bacourier Newsletter of the United States Albacore Association August 2006 A 50 Year Old Gem In This Issue By Sylvi Duncan Mid Atlantic Review / Photos Pages 2 - 3, 12 Picture this setting: A crystal clear summer day by a lake in scenic New President’s Letter Hampshire. On the shore stands a large wooden house dating back the late 1800s, painted in a warm gold tone, tucked into the pines. Right on the Page 4 water’s edge is a matching golden boat house from the early 1900s, home to Fleet News many memories, a few lake-front critters, and a jewel of the Albacore Page 5 world. Sailor Profi les Page 6 Such is the setting where Peter and I met Sharon and Tom Webb on Roll Tacking Made Easy July 1st this year. The Webbs are the new owners of this delightful property on Lake Spofford near Keene, New Hampshire. Sharon and Tom knew that Page 7 - 9 they and their children, Lauren and Jordan, would enjoy this picturesque History Corner New England retreat, but they didn’t quite know what to make of the antique Page 10 wooden that came with the boathouse. Tom snooped around this Summer Regatta Review: dry-docked boat a bit, combined it with some web-surfi ng, and found his way Admiral Byrd to Peter Duncan. Peter jumped at the opportunity to look at this boat, so we Page 11 drove from Vermont to Lake Spofford for a morning visit. What we found was VA Governor’s Cup a wooden Albacore #124, dating back to 1956! “Her Grace” Page 13 nd was among the fi rst 10 Albacores imported to North America, and the 2 old- Fun Daze, Kerr Lake est known to exist. She is a perfectly preserved time capsule from the 1950’s! Page 14 - 15 The excitement built as Peter discovered the original mast, complete with the North Americans Fairey Marine stamp and serial numbers on every piece of metal. Equally im- pressive was the condition of the original set of Egyptian cotton sails, stamped Page 14 with “1956, G. Lucas & Son Sailmakers, Portsmouth England”. Can’t imagine how the mice hadn’t found a comfy home in those sails! It’s unclear when “Her Grace” last touched the water, but with Peter’s help, the Webb family decided to try and launch her during our visit. The unique boathouse has a hinged fl oor launch that lowers to the water between two concrete piers. Carefully they lowered this fl oor, and ever-so-delicately fl oated “Her Grace” out to the lake’s edge. With a few quick instructions on mast-step- ping and sail-rigging, she was launched at exactly 12 noon. In all her mahogany beauty, “Her Grace” looked most regal out on the water. She’s found a perfect new home where she’ll undoubtedly get the attention and nurturing she deserves. A fi tting launch day for a 50th birthday! Sharon, Lauren, Tom, and Jordan Webb, with Peter Duncan See more photos of “Her Grace” on Page 10 Mid Atlantics June, 2006 St. Michaels, Maryland Photos by Ben Mendoza

Eric Hesse, new to the Albacore Fleet. Recovering Tight fleet! Engler leads into the leeward . addict.

Doug and Kay Marsh - fierce concentration

Marty and Nancy Minot

Warner (Monty) Monteiro and Sonja McAuley

Picture Perfect Fleet Start!

Ian Duncan and Alanna Jordan Jim Englert (left) and Marty Minot Susan and Jim Graham trying to sail a turtle... oops... (right), shimmying around the mark. 2 will go to in order to avoid a hotel bill! Joanna and Karl Mid-Atlantics 2006 finished fourth overall, and Bill Cavitt/ Jasper Craig/ By Susan Graham Becky Craig were fifth. Both boats were just one point behind the Monteiros. It doesn’t get much better than this! That was a refrain I heard many times this last weekend at Miles Barney’s five bullets don’t tell the whole story, be- River. conditions were near perfect, with build- cause he had a lot of competition. James Englert and ing winds each day, and sunny skies much of the time. Brian Huntsman traded places with him several times The water was cold, but wasn’t a factor except for our in the first race, as did Monty and Sonia in the sec- intrepid teenage sailors who had the misfortune of ond. James and Brian got the only other first, in the capsizing. fourth race. Note to Barney: You must be present to win. Joanna and Karl led several times in the third and Jim and I headed for St. Michaels on Friday fourth races, ending up second in both and first over- morning with an eye to missing the traffic on the Bay all at the end of the day Saturday. They also won the Bridge, and possibly getting in a little practice sailing. “Against All Odds” title for showing the most improve- When we arrived at noon, it was blowing upwards of ment in their handicap. 15, with waves and whitecaps, so we had a picnic at the club and decided to do the next best thing, play Meanwhile, competition was stiff in the rest of the tourist. We drove down to the end of the peninsula, fleet. One of the new sailors commented to me that observed the really , choppy Bay, and even there generally wasn’t much distance between the first looked at a few vacation properties just for fun. Then and last place finishers. Mid-fleet, Erich Hesse/Gillian we did a little window-shopping in St. Michaels, and Decker proved that Laser sailing is pretty good prac- had a fantastic crab-cake dinner in Easton at Legal tice for the Albacore. They left nine points between Spirits. For the knitters in the fleet (and there were at themselves and the next mid-fleet finishers. Martin least three of us at Mid-Atlantics), there’s a great knit- Minot, sailing with his wife Nancy (who knits) and son ting store in Easton, with lots of lovely, locally hand- Jordan squeezed by Peter Duncan, sailing with newly- dyed yarn. minted teen Terry, by just one point. Peter and Terry had some bad luck at the finish of the last race, and Saturday morning at the sign-in table one of the also suffered from a late arrival for the first race on local helpers commented that we had a really diverse Sunday. Doug and Kay Marsh (another knitter) duked fleet, what with people of all ages, and lots of men and it out with Daphne Byron and Saskia Mooney, advan- women. Indeed, we had helms and crews from young tage Marshes, to round out the mid-fleeters. teens to mid-sixties. Twelve out of thirty-two competi- tors were women, three of them helms. Also, seven of When the front of the fleet put a bit of distance the fifteen boats were helmed and crewed by mem- between themselves and the last five boats, competi- bers of the same family, and two others had helms or tion was fierce between Dan Miller/ Jill Williamson, crews with family members on other boats. Rory/James Martin, Scott Snyder/ Steve Yelland, and Jim/Susan Graham. The Grahams led that foursome Nine of the fifteen boats were from the greater DC by a hair at the end of the regatta. Ian Duncan and area, two from Ottawa, one from Newport News and Alanna Jordan traded the helm for their first major Ocean City, one from Lynchburg, one from Florida, regatta together. Both ninth graders, they finished two and one from Pennsylvania. It was great to see old races and showed excellent boat righting technique. friends, and also some newcomers. Bill Cavitt, a We’ll be looking out for them in the future! Naval Academy classmate of Jasper and Becky Craig sailed with Becky on Saturday. Martin Minot, another Miles River Yacht Club provided excellent race Craig classmate, and his wife Nancy and son Jordan management both days. They served heavy hors joined us from Lynchburg, and James Englert and Bri- d’oeuvres and good beer and peanuts after the racing an Huntsman, former 505 sailors from Newport News on Saturday. Most of us ate more than enough to call and Ocean City, won second place in their first ever Al- it dinner, but a group that included the four Canadians, bacore regatta. Warner Monteiro and his wife Sonia Joanna, Daphne, and Karl decided to try Legal Spirits drove from Ottawa to show us how to achieve a third in Easton for dinner. They pronounced the crab cakes place finish. Barney Harris and Doug Foord finished as excellent as advertised, and the waitress really spe- first, with five bullets, and also an award for doing the cial. At the end of the evening, she slipped Rory her most driving between race days. After finishing three phone number! Ah, the allure of the Albacore sailor. out of four races on Saturday, Barney and Doug drove (Note to all regarding future regattas at Miles River: to New Jersey to celebrate Gene Spillane‘s wedding. The Econo Lodge may be the cheapest sleep in town, Then they pulled an all-nighter and drove back to win two more races on Sunday. The lengths some people continued on page 12 3 President’s Letter 2006 Executive Committee President – ts mid August and I never thought Florida would be Joanna Beaver 12765 Yacht Club Circle Icooler than the rest of the USA! I hope the rest of Fort Meyers, FL 33919 you are staying close to your boats and on the water 239.481.9753 to stay out of the heat. The USAA has been busy with 703.276.3867 planning for the 2007 Internationals. The website will be [email protected] launched in August for you to get the latest information Vice-President – on our week of activities. We are also looking for a Jim Graham few members to serve on our regatta committee. This 233 N. Galveston Street committee will be tasked to come up with a list of Arlington, VA 22203 criteria for choosing regatta locations as well as running 703.908.9384 [email protected] regattas. Getting involved with the class is a great way to get to know your fellow albacore sailors and you can Treasurer - give back to the class at the same time. Its always a Becky Craig few people that seem to do the lions share of the work 8170 Forest Glen Drive Pasedena, MD 21122 and we can use more people to share the load. We 410.437.5242 need members to write articles plan regattas, and assist [email protected] with marketing and generating sponsorship dollars to keep our class growing and successful. Secretary – Kay Marsh 1031 Graham Street To date we have 92 members of the USAA for Bethlehem, PA 18015 2006. At this time last year, we had 96 so we are 610.865.0844 [email protected] close. Of our current members, albacore owners are located in 18 states and Canada. For those of you not Albacourier Editor – in the DC or NJ areas, what can we as a class do for Sylvi Duncan you to support Albacore sailing at your club? How can 550 Ritchie Hwy #144 we work to get folks located near each other to join in Severna, MD 21146-2925 410.431.5478 events – racing or social? We have over 50 years of [email protected] history in the US and its important to keep the class strong a growing. We were recognized last year by US Specifications Chairman – Sailing as one of the few one design classes that has Rolf Zeisler 8103 Ventnor Road grown its membership and I want to make every effort Pasedena, MD 21122 to keep this up. Have an idea? Please let me know. 443.770.0775 [email protected]

I hope to see many of you at the US Nationals in International Albacore Association Representatives – October – the first Nationals that PRAF has hosted Peter Duncan, President 550 Ritchie Hwy #144 in over 30 years – come and be part of the fun! See Severna, MD 21146-2925 details in this newsletter. 410.431.5478 410.431.5480 [email protected] Happy sailing! Barney Harris 2624 South Ives Street Joanna Arlington, VA 22202 703.838.0644 703.927.0281 [email protected]

Lloyd Leonard 3509 Rodman Street NW 202.364.0565 202.263.1302 [email protected] Website – www.albacore.org

4 Fleet News West River Sailing Club Potomac River Sailing Assoc. WRAF NEWS – Update July 2006 PRAF NEWS WRAF has had an active summer so far this year. It’s been another hot, humid and occasionally rainy We started the season with the WRSC One-Design summer here in DC. We have been lucky to have Open House on June 3rd. This was followed by the some great sailing weather all spring, June and August annual Galesville Heritage Race, which started well, - July as usual made me want to cry as we got rained but ended with a shortened race in drifting conditions out a bit. The Spring Regatta this year was not car- (see results below). The next June event, the Dave nage on the water like last year; instead we had one Irey Regatta, had less participation than last year, as great day and another so-so day of racing on the river. it competed with the North Americans in Canada and had very windy conditions. Coming up this year, we’ve got a fairly active fall season, with eight Sunday regattas, the President’s/ Our sailing in July has fared better. Even with Leukemia Cup and of course, the US Albacore Na- the hot weather, most race days have had fairly good tionals. I know there are some that are fairly skeptical wind, if a bit shifty at times (that always makes rac- of having such a large regatta in what, for Albacore ing more challenging, right?). Our July racing is also sailors, is not a very large body of water. But think of it noteworthy in that we have 3 new additions to our this way - plenty of places to stay nearby, lots of great WRAF sailors. Two are returning Albacores, Greg places to eat and a family friendly atmosphere, all Jordan (now an offi cial WRAF member) and Dave located very centrally for most of North America (ex- Yemc. We have also added Torre Peterson who is new cept Alaska). Not to mention that we traditionally have to Albacore sailing, Greg and Dave, great to have you some great wind in the early to mid fall as the tempera- back, and welcome to Torre! ture changes and the water is still warm. More informa- tion to come on PRAFs and USAAs websites. Outside of the regular Albacore sailing activities, the fl eet pulled off a surprise birthday celebration on Mike Heinsdorf July 9th for the fl eet captain, with cake and ice cream Potomac River Albacore Fleet (PRAF) after racing. WRAF also participated in the WRSC 4th of July festivities, with informal races on the club’s 420s, BBQ, parade and fi reworks. Also notable in July was the fi rst all-Albacore entry to the big-boat Pop- New Name- Same Fast Sails lar Island Race, with our fl eet captain at the helm of Scarecrow and a transplanted Albacore crew of seven. There’s also lots going on in the planning for the 2007 Albacore Internationals, which will be held at WRSC. Thanks to all the WRAF volunteers for the Originally developed by Storer Sails in planning committee who are helping Joanna. We the 1970’s, this proven design has won are really looking forward to this event next year, and numerous World, North American and everyone needs to plan for the October 2007 Interna- National events over three decades. tionals now so not to miss this spectacular regatta. Recent results include: Jude Brown, Fleet Captain - 2005 US Nationals, 2nd and 5th West River Albacore Fleet (WRAF) places - 2005 North Americans 2nd 2006 Galesville Heritage Race, June 4, 2006 - 2004 Mid-Atlantics 3rd Total nd Pos Sail Skipper /Crew Points - 2004 US Nationals 2 1 8095 Jude Brown/Jim Hyatt 1.00 2 6434 Peter Duncan/Stephen Duncan 2.00 For information and pricing in USA contact: 3 8027 Daphne Byron/ Jill Williamson 3.00 4 7970 Becky Craig/Jasper Craig 4.00 Peter Duncan, 5 7378 Rolf Zeisler/Sue Zeisler 5.00 USA Evstrom-Sobstad Representative 6 7127 Graham Allaway/Kate Allaway 6.00 410-431-5480 [email protected] 5 Sailor Profiles Daphne Byron Now here’s a lady to be admired! Before she ever When asked about her sailing goals, Daphne re- got hooked on sailing, Daphne’s passion was flying. plied, “At this point, my goal is to keep fit enough to be Her father was in the Royal Air Force, so she learned able to race an Albacore for a long time to come. And to fly a glider, became an aeronautical engineer and if I can beat a few boats along the way, I’ll do it.” completed an apprenticeship with Vickers Armstrongs (Aircraft). Daphne grew up in the south of England. Her Mike Heinsdorf maternal grandfather was a man of many diverse interests and talents, and coached Daphne to become Mike is fairly new to the Albacore scene, and yet quite skilled in archery, rowing and sailing. Daphne he’s climbed quickly both in regatta rankings and as learned to sail a GP14 when she was fourteen. When the current captain of PRSA. During his junior and she arrived at Southampton University, she could have senior years at Drexel University, Mike rose to captain either sailed or rowed, but the rowing team snatched of his intercollegiate dinghy team. Keep your eye on her up for her size and strength. this rising star! From this time she recalls, “when a group of us Mike was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but hails from took three or four Fireflies (another dinghy Easton and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before moving like a small Albacore) across Southampton Water from to Arlington, Virginia in 2004. Since both his parents the Hamble River at night. Our destination was Fawley were teachers, the family was able to spend summers Creek, which was easy to find as it was illuminated by in Chautauqua, NY. Amidst lacrosse lessons there, flares form the nearby oil refinery. The return journey Mike tried his hand at sailing in 1992. Unfortunately, was more of a challenge, since there were no distin- it was already the last day of that summer break. He guishing lights at the entrance to the Hamble. Then explains, “…after about thirty seconds in a , the wind died and we were almost run down by a vast I was hooked. The next day I was in a car on the way tanker steaming up Southampton Water. Of course home; it was almost a year before I got to sail again. we had no lights. Fortunately a lookout high up on the In three weeks I got my skipper rating, which let me ship spotted us and picked us out with a spotlight. We take out a Lightning by myself and made me very pop- were all pretty scared.” ular among the girls at Club. Since then, except for When Daphne first settled in the U.S. in Princeton, three years in high school, I’ve been sailing as often as NJ she occasionally crewed on a Lightning in Bar- I can, on everything I can. negat Bay. She then didn’t sail for another 10 years After college, Mike moved to Washington, DC to until she and her husband bought a used Albacore work as an electrical engineer for a small engineering (5456) and named it Overdraft. They soon met Bob firm specializing in airport and security work. Eager Harwood, Roger Thomas, and became hooked on the to sail, he had a partnership in a in Annapolis. Potomac River fleet. When that didn’t prove to provide an active enough This fleet became part of Daphne’s support system regatta schedule, Mike decided to check out the PRSA after her divorce. Her two children, David and Joanna nearby. As he explains, “I showed up one Sunday, it also got swept up in the fleet, and as most Albacore was honking and no one was sailing, except for Bar- sailors know, grew up to become some of the best ney and Scott. Bill Buck, Doug Foord and a couple sailors in the fleet. David and Joanna now live in Cali- others were on the dock drinking and invited me to fornia and Florida respectively, but Daphne will meet come to a Wednesday night event, the rest, I guess, is them occasionally at regattas. She says, “I still try to history.” give them a run for their money, but can fall back on Like so many fellow Albacore sailors, Mike enjoys being proud of them if and when they beat me!” going fast in a relatively low maintenance, quick and Daphne speaks fondly of the different crews that simple dinghy. “…you can take out a friend that has have sailed with her over the years. Joe Boyer was never sailed in their life before, and they will have a a “loyal crew” for several years until he and his wife great time.” Mike admires the longevity and simplicity were killed in a car accident. Lars Rathjen and Saskia of the Albacores. He claims that he has learned more Mooney each crewed for Daphne for a few years, until in the two years of sailing Albacores than he did in five they became Albacore owners themselves. She has years of racing in college. He’s proud to be in the top also enjoyed many sailing vacations with fleet mem- half of the fleet this year at PRSA and in the top third bers such as Jim and Susan Graham, Wilda Heiss, for travel regattas. No doubt, his ambition will take him Diana and Bob Goebes, Peter and Pat Kuch, and far, both in Albacore racing and in life. Mary Pedley. 6 Roll tacking an Albacore Heel the boat to leeward to induce turning, followed by very light (or most other two-handed pressure on the tiller for positive dinghies) control. After the boat has tacked, how do you stop the turn By Greg Jordan without jamming the rudder? Heel the boat the opposite way, Introduction which is to the new leeward side, while you allow the main to fi ll If you already know how to steer fast upwind, using with wind. When that happens, just your fi ngertips to nudge a perfectly balanced helm wind forces on the sail stop the while inducing larger course changes with body weight and sail trim changes, then you are ready to perform boat from turning and the rudder dynamic, speed-preserving roll tacks. If instead you is centered by water pressure. like to manhandle the tiller to steer your boat, you fi rst need to discard your bad habits. That’s because roll Transitioning between those two actions, how do tacks, like going fast upwind, are largely about making you go from being heeled one way to the other? the boat go where you want it to without slowing it down with major rudder movements. Roll the boat sharply with your weight. As you may know, when all of the wind-related forces are balanced about the central pivot point of By tacking in this manner, you will get the benefi t of the hull (the centerboard), a sailboat does not need a executing a major maneuver without braking the boat rudder to sail straight. However, if you luff just one sail, with the rudder. You also get three other signifi cant the boat becomes unbalanced and wants to turn: the benefi ts: 1) propulsion generated by the air you scoop sail which is still loaded causes the boat to pivot either when you roll; 2) minimal time spent pointing directly toward the wind (as when the jib is luffed) or bear off into the wind and waves; and 3) acceleration back to full (as when the main is luffed). Likewise, if you heel to speed when you use your weight to fl atten the boat after leeward, force vectors along the length of the mast will the tack. cause the boat to pivot toward the wind; when you heel to windward, the opposite effect causes you to bear off. The only way to keep an unbalanced boat moving in a straight line is to cock the rudder and hold it there by Catch more of this great article on our website: force – and this is very slow! The fast way is to sit or www.albacore.org hike to keep the mast perfectly vertical, and keep both sails trimmed to perfection at all times. Then fi ngertips – not white knuckles – are all that are needed on the tiller extension to keep you in the steering groove. If you need to make larger course changes, you can induce the boat to head up simply by leaning in with your shoulders and allowing the boat to heel a little; you can bear off by hiking out a little bit while easing the main sheet. Of course, tiller movements will give you fi nal, positive control, but to go really fast while maneuvering, you must induce all signifi cant turns using adjustments to body weight placement and sail trim!

Now let’s extend these principles to roll tacking by considering exactly what a tack is: it is the initiation of a turn into the wind, a switch of the sails and body positions, and a stopping of the rotation when the boat reaches the approximately-correct heading on the See Step-By-Step Roll Tacking opposite tack. So how do you initiate a turn to begin a tack? Instructions on pages 8 and 9 --> 7 Roll Tacking: Step By Step Instructions By Greg Jordan, Photos by Peter Duncan

Photo 1: One or both sailors lean in slightly to heel / begin turn; tiller is NOT pushed until rudder begins to turn on its own; then it is controlled with light pressure. Crew maintains tension on current jib sheet while locating and clearing new sheet. Sailors wait as boat turns toward wind; rudder angle is allowed to gradually increase by skipper.

Sailing Duo: Greg Jordan with daughter Alanna

Photo 2: As pressure comes off sails, boat is rolled by shifting all weight to windward rail (in this case, weight is already there); sailors keep both feet directly beneath them. Crew releases old jib sheet and grabs new sheet.

Photo 3a (reverse angle photo): As boom crosses centerline, sailors lean in and prepare to stand (feet remain together -- no stepping over yet!). Forward hands are placed on new leeward rail to push off / help stand up.

8 Photo 3b: Both sailors stand up (using both legs) as main snaps onto new tack; mainsheet is eased to align sail perfectly to wind. (Skipper notices that, as main fills, rudder centers and boat stops turning, requiring minimal tiller pressure.) Crew snaps jib into place, trimming perfectly to wind.

Photo 4: If wind is strong enough, both sailors step to high side, being careful not to flatten boat until both sails are perfectly trimmed (if wind is light, crew stays in center or on leeward side). Skip- per faces forward and, with non-tiller hand, reaches behind back to grasp tiller extension (doesn’t drop main sheet yet).

Photo 5: Skipper completes hand- switch while sitting by releasing tiller extension with original tiller hand, and bringing that hand around front to take over main sheet. Sailors assume upwind positions; sails are trimmed in as boat is flattened & headed up to a close- hauled heading.

9 MidAtlantics USAA 1976 Mid-Atlantic Championship was sailed on the History 15 AND 30 Potomac at Fort Washington. Conditions included a Corner bit of everything: light, shifty, overcast, sunny, heavy YEARS AGO air, drizzle and thunderstorms. John Luard (5239) edged out John Duncan (342) taking fi rst place by 4 Summer 1991 points. Bill Ewing (4717) was third and Dave Waller- th 1991 Worlds- Edinburgh, Scotland stein (5454) 4 in the 16 boat A-Fleet. Dave and Joanne Reel (3211) of PRSA won the 23 boat B-Divi- Elizabeth Weiner and Lloyd Leonard wrote a sion and Bill Buck (5279) was 4th. wonderful article of their adventures with Daphne, Joanna and David Byron, Barney Harris, Bob Bear, North Americans Rob Foore, Doug Foord and the Galloways in Cra- US teams swept the top three spots in the tough mond racing with 77 Albacores on the extremely tidal 65 boat fl eet at in Ottawa. John Firth of Forth. Light winds on the fi rst day gave way and Ann Luard (5239) won the event with a 1-1-2-2-1. to 50 mph gusts on the fi nal two days. Michael McNa- Bill and Eileen Ewing (4717) were 2nd and Buffalo sail- mara won the event and Barney with John Galloway ors Kurt Allen (5404) and Barb Klein took 3rd. A tough th crewing fi nished 37 to capture the new “Freedom Tro- group of Canadians including Ron Moody (6232) with phy” (made from a chunk of the recently demolished legionary sailmaker Hans Fogh crewing, sailmaker Berlin Wall) given to the highest placing boat from the Richard Storer (6155), and soon to be World Champi- other side of the pond. The photos of Bob Bear in full ons Barry and Gary Poyntz (3731) captured the next kilt and descriptions of meals of “blood sausage” and three spots. “haggis” captured the sprit of the regatta. North Americans- Kingston, Ontario Only 4 work days after returning from Scotland, Bob Bear (7456) jumped in his car to join 27 other Al- bacores in the 45 knot breezes of Kingston to compete in North Americans. Doug Howson (7455) with Tom Mclaughlin were the top US team in 3rd place with John and Sarah Lawser (7355) in 5th. Bob Bear took 10th The Webb’s and other US competitors included Niagara sailors Bob rediscovered Starck, Paul Wheeler, Denis Wettlaufer and Washing- treasure tonian Dave Yemc. “Her Grace” sets sail on Summer 1976 Spofford Lake, New Albacores Everywhere Hampshire The Albacourier was full of regatta news from Nor- folk (9 boats), Langley (19 boats), Hampton (9 boats), Monmouth (11 boats) and Spruce Run where the New Jersey District championship was held and Carl Cheney nosed out Bill Ewing of Monmouth. In the Midwest, 5 boats showed up at Diamond Lake and 5 more at Muskegon, MI. There were 9 boats at the Hobelman regatta and a 7-boat fl eet competed for the Midwest District Championship in Chicago. Dave Wallerstein beat John Luard and John Dun- can for the Chesapeake District Championship. Else- where in the Washington, DC area there were well attended regattas at Pasquatank (8 boats), Cambridge (18 boats) and Podickery (15 boats).

10 Admiral Byrd Regatta, Cambridge Yacht Club July 15-16, 2006

Sailors from both WRAF and PRAF made the trek to the Maryland’s Eastern Shore for the Admiral Byrd/Cam- bridge Yacht Club Annual Regatta. Not much racing was done on Saturday due to fluky winds and threatening thunderstorms, but what a change on Sunday, where fresh breezes brought great racing. There were four very competitive races to finish up the series, and Barney felt at least challenged with some VERY close finishes. Got to love a race committee that dares to have downwind finishes with this fleet!

Sail Series Pos Cntry Boat Name Skipper Crew Race 1 Race 2 Race 3 Race 4 Race 5 No. Pts

Exotic 1 6701 USA Barney Harris Erica Seaman 5 1 1 1 1 1 Materials

Fudal 2 7492 USA Greg Jordan Alanna Jordan 14 2 3 3 3 3 Attempt

Delaney 3 6434 USA Mega Woof Peter Duncan 17 4 4 5 2 2 Jordan

Second 4 7126 USA Erich Hesse Jill Decker 19 3 2 2 8 4 Wind

5 8027 USA Missee Lee Daphne Byron Nate Bokil 28 6 6 6 4 6

6 8083 USA Ka Boom Lloyd Leonard 36 5 5 9 7 10

Cool Run- 7 7378 USA Rolf Zeisler Sue Zeisler 38 9 8 8 5 8 nings

8 7456 USA Audacious Bob Bear Trisitn Lohman 39 7 9 4 10 11

9 7460 USA 8 Bits Bill Buck Lucian Caspar 40 8 7 7 9 9

10 7499 USA Wild Thing Dave Huber 43 10 10 10 6 7

11 7110 USA George Wirth Wilda Heiss 49 11 11 11 11 5

11 Mid Atlantic Regatta continued: but those of us who stayed there decided camping beside Route 50 would be preferable. Even the Harley biker- guys were commenting at breakfast about being glad to have fallen asleep on top of the covers, and not to have risked getting between the sheets. Guess it’s time to consider the next level of accommodation.) Finally, the best time of the entire weekend was arguably the reach in from the finish of the last race on Sun- day. For more than a mile, under beautiful sunny skies, fifteen Albacores affirmed that it just doesn’t get any better than this.

Sail Series Race Race Race Race Race Race Pos Cntry Boat Name Skipper Crew No. Pts 1 2 3 4 5 6

Exotic 1 6701 USA Barney Harris Doug Foord 5 1 1 1 (16) 1 1 Material

Extreme 2 7312 USA James Englert Brian Huntsman 15 2 (6) 5 1 5 2 Makeover

3 7981 CAN Warner Monteiro Sonja McAuley 17 4 2 (8) 4 3 4

4 8026 USA TAZ Joanna Beaver Karl Wittenbal 18 3 4 2 2 (9) 7

5 7970 USA Bill Cavitt Becky Craig 18 5 3 (9) 3 4 3

6 7126 USA Erich Hesse Jill Decker 25 (9) 7 4 6 2 6

7 7371 USA Gracie Martin Minot Nancy Minot 34 6 11 6 (16) 6 5

8 6434 USA Mega Woof Peter Duncan Terry Duncan 35 7 9 3 5 (14) 11

9 7945 USA Glass Tuna Douglas Marsh Kay Marsh 42 11 5 10 (16) 7 9

10 8027 USA Missee Lee Daphne Byron Nate Bokil 43 8 8 7 (11) 10 10

11 8021 USA Toucan James Graham Susan Graham 50 (12) 10 11 10 11 8

12 7943 USA Shotgun Dan Miller Jill Williamson 53 13 12 (14) 7 8 13

13 7964 USA Indecision Scott Snyder Jen Parrow 58 (14) 13 13 8 12 12

14 7933 CAN Rory Martin 58 10 (14) 12 9 13 14

Alanna Jordan 15 7419 USA Ian Duncan 78 15 (16) 16 16 15 16 (co-skippered)

12 Virginia Governor’s Cup - Ware River Regatta By Greg Jordan As the largest fleet (14 entries), Albacores qualified for the honor of racing for the Virginia Governor’s Cup. Saturday winds were very shifty, averaging about 10 knots. Marty, Zach and Josh Hublitz returned to defend their 2004 title, but in a borrowed boat without full horsepower. Jim Englert, a Ware River local and recent convert from the 505 class, opened the regatta with two big wins (Englert sailed with Johnathan Hornsby from the Newport News area). Rolf and Sue Zeisler took 2nd in the second race, but had to depart early for a commitment. Lars Rathjen and Jude Brown grabbed the third race and overall clubhouse lead, one point ahead of Englert and four ahead of Greg and Kesshi Jordan. Youngsters Bill Buck and Lucian Casper placed 3rd. Also on Saturday, Bob Bear and 70 lb Delaney Jordan finished 4th twice; Dan Miller and Jill Williamson took the other 4th. Sunday condi- tions were light with two winds struggling for dominance. Jordan won the 4th race after an excruciating finish with the leaders parked for 5 minutes just 30 feet from the line. This was also a great race for Jim and Sue Graham, who finished 4th despite the many holes and playful wind gods. Englert came from behind to snatch the fifth race, his third bullet. He would have taken the Cup over Rathjen on a tie-breaker if the race committee had called it a day. It did not, however, setting up a final match-race with Jordan lurking 2 points back. Rathjen & Brown prevailed with a 2nd after recognizing that the sea breeze was taking over for good, winning the Cup by 3 points. Daphne Byron and John Liang also capitalized, winning the race and grabbing 4th overall. Fifth overall was taken by Marty and Nancy Minot, who improved every race and closed with a pair of 4ths. Ware River YC once again pulled out all the stops, delivering 3 meals a day, live music, free lodging to many, and quality race committee work. Lastly, for crewing hard for all six races and helping out anyone she could find to help, Delaney Jordan, 11, was awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy!

Sail Series Race Race Race Race Race Race Pos Cntry Boat Name Skipper Crew No. Pts 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 7979 USA Lars Rathjen Jude Brown 13 2 3 1 2 3 2

Extreme Make- 2 7312 USA Jim Englert Johnathan Hornsby 16 1 1 5 3 1 5 over

3 7492 USA Sea Ya Later Greg Jordan Kesshi Jordan 16 3 5 2 1 2 3

4 8027 USA Missee Lee Daphne Byron John Liang 37 5 7 9 7 8 1

5 7371 USA Gracie Marty Minot Nancy Minot 40 12 9 6 5 4 4

6 7456 USA Audacious Bob Bear Delaney Jordan 41 4 8 4 9 6 10

7 7943 USA Big Slick Dan Miller Jill Williamson 44 10 4 8 11 5 6

8 7460 USA 8 Bits Bill Buck Lucian Caspar 48 11 6 3 10 10 8

9 8021 USA Toucan Jim Graham Sue Graham 52 6 10 10 4 11 11

10 48xx USA Marty Hublitz Zach & Josh Hublitz 60 8 13 12 6 9 12

11 8083 USA Kaboom Lloyd Leonard Max Leonard 60 9 11 11 13 7 9

12 7378 USA Cool Running Rolf Zeisler Sue Zeisler 61 7 2 7 DNC DNC DNC

13 7494 USA IdVenture Diane Goebes Bob Goebes 66 13 12 13 8 13 7

14 7110 USA George Wirth Nick Lailas 82 14 14 DNF 12 12 DNC

13 PRAF FUN DAZE AT KERR LAKE, 2006 Bob Goebes The Potomac River Albacore Fleet enjoyed a highly successful “Fun Daze” event at North Carolina’s Kerr Lake over the Father’s Day weekend. Sunny weather and dependablewinds made for great sailing, while the on-shore activities brought out the participants’ inner Polynesians. This year’s event, like 2005’s, was organized under the leadership of Diane Goebes and held at a group camp- site. Forty-one sailors and family members participated, staying from one to four nights at our group campsite or nearby RV area. When the advance party arrived Thursday, the wind was light, but it built steadily throughout the weekend and reached whitecap velocity by Monday. Furthermore, the wind was consistent, with neither lulls nor dramatic shifts. Participants enjoyed excellent sailing from dawn to dusk. The Fun Daze races, led by race committee John Liang and Lars Rathjen, included child towing, backwards sailing, and a relay race in which Hawaiian leis were passed in lieu of batons. The numerous children were kept busy during on-shore hours with a scavenger hunt run by Kathy Witgert. Activities at the “Island Madness” and “Luau” campfi res Friday and Saturday evenings included children’s charades, a poi eating contest, competitive hula hooping, and a fashion show. Mark Prell won the later by acclamation with an ensemble of grass skirt and coconut bra. Greg “Hoop” Hooper, serving as master of ceremonies, kept things moving partly by calling on George Wirth whenever a volunteer was needed. Max Leonard ably demonstrated the proper construction of a s’more. Janice Rathjen provided a hula demonstration, backed by the dueling ukuleles of Bob Goebes and Dustin Hays. After the luau, the party adjourned to the beach for a limbo contest, organized by Dustin. Newcomer Ben Mendoza proved especially agile, while the children happily found innovative ways to succeed at this game. Sunday’s perfect winds of a steady 10 knots took us to Kerr Dam in record time, under our newly painted sails. After a stop for a swim, we got back in time to help most people go home. However, a die-hard group of eight, plus the Hoop group, stayed overnight to enjoy planing conditions on Monday morning. It was another great PRAF party! See you next year over Father’s Day Weekend.

2006 Albacore North Americans by Jennifer Parrow For the 2006 Albacore North Americans, Old Spot was outfi tted with a 3 boat trailer that was wider than the aged vehicle itself, and was strapped to the gills with 2 boats, masts, dollies, sailing gear, Barney, Erica, Scott and me. We endured a 12 hour ride with a 2 hour, Darwinian worthy detour during Barney’s overnight shift, and arrived late for what I hear was supposed to be a wonderful breakfast at Tinys’. Instead, we went directly to the clubs, unpacked and were sailing in the exciting 18kts wind before lunch. The Westwood sailing club, and its’ two sister clubs, were tucked neatly away behind a barrier to the enormous Lake Ontario. According to the Canadians, the wind was blowing unusually hard from the North East and would abnormally shift as it traveled over land and through the skyscrapers of Toronto. The forecast was windy for the Friday night sail that promised 40+ boats for a quick race. It remained a steady 18 with gusty shifts of 20+. Saturday, after postponing for an hour, RC attempted to race us in the 20+ kts of wind and without the RCYC boats who couldn’t leave their port in the heavy air. Needless to say, lots of boats went over and RC decided to call it a day. On Sunday, the wind clamed down to a wonderful 5 to15 for 4 competitive races. The 40-boat fl eet was spread across long, triangle-sausage courses. The best part of the entire trip was the graciousness and hospitality of the Canadian Albacore sailors. We were able to stay in their houses and sail from their clubs with ease and convenience and for a couple of Canadian dollars, we were in and out of their refrigerators for beers. Before we knew it, we were crossing the border back to the US declaring a large sailing award as a foreign item we were transporting as a souvenir. A truly fun and exciting trip!

For complete regatta results, check out http://www.rcyc.ca/Portals/0/albacoreNAu.PDF 14 Fun Daze At Kerr Lake, North Carolina

Photos by John Liang

The Infamous West River Gang on Scarecrow for the Poplar Island Race in July

15 USAA News Don’t Miss the NOTICE Monmouth Boat Club’s Annual USAA Annual General Membership Meeting *TUNA BOWL* Sunday, October 8, 2006 Saturday, Sept. 23rd Immediately following USAA National’s Dinner For More Information, Agenda: Old Business, New Business Contact: Sam Habiby [email protected] Election of 2006 Officers or 732-666-2783

WELCOME NEW USAA MEMBERS!

Kathleen Florance Boat #5921 N. Falmouth, MA • Eric Weik Boat #5449 Lancaster, VA Kurt Gracie Boat #6341 Milltown, NJ • Jill Williamson Arnold, MD Thomas Anderson Boat #6875 Midlothian, VA • Rich Munson Boat #4204 Colleyville, TX William Kolshorn Boat #6900 Matawan, NJ • Ren Babcock Boat #5469 Raleigh, NC Benjamin Mendoza Boat #6885 Lexington Park, MD • Bruce Bingman Annapolis, MD Larry Talbert Boat # 608 Washington Crossing, PA

Do you think the sailing season ends after Nationals? Think Again! Fall is the perfect time to replace that worn out gear, or to get ready for frostbiting and winter training in Florida.

Rely on HAPCO MARINE for all your wet suits, dry suits, foul weather gear, boots and gloves. Although we are NOT set up with large inventory or a changing room, we can deliver specific items to you at the standard HAPCO 20% off list to Albacore members. HAPCO can supply most of the items in the Ronstan, Gul, and Gill catalogs.

For more information on products, availability, and ordering, contact:

Peter Duncan, HAPCO MARINE, [email protected], 410-431-5480

2006 U.S. Albacore Association Schedule

September 2 - 3 West River Regatta West River Sailing Club Galesville, MD September 9 – 10 Leukemia Cup Potomac R. Albacore Fleet Alexandria, VA September 15 - 17 Canadians Nepean Sailing Club Ottawa, Ontario September 23 Tuna Bowl Monmouth Boat Club Red Bank, NJ October 7 - 9 U.S. Nationals Potomac R. Albacore Fleet Alexandria, VA * March 23-25, ‘07 Mid Winters Sarasota Sailing Squadron Sarasota, FL October 5-12, ’07 Internationals West River Sailing Club Galesville, MD * tentative date