SALT SPRING ISLAND SAILING CLUB Things we need to know To operate our boat safely—and legally—we all eventually need a TellTales Pleasure Craft Operator Card and a Radio Operator’s Certificate. VOLUME 19 • NUMBER 1 • JANUARY 2000 Staff Captain Mary Neil wants to know how many members are interested in challenging the Operator Card test in a club setting, and how many would like to participate in a VHF radio course. Please give Mary a call at 537-5897 if you’re interested.

Visit our club website at... www.islandsails.com/sailingclub Here you’ll find: • The latest edition of TellTales • Cruising schedule for 2000

JOHN CAMERON PHOTO • Complete racing news • Home Waters schedule Only the geese were sailing during • Club’s Long Term Plan the foggy Christmas season • and much more! Here’s to the new SPAGHETTI NITE cruising and Tuesday, January 25th racing year! at 1900 hours in the clubhouse The first of a series of ‘International Nites’ The racing fleet getting ready Please let either June Mason (537-2786) for the start of the New Year’s or Mary Neil (537-5897) know by day novelty race January 19th if you will be attending Spaghetti with all the trimmings $5 per person (see information elsewhere in TellTales)

Valentine’s Day Captains’ Treat

PHIL MASON PHOTO PHIL Monday, February14th Socked in at 1900 hours in the clubhouse POTLUCKSUPPER BYTHEMEN

PHIL MASON PHOTO PHIL Prize for the best Valentine poet! (see explanation elsewhere in TellTales) Commodore’s report The gals promise to enjoy it all! Welcome to the new millennium! I Long Range Plan as a guide in our con- hope all of you have had a very enjoy- siderations. This planning document able transition to the next 1000 years. is available for perusal in the clubhouse We have had two meetings of your and on our internet website. All of COMING EVENTS Executive Board and everyone is get- these projects will be made known to Tuesday SPAGHETTI NIGHT ting down to the planning and execu- you via TellTales and general meetings Jan 25 SOCIAL tion of the required work for the com- with any major cost issues being vet- ing year. Some of this work has already ted and approved by the membership Monday VALENTINE’S DAY been completed. There are a number prior to initiation. As well, the mem- Feb 14 SOCIAL of new and interesting projects in the bers of your Board are available for any development stage both on the land information on club activities. Deadline for the next and on the water. We will be using the Continued on page 2... TellTales is 4th February The management of the Sailing Club’s internet website is now in the Home Waters Club ‘special’ on hands of Per Rasmussen, our Editor of inflatable vests TellTales. Pete Drage did such a great Thursday, February 10th Recently the Race Committee (cruis- job of setting up and running the site at 1900 hours in the clubhouse ers, keep reading) approved a new rule for the past couple of years, and he will ‘Health emergencies on board’ making it mandatory to wear an ap- still handle the racing aspects of the proved life preserver at the start of site. Per has placed the latest issue of with our own Dr. Ruth Pankhurst every club race. This led to some dis- TellTales on the club website as well as cussion about ‘bulky’ life jackets, the the Long Range Planning document Refreshments following. heat of summer etc., etc. It was sug- and cruising information. To access —April Steel gested that we might be able to get a TellTales and the Long Range Planning ‘deal’ on a bulk purchase of the newer document you require a password. inflatable life preservers and after some There is guidance on the club website inquiries on and off island, here is the to obtain this password. Members best offer available. Thanks to Fah can access the website at Ambers for nailing this one down. www.islandsails.com/sailingclub or Specification: Airforce vest MUSMD via the general Salt Spring page at 3010 RED $130.00 plus tax if the Sail- www.gulfislands.com. ing Club buys 10 or more. Delivery in In an effort to improve our commu- February. One size fits all. nication with you we are looking for Only one tax applies, so the full price new and innovative ways. As we uti- will be $139.10. The best we can do lise the internet and our web page locally is $160.50, so there is a useful more over the next months I will be Needed— saving to be had. looking for your input as to the use- I will act as the gatherer of orders so fulness of this type of communication. your surplus... if you would like one or more of these As well, I would like to know if any of periwinkle/myrtle (vinca minor)! vests please put a cheque for $139.10 our members would object to having If thinning some of your rampant per vest in the Fleet Captain Racing’s their email address utilised for commu- periwinkle is part of your gardening box in the clubhouse by January 25th. nicating with you with club informa- plans, please consider giving some to Please make the cheque to me person- tion. The email addresses would not the club. ally as the supplier wants one cheque be available for any other purpose than We have a small budget for landscap- for the entire order. Once the shipment club authorised communication. As ing, but thought members may already is picked up I’ll arrange delivery. more of our members acquire email have periwinkle, which they tidy up —Pete Drage addresses we have the opportunity to each year, and which could be re- send the TellTales and any other infor- planted at the club. If you'd like a good mation to you via email. We would home for your plants, please call Sheryl Wharfinger’s continue to mail copies of TellTales to at 537-4716, and we will co-ordinate those members without email. The cost replanting at the club with your plans. report of printing and mailing each issue of —Sheryl Taylor-Munro Hydro hookups for all boats have now TellTales is approximately $1.00. We been measured for amount consumed could enjoy a saving of approximately versus amount paid. Any measure- $90 per month or $900 per year if only We are always open to suggestions ments found to be at variance with our one half of our membership utilised on how to effectively improve our en- record keeping have subsequently this medium. However, all this is in the joyment of the club and welcome your been tested for a second time. While future and we will continue to com- input. I would only ask that, if you the number is small, there are some municate to you as before. have a suggestion, you follow up any boats that are using electricity but have There are a number of minor pro- verbal communication with a more as yet not made any payment, or are jects under consideration which will comprehensive rationale in writing in consuming more electricity than paid require someone to investigate suppli- order that we can better understand for. These boats will again be tested ers to determine availability, quality the suggestion and discuss it at the later this month, with invoices then and prices and have input into the next meeting of your Board. issued if a significant amount is in- project. The Board is looking for any Again, let me wish you a very happy volved. I will be pleased to take any volunteers from the membership who and prosperous New Year. phone calls if you are concerned about would be willing to take on any of —John Farquharson your electric consumption. these projects. If you are interested Commodore —Tom Locke, Wharfinger please contact me or any other mem- ber of the Board. For various reasons we have had TellTales is published ten times a year by the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club nine regular and three associate mem- 152 Douglas Road, Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2J2 bers resign at the end of the year. How- Any part of the publication may be freely reproduced in not-for-profit publications. We will ever, we have had nineteen new mem- appreciate it if you mention us as the source and also send us a copy of your publication, bers join the club in 1999. addressed to the Editor. We are a self-help club where everything is done by members who There was a great turn out for our volunteer their time and expertise, so please come forward with articles, photos, letters, first fun race and social on January 1st non-commercial want ads, questions or comments. Send material for publication by email along with a beautiful sunny day or leave in the ‘TellTales’ box in the clubhouse. which we hope is a precursor to the Editing/production by Per and Lynetta Rasmussen (537-4796 or [email protected]) activities at the club in the coming year. The social scene The Christmas party was a huge suc- Club members cess with 50 members attending. Many enjoying hot rum thanks to Phyllis Waltho for a truly and lunch during magnificent job of MC-ing the gift ex- New Year’s day change. Each and every gift was fun. gathering The New Year’s day reception was also a success. The racers came in from the Rum Race and joined the rest of us for hot rum, egg nog and a light lunch. A terrific turnout of about 90 people. The Commodore, John Farquharson, extended New Year’s greetings to all. A good beginning to what promises to be another good year at the club. Coming events Tuesday, January 25th at 1900 hours (7:00 p.m. for those who can’t subtract 12 from 19)—’A Spaghetti Nite’. A plate of spaghetti with all the trim- mings for $5. Please let either June Mason at 537-2786 or Mary Neil at 537-5897 know by January 19th if you will be attending. We must know how much to prepare. Let us know if you are vegetarian. We look forward to join- ing fellow members for a fun evening. Monday, February 14th at 1900 hours. The club’s traditional Valen- tine’s Day Captains’ Treat. Potluck sup- PHIL MASON PHOTOS PHIL per by the men. Also a Valentine poet night. The men (if they choose) read from a published poet (or write their Cruising own piece) on a Valentine theme— directed to their partner. Not more adventure lecture than six lines. Prize for the best. This is the evening when the men can show series in their appreciation for all the hard la- Vancouver bour their female crew perform so will- The ‘Ocean cruising in small boats’ lec- March 1 - 247 day solo circumnaviga- ingly. The dishes prepared can be sim- ture series, sponsored by the Vancou- tion of the world with Guy Bruce, ple or elaborate. The gals promise to ver Maritime Museum and Pacific slides/video. enjoy it all. Yachting Magazine, will be presented March 8 - Explore the waterways of Pleasure Craft Operator Card in Vancouver during the month of Europe with Bill Wolferstan, author of March. This popular illustrated lecture See the article by Brian Tolman (FABER) Cruising Guides to the Coast of Brit- series features local sailors roaming the in the December 1999 (page 5) Tell- ish Columbia, slides. oceans of the world in small boats. The Tales explaining the requirements. series, now in its 24th year, is coordi- March 15 - Intracoastal Waterways How many members would be inter- nated by Liv Kennedy, author and and the Bahamas, Patrick Hill, slides. ested in challenging the test? Give me founding member of Bluewater Cruis- March 22 - DARWIN SOUND sails a call at 537-5897 and perhaps we can ing Association. home via Micronesia, Japan, Aleutian have Brian administer the test at the During the five Wednesdays in and Queen Charlotte Islands, Irene club to those who are interested. March, starting at 8 p.m. lectures will and Al Whitney, slides/video. VHF radio operator’s licence be held in the auditorium of the Pa- March 29 - Cape Horn, Antarctica, How many members are interested in cific Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut St., South Georgia. Experience the capsize taking this course? Phone me at 537- Vancouver. Advance tickets are recom- of the yacht TAONUI off the Argentine 5897. mended as lectures frequently sell out. coast, Coryn. —Mary Neil, Staff Captain Please call (604) 257-8300. —Contributed by Jim Spencer a breeze coming from dead ahead, ap- denly jumps to 10 knots without a Of lifts, headers, parently blowing at 5.0 knots. This is change in its direction. The upper dia- and shifts the apparent wind due to the motion gram shows this new situation. The (or vectors for the faint-of-heart) of the boat. The bottom diagram, on boat has not had time to accelerate but the right hand side shows the boat’s the increased wind speed has resulted A recent article in this publication tried speed vector and in the parallelogram, in a new apparent wind, which is now to make the point that - wind the apparent wind vector, which is made up from the new true wind and indicators tend to give slightly errone- opposite to the boat vector. the old component from the forward ous indications depend- motion of the boat. The resultant ap- ing on the amount of parent wind is now 13.23 knots mak- With a boat speed of 5.0 knots, heel. The effect is small, 10.89° ing an angle with the of 40.89 doubling wind speed from but real, but overall can degrees, giving us a 10.89 degree lift 5.0 to 10.0 knots raises the be considered mildly in- to port. We can now head up to port a apparent wind from 8.66 to teresting and definitely bit, although probably not the full 10.9 New apparent wind 13.23 knots 13.23 knots and shifts the trivial. Today’s little degrees as the original 30 degree ap- apparent wind 10.89 degrees blurb wrestles with an ef- parent wind direction meant we were to port fect which is both real really pinching too close to the wind. and non-trivial and well If the boat does not accelerate we can known to sailors at all 40.89° nicely this new direction. But of levels of experience. course the boat will speed up because (Well, almost all!) True wind component increased to 10.0 knots we have a much increased apparent The effect is this. Component wind speed. When the wind speed of wind due If our boat is like John Cameron’s increases, without any to motion OSCAR it will leap ahead, increasing change in direction, the of the boat the component of wind due to the mo- apparent wind on board 5.0 knots tion of the boat, and this will decrease the boat shifts so as to al- the angle of 10.89 degrees which we low the boat to head up, temporarily gained. Indeed, if the boat sailing closer to the speed doubled to 10.0 knots we would wind. For example if the wind is on So, all’s well. We’re moving right find ourselves back on the old head- your port and its speed increases along, by magic, and feeling a breeze ing, with the original apparent wind you will find that you can immediately of 5.0 knots from ahead. Now let’s get angle of 30 degrees and an apparent steer a little more to port and still keep a bit closer to reality and introduce a wind of 17.32 knots. However, this the sails drawing properly. Ace racers real breeze of 5.0 knots from the like Cameron, Vine, and Hume, con- port side, making an angle of 60 sistently make use of this fact with degrees with the keel of the boat. 30.00° greater skill than their lesser ‘rivals’, Our dauntless sailor now feels a like yours truly, and the point of these breeze that is made up of two Apparent wind 8.66 knots Motion of boat paragraphs is to show quantitatively components; one from dead 5.0 knots how large this effect is, depending on ahead and one from the side, boat speed coupled with wind speed which combine together to give and direction. 60.00° an apparent wind on board of Component of To make this easy to follow, let’s start 8.66 knots and making an angle wind due to with a fine clear day with no wind, with the keel of 30 degrees. Sud- motion of typical of a summer’s day in Ganges Component of wind due to denly we’re sailing without the the true wind of 5.0 knots the boat Harbour. Now imagine we are on a aid of magic, with an apparent 5.0 knots sailboat moving at five knots through wind of 8.66 knots close-hauled the water and through the still air. (per- with the wind at 30 degrees. haps propelled by magic, for the mo- But wait! Ganges is notoriously ment). the sailors on the boat will feel gusty, and our wind speed sud-

APPARENT WIND FOR A BOAT SPEED OF 5 KNOTS Angle made by true wind with axis of the boat 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 True wind speed and apparent wind direction SPEED 5 9.66 9.24 8.66 7.93 7.07 6.09 5.00 3.83 2.59 1.31 0.00 DIRECTION 15.00 22.50 30.00 37.50 45.00 52.50 60.00 67.50 75.00 82.50 90.00 SPEED 10 14.55 13.99 13.23 12.28 11.18 9.96 8.66 7.37 6.20 5.33 5.00 DIRECTION 20.10 30.36 40.89 51.85 63.43 75.98 90.00 106.32 126.21 150.95 180.00 SPEED 15 19.49 18.87 18.03 81.99 15.81 14.53 13.23 12.00 10.96 10.25 10.00 DIRECTION 22.63 34.20 46.10 58.49 71.57 85.59 100.89 117.86 136.81 157.75 180.00 SPEED 20 24.46 23.80 22.91 21.83 20.62 19.32 18.03 16.84 15.87 15.23 15.00 DIRECTION 24.13 36.46 49.11 62.22 75.96 90.52 106.10 122.88 140.94 160.12 180.00 SPEED 25 29.44 28.75 27.84 26.73 25.50 24.19 22.91 21.75 20.82 20.21 20.00 DIRECTION 25.13 37.94 51.05 64.59 78.69 93.48 109.11 125.65 143.10 161.33 180.00 SPEED 30 34.42 33.72 32.79 31.66 30.41 29.11 27.84 26.70 25.79 25.20 25.00 4DIRECTION 25.83 38.98 52.41 66.23 80.54 95.45 111.05 127.39 144.44 162.06 180.00 acceleration normally does not quite make it , so as the boat accelerates we Racing schedule: have to fall off a bit to optimise the RACING NEWS set of our sails. As a consequence good GROUND HOG sailors weave back and forth, even Sunday when sober, as the wind swells and The traditional New Year Jan 30 RACE falls. This is due entirely to variations race, the Hot Rum... BEN MOHR in wind strength which keeps chang- was held, as seems to be so often the Sunday ing the apparent wind strength and case, in glorious sunshine and little Feb 13 ROCK RACE angle, even if the gusts themselves do wind. 17 boats, matching last year’s not come from a new direction. entry, sailed a short course around Teams for 2000 Diagram like those shown can illus- buoys in the harbour while searching Team Cameron: OSCAR, trate the principle but it’s hard to gen- for their ‘ticket’ for the bottle of rum NUMTIJAH, YEOMAN, BEOWULF/ eralize to a variety of conditions, so the draw. The ticket consisted of an empty ELECTRA, SLY FOX, and GWAIHIR. accompanying table has been calcu- milk jug floating with the tide on lated to attach some numbers to the which was a boat name. Problem was Team Brogan: VALHALLA II, generalities. You will find in the table the boat name was invisible unless the DRAGON (was ARCTURUS), NIGHT exactly the numbers that resulted in jug was retrieved and with 17 jugs MOVES, ALMUCANTAR, HESSIAN, the two diagrams. floating around, the search was a little and WHISPER. For example, in the column headed tricky. Kevin Vine on DERYN MOR, Team Vine: DERYN MOR, LONE ‘60’ the first two rows give apparent with Bo Curtis manning the boat hook, RANGER, FANDANGO, BOMAR, wind speed of 8.66 knots and appar- managed to get every jug aboard and BALLATER, and MINKE. ent wind direction of 30 degrees, cor- re-released before the next boat got responding to the lower of the two dia- close. Other boats had more trouble, Official starter grams. In the same column of 60 de- SLY FOX was seen sailing backwards, Robert Brodgesell has kindly volun- grees, and on the lines for a 10 knot although it’s possible LONE RANGER teered to be the club’s starter and will wind speed, you will find 13.23 knots had a hand, or hands, in this phenom- come and keep us honest on the start and a direction of 40.89 degrees, cor- enon. Most boats eventually found line. responding to the upper diagram. In a their ticket, and those that didn’t got —Pete Drage, Fleet Captain, Racing similar fashion you can read off the put in the draw anyway, winners were effects of wind gusts on the apparent Jean and Fred Howell on AQUARIUS. wind. Similarly the table can be used After the race skippers and crew re- Upcoming events to look at the effect of a progressive paired to the clubhouse to enjoy the wind shift without a change in true hot rum toddies and lunch so ably laid PHRF Explained wind speed. on by Staff Captain Mary Neil and her As another example, for a true wind team of helpers. Thursday, January 13th speed of 10 knots, start with a true at 1930 hours in the clubhouse Short course wind angle of 30 degrees in the first Club handicapper, Bob Borbas, There is a new short course, which will column and second pair of rows, where will explain the basics of the rat- be used for all club races unless other- you will find, (for a boat speed of 5 ing system and how it can be af- wise announced. The line for this short knots) a wind speed of 14.44 knots and fected by incorrectly sized equip- course finish line is formed by a range an apparent wind angle of 20.10 de- ment. Yes, size does matter. Some consisting of two yellow diamonds grees. (Serious pinching there!) As the sails and other gear from mem- mounted on the Salt Spring shore wind veers, increasing the true wind ber’s boats will be measured as across from the Second Sister light. angle, move to the right in the table examples. Come out and learn noticing how the apparent wind speed PFD’s about the system that seems so decreases systematically while the ap- A new club rule making the wearing unfair to your boat in particular. parent wind direction reaches 90 de- of an approved life jacket at the start grees (right abeam) when the true wind of all club races has been passed, and Ground Hog Race angle reaches 120 degrees (30 degrees is now in effect. If any skipper or their Sunday, January 30th. of the beam). By the time the true crew fails to wear the correct equip- Start: 1000 hours wind is coming in over the (180 ment they have to restart, suitably at- Distance: 6.6 NM degrees) the apparent wind has tired, or be scored DNS (did not start). dropped to 5 knots and is coming in Course: Start – Batt Rock (P) over the (180 degrees) at a Team Racing – Welbury Spar (P) – finish. speed of 5 knots, just as you would Last year’s team format has been expect because the 5 knot speed of the changed slightly to allow for more Ben Mohr Rock Race boat is now subtracted from the 10 equitable representation. For 2000 Sunday, February 13th. knot speed of the following wind. there will be three teams of six boats Start: 1000 hours Tables similar to these are easy to each, the 18 most active boats from last Distance: 9.0 NM. construct for any boat speed, but us- year being used. As before, two boats ing a 5 knot boat is enough to show from each team will be nominated to Skipper’s meeting in the clubhouse what the effects are. Remember that count in each race and these two boats at 0900 hours... as soon as a shift of wind occurs, your will not be eligible for the next race, coffee and bagels/donuts/muffins from boat will change its speed, making the except that now, in the event that no 0845 h. This change in arrangements table only an indication of what will other team members are available for will be on a trial basis. happen. the next race, one or both of the pre- —Hugh Greenwood vious scorers may be nominated again. 5 with threats of violence being made against the crew of the THETIS. How- HMS GANGES’ ever, at this point the crew of the GAN- carved figurehead, GES let it be known that they too sup- now on display outside the ported this move and would stand by Royal Hospital School the crew of the THETIS. As a result, the at Holbrook, England. opposition to the change gradually Wayne Pearce photo. subsided and eventually was adopted throughout the fleet. Unlike her predecessor, the second GANGES saw very little naval action. Her log book shows that she landed Royal Marines at Rio de Janeiro for the protection of the Emperor of Brazil who was faced with a mutiny of some 1,700 German and 2,000 Irish merce- point of interest, Sir Robert nary troops. The Emperor later pre- is credited with developing sented Captain Inglefield of HMS GAN- the technique known as GES with the Order of the Southern 'scharphing' whereby curved Cross. In 1840 the GANGES was in- timbers used for 'knees' and volved in the Syrian campaign, land- other curved members are ing troops and bombarding Beirut. fashioned by fitting pieces of Later she was present at the blockade straight timber together—a of Alexandria. technique still in use today. In 1858 HMS GANGES was based at Prior to this it was not un- Valparaiso, Chile as the flagship of the common for a to sit for Pacific Squadron. Admiral Sir Robert months waiting for a suitable Baynes was the Flag Officer and Cap- naturally grown timber to be tain John Fulford the ship's captain. located. A unique feature of the GAN- This was the year of the Fraser River The history of GES is that it was the first British war- gold rush and Fort Victoria, the Hud- our club burgee— ship to be built of teak; a decision that son Bay's fort on Vancouver Island set off a stormy debate in Admiralty became the stopping off place for part 2 circles where it was maintained by many of the prospectors heading for by Wayne S. Pearce many that British warships must be the Fraser River en route from Califor- For some time the British had been constructed from 'hearts of oak'. Brit- nia. Within a period of a few months aware that their warship design lagged ain, however, was running out of oak a tent city of over 6,000 tents grew up behind the French. The French with as many as 900 trees going into around the fort and Sir James Doug- could go about, wear, or sail closer to the construction of one warship. The las, the governor of the then British the wind than any of their British ri- GANGES was the first of nine ships to colony, became concerned over main- vals. The traditional British design did be built to the same basic design, all at taining law and order and asked Brit- not have the foremasts set back far Bombay and all of teak. These were all ain for assistance. With the memory enough, or the main mast far enough three-decker ships and were the only of the American war of Independence aft. In a big sea, therefore, the British three-deckers built outside of Britain. still fresh in her mind, Britain also was ships nose-dived excessively. Coupled The GANGES was a 2nd rate ship car- concerned that the large influx of with this was the British determination rying 84 guns and a crew of 700 men. Americans could threaten her claim to to fill even the smallest three-deckers She was 196 feet long with a beam of the area and in June, 1858 ordered being built with closely fitted guns on 52 feet. She was launched in 1821 and HMS GANGES to Esquimalt where she each . The result being that if the sailed to Britain where she was com- arrived on October 18, 1858. By this ship was heeling, it often became nec- missioned in 1823. time most of the gold seekers had essary to close the lower gun ports on Almost immediately after commis- moved on, however the GANGES re- the lee side. There is a record of a let- sioning she became involved in a mi- mained in the area where she engaged ter written by Admiral Mathews to the nor crisis that served to give the ship in charting some of the local waters, Duke of Newcastle following the Bat- and crew an independent character. took part in examining and issuing li- tle of Toulon in February, 1744. In this This was over the rum ration, a sub- censes to the prospectors and what battle against the combined Franco- ject dear to the sailor's heart. At this could be considered as 'showing the Spanish fleet the British had been able time the standard issue was a half a flag'. In the Provincial archives there to capture only one Spanish ship and pint of rum per man per day and this is reference to the GANGES being an- the Admiral complained bitterly that led to considerable drunkenness with chored off Kitsilano, trading with the of his fleet, he had only two ships of accompanying discipline problems Indians for fresh food. Also there is 90 guns and three of 80 guns that and lack of efficiency. In that year, the reference to some of the activities of could make use of the lower tier of crew of HMS THETIS voted to reduce the ship's officers and crew with men- guns if it "was blowing more than a their rum ration in exchange for bet- tion of Sir Robert Baynes’ attendance capful of wind." ter rations (meat every day instead of at various social events and to a Sir Robert Seppings, an outstanding two meatless days per week) plus an number of band concerts by the ship's Naval architect of the time, was given extra two shillings per month. This band and to a series of one act plays the task of adapting the French design move was viewed with suspicion by staged by the crew. to British construction methods. (As a the crews of a number of other ships To be continued...