paul_stewart

On our CS20 we have been using high-strength single-braid line (e.g., Dyneema) attached to a pair of SS eye-straps with SS rivets. So far so good. --Paul

Cleaning up after Irene: Town Dock reporting in Vandemere.... http://towndock.net/...-vandemere?pg=3 Town Dock reporting in Hobuken.... http://towndock.net/...ken-and-lowland ...

photo in http://www.towndock.net/

Congratulations on the launch! Beautiful boat. Major accomplishment. You'll always have a to-do list on a wooden boat; or as Hirilonde noted "A boat isn't finished until she sinks." I like 'wayward traveler'. Have you thought about 'deployment' ? That way you could always say "Let me check my calendar... oh sorry, I'll be out on 'deployment' that weekend." --Paul

Routes Red: Saturday, south across Neuse River and down ICW, then upwind across Newport River to Beaufort. Blue: Sunday, pushed north by light winds, up the Harlowe waterway, and then the best winds of the trip into Oriental. --Paul

John, I greatly appreciate that you kindly took the time to check it out! --Paul

Thanks very much for the replies. My son Alan and I launched our CS20 'Dawn Patrol' from this boat ramp at about 9:30am Saturday May 21 and returned at 3:00pm Sunday May 22. We had a good experience using the boat ramp. When we arrived Saturday the parking lot was about 80% full with trailers all attached to vehicles. We read the rules, which are entirely reasonable, and decided to give it a go. The concrete ramp and floating docks look new, the parking lot is nice smoothed gravel, and there was even a port-a-john on site. The site is surrounded on three sides by well-kept townhouses/homes and lawns/shade trees. The boat ramp is in a great location for access to Oriental's harbor and the Neuse River. I would recommend it. (Thank you, NC Wildlife Resources Commission.) From Oriental, we cruised south to Beaufort and back. Leaving lovely Oriental we crossed the Neuse, traversed the ICW southbound to Newport River and entered the Beaufort area. We sailed past sailing replicas of the Nina and Pinta near Beaufort's Smith Airport. The drawbridge operator said he liked our CS20 ("sharpie".) We docked at Beaufort docks for the night. We met some WaterTribe friends there -- DogsLife and his son Mike. Sunday we headed back north on the Newport River but this time traversed the Harlowe waterway instead of the ICW. Then we crossed the Neuse River and flew into Oriental on a fast spinnaker run hitting 10 knots --nice ending. The Harlowe Waterway (Harlowe Creek, Harlowe canal, Clubfoot Creek) is beautiful and was much more pleasant than the ICW waterway (Adams Creek, ICW Canal, Core Creek). Harlowe route: quiet, wild, 3 low bridges (10' vertical x 20' horizontal clearance), no traffic, more time on the Newport River and Neuse River, scenic, beautiful. ICW route: boat wakes, more miles spent inland, less time on the Newport and Neuse rivers, chased by barges, lots of power-boat traffic, lots of development. On this short cruise the winds were often light or vanishing, the weather hot, and we were on a limited schedule so we used our 2HP Honda motor frequently --especially on the ICW and under the Harlowe bridges (the straight hand-dug middle section). --Paul

A question for Tom Latrop or others who know: We would like to launch our CS20, Dawn Patrol, from Oriental. I was thinking of using the Wildlife ramp into Smith's Creek (at the end Midyette Street). I'm wondering.... is leaving our trailer and car there overnight allowed and is that a safe area to leave a car? Is there a different boat ramp / marina you would recommend instead? Driving in from Vandemere. --Paul

Steve, Please show us some photos of your new boat (#77). CS17? CS20? --Paul

Oyster, I see what you mean. In the middle of the photo below, that looks like public parking at the end of 11th street (which runs north-south) in Morehead City, NC. As you say, it looks like kayaks launch there into Bogue Sound. The small boat ramp appears at the eastern edge (right hand side) of the photo, and its public parking is visible, too. Good to know. --Paul

Would you like surf with that? (small, medium, large.) Cedar Island is indeed a good choice as it has a good boat ramp next to a sandy beach. You cannot drive your trailer onto the beach, however; is that something you were hoping to do? It is easier to find a ramp next to a sandy beach than to find a beach you can drive onto. For example, the boat ramp off Straits Road at the bridge that crosses to Harkers Island is a ramp next to a sandy beach (see second image below.) There is/was a small sandy beach in Oriental that the Isotope catamaran fleet used for their Neuse River racing (see first image). It might still be available. --Paul cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com

Apparently, pluff mud is highly esteemed in the low country. Clothing, songs, etc. Pluff Mud Song (Lyrics by Russ Harley) I sucks off yo topsiders Cuts off yo toes Why you still loves me Nobody knows I gets in the cuts on yo feets an' yo hands An' gives you vibrio vulnificans I raise half the fush and the swimps in the sea That's why you can't get along without me Pluuuuuf Muddddd!

John, Please tell us more about your CS17 #172. Photos? History? Boat's name? Motor? Oars? Inquiring minds want to know... Very happy for you. --Paul (a.k.a. DancesWithSandyBottom)

Chris, The asymmetric spinnaker tacks much like a jib. We also used the mizzen stays'l as a jib out on the bowsprit. To prevent those sails from breaking the main mast we have back stays that are 3-to-1 running back stays (RBS) (see image below). At all times at least one RBS is slack; both are slack if no sails are on the bowsprit. We have bungee lines that pull the RBSs neatly closer to the base of the main mast when they are slack. It turned out that the RBS was not needed in light-to-moderate air. But, you never know when an unexpected mast-breaking gust might strike, so we always used it. Adding the spinnaker added a few lines: halyard, tack, sheet, port RBS, starboard RBS, plus the bungees to keep each RBS neat. We also stretched a bungee around the tip of the main spritboom to help keep the spinnaker from snagging on the spritboom when tacking. I'm the one that is pretty good at tweaking the boat for relaxed cruising. Alan (aka SOS or Alanosauras) is the one that expertly turned the boat into a kick-ass racing machine. Photos here: http://messing-about.com/forums/index.php?/topic/7215-everglades-challenge/ --Paul

Graham, Joe, Ken, Dale, Matoi, Ricknriver, Richard, Pete, Bob, Thank you all very much for the encouragement! Graham, thanks for designing such a great boat. Love sailing it. You know we did our best for Team B&B (does Alan get a raise now?) The EC 2011 was a wonderful adventure aboard the CS20 Dawn Patrol. Alan (SOS) and I (DancesWithSandyBottom) were delighted to finish the EC in 2days 18hours 35minutes. The record for the EC in Class4 (monohull sailboats) is 2days 8hrs 56min. That record was set in 2007 by Graham Byrnes and Randy Marshall aboard the EC22 Southern Skimmer. The new asymmetric spinnaker, bowsprit, and running backstays proved useful by adding 1-2 knots some downwind runs. We explored the limits of application the new spinnaker. Thanks to Inner Banks Sails and Canvas in Oriental, NC, for making our Doyle APC spinnaker just-in-time for the EC. Our B&B mizzen stays'l also played a role --as a jib! It's a bit flat for a spinnaker but the stays'l has many uses and we tried them all. We also used it wing-on-wing-on-wing. I could just hear the stays'l saying "Hey wait! I'm a mizzen stays'l! What are you doing to me now ... this doesn't look good..." We sailed in the company of some world-class sailors and I am convinced there was also one aboard the Dawn Patrol; namely, Alan Stewart who is a creative talented sailor, a great sailing companion, and the best son. His experience in off-shore racing was important. Add that to the other advantages we had: a good boat design, good sails, good oars, a dry cabin for naps on-the-go and non-stop forward movement. I believe our greatest advantage was that we kept the boat moving forward all the time. The result was our 66.5 hour finish, 7 hours ahead of the 19' Lightning Hare on Fire, 18 hours ahead of the I-550 Hot Canary, and 42 hours ahead of Bill Fite's Sea Pearl "Moon Shadow". The other 8 boats in Class4 did not finish. [Correction: Dances-With-Mullet finished in 5days 7hrs 30mins; but the results page says "DNF" for some reason.] The Lightning. Going upwind, the Lightning Hare on Fire was the fasted Class4 boat. However, we took the 30 knot headwinds on day2 inside the protection of Pine Island Sound while they were being battered by the same front out in the big waves of the Gulf of Mexico. At CP2 they stopped to sleep. We never stopped to sleep, kept the boat moving except for a few minutes at each checkpoint, and took turns at the helm to allow 1-2 hour naps. The crew of Hare on Fire said it reminded them of the fable of the tortoise and the hare. The I-550. In strong headwinds the tender I-550 had a reef in when we did not need any reefs. In that case we sailed past the Goudgeon brothers' I-550 Hot Canary. The Dawn Patrol also had the advantage when rowing and in quickly lowering/raising masts for bridges at CP1. We lowered/raised our masts and sails in 5-10 minutes, whereas the I-550 requires much longer. Also, Mead and Jan anchored Hot Canary sometimes for rest/sleep. The Sea Pearl. Bill Fite (Jarhead) single-handed "Moon Shadow" this year in the EC. In the 2010 EC, Bill Fite and Jonathan Arthur aboard Moon Shadow finished first in Class4 with 2days 10 hrs 27 min. Also, he and William Denton finished first in Class4 aboard Moon Shadow in the 2010 WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge. Some day I hope to slowly cruise the EC route. From Tampa to Key Largo the Everglades Challenge waters are beautiful. Florida Bay is unique, amazing and beautiful. The best part, however, is gathering with kindred spirits in small boats to share the adventure. The next WaterTribe event will be the 2011 NC Challenge in September -- looking forward to that! While we were sailing, Steve Earley covered our progress via photos and reports on his blog, logofspartina.blogspot.com. Thanks, Steve! I am aiming to post further details, photos and videos soon on cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com. Thanks again for cheering for Team B&B, --Paul

Wes, Yes I did find the old invoice: "Garelick 2 Step Stainless Steel Transom Ladder 19513." Weighs 5.3 lbs and has 1" stainless tubing. Item # GAR-19513 at Wholesale Marine, 3999 Woodridge Blvd, Indian Springs, OH 45014, www.wholesalemarine.com, 877-388-2628, sales@wholesalemarine.com. On 2/7/2008 it was 61.99 plus tax. Looks like the price went up over the past two years. At www.wholesalemarine.com it appears to be 85.81. Still... I'd say it's worth it to have a good ladder. I see they have a more minimal one-step version also: for 41.90 the two-pound GAR-19612 which might work well on a smaller boat or on a BRS-15. It has 7/8 inch stainless tubing and is roughly the same width as the GAR-19513. Looks like it might be good, too, but I have no experience with that one. A keyword for searches is "transom ladder". cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com --Paul

The Dawn Patrol has a small folding ladder on the stern that we have enjoyed. It is out-of-sight from the cockpit. I wouldn't cruise without it. For your BRS 15 you might be able to find one this minimal or even smaller. --Paul cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com .

For your dining pleasure, may I suggest you skip directly to shrimp on the barbie. Goes well with beer.

Yes but are they as delicious ?

I've posted additional photos, a slide show, and a Picasa album of photos at http://cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com/2010/12/b-mess-about.html.

Tom, What would you want if you were racing your CS17 in 8 inches of water? --Paul

For the WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge 2010: I have posted a trip report for our adventure aboard the Dawn Patrol here: http://cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com/2010/12/watertribe-north-carolina-challenge-ncc.html The sprint to the finish was an exciting 3-boat race with a surprise ending. If the famously-fast EC22 Southern Skimmer is miles ahead of the CS20 Dawn Patrol which is closely followed by the relentlessly-rowing Seapearl 21 Moon Shaddow, who do think will win? You might be surprised! --Paul (cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com)

Kirk: "Scotty, I need warp speed onto the trailer in three minutes or we're all dead!"

Mick, Purchase: Graham and Carla at B&B Yacht Designs had our sails made for the Dawn Patrol (http://cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com). We also purchased our mizzen stays'l from B&B. We specified the colors and pattern; as I recall the stays'l cost for any pattern using two colors was the same as the cost of a solid-color stays'l. I believe the prices at B&B were very competitive --and probably still are. Pros and Cons: Graham knew that we were building the CS20 Dawn Patrol specifically for the March 2008 Everglades Challenge (EC) adventure race, so he was encouraging that we should go with the roachier sails and we should use sail tracks on the masts. There was no question in my mind about the choice of sails. We've enjoyed using them. We leave the battens in place and roll up the sails for trailering. I am not aware of any disadvantages. I just want to sail as fast as possible. Experience: The 2008 EC was the Dawn Patrol's maiden voyage and shakedown. We covered the 300 miles in 3 Days, 12 Hours, 40 Min. Finished 3rd in Class4, just 3 hours after Graham's EC22 Southern Skimmer finished. The sails have held up well since then. The milage: ~550 miles in WaterTribe races, ~200 miles in coastal cruising, and maybe ~100 miles on lakes. Ask Graham: Graham or someone else who has experience with both kinds of sails could do a better job telling you the pros and cons in terms of performance and cost. Graham could probably tell you exactly how much difference it makes performance-wise. --Paul

Hello Dig, Re. capsize: The CS15, CS17, and CS20 are indeed quite stable as Gordy, Dale and Peter noted. Worrying about and trying to carefully avoid any possibility of capsizing is not the best way to go. Practice with capsize and recovery builds a lot of confidence and you'll begin to feel that capsize is not a big deal. One can take the point of view that it's an unballasted dingy, so capsize and recovery is a normal expectation. Practice as much as you need (which can be a lot of fun) and then as Gordy said you will feel that you have a plan and are prepared, mentally and operationally. After finishing our CS20 we were intending to do some capsize practice, but hadn't gotten around to it, when I accidentally capsized it in rough conditions during a 30 knot gust on the Neuse River.... trip report= http://cs20dawnpatrol.blogspot.com/2010/08/practice-makes-better.html ... when it instantly became clear that (a) I had only partially pulled the mainsheet out of the cleat and ( capsize and recovery is no big deal. Since then we have practiced intentional capsize and recovery a few times. Dawn and I both stood on the coaming held the mizzen halyard and leaned back a little, then grabbed mizzen mast and leaned way back. I was certain the practice of righting our CS20 would instill tremendous confidence, so was a little surprised when her summary of the activity was "It sure was easy to capsize." If you are practicing capsize and recovery with others, try to make it look really hard to do the capsize part. Re. cuddy cabin: a small cabin of some kind tends to make the boat less likely to 'turtle' during a capsize and recovery. For easy practice with no chance of turtling, one can run fenders/floats up the masts. --Paul