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CLIPPER

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About CLIPPER

  • Birthday 01/01/1

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  1. Here's one of mine. (IMAGE) It was taken 30 years ago. Wonder where that boat is now ?
  2. My present boat is 18'sprit rigged open day sailer. I use a cam cleat P & S to sheet off the main and jib sheets. The main is 100 sq ft. I devised a turning block on the cleat made from scrap brass tubeing and copper wire as bearings on a brass tube race. It is all mounted on a "pin" that goes into a thole pin hole as shown. This whole arrangement is easy to dump wind and sheet in again as needed. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
  3. Obtaining a boat gives one the pleasant problem of naming her . 8) What did you name your boat and why :?: I named mine after my granddaughter. [attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]
  4. Capt. Jake, Did you mean the Whale boat image ? :?:
  5. My first significant sail and learning experience was noteable so I penned a story about it. I call it "The Mid Watch" It was 02:00 Definitely slowing down. Forty strokes at midnight. Twenty eight strokes now, and the pump is sucking air. What a day. I'm still excited. Did it really happen to me, a thrilling rail down beat through the azure blue Mediterranean with the sun hovering over the green hills of Sardina ?. Just like in the boating magazine- only minus the feminine pulchritude. Overhead the steady hum of ships machinery and water oozing back into the bilge brings me back to reality- clearing the pump of debris. While waiting for a sizeable amount of water to bail, I thought back to how it started on board the USS Coral Sea fitting out for a Mediterranean cruise. Curiosity was aroused amongst my shipmates and I as to why in hanger bay 4, lashed down amongst lethal jet air craft was a humble wooden sailboat. Our questions went unanswered until a week at sea. In the "Plan of the day"was a small note. "All those interested in forming a boat club meet in the ships library at 19:30". That's all I needed . A group of men were at the table reading and writing letters when I arrived at the library. In the corner were two expectant face. They, I deduced to be, my fellow " yachtsmen." On inquiring, I found them to be Don & Chuck and just as puzzled as I. Prelude to Fun In a few minutes an officer arrived and introduced himself as "Commander Stanley", our new supply officer. He outlined his plans. The 32' ketch rigged whale boat was to be the nucleus of our club with the addition of 11' penguin class cat boats in kit form when our membership grew. He was to be the officer representative. With other members we were to elect Commodore and vice commodore. He also pointed out that the boat needed a great deal of work. That was my first prelude to the "fun of boating". Don and I did a survey on the condition of the boat and all the materials necessary to make her "Bristol Fashion" again. The hull appeared sound but needed the usual re-caulking, sanding and painting to a boat long out of her element. Being young, enthusiastic and persevering we somehow managed to turn out a reasonable shipshape job for a group of amateurs. The varnished gunwales gleamed over the smooth business like grey topsides. The sails were mended and new sheets rove through reconditioned blocks. On September 19th, 1950 we passed through the straits of Gibraltar and three days later dropped the hook in Aranci Bay Sardinia. The bay was surrounded by rolling green hills that rose abruptly from the indigo sea. The water was so clear you could see fish playing around the ships anchor chain. At 16:00 members of the boat club were to put the ketch over via. the flight deck crane. Uniform of the day was undress whites. Suddenly the club doubled its membership with four new recruits. With an audience With the skipper at the tiller and all six oars manned, we blundered about a quarter mile to leeward of the ship to commence the comedy for the ship company manning the rails. After fumbling with the oars at Commander Stanley's order, "boat oars!" we managed to bring them in with no more to do than knocking off the skippers cap, which was met with a great roar from the ship. Now the muddle called the rig in the center of our craft was to be tackled. The theory was to place the mast fore and aft across the thwarts and position a hinged device on top of its opposite member on the thwart. When this lined up, a pin was to be inserted in the hinge effectively connecting them mast to the seat at which time two crew members were to raise the stick. This went surprisingly smooth considering some of us were frantically bailing not caring which way the water flew. Amid our own confusion the Commander stood calmly by, patient, and paternal over-seeing this uniformed chaos, knowing full well that Navy tradition would prevail in the end. The excitement continued but we were more serious now seeing that we were making progress and the long worked for sail was soon to begin. Feverishly the main was bent on with not too much profanity. Somehow we were functioning as a team. At last the sails climbed the mast. Glorious moment The evening breeze held steady at about ten knots sending crackling ripples through our luffing canvas. The ship was far off now but we could still hear our cheering section. Commander Stanley lowered the centerboard, ordered the jib backed, put the helm up, trimmed the sheets and slid off on the port tack. Those first glorious moments under sail one never forgets. That lovely ketch anxious to go, to prove herself after such a long exile in some forgotten naval boat yard. Like new life breathed into her she came alive and leaned down to her business sailing. Giving her greenhorn crew their first rail down breeze. Bubbling water 5" away passing at 6 knots, spray gently hitting you in the face gives a sailor a sense of intimacy with the sea that a 45' high flight deck steaming at 30 plus knots can never do. Her gleaming gunwale inched closer to the hissing foaming Mediterranean as our freeboard diminished. The added strain of our wind stressed hull accelerated the leak. Only momentary glimpses of the passing scene could we afford to take as all hands bailed with white hats. Soon the mighty bulk of the Coral Sea loomed above us. Passing close by the deck edge elevator, cheers rang out from the chow line. We now were about to learn another lesson
  6. Thanks Tom & Oyster for the up date as to what is happening. I guess this will put some slow down at the hospitality activities at Elizabeth city NC :cry:
  7. You're right Stump. You won the satisfaction of knowing that you were the first to come up with the right answer. 8)
  8. This design seems to be popular here. For starters you can build a paper model of one All ya got to do is down load , start cutting and glueing. :wink: http://byyb.org/byyb/model/index.html
  9. Well you guys have the right state . The wreck is in Oregon. Now can ya name the wreck :?:
  10. Heard recently that this canal may be closed. Bad news to boaters going south on the ICW if it is true. :cry: Any one know :?: Anchored overnight off the ICW at Black Water creek saw this beautiful dawn.
  11. Time to pop this thread up again. Any body care to ID the subject and where ? Clipper
  12. Sounds interesting Frank. Do submissions have to be "your boat" only ? :roll: I have take many photo's of other boats but sailing aboard my own I can't take full views of mine. :wink:
  13. Greg, It looks to me that you have a beautiful crew. What is a non crew ? :roll: I used to have an engraved sign on previous sailboats I've had that read " THERE ARE NO PASSENGERS ON SAIL BOATS" I like that conscience bit :wink:
  14. Forgot to add. I guess I really like to see those fenders over the side while underway. It means somebody sooner or later is going to get a free fender, maybe me. :wink:
  15. Lubberly might be the best term for fenders hanging over the side. Most of us like to think of our boats as beautiful. I've had lots of people take photo's of mine. Would you like to have a picture of your boat sailing along with a bone in her teeth and the fenders trailing along on either side ? :wink: Besides I still think that for most people, (except those who have posted here :wink: ) that it's a sign of a careless skipper. Not paying attention to details. Soorner or later in attention catches up with you. :oops:
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