the CONCORDIAN A newsletter for lovers of Concordia yachts Fall 2011, Number 51 Nick, bowman on EAGLE, at the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. Photo by John and Laurie Bullard EAGLE, No. 92 Islesboro, ME As the new owner of Concordia Yawl Eagle, I now own drop dead gorgeous. three of the prettiest wooden boats ever designed. What surprised me most was my wife’s enthusiasm several Eagle (previously named Savu) was an almost accidental weeks later. (I carry pretty good life insurance.) At first I think purchase, and the end result of a road trip I took with an old she was really just trying to amuse me. She has reluctantly friend one perfect fall afternoon in 2009. That’s not to say I climbed aboard sailboats with our two sons and me for at least was ill prepared to view such a classic, having read and reread the last decade, and she has endured some pretty challenging Waldo Howland’s book and absorbed all that I could from weather conditions over these years sailing the coast of Maine. Internet sources. Ultimately I climbed aboard at least five While she appreciates the love for boats the boys and I have boats both on the hard and afloat from Padanaran to Islesboro, developed, the truth is she has been known to kneel down and Maine, and I concluded Savu was amazingly well restored and kiss the ground upon disembarkment Continued, page 3 NOTES It’s a cold, rainy Maine day as I write this. Golondrina was trying to get and keep the contact information spreadsheet hauled this morning and brought back to the house so sum- correct and up-to-date. I now have all but three owners cor- mer is now officially over. August was filled with sailing, but rectly listed. Anybody know how to contact Mark Webby, hull unfortunately, none of it on Golondrina. Oh, well. Next year. 104, in New Zealand? First, thanks for all the kind words and positive feed-back The other not fun job is begging for subscriptions. Just about the last issue. I’m learning the new-to-me skills of a barely enough of you sent in your $20 to get the spring issue graphic designer, which are not that easy, but I had fun putting out. If you have not contributed for the two 2011 issues, please the spring issue together. do it now. As a retired teacher living on Social Security who In my notes in the last issue that I mentioned that I would is supporting classic wooden boat addiction, I appreciate your like to move toward an on-line publication. We can’t do it prompt remittances. quite yet since 40 of you, out of a total mailing of 130, do not When you submit an article for the NL, simply send me an have email. Or at least I do not have your email addresses. I email. Not an attached document or some fancy layout, just in do not want to cut out that many owners and friends of the the text of a simple email. I’ll make it look good. Send pics as fleet which would happen if we switched to on-line. So, a plea: jpeg attachments to the email, the larger the file size the better. Please sent me your email address. Mine is: [email protected] If you don’t have email, write me a letter and that I’m willing My thinking right now that I’d like to keep creating print to retype. issues through the 75th Anniversary celebration in 2013. As I said in the last issue, this is your newsletter, not mine, You’ll notice in this issue that I actively sought out an so I can only make it as good as your submissions. owner to interview because I felt what he had to say might be John Eide of interest to the rest of us. I’d like to continue to do this. My chat with Jock Williams suggested to me that I’d also like to interview some of the people who keep our boats looking so beautiful and sailing so smoothly. So in the next few issues I’ll chat with a painter/varnisher, a ships carpenter, a rigger, and maybe others. If you have any suggestions, let me know. The questionnaire I sent out when I took over as editor also gave me some ideas for content. One topic that aroused many comments and questions was about the truss rod system, so for the article in this issue I talked to a number of people who have inside information about the system. Many of you wanted information on racing your boat, so I’ll cover that in the spring issue. If you have any advice, let me know. But many of you indicated you were not interested in racing. That’s great. Send me stories of your favorite cruising areas or anchorages along with gorgeous photos. If you did not respond to the questionnaire and would like to or are new to the fleet, contact me and I’ll email, ah... send KODAMA’s port lights you a copy. One really fun part of this job has been getting in contact INSURANCE with so many of you, learning about the fleet and fielding many questions. It seems many of you think, just because I In the fall Concordian you read that the insurance company took on this job, that I’m an expert on our boats, their history covering one of our severely storm damaged sisters did not and construction. Not really. What I do know is what I’ve cover the repairs because it occurred after the policy’s lay-up learned doing all the restoration work on Golondrina myself. date. It’s essential that you check your policy, note the lay-up Part of that knowledge includes a list of real experts on my date and get your boat out of the water by that date. However, speed dial who are willing to answer my questions and share you may be able to arrange a grace period if you haul later or their far more vast experience. I’d like to talk to them and pass launch earlier with or without an added premium. But, you on their collective wisdom. must contact your insurance agent or company. Please contact The fleet is aging so I’d like to use the Concordian as a them since each company’s policy may differ. repository for information on how to keep the fleet healthy and For example, this year I could not schedule hauling Golon- on the water. What are some of the common problems, like the drina until October 13, almost two weeks after my insurance mast step, for example, that are plaguing the boats and how mandated lay-up date. A quick call and an $11 check extended can we successfully solve these problems? the policy. Cheap assurance. But, there are two hard and not fun parts of this job. One is ed EAGLE, continued we’ve actually done much better. Maybe we start to jell by after some of our livelier adventures. But Day Two as a crew, or maybe we know we can no longer be aboard Savu, she was immediately at home and even more ex- shamed any further. Regardless, we’ve finished in the upper cited than I. It was no surprise my two sons were enthusiastic third in our class each time. And what a thrill to sail through about the purchase. To be sure they have never, ever, disagreed the town of Stonington under full spinnaker and mizzen with anything I’ve ever bought involving horse or sail power. staysail! It’s like having the prettiest float in a parade as the The deal was consummated. kayakers rubberneck and the townspeople gawk. We renamed her Eagle, a tribute to my boys becoming third Of course the granddaddy of them all is Day Three, the generation Eagle Scouts. The good people of The Concordia Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. This race has the advantage of Company in South Dartmouth had her sitting pretty on her starting and finishing in Brooklin, thus allowing us to leave lines when we arrived to take delivery the next summer. A behind the dinghy and an anchor (A little tidbit that escaped glorious five day sail with the boys brought her home to Isles- me our first year. Rookie mistake). The busiest of the races, boro, Maine. My wife’s responsibility was to secure dinner it’s hard not to get caught up in the shear excitement of an reservations as she happily followed us up the coast by car. event involving over a hundred of the prettiest wooden boats There are so many advantages to owning a wooden clas- ever assembled. The upwind leg of this race has been especial- sic boat versus the more sterile perfection in fiberglass. The ly spectacular as the crossing tacks are at once both terrifying character is just built into this boat, through her lines and and exciting, with boats crossing tacks like trombonists in a her history, and we are mere caretakers of that history. It’s halftime marching band. The tension is palpable at the marks, embarrassing to have complete strangers clutch their chests and conversations can be spirited among the sailors, as mere and declare their unabashed love for your boat, but that has inches often separate multiple boats at these turns. happened to us already on several occasions. These comments The downwind leg is also breathtaking, when the big sails inspire me to keep her at her finest.