Quick Canoe

Since the Goat Island Skiff is laid up until next season, I nosed around the garage for a bit putting together a little somethingsomething that would get me out on the water.  The Goat is great, I love it, but something that could easily get onto the Merrimack River, which is close by, would be great.  Nothing like a little late fall paddle up a river with a float back down, right?  Right.

Enter:  3 sheets of Sureply vinyl floor underlayment from Lowes for 20 bucks a sheet.
Enter:  Miscellaneous wood left-over from the Goat.
Enter: A few quarts of Rustoleum (latex exterior house paint wouldve worked too) for 40 bucks.

ENTER:  QUICK CANOE

Add a little bit of your time, really, not much, and next thing you know, you have a canoe.

See the thread at Storers Forum here.

A new design, less than a year old, and already many have been built all over the world.  Some are experimenting with sailing rigs.  Others made skinnier prototype versions.  It comes with solid, fast, inexpensive boatbuilding technique.  Yes, you could probably get on the water for less than 200 bucks.  What in the name of Poseidon are you waiting for!?!?

BETH Sailing Canoe

Robert Hoffman in Poland is a 1001 Boats follower and having read his own blog I asked if we could feature his delightful Sailing Canoe "Beth".



Designed by Michael Storer


Robert tells the story as follows, "Even before 2000, my brother found on the internet an interesting and simple in construction, sailing canoe modeled on traditional sailing canoes from 1870, American sharpies and famous American boat designer Phil Bolgers influences. A boat so pleased him that soon he made contact with the Australian designer Michael Storer and bought the plans. He was going to build it, but life turned out differently. Ever since my brother showed me BETHs building plans, she liked at first sight to me also - with its elegance and simplicity, as well as the expected features of the sailing.



A few years later my brother gave me BETHs plans to build. In April 2009, build began my sailing canoe in my tiny garage. The whole time I was by Internet in contact with Michael Storer, who on his forum and private gave me some useful advices. The boat was a really inexpensive and simple to build. Building was possible singlehanded and using a very modest set of tools. After several months, just before the onset of cold weather definitive construction was interrupted for the winter, and then resumed in April 2010.



My BETH Sailing canoe was launched May 28, 2010 in Gdansk (Gorki Zachodnie), where it took part in the Raid Poland 2010. She obtained the name "YuanFen" (Chinese - a force that brings people together) but the variable and uncertain weather and the experience and common sense meant that BETH “YuanFen” did not emerge over the Gulf of Gdansk.

From June 2010 to the end of August Ihave tested it on a little lake (Jezioro Dziekanowskie) near my house. She proved a fast boat and pleasant sailing. Is the boat for the experienced sailor, but the hull is relatively more stable than the other canoe hulls. She is easy to maneuver on land it singlehanded and easy for trailering and roofracking. She draws attention to its characteristic appearance and speed - she is the attraction of the waters which she will be on.

I am grateful to the designer Michael Strorer for such a beautiful design and for his advice and comments, which I gladly gave during construction, as well as my brother, for showing me BETH and transmission plans, including the right to build her.

I have serious plans to continue to use my sailing canoe BETH "YuanFen" - I intend to test it to a larger water body, and prepare for the trip (in 2012) from the Poland to Danish island Bornholm - about 70 nm open Baltic Sea. This requires preparation and common sense - good and stable weather is essential. I believe this is possible, but always keep in mind that this is just a tiny canoe."



Beth has a delightful simplicity and elegance, a perfect boat for getting out and enjoying being on the water, equally as many intrepid Victorian sailors were to demonstrate these small craft can make remarkable voyages. We look forward to hearing more on Roberts open water voyage on the Baltic.

Small Reach Regatta 2011!

Hello Intrepid Readers!  Me, myself, and I, along with my wife and my Goat Island Skiff have just returned from a long weekend at Lamoine State Park in Down East Maine, just across Frenchman Bay from Acadia National Park!

Not only was the location spectacular, but we sailed in company with dozens upon dozens of other small sail and oar boats!  Yes Reader, I can feel the perspiration on your brow already, for I am referring to the legendary Small Reach Regatta!  WOOT WOOT!

Due to constraints on my end I made it to Lamoine on Thursday morning as opposed to Wednesday night so I missed the meet+greet, but thats OK.  I enjoyed three days of sailing and camping and am already looking forward to the next SRR.

Remember:  You can click on any picture and then enlarge it to get a bigger one if you want bigger pictures.  I can also email you the original huge pictures if you would like a copy.  Just leave a comment and well get in touch.

Day One:  Lamoine State Park to Bean Island.  Winds were light.  I was the last boat off the beach and made good time but made a strategic error and stayed out to sea in hopes of better airs.  There was some venturi effect around the last point (Hancock Pt) and I was promptly passed by several of my peers as they blasted around the point.  Oh well!  We got to the backside of Bean Island, beached, and ate lunch!

This is the SRR:

The beach.  Find the Goat!

Goat Island Skiff surrounded by awesome.

Some Caledonia Yawls on the left and a Pacific Pelican on the right!

After lunch I meandered around the island and relaxed, and was one of the last sailboats off the island.  I didnt feel like rushing, but watched some of the fleet head out.

Oughtred JII (2)

A Superseed which supersedes the Melonseed.

Free Parking for Intrepid Reader of the Month if you can tell me where we saw this one before...

 Then I busted off of Bean Island and did a circumnavigation only to get becalmed on the way back.  No big deal.  A little bit of rowing and I made it to some wind and we were off again!

Clint Chase Boatbuilder and Better Half in Drake with downwind sailing rig up

CCBB and Co.  Notice patriotism.

Just awesome.  

Day Two was a sail down to some geological formations called the "Ovens" which are caves in the cliffs.  Allison and I ventured down to see and promptly ended up getting sucked into an oven, which meant down came the sail and out came the oars, toute suite.  Afterwards, a spirited upwind slog to Thomas Island for lunch!

More Awesome. A Don Kurylko Myst.

Fog rolling in over Frenchman Bay

Hooray Lunch!  Pathfinder, center.

The Fleet.

Goat Island Skiff heading back.  Me.  So I get a big picture. (Photo by Steven B)

Goat Island Skiff back at Lamoine on the Beach.  Acadia in background.  YEAH!

Day Three was an upwind slog up the Skillings River.  The final destination was going to be a small cove all the way up at the top.  It was a double whammy, we had the current with us initially but it turned about half-way up for us.  Allison and I doubled down and made it happen, slipping into the cove, rafting up with some others, stuffing PB+J into our mouths before setting back down river before we got caught in the mud.

On the way upriver, there was one portion of the fleet ahead of us, a small pack of three, and everyone else behind us.

Acadia in the clouds with the rest of the fleet behind us.

The pack of three consisted of a Coquina, a Core Sound 17, and our Goat Island Skiff.  The three of us tacked and tacked all on top of each other but keeping company, until the skipper of the Coquina decided to use the traveler on his rig, and he just blasted out of there.  I mean, he took off. 

Coquina

Coquina Again

So gorgeous.  This is about where she took off once the Skipper started using the traveler.  BOOM!  Gone.

That left us and Joe, who was skippering his sons Core Sound 17, which was a High School project.  Note cannibalized sails off other boats.  Love it!  The slog was a slog, but made bearable with the Coquina and Joe to share most of it with.

CS17 and Joe

Joe is a 4 realz Pirate!

Our constant shadow.

Up at the top of the river, we rafted up!

To my Port.

To my Starboard

The way back was better.  Current and wind at our backs we speedily made it out of the river and back to Lamoine where we frolicked some more with the good wind and rapidly clearing skies.

Goat Island Skiff heading downriver. (photo by Steven B)

Heading downriver.  The boom is a little high the downhaul slipped forward.  This was rectified. (Photo by Steven B)

Crotch Island Pinky-- A Dutch family borrowed this from The Apprenticeshop and proceeded to sailed the Living Baloney out of it!  So awesome!

Acadia and the fleet that didnt make it ahead of us now.

The Author of this blog

Superseed that supersedes the Melonseed with Acadia

The Fleet is spreading out

Sea Pearl Scout

Dragging my fingertips in the water hiking out like a hero.

Well, it was an awesome weekend, for sure!  I cant wait to get back next year and do some more sailing with other boats!  I sail alone all the time, and for one weekend, I can sail in a huge fleet of sail and oar boats and dominate the waves!

Crotch Island Pinky at sunset

Sunset over the harbor.

For some more incidental pictures, and the ones above, please see my album with my entire collection.

Until next time Intrepid Readers!

Isles of Shoals again!

Another blast out to Isles of Shoals for my Goat Island Skiff!

The intrepid reader will remember last years trip.  That trip was C-R-A-Z-Y with a roaring tailwind J-Pirate and myself hung on for dear life and made it the Isles in about an hour, and that included non-direct route a pansy-jibe (the 270 deg. tack).  The way back was 3 hours in pounding waves.  I went a second time with L-Man, and it took 3 hrs to get out there in fickle winds and a strong current, and about 1.5 hrs back.

Well, the other day L-Man and myself went out there in about 1.5hrs!  He felt better about all this Isles of Shoals stuff.  Epic snorkeling ensued.  The water was amazing.

I put two similar pictures because the water color was so awesome.  L-Man took some video!  Effing right, youTubes videos, Amateur Style continues to push the edges of technology!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxR2ppWVHV0

You have to click on the link because I couldnt embed it.

The way back.... L-Man not so happy.  With a screwed up current and strong winds from the same direction, FOUR HOURS to get back to the harbor with a stint of slow rowing.  Dismal, after a while.  I would like, for once to get there and back without some long slog.  SIGH  So beautiful, but we pay the price.

Alert

Another fantastic boat built by Will Sterling and his team down in Tavistock the West country lugger Alert.

Will explains "Alert is a Westcountry Smuggling lugger of circa 1835. At 15 tons she was our first heavy displacement new build. She was drawn after a part time MA in Maritime History at Exeter University during which the principal area of study was the design and construction of Revenue Cutters between 1770 and 1850".



Wills initial interest in maritime history came through Admiral Sir Robert Barlow of Plymouth, a very great Grandfather, who during his early naval career ccampaigned against the Westcountry smugglers with success. His daughter married William Nelson, Horatios elder brother.



Alert sailed on her maiden voyage to Iceland with Will and crew before returning to Plymouth where she is moored having been sold to a local man. The Alert build received an award from the South West Maritime History Society for exceptional boatbuilding and research.