Norwalk Islands Sharpie 23 for Sale

Yesterday I had a chance to personally inspect a Norwalk Islands Sharpie 23 (N.I.S. 23) that is currently for sale in Cocoa, Florida. I've read about these Bruce Kirby designs for years, but had never seen one, as they are rare in the U.S. and even rarer on the used boat market here. When Dave Lewis, the owner contacted me to let me know it was for sale, I planned to pass the information along to my readers here. As it happened, I had an opportunity to get involved with a big teak deck job for Boatsmith a bit farther down the coast, so I was able to stop by on the way home and meet Dave and have a look at the boat in person.

An experienced sailor who has explored lots of remote parts of the Bahamas in shallow draft boats, Dave has been impressed with the N.I.S. 23 but is now ready to downsize to something more suited to quick and easy launching for local daysailing.  Considering the cost to build a new boat this size, never mind having it professionally built as this one was, I think this trailerable cruising sharpie could be a good deal for the right person.  The boat has been stored indoors and comes with an excellent trailer that Dave had built after he purchased the boat from the original owner. The entire package is in good condition, as you can see from the photos.

Here are the particulars Dave provided, along with his contact email for anyone who wants to know more about this unique wooden boat:

She is a 23' Kirby Norwalk Island Sharpie(N.I.S.); has a free standing cat ketch rig.  Masts are carbon fiber.  Have two suits of sails: one white, loose footed; one tan bark, fully battened.  All running rigging leads to cockpit.

Professionally built 1996 by Sea Island Boat Works, Charleston, S.C.  Hull is epoxy coated inside and out; hull exterior sheathed in glass cloth.  Two settees (adult bunks) provide comfortable sitting headroom with main hatch cover closed.  No amenities except cockpit cushions and interior cushions for bunks.  Standard horizon VHF.

LOA 23' ;  Beam 7'-5" ;  LWL 22' ;  Disp. 1900# ;  Draft 4.5' board down;  8" board up.

I've enjoyed sailing the boat in the Indian River here in Cocoa.  The boat has always been dry sailed.  It currently resides on a single axle aluminum trailer in my garage.  This combo tracks well with a medium vehicle.

This vessel is easily single handed and makes a great daysailer, weekender. 

Dave Lewis, delewis59@yahoo.com

Reuel Parker Egret 31.5 Sharpie Build Blog

During my most recent visit with Reuel Parker, which has now been a little over a year ago but certainly doesn't seem like it, Reuel gave me the study plans for an enlarged Egret-styled sharpie.  Based on the original 28-footer made famous by Commodore Munroe in Florida, this 31.5-foot version offers much better cruising accommodations, although like all sharpies, still minimal for it's size.  Reuel said it was the most boat that could be built for the money and pointed out that it would be quick to build, trailerable and yet capable of crossing the Gulf Stream and exploring skinny water off the beaten track, like the Bights of Andros, one of his favorite places in the Bahamas to hang out.

I was intrigued, but not ready to start another boat building project so soon after selling my Wharram Tiki 26.  In fact, the reason I was in Reuel's neck of the woods in Florida was to inspect a Liberty 28  Cutter that was offered by a brokerage nearby.  I didn't make an offer on the Liberty, and ended up buying my Cape Dory 27 several months later, but I've pulled out those Egret study plans more than a time or two.  I kept hoping someone would build one, and now it is happening.  A Google search of the design turned up Dennis Woodriff's build blog, started in 2013.  Building in Virginia, he made rapid progress until winter and a move put him on temporary hold.  The hull has been built and turned and he is now finishing the interior, deck and house structures:

I got in touch and learned that Dennis has extensive sailing experience and plans more big adventures when he launches his new Egret sharpie.  I'm anxiously awaiting the continuation of the build, and I'm betting that once the weather improves we won't have to wait long to see this new Parker design launched.

For more on the Egret 31.5, the description of the design is available on Reuel Parker's site here.

Interviews with James Wharram (Two)

Here is the second of a series of interviews with legendary catamaran designer, James Wharram and co-designer Hanneke Boon.  In this conversation with David Halladay, James recounts his early seafaring life:

Interviews with James Wharram

This is the first of a series of interviews with James Wharram and his co-designer, Hanneke Boon, talking with David Halladay of Boatsmith, Inc. in his shop in West Palm Beach, Florida.  In this first video, James discusses his early influences that led to his legendary catamaran designs:

Beachcruising

I've been spending way too much time thinking about boat design lately, but I suppose it's justified, since I'm trying to decide what my next boat will be.  I've been looking at a wide variety of sailing vessels, from heavy, offshore-capable monohulls to small multihull beachcruisers.  Sometimes it helps to get just get out on the water to think, so I spent some time a few days ago paddling my kayak around Deer Island, just south of Biloxi.  Kayaks are just so simple and quick to launch, and easy to pull ashore most anywhere you care to stop.  This is my Arctic Tern 17, one of my favorites that I built about 14 years ago:

While there are some large, shoal-draft cruising sailboats that can go right up the shore and safely dry out at low tide, this Endeavor 37 Ketch that was also beached on the island is definitely not one of them:

This sailing yacht was obviously left hard aground by the storm surge of recent Hurricane Isaac.  She's a good 40 or 50 yards from the water's edge now, and at 20,000 lbs. displacement, will not be easy to refloat.  I don't know where she was before the storm and how she came to break loose and end up on the beach at Deer Island, but seeing this is a good reminder of just one of the things that the owners of small, beachcruising sailboats and sea kayaks don't have to worry about.

Art on The Water Video

Here's a pretty cool video compilation I found on YouTube of Wharram catamaran photos from around the world.  Just about every model from the JWD Design Book can be seen here:

Solo Around the Americas in an Albin Vega 27

If you read much sailing news you might already be aware of Matt Rutherford's recent completion of an incredible non-stop circumnavigation of the North and South American continents in a 27-foot "classic plastic" production boat.  No matter what boat he sailed, Rutherford's voyage was a record-breaking first because he is the first person to have completed a non-stop solo circumnavigation of the Americas, traversing both the Northwest Passage and rounding Cape Horn all in one go.  That's 27,077 miles in 309 days, 18 hours and 38 minutes.   You can read all the details on the official voyage site: Solo Around the America's.  Here's a look at the route though, in case it's hard to picture just how long this non-stop voyage really was:

Even before this record-setting voyage, the Albin Vega, drawn by Swedish designer Per Brohall, has attained legendary status for it's sea-keeping abilities proven by many ocean voyages.  John Vigor included it in his book, Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, which I reviewed here back in 2008.  Vigor gave it a "safety at sea factor" of 6, rated against the 19 other boats included in the book.  The Albin Vega 27 is smaller and lighter in displacement compared to many of the other proven bluewater boats of the same length, such as the Bristol 27, Cape Dory 27 and similar designs.  With a beam of 8 feet even and a draft of 3 feet, 10 inches, it displaces 5,070 lbs on a waterline of 23 feet.  


Here's a good illustration of the deck and interior layout:

I almost bought an Albin Vega 27 myself on two different occasions when I was shopping for boats.  Though they are no longer in production, there are deals to be had in the used market, and sometimes you can pick one up for under 5K, as my dock neighbor did back when I had my Grampian 26 at Point Cadet in Biloxi.  His example needed a lot of work, but I've seen well-equipped Albin Vegas in the 10-15K range.  Not bad for a boat  that we now know can round the Americas non-stop and come back looking little worse for the wear.  Here's a short clip of Rutherford's homecoming in Annapolis:  

Madness: A 31-Foot Proa

In this video, John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft makes the case for the proa as an alternative minimalist cruiser.  This is one intriguing design, and the prototype shown here has since been launched and sea trialed. I plan to follow up with more on this Madness soon:

SEABRIGHT 33: A New Reuel Parker Design

Reuel Parker was kind enough to send me some study plans for an interesting design he drew recently that he calls the SEABRIGHT 33.  This boat really caught my attention and he probably knew it would appeal to me as I am most interested in those rare designs that combine shallow draft with offshore seaworthiness.  This really looks like a great boat: watertight bulkheads and built-in flotation,  trailerable and not too expensive or difficult to build, yet offering cruising for four with standing headroom in part of the cabin despite a draft of only 1' 9".

Here are a few of the drawings from the study plans:

 

SEABRIGHT 33

LOD:  35' 2"

LOD:  32' 3"

BEAM:  8' 6"

DRAFT:  1' 9"

DISPLACEMENT:  5,000lbs.

BALLAST:  2,000 lbs. lead foil laminated in keel

WATER:  70 gallons 

TYPE:  New Jersey Seabright Skiff. Suitable for sailing in coastal and offshore conditions.  This model is designed with watertight flotation compartments and accommodations for four with a small galley and head.  The type has an excellent record as a lifesaving vessel, and can be used as an island-hopper, coastal cruiser and ocean voyager.  Trailerable behind a vehicle rated for 6,000 lb. towing capacity. 

CONSTRUCTION:  Marine plywood covered with epoxy-saturated Xynole-polyester fabric.  The hull is frameless, being built over bulkheads.  Options for planking include lapstrake, chine log and stitch-and-glue. (Plans are drawn for stitch-and-glue).  Skill level required for construction is moderate to high (lapstrake hull).

OPTIONS:  An inboard diesel (2 cyl Yanmar 2YM15) may be installed under the forward end of the cockpit well as shown on a separate drawing.  An outboard in a well is not practical for this model.  This boat may be rowed standing in the cockpit or sculled using a 10' oar with heavy-duty rowlock mounted on the transom.  Permanent ballast consists of lead foil laminated inside the keel bottom on both sides of the CB trunk covered with 1/4" teak & holly plywood.  If trailerability is not desired, ballast may be increased to 2,500 lbs.  Standing headroom under the sliding hatch (in the galley) is 6' 3"; headroom at the table is 5' 6" with exposed beams, and 5' 7 1/2" with the foam-core deck option.  The deck may be raised no more than 2" if more headroom is desired. Additional rigs are available on a custom-design basis. 

Planning to Build a Reuel Parker Periagua 14

I've decided on Reuel Parker's unique Periagua 14 for the dinghy that I'll be using aboard my Tiki 26 catamaran when I launch it next year.  With an overall beam of 15 feet, I can accommodate a long, slender craft like the Periagua 14 on the forward deck area, without the ends hanging off the sides (although after discussing it with Reuel, I may shorten it by a foot or two).  I want something long and canoe or kayak-like, that is easy to row, but with good load-carrying ability and room for two or three passengers in dinghy service.  I have Bolger Nymph that I built for the monohull I had previously, and it's a great dinghy, but something longer and sleeker is more to my liking.  Here are some photos from Reuel Parker:

 

In the photo below, you can see the pronounced rocker, the flare in the hullsides, and the pram bow.  It's like a stretched pram in some ways, but also brings to mind the sharpie hull form, which is favorite of Reuel Parker, who is after all, the author of The Sharpie Book.  This boat is very similar to my own Backwoods Drifter design, except that the Drifter is wider in the bottom and has a flat run amidships with no rocker.  The Periagua 14 is a pure rowing craft, though Reuel says that he has modified his to accept a small outboard at times. 

Although it is long, this is a lightweight boat, weighing in at approximately 65 pounds, depending on materials used.  Here is Reuel Parker's description of the design:

PARKER MARINE ENTERPRISES

PERIAGUA 14

LOA                      14’

BEAM                   3’ 6 ½”

DRAFT                  4 ¼”

WEIGHT               65 lbs (approx)

The PERIAGUA 14 is derived from the drawings in Chapman’s Architectura Navalis. The type was used as a lighter and ferry on rivers and in harbors in Sweden in the 18th century. She looks like a long, narrow pram, and is surprisingly fast, maneuverable and easy to row. Despite her narrow beam, she has much better stability than the DORY 14 on the previous page.

Like the DORY 14, she is built around bulkheads (or frames) and transom, for which patterns are supplied. The bottom and sides are drawn to scale with measurements supplied--all that is necessary is to transfer the measurements to full-size plywood sheets (no lofting required). She may be built lapstrake if preferred.

The PERIAGUA 14 also has only one solid wood component--the sheer clamp. It is made by ripping a slot in the bottom of a hardwood 1x2, which in turn slides over the plywood sheer.

"I built the prototype in my barn in Maine in less than 10 hours, ready for sanding and painting. Mine has only one pair of rowing tholes, while the plans show two. These were originally made from grown knees—mine are plywood, and they work fantastically well (I think of them as “out-riggers”—like those used on sculls). However, they are also quite awkward, and I ended up cutting them down and installing right-angle-fitting bronze rowlock sockets."

David Halladay also built a Periagua 14 as a tender to his Tiki 30, Abaco. Here are some photos of his under construction and on the deck of the catamaran:

 

Boatsmith Inc.'s New Tiki 36

David Halladay is now ready to move forward on his newly-drawn version of a Tiki 36 catamaran based on a scaled-up Wharram Tiki 30.  The Tiki 36 will offer many amenities not available on the Tiki 30 while still keeping the sleek lines and coming in at a much lower weight than the Tiki 38 with the schooner rig.  It will offer a longer waterline for faster speeds than the Tiki 30.  Here are the main differences compared to the Tiki 30:

• Hull beam increased to 5'
• Overall beam increased to 19'8"
• Sheer height increased 12"
• Forth beam added
• Separate head and shower compartments
• Wider main bunks and larger forward berth areas
• Standing headroom in galley and nav area

From David Halladay's description:  The Tiki36 will weigh in at around 4300 lbs and will have a sail area of 600 sqft.  They will be built of foam cored fiberglass and fit out to the highest standards.  If you look at our spec sheet you will see that this is a well equipped boat and one that should be very comfortable as well as able to show her heels to many while keeping the rugged simplicity and seaworthiness that Wharrams are renown for.   These will still be custom boats and there is very little that can't be modified on them to suit the owner.  The helm pod for instance is very open to customizing to exactly whatever flavor suits you. This boat will fit into a  single 40' container for easy shipping. 

He's offering this fantastic cruising catamaran at an introductory price, and can provide a full spec sheet to show exactly what you're getting for your money.  There's nothing currently in production that could compare to the capability this boat offers in this price range. For more information, contact david@boatsmithfl.com or visit his website at www.boatsmithfl.com 

Alberg 29 - A Great Deal in Texas

Below: The Alberg 29 Jubilee, offered for sale in Rockport, Texas.

I can't believe this boat has been on the market so long, especially at the price it's been reduced to since October - just $21,500. I guess it goes to show how much of a buyer's market it is right now for things like cruising sailboats. The Alberg 29 is a bit of a rare item, and not very well known among fans of Carl Alberg's designs compared to the much more common boats in this size range such as the Alberg 30, the Pearson Triton and the Cape Dories.

This example was built in 1982, and while it is classic Alberg, (see the out of water photo below) the 29 was intended to be an updated, modernized version of the famed Alberg 30. There are not many of these around, and information about the design is scarce online. One resource is Twentynine, an owner website devoted to the design.

Below is a photo of Jubilee's nicely-finished interior, which is still in good shape, as all of the boat appears to be.

I've been wondering when this boat would sell, and I am quite surprised it's stayed on the market for this long. For someone wanting to go cruising in a moderate-sized bluewater vessel in the tradition of the boats described in John Vigor's Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere, this could be your vessel. Someone should buy it and send me a postcard from the Caribbean this winter.

Get all the specs and details on the owner's ad here:

http://www.sailingtexas.com/salberg29100.html

Grampian 26 Review (Part One)

Below: My Grampian 26 the day I bought her:

Readers of Good Old Boat are already aware that the current issue of the magazine features a boat review of the Grampian 26, written by Gregg Nestor. I picked up this issue with interest, as reviews of this popular Canadian design have been few and far between - and, of course - because I owned and sailed a fine example of this vessel for six years. I've been planning to write about my experiences with this particular good old boat for quite some time. So I have now decided to begin a multi-part series on how I came to own, refit, cruise and ultimately lose the boat I named Intensity.

I found my Grampian 26 in the late summer of 1999, when I drove to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area with cash in hand and intentions to buy a different boat, a Bristol 24. The Bristol seemed like a good deal from the seller's ad in the Florida Sailboat Trader, and from what he told me in our conversations on the telephone. As it turned out, this particular example of that fine design had seen better days, and was far from being ready to make the trip back to Mississippi on her own hull. I had to pass on it but I was in Florida to buy a boat; with all my gear in the truck , money still in my pocket, and a block of free time available to sail home. I was determined to find a cruising sailboat that I could purchase and make ready in a reasonable time frame. I called about several boats in my price range (about eight thousand dollars max) and went to look at more than half a dozen.

Most of these boats were either too run-down for the asking price if they were big enough to meet my needs, or too small or lacking in sea going quality if they were in great condition. I looked at a Kenner Privateer 26, a Colombia 24, a Pearson 26, an Albin Vega 27, and a couple of custom built boats. None were up to the 450 nautical mile trip from Tampa Bay to the Mississippi Sound without a lot of work and expensive upgrades. Since the Gulf coast north of Tampa is an area of extensive shallows many miles out from shore, following the coastline in series of day trips was not an option in a boat of this type drawing 3 feet or more of draft. The first leg of the trip would include a 160-mile offshore passage from Anclote Keys to Appalachicola Sound, so needless to say, I had to be picky about choosing a boat that could do this with reasonable safety.

I was staying at my brother's house near Tampa during all this searching, and was beginning to get frustrated after several days of running around all over the bay area looking at boats that consistently disappointed. I was about to give up when I made a last drive to Clearwater to look at yet another one and while walking down the dock noticed a "for sale" sign on a very clean and almost new-looking boat that seemed just the right size. From the new paint, crisp green Sunbrella bimini and sail covers and varnished toerails, I assumed this boat would be well out of my price range. There was also a new-looking Honda 9.9 outboard mounted in a cut-away on the transom. I was actually looking for the simplicity of an outboard-powered sailboat, as I did not want to mess with the complexities of an inboard diesel. The one feature of this boat I did not like was the pedestal wheel steering, but everything else just seemed right. Despite my fears that this boat was well out of reach of my limited boat-buying budget, I called the number posted on the sign.

The owner was out of state on vacation, but at last I reached him after talking to other boat owners on the dock. It turned out he was an employee of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which was why the boat was docked there alongside various donated boats in run-down condition. I learned that the boat was a Grampian 26 - a Canadian design that I knew nothing about. I called my experienced sailing friend in Winnipeg, Lawrence Pitcairn, to ask his advice regarding the design. It just so happened that he had the issue of Practical Sailor in which the Grampian 26 was reviewed. He read the entire article to me over the phone. The editors of this publication strive to be as objective and unbiased as possible. Like all boat designs the review, they find the faults, but there was a lot they liked about the Grampian 26. Excerpts from the review that caught my attention included:

"The Grampian 26 was heavily built and, happily for their owners, no chronic problems have surfaced in the nearly quarter century since the first boat was launched."

and

"In the past 24 years, this Canadian boat has been spotted in waters around the world. During one notable voyage an owner sailed from Lake Ontario to England and the Mediterranean, then returned to Canada via the Caribbean. Several of these boats have made good the trip through the Intra-Coastal Waterway to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, returning to their ports with a contented crew."

Designed by Alex McGruer, the Grampian 26 specs sounded good as well:

LOA 26'0"

LWL 21'9"

Beam 8'4"

Draft 4'3"

Ballast 2,600 lbs.

Displacement 5,600 lbs.

Sail area 325 sq. ft.

Like the other boats at the dock, the Grampian had come in as a donation, (someone's tax write-off) but the employee who was the current owner took a liking to her and decided to rescue her himself. He was in the process of a complete rebuild from the inside out, using Don Casey's excellent book: This Old Boat as a manual. Work completed thus far included most everything on the exterior: new Imron paint on the topsides and decks, a new professionally fabricated rudder, a custom stainless steel bow pulpit and anchor platform/bowsprit, recent bottom job, new bimini and sail covers, and a like new Honda 9.9 outboard. The inside had been gutted of the original cabin sole and furniture, and bulkheads stripped down to the bare plywood. All new wiring had been completed, including cabin lighting, fans, shore power charging system and top quality DC and AC switch panels. The owner had obviously poured a lot of money and time into this boat. The reason for selling? He was about to get married and his wife didn't like to sail. (I wonder if this has ever happened to anyone else?)

It was a lot more boat with a lot more stuff included than I would have ever expected to find on my budget. But best of all, I didn't even have to spend everything I brought to buy this boat. The price was $5000 firm. I couldn't believe my luck. All this for just five grand. I didn't even consider argueing price and immediately said I would take it. The only condition was that I wanted the boat hauled out so I could inspect the bottom before I handed over the cash. The owner agreed and I had to wait a couple more days until he returned to Florida, then we motored over to the Travelift at the boat yard next door to the aquarium. The haul out proved that he had done what he had said was done below the waterline. After seeing the keel and knowing for sure what was under the bottom, I felt confident I could sail this boat home.

Just when I had been about to give up, I had found everything I wanted and more in a small cruising sailboat. Money exchanged hands and I was the proud owner of my first cruising sailboat. My free time was running out, however, and there was still much work to be done before I could untie the dock lines and sail away.

(Next Installment: Moving aboard, making ready for sea, and sailing home)

A Few Photos from the Boat Show

I spent four days last week working at the St. Petersburg Strictly Sail Boat Show, as mentioned in my previous post. Practically all of that time was spent on board the Boatsmith Tiki 30, Abaco, as David and I were busy each day from open to close answering questions and showing folks around on the only Wharram catamaran in the show. I did manage to take a few quick walks around and see some of the other boats on display that caught my interest. First, the photo below is a look into the cockpit of Abaco. I took many more photos of the details of various parts of this boat. For those who are interested in seeing more, I've posted them in an online gallery here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/teaksmith/BoatsmithTiki30AtStPetersburgBoatShow#

Below is a Com-Pac Yachts Sun Cat. I've always liked the high quality trailerable pocket cruisers offered by Com-Pac.

Below is an Aere' Inflatable Catamaran developed and marketed by Dan Kunz, a long-time Wharram cat enthusiast based in the Keys who currently owns a Tangaroa. The Aere' catamaran stores in three bags and can be taken anywhere. More info is available at:

http://www.aere.us/

This unusual catamaran looks like it would be more at home in space than on the sea. It looks like it would be fun to sail. It's called a Spydra Cat 21. More info and photos at:

http://www.starshipcatamarans.com/html/spydra_21.html

The Sea Pearl 21, of course, is one of the better known trailerable beach cruisers built in Florida. These boats have a huge following and many have been used for long distance expeditions.

On the upper end of seaworthy trailerable monohulls, the Seaward 26 is a good-looking and well-found shallow draft yacht that can be taken most anywhere.

The Rhodes 22 is another highly-regarded pocket cruiser that has a devoted following.

Among the prettiest boats at the show were the Norse Boat trailer sailors with their lapstrake hulls and traditional wood trim. Custom cockpit tents turn these small boats into camp cruisers.

There were many others, of course, mostly the larger models offered by Catalina, Hunter, Beneteau, Island Packet and other production builders. The trend among these builders is as always to maximize the accomodations for a given length and isolate the crew from the elements of sea, wind and sun. Despite the popularity of these concepts, our open deck Tiki 30 with its low freeboard and rakish lines attracted a lot of attention from folks who could just sense that it was a good seaworthy boat at first glance.

Strictly Sail Boat Show in St. Petersburg, FL

I'm heading to the Tampa Bay area tomorrow so I can work with my friend, David Halladay, of Boatsmith at the Strictly Sail Boat Show in St. Petersburg. The show begins on Thursday at noon and goes through Sunday. David will be exhibiting Abaco, his Wharram Tiki 30 that is documented in Pro-Built Tiki 30. I'm quite sure his Tiki 30 will be the only Wharram catamaran present among many factory-built, fiberglass sailing vessels. I'm not sure what kind of reaction we will get among the general boating public, but I expect we will be quite busy answering questions for the 4-day duration of the show.

David has done a lot of work and added many refining touches to the boat since taking it to the Mystic Wooden Boat show this past summer. All systems are now installed, as well as many cruising necessities such as the bimini. I can't wait to spend some time hanging out on board. David and I are also looking forward to visiting with Reuel Parker again, as he plans to attend as well. For anyone close enough to make the trip, this is a good chance to have a look at a Tiki 30, as well as many other boat designs that will be on display.

DIRECTIONS:

Take Interstate 275 into St. Petersburg. Exit on Interstate 175-
Exit 22 and continue to its end at the traffic light. Proceed
forward four traffic lights. The fourth light is First Street.
Turn left on First Street. The Mahaffey Theater and the show
grounds will be on your right-hand side. Plenty of on-site
parking is available at the municipal parking garages and
airport surrounding show grounds. The parking fee is $5.

Thurs. Dec 4 — 12 noon-6 p.m.
Fri. Dec 5 — 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sat. Dec 6 — 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sun. Dec 7 — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Adults $10
Children (6-15) $5
Under 6 FREE
$2 off each ticket purchased online

GENERAL SHOW INFORMATION

This year, the St. Petersburg Boat show and Strictly Sail
merged to create one large show for all power and sailboats
in downtown St. Petersburg. Show Management puts on
this show and has been doing so for many years—along
with many other boat shows throughout the South. There
will be docks dedicated to sailboats only, and Latitudes and
Attitudes magazine will be putting on their traditional
Cruisers Bash on Saturday evening after the show at 7 p.m.

In-the-water sailboat displays will have dockage for 50-
plus boats. Brokerage sailboats will also be on display. This
is besides the many on-land sailboat displays. Along with
these boats will be over 200 in-water powerboats and more
on land.

For more info check out the event website: http://www.showmanagement.com/

Montgomery 17 Trailer Sailor Crosses the Pacific

This is Strawanza, a custom-built Montgomery 17 trailor sailor that has crossed most of the Pacific and is enroute to the West coast of Africa.

How big does your sailboat have to be to cross an ocean? If you believe what most of the writers in the yachting press would have you believe, you need at least a 40-footer. At least that was the case until recently. In the current issue of Sail, the typical advertising-driven sailing rag with glossy full page ads for yachts costing a half a million dollars or more, the "new boat roundup" cover story attempts to explain why 50' is the new 40'. The article, entitled: Life Begins at 50, profiles 38 production sailboat designs ranging in size from 50 to 60 feet.

It seems that for some reason most boat owners are always craving a larger boat, no matter what size they currently sail. According to the article, average boat size has been on the rise for years, and the author claims this is a logical progression from the days when most boats in any given harbor were under 40 feet. Logical? Please tell me why? The sea hasn't changed since the 1950's, 60's and 70's when all kinds of adventurers like John Guzzwell, Robin Lee Graham, Tania Abei, Lin and Larry Pardey and countless others were circumnavigating the globe in boats under 30 feet. What has changed is that navigation equipment, communications technology, safety gear, and boat construction methods have gotten much better. So you would think that small boat voyaging would be more popular and more doable than ever before and with a greater margin of safety.

The truth is, there are still a lot of adventurous sailors out there making incredible voyages in small boats. Just after flipping through this latest issue of Sail magazine, I came across a link on the Sailfar.net forum about a Montgomery 17 trailer sailor making landfall in Vanuatu. That may not sound all that extraordinary until you read further and see that this single-handed voyager departed from the coast of California.

Willi, an experienced solo sailor from Austria, commissioned a custom crafted Montgomery 17 from Montgomery Boats in Dana Point, California. He had read about the Montgomery 17's racing record, the strength of its construction, and proven seaworthiness of the Lyle Hess designed pocket cruiser. Montgomery 17's have cruised the Caribbean, sailed from California to Hawaii and from Cape Hatteras to San Diego via the Panama Canal, and sailed the length of the Mississippi. Many others have crossed the Sea of Cortez and have made countless trips to Catalina and the Channel Islands.

Willi's voyage is perhaps the most ambitious of them all, however. His homeport and yacht club is in Namibia, on the West coast of Africa. He will sail his custom Montgomery 17, which he christened Strawanza down the coast of California from San Diego, across the Pacific, then cross the Indian Ocean, to round the Cape of Good Hope and up the West coast of Africa to home. Planned time enroute, including stopovers is around 15 months.

The photo below gives you an idea just how small a Montgomery 17 is, but despite appearances, this is a boat that can go to weather, is self-righting and can carry food, water, supplies and safety gear for 100 days at sea.

The Norvane Self Steering gear bolted on the transom is not something you see every day on a trailer sailor. Many more photos and descriptions of the modifications done to Strawanza can be found here.

There's no question that crossing oceans in a 17-foot sailboat is not for everyone, but then again, neither is owning a 50 to 60-foot luxury yacht. There are a lot of happy mediums and lots of boats in the 20-32 foot range that can do the job in safety, a degree of comfort, and for a reasonable outlay in purchase price or refitting of a tired, old example. Voyages like Strawanza, serve as inspiration and reassurance for those of us who want to go to sea but don't want to grow old being melon farmers while trying to earn enough to pay for the boats magazines like Sail tell us we should be sailing.

Another Backwoods Drifter Finished

The Mississippi Backwoods Drifter that I've been working on in my spare time is now complete and has been picked up by the owner, who will use it around the creeks and bayous of Mandeville, Louisiana. I hope he will send some photos of the boat in the water when he launches it. Here are some shots I took in the backyard just before he arrived to get it on Tuesday.

This particular boat is modified slightly from the original Drifter I designed for Ernest Herndon, which is double-ended and identical bow and stern. The modification here is a partial transom above the waterline, allowing for the use of an electric trolling motor. The hull shape is the same below the waterline, so the easy paddling characteristics of the design have been retained.

Here is a close-up of the modified stern, showing the teak motor mount that was left unfinished. The rest of the solid trim is ash; epoxy coated and varnished.

Here's a view of the interior from the stern showing the varnished Okoume plywood and ash trim. The mid-ships seat can be adjusted fore and aft to properly distribute weight depending on if the boat is used solo or with two paddlers.

I really like this modified version of the Backwoods Drifter, and wish I had the time to build one for my own use. Maybe someday, but that will have to wait until my Tiki 26 project is done.