a Iight drifter and 

a recently acquired 'Lazybones' with Portuguese Red 

and Green Colours. The only problem being that Jeckels 

Iike to the put the 'eyes' of the lnsignia above the 

eyebrows, that Iooks a bit siI Iy ! ! May be th is I can have 

changed one day ! 

My Touhatsu 9.8. on a swinging bracket, and 

mounted on a piece of pIy aft gives alI the power I 

require for in and out of harbour., the only problem 

being in certain w ave conditions the bow waves cause 

severe 'banging' on this bracket, and we are Iooking for 

ways of m aking the bracket m ore streamlined and 

putting a bow onto the bracket. The bracket is 

Supported with two S.S. rods that attach to the Iast but 

one beam . 

I am contem plating f itting a Solapac Battery Charger 

as in the Summ er a f ridge would be nice l am sure . 

Handling, with Iarge seas, w indward perform ance 

as we aIl know is not good , but swings and roundabouts 

take their part, and 1he windward perform ance is very 

much offset by the beam reach., and down w ind. 

Am thinking of dropping a 'wel ' in the stern bunks 

to provide a 'recess' for the helm sm an's sitting position, 

would welcome any suggestions f rom W harram Organisation 

on this and f rom readers. In addition, any 

inform ation on self -steering would be appreciated. 

I installed W ykham -M artin furling gears that work 

wel with a good tension on the foresails done with a 

handy bily, in addition two Gibbs 7STA work w ell for 

the foresail sheets. I n spite of advice about 'windage' 

of having guard rails, I instaled guard rails, that offer 

some security when one is carrying children as I 

frequently do. 

To sum up - not cheap; but good value w hen 

compared with what I see offered i n the Yachting press. 

She's blue-she's beautiful and She's M INE ! ! 

LAYING OUT A MOO RING 

by O en M ackenzie 

After our f irst season on a ''borrowed'' m oori ng, it 

seemed best to m ake up and install a new heavy mooring 

for our co-operatively owned H ina 'Cirrus'. Bits and 

pieces came together with a m inimum of expense and we 

ended up w ith only one problem - how to transport 1he 

500 I b engi ne block, chain and f Ioat tire the f our m iles 

to where we wanted the moori ng to be and how to place 

it in six feet of water which out in lhal bay is about 400 

feet from shdore. The solution turned out to be dead easy 

with the rental of a ,/2 ton chain block and the ve nderful 

practicality of the Wharram cat taking care of the rest. 

By removing the central decking section just aft of 

the m ast, placing two concrete blocks on the inboard 

decks of the hu ls, and placing a strong iroko plank 

across the blocks to fasten the chain block to, we were 

aI set. W e manoevered the boat astride the barely awash 

engi ne block, fastened the chain block to the mooring 

chain and raised the engine. W ith th is arrangement on a 

H ina it seemed best to have the block awash and m ove 

very slowly. W ith a larger, higher boat it would be sim ple 

to raise it clear of the water. To drop the block we 

anchored, f astened a length of oId cheap line around the 

plank and through a Ioop in the mooring chain. The chain 

block was then disengaged and once the float was cleared 

away and everything double checked, a stroke of the 

knife cut through the oId Iine and the moori ng sank very 

f ast! This technique requires very calm conditions. 

& O . 

- - -- &X- - o .. 

o '- 

I ! I I ' ' 

: 1 

0

1 O 

SLI D ING BEAMS by M ac Brown 

A f urther note on the sl iding beams article ; ( Dec 

Sai Iorman ) it is good but not necessary to be so 

com plicated. W hen I bought the Tane from Hal Glover 

he already had it mounted on a trailer w ith short beam s 

two of them were Suff icient. I Iaunched with the short 

beams, laid the four beam s on board and tied two of 

them to the two short beams (indicated by a broken I ine 

in f ig 1 ). l placed the other two beams with one end 

Iined up for fastening to each hull. (One end of one 

beam for one hull and the other end of the other beam 

for tbe other hul ) as shown in f ig 1 . l then unbolted one 

end of a short beam from each hu l so the hulls could be 

tipped as in f ig 2 to bolt the one ends of the other two 

perm anent beam s in place. As you can see now the huI Is 

cannot tip over because the w ieght of the beam s m akes 

them want to tip toward eachother , but the beam ends 

resting on the outer hu l prevent it. You can now untie 

the tw o short beams and unbolt them and bolt in one 

end of the other tw o beam s. Shove the huI Is apart until 

the free ends of the beams drop into place, bolt and you 

are done (f ig 3). One person can do this because I did 

i t a I o n e . 

Ted Reece has a wel thought out system , but why 

carry around extra gear when you don't need it. There 

is enougb stuff to trail w ith a Polycat in the form of 

al that deck ing-longer m asts and boom s and you r 

regu lar beams w ithout adding a couple more. 

l'*1tl 

1i:5 

HANDY KETCH R1G 

by John Belenger 

Our ketch rigged Oro is gentle on the heI m and steers 

herself over a broad range of sailing. From dead astern 

we have to steer and even to anticipate the natural 

slewing which is sim ilar to any boat. Oddlv there is 

hardly ever any adjustment needed to the sails regardless 

of wind force or crew m ovement: i.e. we can aI go out 

onto the bow nets or below decks, we never need to lash 

the tiller...it sways gently too and fro ..alone. 

Oh boy ! How we Iove those two Iong keels.. tru Iy .... 

I ike a train on tracks! Twice the m izzen sail has enabled 

us to avert serious trouble. Once in a h igh wind under 

m otor wben there was not room enough for speed to 

bu iId up to turn the boat up went the m izzen . .. and 

around went the stern Iike a weather vane ! Since 

Iearning about the m izzen we never m iss a tack - which 

is good assu rance when in a harbour because an Oro is 

quite a big boal. For us there is no w a# lhat w e'd 

consider an# other rig on this size boat. Great to sail , 

wel I balanced , easy to handle. Quick panic reef - just 

drop the m ain entirely . the craft is sti 1 in balance. This 

is the form u Ia for a perfect cruising boat. Th is is how we 

feel after the f irst few thousand m iles. 

EXTRACT FROM BRITISH CO LUM BIA M U LTIHULL 

NEWSLETTER M ON IACA L SAI LING 

Excepting a few enlightened polynesians, historv has show n 

sailing to be the m ileau of monohu l enthusiasts. Columbus 

discovered America in a monohu l; Chichester single-handed 

round the globe on a monohu 1 . Yes, the monohu l tradition is a 

proud one extending back over hundreds of years. l n view of th is 

rather im pressive past, monohu ls, like other regrettable 

historical curiosities J deserve our serious attention . 

The concept of m ultihuller as cultist , is a popu Iar one i n the 

sailing world. Among cruisers, m ultis are general ly tolerated with 

a tvpe of paîernal amusem ent - 'Don 't worry Martha they'l 

grow out of it.' In racing circles, m ulties are as popular as the 

bubonic plague. 

'Bob, what are you doing this weekend ?' Craig asked . 

'W ho wants to know ?' 1 replied cautiously. 

'W ant to sail a monohu l to Victoria?' 

The Crown 23 is a cute boat. The interior is spacious for its 

Iength . The styling is plastic and f ir wiîh teak stain . The boat 

fits wel w ith 1he amorphous m ass of small m onohulls that 

congest our waters. Craig and I stowed our gear nearly on the 

bunks, readied the sails started the motor and cast off . I n 

E ngI ish Bay we hoisted the sai ls and sat back f or a leisurely ride . 

Moments Iater a gust h it the boat heeled sharply . the groceries 

slid off the bunk onto the f loor, m : gear sl id of f the bun k onto 

the groceries. 

*' Now we're m oving ' Craig said 

' You m ean capsizingr' I added 

W e tacked and the boat pushed over to 30 degrees the other 

way. 

'Now wezre heeled over ,'' Craig said. H is gear ssid off the 

bunk onto the eggs. M eanwhile Jacting 

ref iexiy f rom my dinghy 

sailing days, I had hi ked out In a f uti Ie attempt to bri ng the 

boat f Iat. Craig surveyed m y curious position . 

'You should have gone before we Ief t e' he sald . During the 

six hours it tpok js to cross the strait the boat held a relatively 

constant 20 -30 list. Th is made Iife uncom fortable for al I 

except those with a signif icant discreqancy i n the length of their 

legs. The prospect of weeks at 30 on an extended ocean 

cro sing sends shivers dow n m y spine. 

It was not aIl bad though . As for sailing characteristics the 

boat was well balanced, easy to handle and responsive . 

Unfortunately it was painf ully slow . The am ount of water that 

even a sm al monohu l m ust push out of the way is prohibitive. 

ln the w ords of a famous monohull and m ultihu l designer , 

'zMonohu ls? Take the Iead out and add two f loats , than k you 

very m uch !' ' 

Reproduced by permission of BCM S. 

RO UGH W EATHER WA RPS 

By John Bellenger 

Time and some other things seem to get warped or 

changed when one is exposed to heavy weather. Little 

things - but th ings wbich one cou Id never im agine . There 

is a tendancy for aI (me included) to malinger a bit. We 

forget..-things. W e cannot do some things or think that 

they do not m atter. W e don't take care with navigation 

as well as we should. W e become a Iittle apathetic - w ith 

good reason for everything becom es many tim es more 

diff icult. A simple job wh ich would take f ive m inutes in 

1he harbour mav lake an hour off shore. jf il's rough 

perhaps it can not be done at al I ...or it seems too d iff i - 

cult. Norm ally to do a bit of chart work is no great 

chal lenge , but when the m otion is severe eighty percent 

of your metal effort m ay be used to prevent being 

'brained'' by the cabin sides. How do vou peel a spud 

w ith o ne h a n cl .. . wh i l st h o 1 d i nq on w i th th e oth e r ? ? ? 

Thus things are 1et sl ide. It is hard to explain it ... th ings 

are different. It is just as real as on Iand.. it is iust dif - 

ferent kind of reality.You are sort of being taken for a 

ride ! ! ! Your control is not complete .. You wilt be 

tired, cold, worried, wet and unsure . It could always 

get worse. Is there a Iee shore? W il the rigging hold? 

The crew? How Iong wiI I this blow Iast? Etc. etc .. .... 

This is how it seem s to m e. Perhaps you may be dif - 

ferent... Perhaps m ore practise changes th in:s .... Any 

feedback?

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' 

V o y a g e to M u ltih u ll M e e tin g 

in S ta v e rn .u u ly 19 8 1 

by Tony Perridge 

Tuesœ y, 1 4th July, 1 .1 5 on a grey, warm morning . 

we Ief't 1 nverness boufxl for Stavern in Norway. At Iast 

aIl the planning and or> nising was f inished and if we've 

fortten anything then it's just tœ bad. I was determined 

'that this my recorKl trip to Norway in my Taœ aroa 

'Faoilee ' would not be a nerve-shattering shambles 1 ike 

the jouroey I rude in 1979. To that end 1 had checked 

'the * at fmm end to end and made various modif ications 

to make sail handl inq easier but more importantly , I 

had decie d to take along two œ mpanions, Crispin 

Philips f rom Edinburgh, a friend of many years' standing 

and a dyed-in-the-wool mooohul Ier and Ted Strover 

from Germany - Ted answered an advert that 1 put in the 

'Sailorman' requesting crew members to help me out. 

He had œver niled a catamaran before although he was 

very experience in sailing monohuls and was interested 

in fi ndiœ ou't what cats were I ike with a view to m sibly 

buyiœ one * metime in tbe f uture. Crispin was unable 

to join us until Friday, so Ted and 1 decided to sail along 

to Fraserbumh and meet him there. 

The wird was a comfortable F .3 from the west so 

tha't meant a broad reach for the first twenty m iles or so 

. 

with Faoilee stroling along at an easy 6 or 7 knots. I 

had f it'ted a sœ edometer for the f irst time and was 

œ nstantly surpriœd dur ing this trip at how easily she 

reached these sorts of speeds in fairly Iight winds. She 

also went a lot faster than I had ever beI ieved was 

posible but rore of that anon. 

By four in the afternoon the wind had picked up to 

F.4 gusti rxj 5, and with aI sail up we were reaching 1 1 

knots at tlmes and things were getting a bit wet and 

bumpy, x) l took off the main and we stil made 7 knots 

but a 1ot more comfortably. As the af ternoon wore on 

our œ urx chaœ ed f rom N .E . to due E. bringing the 

wird dead astern, so 1 took of f the mizzen to ease the 

steering a bit but stil we made 7 k nots. By six o'clock 

in the evening, the wind havi og picked up to a steady 

F.5 f rom the West, we were sail ing under only jib and 

s'torm-jib and slil the speedo reg istered 7 knots. l m ight 

have doubted its accuracy, but our prœ ress alolx.j the 

coas't conf irmed it. 

However a day of Iumpy seas had taken its tol. l 

cooked a tea of mince and potatœ s but had to go on 

deck to eat it. My stomach churned and my mouth was 

dry and I found it almost imm ssible to swalow anyth ing. 

I persevered grimly, knowiœ that my perxlnal cure for 

sea sicknes is to get food inside me and af ter an hour or 

x) I began to feel better. Ted was similarly af ected, and 

had dificulty in keeping his food down. 

Night came on and the wind eased and we put sail up 

œain, althouqh we were go ing welt enouqh and l Iefl of 

the main. The f uII moon rose a nd aI was peacef ul and 

we reached Frasefburgh at half-pas't ooe on the Wednesday 

morning, completing a pasœe in 1 5 hours for wbich I 

had alowed three days, just in case! 

Fraserburgh i5 a f i ne porl f or a visiti ng yacht , bei ng 

very easy to enler. and althougb it is a very busy f ish ing 

por't, it is stil reasonably clean and you can get an 

undisturG d night's sleep. 

Crimin joined us on Thursday afternoon, but we 

decide to m stpone our departure until the folowing 

nxrning, the benef it of a good night's sleep outweighing 

the time Iost. So it was that at seven o'clock the next 

morning we motored out of harbour put up a1 sail and 

pointe the boat 'towards Norway, Durifx the day the 

wind gradualy built up until by evening it was blowing 

F.5 from the North and we were belting alorx at ten 

knots for quite Iong bursts and l decided that, as we were 

cruisiœ and not racing, a reduction in sa il was caled for. 

By midnMht we were urder only double-reefed foresail 

ard single reefed mizzen and stil makiœ my now 

favourtie speed of 7 knots, broad-reachiœ over quite big 

waves, occasionaly bei I'N waI Ioped by îhe breaking crests. 

Durirx the early part of the day I Iocked in my 

Iatest self-steeri ry .l device a wind-vane oœ rating a trimtab 

on the Ix)rt rudder but to my disappointment, it 

didn't have erotlgh m wer, and wouldn't hold the boal 

on course. However I kept it coupled up because it 

helped l:o reduce the weather-helm that my boat develops 

e en reaching fast. We had therefore to steer the whole 

time, working watches of three hours on and six off . 

This watch pattern worked very wel , givi ng m ough 

time of to get a decent amœ nt of sleep and it also 

works out that you end up on a diferent watch time 

wery clay. 

Early Saturday morn ing saw us half.way across , 

reaching under double reefed mizzen and double reefed 

foresail. l'm sure we could have gone quite a Iot faster , 

but the seas were qu ite rough and anyth i ng over 7 or 8 

12 

# 

knots was very uncomfortable. Several times the speedometef 

wenl past its maximum of 12 kno&s; but whil e 

tlat sort of thi ng is f ine when day-sai Iing it is altogether 

too hectic when ol1 passage. I don't th ink l have the 

mental ity of a record-breaker! We sustained some mi nor 

damage due to waves breaking between the hu4 Is 

dislodged decking and the I ike, most of it preventable 

with a I ittle foresight. For instance , some of my decklxams 

were not screwed i n place only held by the 

presure of the deck-slats above them. When you do these 

jobs in the calm of the harbour you tend to forget how 

a rough sea searches out evew weakness . . . . . 

At eleven o'clock in the morni ng l was or1 watch and 

once more Iocked in the self.steering to reduce the 

weather-helm wh ich became rather weari 1g i() the gusts 

of F.6 wh ich periodlcaly swept over us. While attending 

to various things such as f ltild .l iç! the log, adjusting 

sheets making tea, ëtc. l woultl leave the wheel 

ulatended for short periods darting back and forth 

Ytween job and wheel to keep her on cou rse. Strangejy 

she never seemed to be of-course whenever I checked 

unti 1 f inaly it penetrated my th ick head that the self. 

steering was actualy work ing. Apparently aIl it needed 

was enouub wirld. l welt to bed at midday for an hour's 

rest very corltented but ot) surtacing two hou rs later 

obsewed Ted at the whecl. He pointed to the stern where 

a sp1 in tered stump was alI that remained of my Iovely 

self-steerilg taken by a break ing sea. Ah wel back to 

the drawin: board f or the M k. 3 verslon ( the M k. 1 I had 

thrown overboard on the previous trip). 

Latë on the secold day the seas (jot very much bigger 

but also Iolger and much more comfortable conf irming 

ou r posi tio $1 over the cleep water of the Norwegi an T rench 

arld at sevefl o'clock the next nlornirlg Sunday Crispin 

sighled 1 ald. l 1) bri I I i ant su nsh I ne we ra rl i n towards the 

coast and thel folowed it along unti I we spoted Tyvi ngen 

lighthouse at the entralce to Manrle F iord at whose 

head is Maldal whel e we tieti u p at half.past three on a 

roastilg hot afterloor) 3:30 m les and 56 hours from 

F raserburqh ar) averaqë o f kust u nclet s ix ktlots M y 

cofn ment l n the Ioq-boo k reacls 'AI I I 1) al 1 th is has bee n 

the wetest tri p yet as f a r as f 1 y I ng spl ay is concerled 

We seemed to submerge at F raserburgh atRd come u p at 

M andal ! ' 

We spent M onday reb tl ltj a I ld d Cy 1 I)6J o u t ald therl 

Ieft Mandal at ole o'clock ()n Tuesday af ternoorl 

motori rlfj and sai 1 i 1fJ noft hwal ds amolg the many 1 i ttle 

islands alon: the coast. Th i s is :he f inest sa il inl) area l 

have ever seerl wi th beatl t i fu l scerler y, n1a ny boats we I I 

buoyed and marked channels ald in our case suœ rb 

su nly weathe I . l t pays to btl vel y ca re f ul with pi I otage 

though, for if you do (Jilt 1()St therë are so many islands 

lat it is very hard to f 1 ! ld yotl l beari ngs agai n. We stayed 

among the Islalds as taI as Krislialsands F iord and then 

put otl t into th i? ope !1 sea head i 1f; No rth fo r Staver n. 

The whole excuse for th is tri p was the I nternational 

Mutihutl Meeling, l .M.M. '8 1 , od gadhised by the Norweglan 

Mult ihu 1 Sailing Club, As maly as 60 boats were 

expected and it was even rumoured that one J. Wharam 

wou ld be there. 

As the sun we nt down or1 Tuesday ilveni ng so d id the 

wind ald right through the 13 ight u ntil nearly midday on 

Wednesday it was aIl we wou Id do to hold our own agai nst 

the S.going current that ru ns down the coast at a bout 2 

knots. Then a breeze came f rom the South and we were 

able to get moving again and spent the rest of the day 

sai I ing in bright sunshine with never Iess than a dozen 

other sailboats in sight ranging from the ubiquitous 

Maxls by Pele Peterson to traditional types Iike CoI i !3 

Archers. At f ive in the afternoon 1 rloted a Iarqe catamaran 

slowly coming u p f rom astern and by haI f-past six it had 

drawn alongside. Everybody waved and shouted and then 

they slowly drew ahead. 

As the evening turned to niqt)t the wind rose and we 

surfed up the coast in f I ne style with Ted at the wheel 

with a huge smile on his face every time she took of on 

that Iovely, hissing glissade. 1 n the stfonger wi nd I was 

pleased to see that we were gailing ground on the big 

cat that had passed us. Then we reached the Rakke boene 

buoy and turnecl due North for the last 3 miles to !he 

natural harbour at Staversoya. By now it was dark but 

the sedored light at Vadhilmen led us be'tween the 

island of S'tavernsoya, wbicb conlained 1he harbour for 

which we were bound and the main Iand. Then under 

engine we crept round the coast of the island until we 

came upon the entrance to the ancborage which was 

only just visible in the Iight of my rather feeble torch. 

Once inside aI we could see was just a vague mass of 

Y ats, apparently f iling 1he whole place. I put Faoileag 

alongside the nearest boat and we tied up to her and 

switched of f the engine. We'd made it in good order 

and o n ti me. 

A f igure appeared on the boat alongside and said 

z'Where are you f rom?' 

'Scotiand' I replied. 

'You came al I the way f rom Scotland i n TH AT ?' 

Jzsbe did pretty wel', I said. 

'Of course you realise' the f igure continued 'that 

the feler was drunk when he designed that boat'. 

The penny dropped ! . . . 

'Yes, I always thought he was a bit rough' I said. 

' H e I lo J i m ! ' ' 

'Helo, Tonyd', said J. Wharram, Esq. 

The next three days were heaven on eal'th to a 

multihul sai Ior. Hours spent examining other people's 

boats, explaining the peculiarities of my boat to others 

ph ilosoph ising, sitt ilg in the sun and meeting some of 

the n icest people that i t has been mv f ortu ne to come 

acros. The variety of boats was amazing, ranging from 

tigerish racing tri's to dumpy. comfy cruising cats. 

Polynesian cats were wel represented with two Tangaroas 

two Narais a H inemoa two Tanes one H ina and a l itle 

14 f t. f un-cat that J im brought along on the roof of his 

œr. There was a six-mile z'family race' in which I 

distingu ished myself by coming second last but it realy 

was a drifting match, condiîions which Faoileag hates. 

AI1 too soon we were getting ready to Ieave. Eleven 

o'csock on Sunday morning, the 26th Jus'k, we rowed 

around the anchorage in the dinghy, saying our goodbyes , 

and promising to meet again at the next I . M.M. to be 

beld in Goteborg, in Sweden in 1983. Then out to the 

open sea, aI sail up in a favourable N.E. breeze past the 

dismaly tol ing bel-buoy on the Rakke boene shoal and 

away, deslination Scotland. Tbe favourable breeze soon 

died, and for twenty-four hours we crept down the coast 

helped now by the curent but almost becalmed. We 

went into Lilesand f or a fierldishly expensive shopping 

tri;l to stock up on stores and then set out again and for

the f irst time since leaving I nverless we had to go to 

windward. 

Monday night brought a gale warning and F. 6/7 f rom 

the West. We ended up with just double.reef ed mizzen 

al3d storm jib, tacking backwards and forwards of f the 

southern tip of Norway and getling absolutely nowhere. 

As the light dawned on Tuesday morning 1 realised that 

the waves were just stopping her in her tracks and if we 

were ever going to ge1 home then more drive was needed 

So I devised my 'zschooner rig', i.e. fu 1 mizzen mizzen 

staysai 1 storm j ib on the inner forestay and doublereefed 

foresail on the outer forestay. The diference was 

tremendous, and we started to make progres , but the 

motion was awful and spray f lew in a constant stream 

over the boat. To compensate, my I itle D. R crosses 

once more began to move across the chart and after 

four days, on the dawn of Saturday, we spoted the 

Ioom of Budian Ness 1 igbt and shortly afterwards the 

lights of Aberdeen. A slow beat up the coast took us 

into the harbour at Peterhead, iust in time ior Crispin to 

get to the bus-station and catch his bus to Edinburgh. 

Ted and I had a leisurely tea and stroled around the 

town before turning in for a blissful complete night's 

sleep. However I was awakened at three o'clock the 

next morning by some joker untying aI my mooring 

lines. Some people have a queer sense of humour. This 

incident coupled wi'th the filth and crowding in the 

harbour, has pu! Peterhead low on my l ist of desirable 

harbours and we were not sory to leave eariy next 

morning. After a drifting start a fine S. breeze sped us 

round Kinairds Head and along the coast to the bonny 

f ish ing vilage of Portsoy where Ted and I spent a very 

pjeasant evening relaxing and talking to the very f riendly 

Iocals. They even remembered Faoileag from her visit 

there when I was single-handing to Norway in 1979. 

The next day we caried on along the coast , and with 

the wind varying between N.W. and S.W. the boat 

Meered berself most of the lime. However , by midnight 

W alked 

planks 

it became obvious that we were going to mis the tide 

into the I nverness F irth $o we went into the Cromarty 

Firth and anchored of the smald vilage of Cromarty. I 

slept I itlle, kept awake by the thumping of the rudder 

pintles as she moved to the waves in the rather exposed 

anchorage and was qu ite glad to make an early start for 

the last shor't 1% of our journey. Just to prove that Sod's 

Law is al ive and wel although the tide was with us , the 

wind was right on the nose a combination which kicked 

up a steep, Iumpy sea, She needed f uI sail to drive her 

through it and it provided the sort of excitemen't l 

could have wel done without. Ted steered the whole 

time, from 8.45 in the morning un&il we finaly anchored 

at 2.30 that afternoon. 1 sat beside him feathering the 

main to the gusts and provid ing refreshments for us 

when conditions alowed. 1 was sure something would 

break, but my I ittie boat is a 1ot tougher than l know 

and just took it al. 

So we came to the anchoraœ at Bunchrew on the 

Beauly F irtb and shelteted by the trees in the bay where 

she I ies during the summer the afternoon was suddenly 

warm and tranquil. Ted and I tidied ship, bagging the 

Oils and talk ing aixut the trip. We'd covered twelve 

hundred miles in the three weeks and made a Iot of 

new f riends. Onœ again Faoileag had done me proud 

and Iooked after us al. She's a great boat ! 

Postscript. 

Just a few random thoughts that have occured to me. 

The rig that has been on Faoileag for the Ias't six years is 

the Polynesian sjrit rig, and it has performed very wel 

bu1 I am changjng it to a cutter rig with a Junk-type 

main rkail. The reason f or this is the ease of reef ing and 

un-reefi ng the junk sail and I think that the fact that l 

wil have the œ rrect amount of sail up most of the time 

wild comm nsate for that rig's comparative ineficiency to 

windward. I find with my present rig thal being 1he idle 

person I am, I Ieave reefi ng too Iate and then don't 

shake ou1 reef s when 'the wind decreases 'in case it picks 

up againr', because the whole process is so cumbersome. 

any 8ood 

lafely? -.- - -, 

The engine in my boat is a ReI iant car engi ne and 

Xarbox turning a propel Ior on the end of a twelve f oot 

r-affold pole a bit Heath Robinson. and the cause of 

much hilarity amongst marine engi neers. The box in 

which it lives is not Mery waterproof (another thinq 

designed in a calm barbourl and consequently the engi ne 

wiring and aIl was f requently drenched by big dolops of 

salt water, yet not once did it fail to start when asked. 

lt gives 23 h.p. but only weighs about 1 40 Ibs aI I i n ; don 't 

believe 'em when they say electrics and salt water don't 

mix, just keep spraying on the W.D. 40 you'l be aI1 right. 

While reaching at about 8 knots in a fairly big cros. 

swel one of those sneaky extra big and steep waves 

reared up and burst along tbe whole of the port side. Ted 

and I were on deck and Crispin was Y low and he said 

1he crash was so Ioud it sou nded 'Jas though a car had 

run into us'. It is d iff icu It to estimate the angle to 

which she went over on 1he wave-face so I wil only say 

it was heluva steep but what was interesting was that I 

saw the whole boat skid bodily sideways before the 

imm c't of the breaking crest and there was absolutely no 

sign that she wanted to go over. Wel do ne, J im. I 

reckon you've got your sums right. Despite th is, Crispin 

maintained to 'the end of the trip that the boat was 

œ rpetualy on the verge of turning over. He must be 

one of those die-hard monohulers that are never happy 

without a ton of Iead under them. 

When emptying a chemic-al toilet at sea in a good 

breeze, it is strongly recommended that you do so to 

LEEWARD or you wil appreciate the f uIl meaning of 

the expresion 'geting your own back' . . . . . 

And as a fi naI thought Iook carefuly at your boat's 

f ittings and hatches and if you can't swing on the former 

or turn a high pressure hose on the Iatter then Y n't lake 

ofshore. 

Good Sailing to you. 

P.S. Wanted - crew for the I.M.M. in Sweden in 1 983. 

Book early to avoid disappointment !

' * ' 

Thq construolion & 

of Joel 2 :25 ,a M k 

Extended singlehanded trips in m y H inem oa 

''Silverheels'' during 1 975/6 showed that more space, 

more Ioad and sail carrying power were essential for 

serious blue-water living and voyaging. l wrote to various 

designers and was eventual ly persuaded by James to bu iId 

a Mk. I V Tanga roa. 

I didn't have m uch money , other than that obtained 

for 'zsilverheels' (about f 1,500) so had to Iook carefully 

before buying. Found a com plete parcel of f irst quality 

ti mber and ply, originaly intended for a Mk. I Tangaroa 

for f 1 ,200 rand 

obtained the Iease of a real Iy excelent 

shed 10 ml nutes walk f rom my house at a peppercorn 

rent. Had the Iuck to acquire an extra 10 sheets of 18m m 

Thames marine ply , with the unusual dimension of 8' x 

5'. A1I the bulkheads, beam troughs cabin ends and some 

f loorboards were made of this , and the extra 12'* of 

w idth was most useful for the troughs and bulkheads , 

mosl of which had typical dimensions of around 4'9'* 

Fell iII with a very nasty gut problem after 6 months 

of part-tim e construction , and achieved very I ittle over 

the next year. However, the ongoing com m ittment to 

f in ish the boat w as of great therapeutic help duri ng this 

most dif f icu It tim e. It was around now that m y 

orientation changed : f rom wanting to bu ild a fast boat I 

decided to bu iId a beautifu 1 boat. 

Both huls were built simultaneously side by side , and 

no major probtems were found. One has to think biq for 

such a proiect and no economies were attempted in tbe 

tool inventory. One of the best buys were a dozen joiners 

cramps (one-handed slidi ng cramps opening to 8:'). 

Expensive but worth every penny. I also acquired an 

old shipwrights adze which waS of great use , as w as a 

good qual ity electric jigsaw with a pivotins foot. A 

B & D 5!4 ' self-powered saw with a tungsten tipped 

blade was in constant use. lts a sham e that B & D make 

?#, 't i ' 

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, . , 

. , . . ' 

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7:1: 

'q' . 

14 

COM M ENCED BU I LDING : July 23rd 1977 

LAUNCHED : July 27th 1980 

RUN DOW N BY AN OVERTAKING SUPERTAN KER 

and 

LOST IN POSITION 43N 10W 20th November 1980 

by Sam Nelson 

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the sole of such an excel Ient tool of bendy metal , but 

1et it be said that it did everyth ing it should have , and 

more. I was Iucky in having an elderly Scottish foreman 

joiner as a f riend, who taught me the importance of 

maintain inq tools i n razor-sharp condition. A self -evident 

but oflen neglected truth. 

One reads occasional moans about Polycats fai Iing to 

tack with certainty , and generaly Iacking manoeuvrabil ity 

at slow speeds. This Iast is a feature of most m ultihu ls , 

as anyone who has ever seen a VA L trim aran try ing to 

dock or undock itself in a m arina w il know . I took very 

considerable trouble w ith al I underwater surfaces , 

D estruction 

IV Tangaroa 

particularly the skegs and rudders. These were built and 

faired to a 'Fat'' aerofoil shape , 50m m w ide at tlne skeg/ 

rudder junction. Gap between skes and rudder closed 

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with neoprene strips. E nd plates on the bottom of skeg 

and rudder to prevent end losses at slow speeds , and 

cavitation plates 2'' below the w aterl ine to m in im ise high 

speed losses. Tilers were Iam inated w ith a twelve deqree 

inboard crank to provide Ackerman Iinkage. I was 

concerned to m inim ise Ieeway , and to th is end ptlt a 

m inim um radius of aboul $/2'* on each S i de of the bott om 

keel planks. Two 1 2' Iengths of 2'' x 1 ' hardwood were 

f ixed to lowest part of the keels to provide snme 

protection when going aqround, and also to pçov ide 

a m ini 1ow aspect ratio keel prof ile. The halnd I inq when 

launched repaid aII the care taken , the boat stees'etl (ike 

a power boat, and Ieeway was not a problem. 

The hulls were com pleteiy f i n ished bef ore t tlr (1 over , 

the pa i nt jo b bei ng a maj or e xpe nd itu re. usecl 6 coats 

Ixr hu I I of I nternational E I3o x i(I() R psi !3 compositio n , 

with I nterpad epoxy f iler Lsetwetltl coatx. O@)c() vott start 

such a scheme you must re-coat at a max i l)u 14 h o f 1 2 hour 

intervals to get a chem ical bond , so you forqet about 

non-essentials such as sleeping niqhts. Finishecl with two 

coats of Extra hard racing antifoulins bclow the waterl ine , 

two of I nternationa I Perfect io n 709 on the topsides as an 

ultra-violet shield. This bonds chem ically with the 

epox ide and when cured you have a very hard, f Iex ible 

surface m uch harder than ordinary G RP qel coat , that 

w il blunt a drill bit after a cou p!e of holes. I t is however 

f iendishly expensive. 

My gut problem by this time was m ore or less 

stabi I ized, so Iong as I consumed I arge lum bers of pi I 1 s 

daily. The authorities qu ite correctly wiI I not Iet al A ir 

Traff ic Controller ta1 k to his cl ients while under the 

influence of d rugs , so l f ouncl m ysi?l f m edical l 9 ret i recl , 

and able to work on the boat f u l.time . Talk about 

clouds w ith si Iver l i nings ! started caI l ilg m ysel f Nelson 

Boatbu ilding, and do ing woodwork i nq jobs f or var ious 

yachtowners in exchange for f avours , such as 3 weeks 

work in e xchange f or preci sion m adi) 1 yIoI) bushed 

rudder f itti ngs , plus h iqh tens i Ie beam bol ts and nuts 

w ith 8m m pl ate washers, a 11 tri ple pl ated . 

l real ised at this tim e that I was qoilq to have a very 

n ice boat at the end of the clay , and becamt) very 

caref u I not to ''spoi I the shi p f or a ha'port 13 of tar'' 

Alumin iu m framed L.e xan glazed wi ldows we re m ade 

to m y own design, 24-off for f 2 1 5! Pay cash , tlon't ask 

f or an invoice, a nd t he black ecolom y str i k0s aqa i n . 

There is no way that a m u lti hutl vvit l per'f orm worth a 

da m n w ithout purpose-bu iIt GOO D sa i Is. These need not 

be too e xpensive , if 4ou k now w hat yotl wa nt, a nd shop 

around. I qot 8 sails: Mailsail, m izzen, m izzel staysail, 

staysa i 1, No. 1 and No. 2 Yan kee , 1 50tlrà qeloa alnd 800 

sq. f t. spin naker , bright yeI low w ith a f r iendl y I ook ing 

W harra m Tik i i n btack, total f 764 f l'om R ocka 1 I Sa il s, 

Bosham, Susse x. Headsail s we re cut to accom modate a

two foot sag in the 34 foot forestay, no problem . I 

recom mend Rockal I Sails w ithout reservation. R igsing 

was done by a local risger, al 1 stai nless w ith swased ends 

for f 270. Not a lot more expensive than galvanised. 

Hall iards f Iexible galvanisecl with rope tails, to avoid 

corrosion with m asthead sheaves of atum i niu m. 

Made the spars m yself, box section scarfed Douslas 

F ir. The 34' ma in mast was a m ajor chal Ienqe, but came 

out very wel I . I became ade pt at ma ki ng long cloches of 

m lythene over masts, beams, etc., to assist in the heat 

cure of the Resorcinol glue. Cooked the main and m izzen 

masts toset her f or 7 days at 75 degrees F . in January ! 

Mast f ittings were m ade locally f o1' me, sat inised 

stainless steel, with black anodised track ( Ho1t-AI Ien) 

total cost of the spars was ulnder f 300. The Iowest 

quote for alum inium was f 850. 

Decks and cabi ns went on without too m uch d iff icu lty, 

and at the end of July 1 979 she was assem b'ed with i n 

the shed, requ iri ng on I y platforms, rudde rs and engi ne 

mounti ng. Bought a 15 HP M ari ner Super U Itra Longshaf t 

outboard engine, with an ext ra f ive i nches added to the 

shaft to give an extraordinary transom height of 40''. 

Th is was positioned ol) the centre I ine m idships, w ith 

rem ote controls back to the cockpit. Oakeley Marine, 

Brighton, m ade up the enpine, and David Oakeley's 

advice and enqineerinq were spot on and to be 

recom mended. F1 e even deI ivers on ti m e ! 

James' design was fo lowed pretty m uch, without 

many modif ications. Made the cabins a l ittle longer , 

made a ful width cockpit between the 3rd and 4th beams , 

and put in an extra beam , a hollow 6 ' x 2'' two f eet 

f rom the stern posts. F illed the gap to the 4th boam 

w ith a sol id ply deck, that l had f ound m ost usef ul on 

'Silverheels''. Made a rat her 13 ice cu rved Iam inated 

f orward nett inq beam , a nd set th is i 13 pIy mou nt i ngs 1 2 ' 

in f ro m the stem posts , p ivot ilg i ,3 the same plane as the 

beam s. Decided that the rear compartments w el'e too 

poky, so m ade sm al I stream l i Iled cab i 13 tops on sl ides 

instead of hatches. This save e xcel Ielt space f or a su per 

1oo to pol't and bosuls store to stbd. There was room 

for a bu nk if requ ired i nstead of bostl l1s store. 

A1I hal iards were tightened by Barton winches, I also 

had a Ba rl ow 2- speed f o 1' t he out er headsa i I s, a sm a I le r 

G ibb self-tailer for the staysail, and the very excel Ient 

G ibb 007STA for the spil) naker. The outer headsa iIs we re 

sheeted riqht af t to a quarterblock each s ide , t he n correct 

lead was ach ieved by a barber hau ler system. Both 

barber-hauler tackles, when fasteled eacb side to a 

stanchion base f orward, d id away with the necessity f or 

a spinnaker pole, the sheets bei nlj led throuqh Snatch 

blocks in the barber hau Ier system . 

Started f i nal f i nish ing i n m id-lanua ry 1 980. Decks 

and upper works were f inished the same as the husl sides , 

in white. M asked of-f to (J ive a professional touch to the 

non-sl ip deck surface, w hich w as qrey Perfection 709 

w it h 2 oz. gr it added per 750 m l . Th is qave a f a ntast ic 

non-sl i p surf ace, very durable a nd non-glare as weI I . 

W hen the mask ing tape cam e off the white borders and 

grey non-sl ip Iozelqe Shapes looked terri f ic, so f i nished 

the platfo rm s the same, only wi th cheaper pai nt. The 

hardwood surfaces, i.e. bu Iwark cappi nss, hatch sides, 

mai n hatches and sl ides , quarterdeck, trough covers and 

mast steps were f i n ished with Deks O Ije No. 1 , with No. 

2 as we I I on non-wal k i ns areas. Th is is real ly e xcel lent 

though as usual expens ive because of the qua ntities used . 

Never use pol yu reatha ne var n ish on a l)y areas e xposed to 

su nl ight, as it is not U /V sta bIe aI3d w i I I be ru i ned after 

1 2 months, when you have a problem gelt i n: the 

rem ains of f. 

The e xter ior was f in ished by the e nd of Apr il a nd I 

thouqht to Iau nch but prov identia I I y rem em bered som e 

adv ice f rom R uth W harra m , t hat one should spend a f ew 

extra months to qet properly f inished. l therefore 

pro pe rl y f i 13 i shed t he i nter iors, w i th t ea k co m pa n io nway 

Iadders (J i m's clesisn is no good fol' the m itld le-aqed) 

f in ished interior edges w ith tea k pi l.rai 1 , put var nished 

sl idi ng doors ol) al I cu pboards, a l)d qave al I su rf aces lot 

var n ished 3 coa ts o f epox ide . F Ioor boa rds f i n ished i n 

wh ite w ith grey non-sl ip areas to m atch the decks. A biq 

navigation table w ith a 4' Iong seat. with storaqe f or m y 

300 charts behind it, plus a comprehensive set of 

electronic goodies. Tw in 70ah batteries f itted right af t in 

each hu Il, charged by a Honda generator. Total cost a 

I ittle under f 7,000, and worth about four times that. 

Lau nchi nq was a com pl icated t idal Iau nch, but went 

we l l tha nks to h i ri ng a huge crane. Af ter the u sua 1 hassle, 

she f Ioated 4'' below what I thought was the desisned 

wate rl ine (d id n't you get the Ietler, Sam, said Ja mes! ) 

but lookf?d beautif ul. My w ife suggested the bibl ical 

ref el'ence Joel 2 verse 25 - ''And I w i I I restore to you the 

years the Iocust hath eaten ' wh ich f itted wel. Fourteen 

28' G ibb stanchions with double 5m m stainless steel 

I ifel ines a l'ou nd the per im eter greatly enhanced the 

feel i ng of security, and is worthwh ile doing. 

Gave a qreat deal of thought to eff icient and com prehensive 

sail controls. I have mentioned the headsail 

controls ea rl ier. Fu l I width mai n a nd m izzen sheet tracks 

with travellers were f itted, givi ng two controls each f or 

the m ai nsa il and m izzen. The shape of the sail was se1 by 

the sheet tackle, the angle of attack adjusted by the track 

and travel Ier. Luf f $ were tensio ned by haI I iard wi nches, 

foot by an outhau I tackle. Twist control Ied by a kicki ng 

strap that converted to boom vangs, for running f ree 

without anxiety. Its f airly easy to get a boat to sail f ast. 

Spend m oney ! 

I was very pleased to f i nd that everyth ing worked 

well f irst time, with a I ittle tweaking, although as She was 

heavy one had to keep the right amount of sail up. This 

m eant cha ngi nq u p as read i Iy as changi ng down. W ith the 

big gently the boat perfo rm ed weI I i n I ight a i rs, tacked 

without hesitation between an easy 90 degrees, althouqh 

l always sai I a I ittle f ree to m i ni m ise Ieeway a l1d kee p the 

speed up. ''Joel ' ca me i nto h is ow n when the cond it iols 

were rough a nd (joi ng to w i ndward of f shore i n a f orce 7, 

w ith 1 l'eef il3 the ma i n, f u I I m izzen, No. 2 Yankee alnd 

staysa il was a43 excit ing a nd exh ilarat i ng expe rie nce. 

Spent 3 m onths cru isi ng the l r ish Sea, v isiti nq James 

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and fam ily at M ilford wh iIe Iearning about the boat. At 

the end of October 1 980 I set off f or Spa in, the Ca naries, 

alnd wherever f or 6 m onths. Got to La Coru na i n 6 days 

f rom M i1f orcl Have n, wh ich i ncl uded 24 hours becai med 

80 m iles Inorth of t he Span ish coast, a nd vi le cond it io ns 

in sea al'ea Sole. Had 2 pleasant weeks in La Coruna then 

sa ilecl oI) 1he 1 8th Novem ber bou nd f or Cad iz, or 

Madeira, or m aybe Barbados. Go badly thum ped by a 

sout herl 9 gale oI3 the 1 9th, and was hove-to f or 10 h ours 

on the 1 ight of 1he 1 9t13/20th November. Dayl iqht on 

the 20th brouqht su nl iqht and rapidly moderat i nq 

cond it ions. I had made it to the su n, and cluri nq the 

mol'nitng qot aII sail up progressively. F inish inq the noon 

siqht I tur lecl af t lo go below and fou nd a huqe 

overta k i ng ship cl ose astern. 

I su rv ived the resu 1ti nq col I ision, but 'Joe I'' d icI not. 

The sh ippinq com pany involved acted very properly and 

I was pl'om pt Iy and ç)e nerou sly com pe nsated. I now lnave 

a very nice 3 1 foot professio naI Iy made cata m aran that 

I m iqht get to l ike ole day. l n the m eant ime, James 

W harram 's Mk. I V Tanqaroa must be acknowledgetl as a 

f orm idable design i ndeed . 

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O ver w hich 

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ho rizo n 

'W EI.JI' F ROM NEW M EX ICO TO HAW AI I 

by David Om ick 

I began bu i I di n: 'zWei-j i' on a l anch i 13 New Mex ico 

in 1 977. After two years of occasional , part-t i m e work I 

com pleted her , sewed tl3e sa ils a t1(l co nstructëd a tra i Ier 

to take her to the coast. I must acl m it hel'e tha t 13y pIa In , 

f rom the start , was to sa il hel to H awa i i . Sht) was 

Iau nched in San D ieqo i n early Octobel ancl a wile k later 

we set sail f or the l slands. 

U nfortu nately, a Mex ica n hurrica Ile occu I'retl u lusual l 9 

Iate i n the season. W h i Ie we were by no meals in the 

cycl ic par't of 1he stol'm it apparently fjelnerated the gale 

we endured about 20O m iles of f the coast of Baja, 

Cal if orn ia. The bad weather lastfaci about 3 days , witl 

w inds of 30-40 knots. Due to mv i ne xller ie lce i 13 sa i I i nq 

her in heavy weather , l clecicled to abort the tr ip. Af tel' 

the gale had blown itsel f out we got sa il on aga i n and 

altered course f or Cabo San Lucas , w here we spent the 

next 3 months. 

O n February 7th, we were aqa il on tile way to Hawai i 

via the Rev il lagigedo I sIa nds. Sa i I ilg among these isla nds 

was certainly one of the hishlights of m y sa il ing 

experience. I can st il I qu ite clearl 9 recal I Sa n Beled ictoone 

of the world's most l'ece t)t volcanoes - stalnd i ng 

Iifeless and torbiddi ng at dusk , Socono l s(a nd t' isins tl p 

some 4,000 f t. above the sea , its verclalnt slopes risi n() to 

a peak shrou ded in m ist, a nd Clari on I sIa nd , steep and 

spectacu Iar o n the north side with gentle slopes com i nq 

down to a quiet bay on the south. 

W e Ief t Clario n I sIa nd o 1) F ebt'ua ry 1 5th a ncl experienced 

I ight to moderate winds alqtl serlet al Iy clear 

weather to akx ut 1 35 W . long ., the o nl 9 u nu sual i ncident 

bei ng the shark bite. Fol'ttl natel y, it occurred leal' a 

bulkhead and failed to penetrate the hu l. lt did, 

however, Ieave one of its teeth burieçl in the plywood 

wh ich l now have as a souven ir. 

After about 1 35 W . the wi nd pickecl up conside rably 

and ranged f rom 20-35 knots until we m ade Iand f alI in 

H ilo on March 1 0th. The Iast ten days were rather rouqh , 

w ith interm ittent rain. W e then covered nearly 3 ,000 

miles in 32 days (Cabo Sa n Lucas - H ilo ) . O n the 2,300 

mile leg from Clarion - Hilo we averaged 100 m iles a 

day with a shortest day's ru n of 30 m iles and a I ongest of 

1 25 m iles. 

On the technical side, Wei-ji was a H inemoa built 

using the W EST epoxy system w ith the fol Iovvi ns 

mod if ications. The decks we re ra ised 4'' ald a 1 '' x 2 ' 

toe ra il was subst ituted f or bu Iwarks thus g iv i nq more 

space below. The cabin tops were A-f rame style about 

14'' off deck and went from the aft cross-beam to the 

mast beam . They gave adequate room be Iow and were 

easy to bu il d as wel I as aesthet ical ly pleasi ng. The beams 

were m ou nted qu ite d if f erently tha n show n i n the pla ns 

- someth ing l ike th is: 

2 v. lt : 

Fultketz: 

I think this arrangem ent was rathep' simpler tha n ix am 

chocks and as strong. The beams were well caul ked and , 

despite the holes through the deck , never Ieaked a drop. 

However, I was al ways a b it u neasy about the beam 

mountings and, were I to do it agai n , wo u Id probabl y 

fasten the beams w ith rope Iashi ngs ancl avoid drilins 

holes th rough the bea ms. N everthel ess , she took some 

terrif ic knocks on occasion and never showeçl any slqn 

of failure. 

The rig was another departure f rom the plans. I used a 

rather ghort Berm uda n rig. The mast was a 4 ' x 4 ' f ir 

post 20 f t. Iong wh ich was planed into an e ight sided 

af fa ir which, viewed f rom the top , Iooked somethinq 

I i k e t h i s : 

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.,

SPINFISH TO THE SUN - Part Three 

Some W indwards and Leewards, and the Passage Home 

by Colin and M arylyn Ford 

A beam wind w ith northgoing current enabled us to 

sai 1 the 1 30 m iles f rom Carlisle Bay, Barbados, to Fortde-F 

rance, Martinique, in 23 hours. W e passed between 

St. Lucia and Diam ond Rock at dawn and w ere 

rem inded of its glorious history: Adm iral Hood put a 

sm all party of British sailors on this pinnacle rock and a 

ship's gun w as hoisted u p on sheerlegs. W ith this gun 

they dom i nated the passage Y tween St. Lucia and 

Martinique for m any m onths. Exhausted and overcom e 

at Iast, the party was captured but the French com mander 

ordered an i mmediate exchange of prisoners, praising 

their bravery and declaring, ''Such men should not rot 

in prison.'' 

Fort-de-France is extremely busy and has department 

stores and sm al I shops , good chandleries and a Iarge 

fresh produce market. The harbour is too crowded to 

swim in and so we drifted down the coast, Ieaving the 

Pitons of St. Lucia astern in the heat haze, and anchored 

off Saint Pierre. This used to be the capital until M ount 

Pele erupted towards the end of the Iast century. The 

ruined theatre is especial ly interesting. 

Very I ight breezes m ade our crossing of the Dom inica 

Passage uneventful , aparl f rom the sighting of a beaked 

whale. Off Rosseau, however, a sm all sale sprang up and 

we decided to stand off. Continu ing thick weather the 

next day decided us to make for Deshaies, Guadaloupe, 

a qu iet, deep bay w ith good beach and f ishi ng. Ashore, 

in the tropical rain forest, there are freshwater pools and 

breadf ruil trees. l n Deshaies we met Asain Lem aire , daychartering 

his Narai 'zphao ' to the island's Club 

Mediterranee. 

Antigua and Nevis 

The Cliffs at the entrance to Engl ish Harbour, Antigua 

are distinctive - if you know what you are looking for. 

They resemble pilars yet th is is only apparent f rom 

certain anqles and in good I ight. A hazard is the reef 

close inshore to the west. Once inside Freeman's Bay aI 

is calm and as we went up to the inner harbour we 

understood why it is such a f amous hurricane anchorage. 

An early morni ng w alk to Shirley Heights gave a 

panoram ic view of both E ngI ish and Fal mouth harbours, 

the restored buildings of Nelson's dockyard standing out 

clearly. I n the garden of Clarence House we picked up 

windfall bitter oranges and m ade marm alade and this , 

together w ith 'Ioose' rum f rom Diaz's , St. John, at 62 a 

galon, m ore than offset harbouf dues. I ncidentaly , 

Ensl ish Harbour was the only harbour we visited w hich 

asked for money, though this did entitle one to use 

showers and Iaundry. A nother recom mendation for 

Engl ish Harbour for history buffs is the Thursday 

afternoon conducted waI k in and around the Dockyard , 

given by Iocal archaeologist , Desmond N icholson. W e 

spent some time in the harbour, meeting oId f riends and 

œ m paring notes. It was here that we decided to abandon 

the search for diaphragms for the gaI Iey foot pum p and 

f it the ancient brass plunger pump that we always carry , 

ever since it took over f rom a modern bilge pump on 

our previ ous monohu 1 whose garboards were leaking on 

a Channel crossing. 

So many islands, which was our favourite? Certainly 

we aII 1 iked Nevis. The anchorage is in the roads off 

Charlestown and Ianding on the pier can be hazardous 

in heavy swel but once ashore it is a friendly 'laid back' 

place. Few yachts visit and tourism is strictly l im ited by 

the tiny landing strip. Pinney's Beach is 5 m iles of silver 

sand, watched over by an oId coconut plantation.sugar 

used to be grown on the coastal plain around the central 

Mount Nevis. The abandoned sugar m ils with their 

ruined stone windm ils and heavy steam -driven m achinery 

are picturesque but stern reminders of the imm ense 

Iabour involved in sugar production. There is a busy 

market to the right of the pier on a Saturday m orning. 

' 

Water is free but warm and brow n. 

The Virgin Islands and Berm uda 

The Anegada Passage rem inded us of what going to 

sea could be I ike and we thought of the com petitors in 

the essentially m ultihul Tradew inds Race : St. M aarten- 

Martinique-virgins-st. Maarten. The norm ally northgoing 

current proved contrary and in f reshening winds 

and poor visibil ity we entered the Francis Drake Channel 

via Flannagan Passage and made for Roadtown, Tortola. 

A form er pirate Iair as they preyed on ''Stately Spanish 

galeons comi ng f rom the lsthmus' # the Virjins are now 

the home of several bareboat charter com œ nles. W e were 

there in April, however, and saw f ar less activity than on 

our home Solent. 

W et and windy weather dom inated the f irst half of 

the month but when it returned to normal (900 F) we 

tucked 'zspinf ish'' up a mangrove creek and rubbed 

down and painted her topsides. W e did a big store-up in 

Tortola, although American prices were sometim es steep. 

Note: a'tbough the American Virgins are cheek by jowl 

with the British islands, one needs a visa to enter their 

waters where patrol boats seek to enforce this requirem 

e nt. 

Hoping that the Northers had done their worst, we 

lefl the Virgins at the beginning of May and sailed North 

for Berm uda. Our attraclion for calm weather proved 

irresistible and we were becal med just nor'th of 1he 5 

m iles deep Puerto R ican Trench. We Y ntinued in Iight 

headwinds, quite contrary to the pilot chart for May , 

crossed the Tropic of Cancer, and arrived at St. George's 

Harbour, Berm uda, one beautiful dawn, ghosting in 

through 1he Town Cut. 

Berm uda has a despotic but sensible attitude towards 

Planning: no cars above 1 3ft Iength and only one car per 

household. I n practise, however, small motorized cycles 

swarm l ike wasps. Buses are good and 1he trip from St. 

George's to Ham ilton affords views of the beautif ul 

sounds and islets. 

At the turn of the seventeenth century, a British ship, 

bound for the then colony of Virginia, was wrecked on 

the extensive reef to the north of the island. Earl ier, 

Berm uda had been partially cultivated by the Portuguese 

and pigs left there as a f uture supply of m eat. The 

wrecked British vessel was rebuilt, incredibly, in a year 

and continued to Virginia. News of the rediscovery of the 

island could have reached England at about 1he tim e 

when Shakespeare was w riting his play 'The Tem œ st'' 

and it is thought that he used Berm uda for his fabulous 

i sl e . 

'' and a grey dawn breaking' 

W e had decided to sail hom e to Cowes in one Ieg and 

in the event we sailed 3,600 m iles in 40 days. W e took 

an approximate Great Circle route and crossed the 

southern June ice Iim it but saw no bergs - although it 

was cold. Depressions and associated westerly winds 

hastened us on our w ay and during this tim e we were 

especially im pressed with 'Spinf ish's'' handling under 

reduced sail in heavy seas. This spanking progress did no1 

Iast and an easterly gale heralded two weeks of high 

barometric pressure , 1046 m ill ibars, and I ight easterly 

w i nds . 

The sight of dolphins at sea always m akes us happy 

and on the return trip we were able to stand in the 

forenel and watch them play between the hulls. Two 

sperm w hales were sighted, blowing, a respectable 

distance aslern , while gracef ul sheerwaters enterlained us 

w ith their swooping f I ight. The children were especially 

interested in the many jelly fish and primitive saltwater 

Iife. Jacob, age 1 1 , fabricated a sm all aquarium while 

Sasha, 13, sought to identifv the species in an ''Observer'' 

book. 

As we were on a shipping route we did see the 

occ-asional container ship and tanker and for lhis reason 

we kept 3-hour night watches. At one tim e a tanker, a 

sm all container ship and a yacht aII appeared at once, 

'It's getting crowded out here! ' # we thought The North 

17

18 

Atlantic is a cold, grey and lonely place and it w as odd to 

th ink that contestants in the two handed Transatlantic 

race were battling it out a few hundred m iles away. The 

BBC World Service gave gale warnings for the race and 

we found these hel pful. 

Home a> in 

Once on the Continental Shelf the seas heaqed up and 

turned a brownish-grey. Fishing boats were slghted and 

seabirds too: gu Ils, gannets , fulm ars. O nce the Lizard 

was sighted, we treated ourselves to a Channel Dinner of 

f reshly caught mackerel and tinned roast beef . A f inal 

Iandfall in rain gave us a glim pse of the Needles and we 

made it into the Solent with a brisk southwesterly behind 

us just as the tide turned to ebb. We found it was hard 

to be give-way boat so often as our nerves were not 

attuned to traff ic. lt was a tremendous mom ent as we 

entered Cowes harbour with our foreign ensigns f lying 

from the port rigging in the traditional manner. 

Eleven months on board and almost 10,000 m iles 

sailed. aIl wel with crew and ''Spinf ish''' $ now back to 

school for us aI until the next voyage. @ 

l 

The Meeting here on the weekend of 18th/21st September 

was qu ite successful inspite of the terrible waather on 

Satu rday w hich started at 1.0p.m. and went on until 

af ter m idnight. About 30 turned up and m anaged to have 

a shor't sail on Saturday m orning on Bob's Narai and 

Tom Kelly's Tangaroa. Also in Sandy Haven were J im 's 

Tehini, Don Melhuish's Tangaroa and Bernie & Kay 

Parsons' Tangaroa. Great fun was bad w i'th J im 's I ittle 14 

footer and that was able to sail in the shelter of the creek 

on Sunday morn ing, when the other boats d id not 

venture out. There was a f iIm show on Saturday night at 

Gelyswick Yacht Club. W e showed The Building of 

Tehini, Fam ily of Boals, W hitbread Round the W orld 

Race 1972, Robin Fautley's cine f i1m of the 14 footer 

and some cine fi Ims taken by Earnuld Pearson. Some 

members met at a Iocal hotel in Herbrandston on the 

Sunday for a drink and a chat before going down to the 

creek again or returning home. 

New Zealand News f rom Wade Doak 

Horace (Dobbs) has just Ieft. We took him to sea 

aboard 'INTE 8 LOCK' ( Raka) and had a brîef pleasant 

sail while he enjoyed the music up on our bows and 

while a girl did Tai Chi on the foredeck, but then it is 

m id-winter and a squal6 hit us, driving us home very wet. 

Our ca1 is a fine weather vessel, and it is most pleasant 

to huddle in the cabins in a driving rainstorm . Later in 

the day it turned up fine again. Anyway, Horace saw our 

set-up and we spent som e days tœ ether. I took him 

down into the deepest forest glade on our land and he 

had a hot batb out under the stars w ith a glass of w ine 

and flute m usic. So now , he's tasted of the Iotus . . . . . . . 

Our Iifestyle is vew prim itive and he seemed to cope 

adm irably. 

I have just completed another TV f ilm which features 

our catam aran as a driving vessel - som e nice helicopter 

shots, movi ng throujh tunnels, archways at the 'Poor 

Knights' (rocks). I t Is a f iIm in which I explore the 

ecosystem of an offshore island, above and below water. 

I star't in a coral tree 200 f4. down, and we rise up above 

the islands with the gannets. It was lots of fun. F ilms 

are vew weird things - they get televised, and that's it. 

I purchased a copy of our dolphin f iIm and it cost m e 

S800! My œ ntrad promises me a copy of the Iatest f il m 

but it m ay be very dear to copy. 

Horace didn't have much to suggest, re how I could 

make a v isit to England. My books: Hodders, London 

. J 

should be helpfu 1 . 3 are still ln print Islands of Survival 

(the atoll one) 'F ishes of the New Zealand region' (f ish 

behaviour) and 'The Clif fdwelers' (ecolœ y of the 'Poor 

Knights' on which the fi lm is based). I am just correcting 

galeys on m y 7th book : zDolphin J Dolphin', which is 

120,000 words, 100 colour pix, 1 0 , x a,, due out later 

this year. Books are our only incom e - Iess than the dole, 

so we grow as m uch as we can and 1 ive very simple. A 

lady sent us S 50 donation, so I am Ietter writi ng again . 

The silences are not intentional, and we sent mind w aves 

out constantly. Very interested in the Russian birthing 

business (giving birth under water) . We have quite a f i Ie 

on it and correspond with Jaques M ayol who was f ilm ing 

Charcovsky in Russia Iast May. Read E Iaine Morgan's 

''Descent of W om an'' re our descent from aquatic apes. 

(Simian F inn, the lrish Swimmer'?) 

No, I haven't attended a PCA meeting in Auckland - 

we seldom visit towns, but I do get their excel lent 

newsletter and send them the odd bit of m aterial. Jan and 

l shudder at the queer things people do w ith their 

W harram cats. AII the things we love about ours - i1s 

simplicity, Iack of clutter, free deck space, clean lines 

- seem to get spoilt. People f aiI to appreciate what the 

philosophy is behind the design. But then, here are som e 

very sweet ones, too. l suppose what it aI1 boils down to 

is com m unication : If people had a clearer idea of what 

the Polycats virtues were and could decide whether it 

would fu If iI their needs without gross adaptation, or 

choose another design. l suppose we are very Iucky, in 

that we rise only 5% ft. above our soles and hence have 

no headroom . But how many 36' sailing craft could a 

couple step on to and start sail ing with no previous wind 

experience and fi nd no pitfals or bad habits? It aI 

seem s Iike a dream to us - even more so w hen we m eet 

dolphins and get so involved we f orget to handle the ship, 

only to find she is Iooking after herself . We joke about 

the dolphin m ind handling the tiller while we aI are in 

the bow net, but maybe, it is not a joke . . . . 

I wish James could read my ato l book and then 1 

could have a yarn with him , as it f its in so closely with 

his concepts in that 'W ooden Boat' article. Do you have 

another book on the assembly I ine? I Ient mv 'Two G irls, 

Two Catamarans to a W harram cat enthusiast who had 

bad habits with books, but I did enjoy it in so many 

ways - it real Iy has the qual it ies of a clasic and deserves 

to be more widely known. I 'd place it on the same shelf 

as Slocum's work, som ething that breaks new grounds. 

To-day l have written 4,000 words already, an 

articie 'Carinj for our Sea Coast', so I am a bit punch 

drunk, pen-wlse. I've already spent the 5500 fee for it on 

trees for our Iand, so I hope it is accepted. This is the 

perfect time to plant trees, and they seem to be the best 

v/ay to convert money into something worthwhile. 

I wonder, if you've heard from Dr. Nicholas W ebb yet. 

He visited us in May - a very nice you ng guy who played 

with Donald (the dolphin) in the Iatter, (Cornish) part of 

his itinerary. Nicholas wrote *me fi ne papers on hiS boattowing 

antlcs etc. Now he is inspired to get a W harram 

cat and pursue dolphin research. He said, that we were 

œ rry ing out his dream . H e is very capable, both in 

electronics and anim al behaviour - a Iittle shy, but a 

person of depth. He said, he'd I ike to m eet you. He lives 

in Scotland now. He was very interested in our w indm il 

and buildi ngs - low cost affairs. The wi ndmill (Soma) 

makers have just bui It a 1 10 f4. steel sail vessel to export 

windm ils around the Pacif ic. It wil also be f Iagsh ip for 

our anli-nuclear protest fleet to visit Vlad ivostok and the 

Trident base. Perhaps some W harram cats may join the 

f leet. @ 

* F#R ##;e * 

G.R.P. H INEM OA - Berm udan rig. Main Beams B.C. 

pine 1979. Mast 1980. Main, jib and genoa by Jeckel Is 

1979. Gas cooker. Bunk cushions. Fisherman and CQ R 

anchors. Beam troughs and bulkheads need some 

attention. Ly ing M i Iford H aven, Dyfed. E1 ,250 

Bob Evans, St. Antonly, Church Rd., Llanstadwel , Nr. 

Milford Haven. TeI: Neyland (0646) 600575

n fe w tM o u g M ta 

D n a n c M o ra 

Anchors & chain are heavy and m ultihu ls should be kept light, 

but they shou Id also be kept off of breakwaters rocks, reefs and 

breaking beaches. 

M ost bays & harbours have som e swel I so you w il want bow 

& stern anchors to hold the boat i nto the swel 1. Add to this the 

fact that we aren't the only boat who has Iost an anchor, we've 

met at Ieast 4 others and good anchors in the 20 to 40 pound 

size are very expensive, This means al Ieast 3 good strong 

anchors. 

Next chain-lots of it at Ieast 50ft. on each anchor. l know 

nylon is stronger, Iighter and easier to handle but it chafes. So 

unless you know for a fact that there is noxhing on the botlom 

thal w il part that nice strong nylon, don't 1et it touch bottom . 

Now you need some w ay to winch up the anchor and a1I that 

heavy chain . A chain w indlass is great if you can m anage it, but 

we get by with two chain hooks. One on a short Iine at the bow 

and 2Oft. of Iine on the other to take to the mast w inch. W inch 

in, hook i n the short Iine, m ove winching hook up and winch 

some m ore. Slow , but cheap & ef fective. 

Anchor buoys. a good idea fer several reasons. The prim ary 

one is get the anchor up if it gets caught under a rock or som e 

other immovable object. Another is to get the anchor back if 

you do som ehow lose it. Our 35 pound plough would'nt sti 1 

be on the bottom of Mazatlan harbour if I had put a buoy on 

it. A third reason for the buov is that it decreases the 

probability that another boat will anchor on top of your anchor. 

20 to 30f t. of % ' poly and a plastic jug is al l it takes, and 

although it is a bi1 of a bother it is wel 1 worth it, 

We also have a plastic jug on the bitter end just i n case we 

have to cast off the anchor Iine in a hurry. Of course m ake 

sure the bitter end is tied off to something strong. 

Brldles, for anchoring, but also used for sea anchors and 

drogues. O ne of the great advantages of the m ultihull is the 

ability to put a bridle on the anchor. W ithout the bridle we 

sail al over, but wiîh it we sit m ore quietly than a heavv fu l 

keel m ono. W e use two strong snatch blocks on the float bows, 

and a 20f t. dock Iine with an e9e splice. Tie the dock line to 

the end of the chain or if in deeper water with a bowl ine type 

knot to the anchor Ii ne, drop the e9e splice into one snatch 

block and run the anchor Iine through the other. By easing or 

tightening the anchor Iine you can adj ust the angle the boat is 

pointing. For a parachute sea anchor or drogue we take the 

tw o bridle Iines to deck w inches. 

So that's about it. Tvpes of anchor? One of each. they al l 

work, better or w orse depending on the bottom . If you do al 1' 

this what you end up with is an anchori ng system , not just 

som ething you throw over tbe side to park your boat. And 

when you are cruising it m ay be the most im por tant system 

on the boat as most of the time is spent at anchor. l t is 

i nsu rance and secu rity so don't skimp here. 

O&r anchors. for a 36' Ca t. 

30Ib. h i tensile Danf orth , 85ft. 3/8'. chain, 300 f t. 5/8' nylon 

35Ib. C.Q.R . plough (a lucky find in Mazatlan for % 65.) , 55f t. 

5/1 6' chai n, 200 f t. )?z ' nylon 

22Ib. Danforth, 45f1: 5/1 6' chain , 200 ft. l4e' nvlon 

5lb. hi tensile Danforth (a great Iiîtle anchor but I wish it was 

the 121b'er) 1 zft. 5/16'' chain , 200 f t . 3/8' nylon 

5Ib. folding grapple (for the dinghy) belongs 'to Tho, . 

lReproduced by permission of BCMS)

every good dag so !he anchor llnes must be kept deep 

enough lhat they won't fowl their propellers. It seems a 

line of qaslon plas:ic boltses ffom boat to shore doesn'l 

guqgest anything to some people as I have had one line 

cut by a motor boat. 

I discovered it was one hel of a chore to pick up my 

arlchor lines after wind and tide caused them to drif t as 

much as 50' f rom where l had Iast unhokked from them. 

My outboard i5 located on a bracket behind the rudder 

and whoever is running it bas to have another person act 

as Iookout holering dlrections also dificu It to hear above 

the outboard. After several pases with someone out on 

the bow with a boathook it became obvlous a better 

system had to be worked oul. I n addition there was 

a problem of keeping the moorlng l irles f rom haviœ too 

much slack at 1ow tide since in a high wind at a Iow 

tide the boat tended to surge around I ike a f rightened 

a n i ma l i n a pe n. 

Since our wind Storms are the most severe f rom the 

concrete bu Ildl ng blocks u nder the boat i n I 1 ne w, lh a 

Slde clea-v and its anchor t Ied to the f I oa! nearest the 

boat wlth a we Iqhled t 1re about 86 towards the blocks 

to keep that tloat also In thc same posltion whether hlgh 

or 1ow tide or pn any wind condltlon. 

Wlth al 1 those weighted tlres and tloats the Lxlat can't 

qet much momentum txa 1I1 up lo pusi f opes apart. Also 

wlth 9 t 1 res al I actl nç; as snubbers lt just can't come to an 

lnstanl dead stop. Hopef u IIy theri) won't be over a o ne 

ton pu I I on arly o ne ()f those ropes at t7 ne ! i me. 

I found that a commerclaly made Snubber (a rubbef 

extru slon wlth an eye I n each end j wasn'l haI f as 

effective as a tsre l had Lxlught 4 of lhem a year ago, 

the larqest s,ze and at 56 each fou nd It was a waste of 

money. 

A5 for tbe manouverl nq, I 've beel) out practlsln: and 

wiîh a few more refdnemclts can plck tIp the moorlng 

buoys just usl ng 1he sa il s to ma nouver . 

Hope thf s has been somewhat u nderslandable. 

Monte 

Southwes.t andNorlheast it was best to anchor with the 

bow 

the stern 

anchored 

moori n: 

to 

to 

polnt 

a pi1 

to 

ing 

the 

about 

Northwest 

350 teet' to 

then 

the 

running 

south. from Sue Hansen . 

east. l found if in a lnigh wind the sails were b0th direclly Wble lot even teqlnnlnq to know enough to spar with 

tined up with the wind 

' 

tlne wsndward sail caused some the 

of perspective 

experts on !he 

on 

fi 

the 

ner polnts 

role of 

of 

the 

anchorlnq 

crews 'of 

1 have 

d 

a bIt 

turbulance to the other which Js probably just as wel to 

raqging 

avo id , but so far I hav' en't encountered any problem! Ve5e1S' gained at the age ot 1 5 one Stormy niqht while 

worth worying about by the sailg bei ng in I jne. i3ncbored In Fosil Bay on Sucla Island. We vœre crudsing 

As for the problem at 1ow lltje. to keep tbe boat from With two smal power boats, and being t6e biggest boat 

Furqs nq around in Storm conditions, there had to be a way Ot tbe bunch rx)' - we served as the anchor vessel for 

to take up the slack at Iow tlde bot not to be too tiqht tbe raft. Despite having a ton of chain and an anchor 

, 

at hlgh tide. Tbe bow anchor ls in about 30' of water en mtlch to0 beavy for me to I if! lhen it didn't take more 

' a' lt was qulte easy to help that sltuation by usinq a tire as tlaan a few minutes watchinq the sho/el Ine in the uarknes 

a snubber connected to another Iarger grabber.l ike tire fOf mY dad to real Ize he'd have to put on his pants and 

f iled witb rocks about 20 feet closer to the boat that do O mething as the distance to the otber end of the bay 

would 1 ift of f the botom if the anchor I ine became 'tlght, W;S Steadily closing. He started up the engine put me at 

Also about 50 feet f rom the bow of the boat a uood Wbefl. and groped his way out to the bow to' as sist the 

blt? float tlnat would take 7s lbs to sink it tle'd at 1he POWCV Winch ln puling up some of the scope - a!l chain 

riqbt distance between anchor and boat 5o at' ininh tide it - 50 we could re-anchor. Meanwhle tlae skipper of one 

vsxluid be puled under water about 4 or s fe Jt. About Of tbe smal boats started up his engine. and stil in his 

10' from the bow another fioat that hefd uo a tlre with 9Fi'3mas. now soaking hetc d botln kvit: tNe maaoueering 

some rocks in tTed about 8 feet in line wlth ' nillnn vn Of bis boat and on deck keepinq the two boats from 

1t, 

s'nk boards that down. Iine At so tfae it cao rtern be aiaout sailed over 1a- back even another wit; 'dai'-er r'ran.a bash'r'g far it was eacb just other a typpcal toqetiaer miserdb/e re.setlnq copd fenders ntclht oq etc. anchor so 

' 

sze d f loat . towards the b'ow atxut 8- an 'oth i 'Sg 

er we Ct-e-d dragq'nq. wlaat 1 remember , 'is that :he skdp-per (ancl wlfej 

tire and back ' of the float about 8. anoti4ef weighted tlre 0f 

the other boat tied alonqslde never even poked hls 

to keep the I 1ne back to the plinn below oronelef rpar.h VeBo OUt far E'tmtlgln to qlve any hfnt he was aware of al 

At the p'Ilnfj arc three refjular slz-ed tires 1'n I r-ne -'' 

, acti-n 

f; a ' 

s îhe a9Onv we were sufterinq or how we were busy savlnq 

' lals skln At f lrst we made a 'few Iokes hoilering back and 

snubbers to take up shock. The stern line anchor line is ' 

cleated to tlne cleat on tlae w,t: a Iine rnnnirxn f ram forth In the wlnd abouî îhem being newlywedF, elc. 

ama, 

a polnt about 2 feet from the float towards t-h ''k' 

wlth a camel Kitch whdch won't sln either waw e ama - ' 'Ci -'-'-pa 

PtC. fuly expectlng h1m ro show any minute. But he 

raw or 

' - 

ra never dld. As t:e w,ncln droned on and l.,e two eng,nes 

tbetween 

be stern cleat on' the main hul, '-with a '-' 

as a snubtxr to take up slaock t and -Jr'e- '/ also I-e-d' -,-n to 'dfed v'e Iosî back our up to char,table tae heacf of sense the of ixay humor to re.set and the anchor, 

la f ' 

ln our 

dlstribute the Ioad bctween two cleats. lt alqza keer,c viao S 'Verlng state o mlsery formed a ncw opiolon of h1s 

'- 

I'ne half way between the maln hul and t -t 

j e am a e-- - deslrablity as a crupslng companlon. 

qra ac 

r'ol to :et tanfled up 'n the rudder A! the tx)w is 'Jn-ot U -e1 A'V moral must be obvlous. It's a sltuatlol) tha! 

Iine wlth a tlre tjed Jn between l s a soubber tjoes tbe Si't?lp's slevplale flr any crulslnfj boat to have from tlmt: 

Same Iob as just descrlbed. to îime, n() ralt'r wlat lpaf. anchor ararl Tine w,I.')f) 

There ls another concrete aocho! dropped lo the west S0'r1t 'Tr'd motale t)f tlost.' CIk'l't'!)(i, r)(I t)t) 'tl('ln 'lthilr can 

of tbe boat Jr'l aboul 35 to 40 teet of water whdch ls r'dkfî 3l' tbe dlf ference. 

hllokecl u 1) wl t h two more f Ioats and t Ires aT' 

klow anckao. Tlae onlv u.fference Is an adclt,ooal 

wl th 

two 

the 

tcourtesy of Nortu wes, Multlaul Association) 

@ 

@ 

@ * 

Charter sail 

on a skippered Narai to S. I reland or 

around the Pembrokeshire coast. 

Tuition if required, to R .Y.A. standards. 

For details write to:- 

St. A ntony, 

Church Road, 

Llanstadwel, 

Nr. M ilford Haven, Dyfed.

Fo r S a le ... 

PRO FESSIONALLY BUI LT TA NGAROA, 

LAUNCHED 1975, BU RMUD IAN CUTTER RIG, NEW 

FA R R A R M A l N & R l GG I NG . 

LEYLAND DIESEL W ITH HYDRAULIC DRIV E, TW IN 

BATTERY SYSTEM, TW I N WATER TANKS (35 GALLS) 

W .C., EXCELLENT RACING RECO RD, HO LDER OF 

M ANY TROPHI ES INCLUDING TW ICE W INNER O F THE 

B.B.C. T.V. TROPHY RACE. 

COM FO RTABLY FITTED OUT FO R CRUISING 

D.F. COM PASS, SUM LOG, SEA COU RSE, NAV L IG HTS 

2 ANCHORS, W A RPS, FENDERS, 

VERY ATTRACTIVE AND PLEASANT! 

TO SAl L 68,500 

R. W harlon 63 Heol Gabriel, W bitchurch, CA RDI F F, W A LES 

U.K. cF4 1JW TeI: (0222) 614873 

COMPLETE MAs T , RIGG ING & NINE SAILS 

Fon A TANGA ROA M ARK Iv. ALu IN GOOD 

coNolTloN. 

E12s0 THE Lo'r 

Contau DENNIS SCHNEID ER 

C/O THE SAILORMAN 

t 

Experienced crew wanted for weekend, 

holiday sailing on Oro. 

Irish Sea area. (Round Ireland cruise 

envisaged) 

SUMM ER 1982 

J. FARRIMO ND, 19 ASH GROVE, 

ORRELL. Nr. W IGAN, LANCS. 

F O R SA LS 

Frct-flying Drifter Sail - 4 . 50% Vectis c10th 

Ltlff - 34', Arca - 230ft - Suit Tangaroa or a 

Narai. IUITTLE US El) 

.k l 00 

Ctlntact R. W oods, 6 Cam lcy Close, W eston 

Stltlthham pton. 

Te1: Soton 4470 10 

S A L E S A N D W A N T S R E G l S T E R 

Norman Elis, who has been i1I Iately (hope aII goes wel now 

Norman) , has written to complain that there has been relatively 

no feed back from the Sales and W ants Register. He has 

sent out nearly aII the info shee'ts to would-be custom ers but 

he needs to know if the boats are sold or not. 

Please if you w ish to use his services:- 

1 . Let him know when a boat is sold or send further inform 

ation sheets for other customers. 

2. If you m ake an enquiry please return info sheets you do 

not use. 

3. Enclose enough to cover aI postage etc. 

BOATS CURRENTLY ON THE REGISTER 

ORO - ''Spinf ish' TANGAROA - (V Smith's) 

O RO - ''Cornish Kangaroo ' TAN E - ''Unity ' 

O RO - '' lla Manu' TAN E - ( F Sporik's) 

O RO - ''Katitoo' H l NA - (M Barker's ) 

H I N EMOA - (Surf Song) 

I * r 

Q. 

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Surf Song was originaly bought f rom 

Brom ley Boats, Kent as a kit and then built 

in accordance with James W harram plans. 

Subsequent modif ications include additions 

to the existing W haram sai l plan and Ionger, 

weatherproof cabi n tops for off shore sai Iing. 

The cat is wel maintained and sai le:1 

frequently. 

Huls: Professionaly moulded G R P by 

Brom ley Boats with biue plyw ood 

bulwarks w hich are oiled on the 

inside adjacent to the cream 

coloured Decolay painted plyw ood 

decks and cabins. 

RIù. Standard 1 73 sq. f t. Wharram sprit 

rig with taller varnished solid (grown) 

spruce mast to carry topsai 1, f Iyi ng 

jib and spinnaker. Jib 60 sq. ft., 

main 1 14 sq. ft., topsai I 30 sq. f t., 

f Iying jib 90 sq. ft., spinnaker 1 20 sq. 

ft., storm trysai I 45 sq. f t. Main and 

spinnaker by Jeckels; new jib (this 

season) , topsai 1, f Iying jib and topsail 

bv Iocal sai lmakers W i 1ki nsons. 

Other 

goodies: Two 1 5Ib anchors and warp. 40+ 

Seagul outboard-s knots in favour. 

able conditions. 0-1 5 knots VDO 

Sumlog-lz knots achieved i n f lat 

water, 1 5+ surfinq! Sportyak plastic 

dinghy. Easily erected deck tent (also 

mad by W i lkinson Sai ls) covers cabins 

and bridge deaks and is clipped onto 

bulwarks-gives sitting headroom . 

Sailing 

Historv: Sai Ied on the C1 yde and l rish Sea. 

Cruised extensively East Coast and 

southern North Sea especialy Holand. 

Onlv f3,000 

FAST, PRETTY & LOTSA FUN 

Grow ing fam i ly needs Iarger cat 

RICHARD BUMPUS, 

2, FRENCHES ROW , BA RROW G REEN 

TEYNHAM , Nr. SITTINGBOURNE, KENT 

TELEPHONE'. TEYNHAM 522092 (AFTER G.OOP.M.) 

71

22 

T he Boatyard ; 

TRIM TAB 

by Bob Evans 

Having f Iown from the Stringbag to the Phantom I have 

become used to being able to trim out the control 

forces. 

My Narai is tiler steered and can be jolly hardwork at 

times, hence I f ilted a trim tab to one rudder. Th is 

coupled with a 'retired'' bàr stool , has added m uch to 

&he helm sm an's ease. 

The tab is m ounted on the Port rudder as that is the 

helmsm an's side. The tab is hinged on the trailing edge 

of the rudder with mild steel pintles. A prefabricated 

m ild steel cap is m ounted on the top of the tab w itb an 

operating rod in Iine with the pintles. On the top of the 

rod at the point where the trai ling edge of the rudder 

sweeps back up the stock, I have f itted a Hook's joint. 

This is Mery simi Iar to the universal joints found in socket 

sets. From the top of the Hook's joint, a rod goes up 

through the aft end of the tiI ler, to the top of which is 

mounted a yoke. From the yoke, two yoke Iines are fed 

to cleats, on either side of the tiler, just aft of the hand 

gri p . 

Operation is sim ple . Take for instance, the vessel is 

on a Port tack. She wil naturaly have some weather 

helm i-e. tend to turn to Port, up into the w ind. To prevent 

'this, the helmsm an has to push the tiler to Port. 

To trim out, he pu ls the Port yoke line and bingo the 

rudder is trim m ed. It eases Iife alot, and in fact I have 

kept a fu l watch from m y chartroom hatch in a force 

7, being shorlened down to No.1 jib and mizen baving 

trim m ed the helm . 

I have kept dimensions off the sketches for clarity , 

but have used:- 

Tab chord - 4'' 

Tab height - almost the fu l length of the rudder's 

vertical trailing edge. 

Tab thickness - same as rudder blades. 

Operating rod - %'' brass tube. A bit Iight and has 

tendancy to twist. 

Distance across 

yoke - 6 ' 

Tab pintles - m ade up of 1 ' x %'' thick m ild steel. 

5/16'' diameter pins. The female 

pintle shou Id have X7'' th ickness to 

run in on the rudder side to spread 

the load and wear. 

The system is sim ple and has bags of room for im provem 

ent, such as Tufnal or nylon bearings for the pint- 

Ies. The yoke Iines could be dispensed with and a single 

stiff rod Iinkage put in with a knob and Iead screw to 

operate it. It could also form the basis of a wind-driven 

self steering gear mounted on the rudder stock. 

Get trim m ing! 

& & 

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TAB PINTLES 

' 

Tendency To Turn 

W ind 

Rudder 

Yoke Lines To Cleats On Tiler 

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TAB HEAD

A VO RTEX G ENERATOR AND A NEW RUDDER 

Fred Potman (owner of Raka named 'Raka') 

Last year I was in hospital, with a broken Ieg. O n m y 

request N ico sent me a Ietter with a sketch, and m otives 

about using a horizontal f lat plank under the middle of 

the keel of a W harram catamaran. This should have the 

same effect as the smal keel I was using up till then. 

That means higher sail ing on the wi nd, faster tacking, 

and as a consequence Iess draught than with that smal 

keel. 

For a H ina and a Tane the di mensions of such a plank 

are about 75 cm. Iong (2.5 f .t) and wide 30 cm ( 1 ft.), 

thickness 1 8 mm (0.7 inch). For our Raka I used a plank 

Iong 85 cm , w ide 38 cm , thick 2.5 cm . I made it from 

rests of pIy glued together, a bit pointed for and af4,ll ) 

see the drawing, the sides too (3), narrower at the 

bottom than at the top of the plank. 

The eff ect must be that about 10 to 1 2 cm on each 

side of the keel sticks out. The whole is fixed by screw s 

to the bottom of the boat. After a season of sail ing I c-an 

say that I am content., m ore than content. 

I did not get the im pression that she is slower now. 

She sails as good on the w ind as before w ith the steel 

keels, and tacks as wel too. Slow ly and in a solemn 

way, but im pressive, even in heavy w aves. W hat does a 

man w ish more. I did. I didn't use the planks for sailing 

only, but wanted them to protect the new balanced 

rudders, when the boat is standi ng on the (bard ) sands 

and that they do marvel Iously. 

W hen I bu ilt the Raka I didn't use the rudders as 

drawn by W harram, but put vertical rudders through the 

huls in a classical way after smal Ier skegs. The rudderblades 

becam e more effective even w ith the sm aler areas. 

The skegs I put before the rudders, I took off th is spring. 

The ruddfars were enlarged before the origi nal f ront. Th is 

was clone after a drawing made by Janbart de Jong 

(designer of Wadkat and Wadvogel) on full scale. Rudders 

with a n ic0 prof ile. Origi nal Iy they had a th ickness of 

3 cm . with a nice prof ile, but th is was not th ick enough. 

W hen the rudders were enlarged at the front, by epoxy 

kit, on both sides l glued slats in vertical direction, 

making them thinner forward and at the aflerend, to get 

a new prof ile when covered w ith ply. The interior of the 

rudders I f illed w ith foam, the top end I covered with 

epoxy. At the bottom a bottom piece of wood was 

glued. They are 7 cm . thick now and there is no 

cavitation anymore. 

l have the im pression that both chanses m ean qu ite 

an im provement. 

W hen we I ie on the sands the rudders keep about 5 cm. 

f ree from the sands. For security l put four buckets of 

water on the stem, so that the boat, when 1 ifting, w ith 

the water tends to hang a b it i n the nose. 

! n order to get maximum protection of the planks I 

put them (30 cm.) a bit near the stern under the bottom, 

g iv i n g m o re g r i p. 

I intend to make the m otor turn w ith the rudders 

next year. Drawings are not ready yet. l tel you about 

it Iater. I am f u 1 of plans, but what do you want, a man 

is always busy do ing th ings and undoing them som etim es. 

( F iddl ing arou nd you can cal I it ! ) (Transl. Nico Boon) 

KEEL 

# @' V * 4 

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( 1 ) F RO NT 

x x - 3cm 

W AS ' ' 

W/L 

PERFECT.FIT HATCH COVERS & OPENING PO RTS 

by Waldo Coons 

I have been maki ng zero clearance fits between the 

seal ing surfaces on hatch covers by casting epoxy on one 

of the seal ing surfaces. 

This is the procedure:- 

Close cover and measure widlh of crack w ith scale or 

shim s of known thickness. If w idth varies, m ark width on 

coam ing. Mark Iocation of sealing surface on cover. 

Calculate volume of epoxy needed. Open cover and tape 

wax paper on the seal ing surface of the cover. Prepare 

sealing surface of coam ing for good epoxy adhesion. 

Apply thixotropic epoxy to the seal ing surface of 

coam ing in proportion to width of crack. Leave epoxy 

as mound in centre of sealing surface. Be sure wax 

paper is in place and close cover. 

Open cover when epoxy will hold its shape but has 

not com pletely cured. This wil I perm it open ing if any 

epoxy gets around the wax paper and it m akes trimm ing 

the f Iash easier. 

Paint if exposed to sunl ight. 

COVER 

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N IJR FC AIIr 

N O âI .' N O âI 

by Hedley Underwood 

There is nothing l ike bu ildi ng your ow n boat, and 

even if it is the m ost dim inutive of the W harram range 

you can still permit yourself the f uIl range of rom antic 

ilusions associated with fulf iI ing that particular dream . 

I suppose that's why I im agined Noa-Noa was a f itting 

nam e for a surf cat. I remember watching a TV programm e 

about Gauguin which seemed to concentrate (alright, l 

seemed to concentrate) on the naked nubil ia of the 

south sea islands, but incidental Iy said that man (Gaugu i'n; 

remember him'?! ) called himself Noa-Noa - the savage. 

This name conjured up a vision of a more than usuassv 

suntanned version of myself and sm ashing through the 

seas, clutching the surfcat's mainsheet and afler a year's 

bu ilding al I th is cam e true, al I except the suntan that is. 

The boat became an obsession soon after I'd ordered 

the plans. Livi ng in London in a sm al I rented f Iat l had 

absolutely nowhere to build it, which is a rather 

f undamental problem. For several months I tried agencies 

to rent garages without success, whilst buildi ng som e of 

the sm aler com ponents in our kitchen - th is did not 

make me very popu Iar. F inaly, as we drive regularly to 

Portsmouth to visit an elderly relative I decided to put 

lheir garage to good use. Aparl f rom the feeling that t 

was buildi ng the boat over the telephone th is proved 

quite successful, except that every fortnight or so we 

would drive down to Portsm outh and I would disappear 

for 48 hours am ong a blur of ham mering, sawing and 

headscratching, to emerge occasionally to m ix some more 

glue and scan the plans. The relationship between 

myself and Noa-Noa blossomed into an obsession, and 

that is how it had to be otherw ise it would never have 

been built. (Other relationships tended to suffer during 

this period ! ! ) 

The bu ildi ns was very straight forward, apart f rom 

makinn 1he mistake of buying the plywood on a very 

windy day, but that's another story, involving an 

em barrassing roadside incident . . . l used marine grade 4 

m m ply, although the plans suggesl 5 m m wh ich is 

virtualy unobta inable now. 

I also used clear f ir fo r the '7i x Pi and I/i x % as th is 

wood takes quite a strain and is very thin, and also for 

the keels for durability: the plans recom mend sitka 

spruce which is again very diff icult to obtain. Using 

panel pins is an acqu ired art, I never really I iked 1he panel 

pin pusher (say that after 5 pints) and so ended up with 

many a Tom and Jerry style throbbing thum b. The boat 

took a vear to build but lhis was really about 20 

weekends work , includi ng chasing round timberyards, 

chandlers and sailm akers , and general ly staring fondly at 

the em erging boat. (This kind of essential reverie look 

up a good deal of the time . . . .! ) 

The surfcat is a cheaq boat to bu iId if you shop 

around. There are two malor Iayouts of casb, f irstly for 

the plywood and secondly for the mast, sails and rigqing. 

I bought a secondhand wooden mast f rom a Cadet 

wh ich was spl it at the masthead sheave but easily 

repaired. There are many discarded wooden masts around 

as the 'keep up w ith the Jones technology brigade' buy 

metal masts. ( l hope this race continues so we can look 

forward to accepting their gold anodised cast offs in 

future years! ) My mast cost E1 5 inciudi ng alI the 

rigging, sheaves etc., and was brand new surplus stock 

f rom a sailm aker after a staggeri ng quotation f rom 

Jeckells (f 1 20! ) total cost - E22 for two sails. Actually 

the m ainsail had to be cut down to size. It's rather 

civergenerous proportions 1ed me to speculate wildly over 

the possibil ities of skittering across the surf at shatteringly 

fast speeds by a ratber naive and sim ple formula Iurking in 

the recesses of m y mind. It ran something l ike this: more 

sail area = more speed. I actually put th is to the test 

with alarm ing results. The day of Iaunch was a trem endous 

moment although somewhat nerve racking, I m iscalculated 

how I ong it would ta ke to assemble (about Pi 

hour at f irst) and it was quite a windy day. W e Iaunched, 

sailed, tacked (oh Joy) nearly collided on many occasions 

and f inaly sailed into clear water. A good gust of wind 

transformed the tranquil scene and general air of self 

œ ngratulation. I stralned on the mainsheet and the 

Iee hu l buried itself with a sickening gurqle and a 

twisting motion. I cannot be sure if the weather hull 

Iifted or not. This brought the % at lo a rapid standslill 

and would have tipped ber with a I ighter crew, I think. 

A hurried retreat to the scissors and the sewing 

m achine transformed this tenderness and she has shown 

no signs of th is agai n, even in a constant f orce seven. 

This last summ er we took the boat on top of the car 

cam pi ng and sail ing arou nd the south and west coast of 

England. The boat has sailed in a variety of different 

coastal and weather conditions and is still in pristine 

condition. The most memorable day was on the Gower 

peninsu Ia with a n off shore force 6-7 and a f Iat sea - 

four perfect sheets of spray and real Iy exhilarating speed. 

She ghowed no sign of I ifting a hull - I felt the mast 

would break f irst. This was one characteristic occasional 

observers liked about the boat, its incredible stabil ity. 

On m any occasions passers by were very com pl imentary 

about her Iooks (Wharrams are the only beautiful 

catamarans and even the surfcat has alI the I ines of the 

Iarger designs; - som e people even asked if I had bought 

her brand new ! ) 

If I was buildi ng again I would add the fo low ing 

points to the plans: 

1 . Use cheap 4 m I. ply. Also, use yellow deal everywhere 

exœ pt the stri ngers (gunwales) . 

2. Use exter ior grade pIy for the buI kheads - the 

boat is not in the w ater long enough for problems 

to be encountered. 

3. Make sure the decks are throughly seated after 

using Cuprinol on the inside. Preferably seal them 

with glass tape as this joint is under great pressure 

when sail ing hard. 

4. Deck slats on plans are not strong enough and need 

re inforcing u nderneath. A design f or a tram pol i ne 

and lowered centre beam would be better. 

5. Use the thinnest grade panel pins. 1 ' pins are 

inclined to bend but you ge1 used to them. 

6. The 1 2 bolts holding the cross Y ams to the bulkheads 

take a Iong time to f it on the beach. A better 

idea would be clevis pins but Ahey're m ore expensive 

. 

7. Re-position the tiller connecting bar on the end of 

the tillers. Apart f rom bei ng altogether better you 

can steer w ith your feet while sunbathing! 

D iling 

1, Stick to the recommended sail plan (! ) 

2. Keep your weight aft but don't always tw to 

counteract heeling by bearing on the weather hu l, 

- she goes faster! 

3. We sailed (often inadvertently) through some 

fairly character-form ing conditions, parlicularly in 

Exmouth, South W ales and the Dee estuary. The 

boat gives you a 'test tank' feel for how som e of 

the Iarger designs m ight behave in really appal ing 

conditions. W e did no1 tip her once although we 

felt close on several occasions. W e felt if she were 

to go, it would be over the lee stem post. 

One fi naI tip for any would be enthusiasts considering 

bu ilding a fun boat l ike this one - if you want to 

atlract crowds on the beach this summ er, throw your 

bu lworker away and build a surfcat! 

7.6

26 

This illustration shows a m odif ied Tane 28' being lifled 

clear of the ground to enable the trai Ier , that the hull 

was taken down to the launch site on to be removed & 

the hu l to be dropped into the cradle awaiti ng under 

the hu l. This gantry was dismantled and used to Iift 

& N 

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both hulls independently onto the road trailer. It is 

dismountable by four bolts at either end of the cross 

arm , it can be assem bled in quick tim e and carried on 

the roof of m y car. This system works best w ith two 

chain hoists, one does work, and enabbes one to do 

without expensive cranes etc. 

( Pete Bousf ield ) 

> . 

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'è7:, 

Tips: If you have an icebox , f reeze everylh ing possible 

before you leave. Freeze aII your Ieftover stews etc. and 

bring them along when you have to Ieave in a hurry. Th is 

helps keep your ice a Iot Ionger if you carry i1. Keep the 

boat stocked with staples. 

For a hearty breakfast when you are low on eggs try 

Clints Pancake Recipe (f rom his granny's cookbook). 

Griddle Cakes - serves 4 

Delicious if cooked with bacon on the qriddle 

Medi um 

heat. 

1 'Za cups wh ite f Iour (or 14 brown ) 

3 teaspoons baking powder 

7z teaspoon sa 1: 

2 tablespoons sugar (optional) 

1 /3 cup pow dered m iI k 

2 tablespoons oil 

1egq 

M ix up a few batches of the dry ingredients and 

in a plastic container on the boat. W hen you 

m ncakes f or breakfast add 1 cup water and beaten egg 

and m ix thoroughly. D rop by spoonfuls on hot greased 

griddle, turn when puffed fu l of bubbles. Serve with 

syrup. This recipe makes sm all I ight pancakes, and if you 

don't have an egg it doesn't really matter. W ipe your 

griddle with a paper towel and stow, or if you have 

soured m ilk add 72 teaspoon baking soda instead of 

baking powder. This recipe w il keep a long time in a 

sealed plastic container and lastes much better than a 

m ncake m ix. It has been a Standby f or years of camping 

and sail ing. 

Stockinq a galey in a hurry; you never know when 

the weather wil turn favorable for a shor't cruise. 

Essential Equipm ent 4- 5 plastic containers with good 

GALLEY GO UBM ET GOES TO ''BATTER'' 

Left over beer? Of course its a dum b question, but what 

to do with f Iat beer. ( If ever you should have wondered) 

Use it in the galey, of course . 

BEER BATTER FO R SEAFOOD 

1 egg - separated 

3 tablespoon oiI 

% cup flat beer 

1 cup flour 1/8 tsp . salt. 

(Start 2 hours aheadz then relax and drink some beer 

while you wait). 

Com bine egg yoI k, oil, beer, f Iour and salt. Blend at high 

speed. scrape sides, blend again for one m inute. 

Pour in 2 quart m ixing bowl, cover, rest for 2 hours. 

Just before frying; beat egg white till f irm peaks, fold 

keep into batter . Use it on f ish, shrim p, etc. 

want E 

qually del icious for drinkers and non-drinkers. No 

hangover reported! 

HO TM ULLED A /NF-for when the breeze blows cold. 

Boil for 1 5 m inutes: 

1 cup sugar 

4 cups w ater 

1 sm al 1 orange or Iemon . cut up; 

1 0 raisins 

18 whole cloves 

5 cinnam on s'ticks 

Add Pi galon of burgundy or claret or both and keep hot as you 

serve to a delighted crew. 

Iocking I ids for canisters f or tea , cof-fee, powdered milk, r e 

sugar etc. Army & Navy has good prices. r 

- sharp Stainless steel knife 

tef Ion griddle for 2 burner stoves (which most of 

us have - perf ect for breakfast.) 

sm all f rying pan Tefals are good, I ight and don't 

stick. 

good stainless steel saucepan or sm al pressure . / 

cooker . 

crabs. Iarge pot (cheap enamel is good) for boil ing those 

fl ipper, silverware, tea & coffee pot, bottle opener 

/ 

& corkscrew, set of dishes 1 Iike plastic, they're Iight 

and good qual ity is as nice as china. 0 * 

W e carry a small H ibachi for barbecues - the folding 

type would be ideal . 

x 

HUNGA RIAN BEEF AND NOODLES 

(sounds exotic doesn't it'?) 

1 lb. qround beef 

1 o n i o n 

J$ cup canned beef broth 

2 tsp. prepared m ustard e - 

1 tablesp. tomato paste 

1 cup sour cream 

Cooked noodles or rice 

1 . B rown meat, st ir i n o nion ; sa ute. 

2. St ir in broth, m ustard, tom ato, 

Cover. simm er 5 m inutes. 

3. Slowly st ir i n sour cream, heat but do NOT boi I . That shoujd stop her bows digging jp / 

4. Serve over hot cooked rice or noodles. 

Stand clear, deck apes will eat anything in sight! 

77

here - Polynesian Catamaran Association

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