Delaware River Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association October 2018 March 2012 Next Meeting: Topic: October 8, 2018 @ 7 pm Independence Seaport Museum Capsize Recovery 211 South Columbus Blvd., Presented by: Duncan Wright Philadelphia, Pa. The Delaware River Chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association has changed its meeting location!!! Starting with the OCTOBER meeting we will now meet at a NEW location. Our NEW meeting location will be at the 211 South Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, Pa. Tiding’s Great Adventure (Part One) By Douglass Oeller The Big Idea Choosing a Boat I have always been a planner. So, when I I am a long-time catboat enthusiast and I have reached my mid-50s I started thinking about no intention of parting with Comfort. She is what to do if I lived long enough to retire. I wonderful for short cruises in protected waters. quickly made a long list because work has never But, for the circumnavigation, I wanted a slightly been the focus of my life. I have always had larger boat with a cabin. The boat would need hobbies and outside interests, with sailing being to be sea-worthy and safe for short coastal trips, at the top of that list. One of the things I enjoy comfortable for 2 people to spend a week or most about sailing is visiting new places. That’s more aboard, shallow draft because I enjoy why I own small boats. I like to tow the boat exploring creeks and small bays, easy to launch somewhere on a trailer, go exploring for a few and retrieve single-handed, and still fall within days, and return home when I get tired or the the realm of a traditional small craft with classic weather turns bad. Over the last 12 years I have lines. taken my catboat, Comfort, on mini-adventures at a variety of places between Florida and Nova It turns out that this design brief is not easy to Scotia. fill. My first thought was to acquire a Marshall Sanderling. I have admired those boats for The idea came to me that in retirement I could years. I know that they sail well, and I find them expand where and for how long I do those kinds quite beautiful. But, when I sat in the cabin of of trips. I decided to do a circumnavigation of one, I found the roof was a few inches too low the continental US by towing a small boat from for comfort and there was not much room for place to place. I would choose the most dry storage for food and clothing. So began my interesting areas to sail, tow the boat there, sail quest. I spent a year or more looking at ads for for a series of 2 – 3 weeks visits exploring used boats and designs for new ones. I found various portions of each place, and return home the website for Swallow Boats and was intrigued in between episodes. I would leave the boat by a couple of their designs but not the prices. behind on the trailer as the trip progressed and Then I became very interested in the Dudley Dix return to it to begin the next leg. Cape Cutter 19 and Cape Henry 21 designs. I broke the itinerary down into 7 regions: East Sadly, I am not a boat-builder and I learned that Coast from Maryland to Maine, Lake Champlain the cost for professional construction for either and the Great Lakes, Seattle and the San Juan of these boats would put them out of my reach. Islands, San Francisco and San Diego, the US In the spring of 2014 I noticed an ad for a used section of the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Keys, Cornish Shrimper 19. The design met all my and the East Coast from Florida to Maryland. If needs and, because the boat was 16 years old, my health holds up, and the experience the price was not prohibitive. continues to be fun, I hope to do one section each year for the next 7 years. The Shrimper was on Nantucket Island. After a telephone conversation with the owner, I decided to go and look at the boat. It happened that Mike Wick, Phil Maynard, Kevin MacDonald, and I were already planning a road 2 trip to attend the Maine Boat Builder Show in The Cornish Shrimper 19 is a fiberglass boat still Portland ME. So, we decided to include a short in production in Wadebridge Cornwall, England. detour to Nantucket as it is (sort of) on the way. https://www.cornishcrabbers.co.uk/shrimper- The four of us took the ferry from Cape Cod and series/shrimper-19/ There are more than 1100 spent about 2 hours crawling over, under, and Shrimpers sailing world-wide, but very few are inside the Shrimper, which was in a poorly-lit imported to the USA. The Shrimper is a gaff- garage. We couldn’t find any major flaws. Mike rigged sloop with a bowsprit. The jib has roller identified that the jib had UV damage. Kevin furling. The total sail area is 194 square feet. The gave me some advice about what to beware of spars are varnished wood. The interior of the with marine diesel engines (The Shrimper has a cabin features varnished wood trim. Tidings is a Yanmar GM-10). I don’t remember Phil “2 + 2” model, which has two quarter berths expressing any reservations. On the drive home and a forward vee berth. The boat has a from Maine we all discussed the matter and it waterline length of 17 ft 7 inches and an overall was decided that I should make an offer. Kevin length of 22 ft 6 inches. The name 19 refers to suggested that he could call first and offer half the length over deck, which is 19 feet 3 inches. of the asking price to “soften” the seller. But I The standard Shrimper has a well for an decided instead to offer what I thought was fair. outboard motor within the starboard stern area A deal was reached, and I returned in May to of the cockpit so that the motor is forward of take possession of my new boat. I decided to the transom. Tidings has an optional diesel change her name from Eventide to Tidings inboard engine. A 4-gallon fuel tank is in the because this fell within another grand plan, area where the motor well would have been. which is to have 3 boats called Tidings, Comfort, The engine is a 9-hp single-cylinder Yanmar; and famous for good fuel economy, dependability, and vibration. When idling, it makes a characteristic pop, pop, popping sound that I have grown to enjoy. The boat draws 18 inches of water with the centerboard up and 4 feet with the board down. The centerboard is a heavy galvanized steel plate. She also has 700 pounds of internal ballast set in epoxy within the hull. The hull has small bilge keels on each side to support the boat so that it can safely sit level on the bottom in a harbor that has no water at low tide. The approximate displacement is 2350 pounds and the towing weight is 3300 pounds. This is a very sturdy little vessel and well-suited to take me far and wide in safety and style. Making Some Modifications Anyone who has ever owned a boat knows the temptation to “improve” on what the factory or previous owner delivered to you. Shrimpers have no boom crutch. There is a topping lift to raise the boom and one can cinch down tightly 3 on the main sheet to keep the boom relatively disconnect fasteners purchased from the Pert steady while not under sail. But, when reefing in Lowell Company. rough conditions (when else do you reef?), the long heavy boom flails all over and tries to knock you out of the cockpit. The first time I sailed Tidings I decided that she needed a boom gallows. Mike, Phil, and several other friends tried to talk me out of this modification. It would be expensive, add weight to the stern, and might ruin the lines of the boat. Phil suggested that I sail her for a season before making a final decision. That was good advice, which I followed. Then I ordered bronze corner pieces for a boom Tidings also has some important improvements gallows from the Port Townsend Foundry and to the interior of the cabin. I am blessed to have took Tidings to Cutts and Case Shipyard in talented friends who are sometimes willing to Oxford, Maryland to have the gallows fabricated build things for my boats. Kevin Brennan and installed. It was expensive. And it did add custom-built a tiny drop-leaf table made of weight. But I have never regretted the decision. varnished oak to mount on the centerboard The gallows keeps the boom from swinging trunk. We designed it just wide enough with the wildly when reefing or motoring, provides a leaves folded down to hold a whisky bottle. handhold for climbing aboard after swimming, holds the mast when trailering the boat, and With the leaves up it makes a nice space for looks so darn salty that it stings my eyes. As far dining or reading. The bottom of the table as I can determine, Tidings is the only Shrimper connects to an oak saddle that now covers the in the world with a boom gallows. So, it seems fiberglass centerboard trunk. The edge of this that there must be 1099 oblivious owners out saddle has a groove to accommodate a plywood there.