ACA Sailing Canoes at 2010 MASCF

I admit, I have a soft spot for the ACA (American Canoe Association) sailing canoes. I've sailed them a couple of times and in a breeze they really scoot along. I keep on picking up one of these sailing canoes as a project that, unfortunately, doesn't go anywhere. I owned an Ultima fiberglass sailing canoe shell that needed to be decked. I sat on the shell for several years, traded it to Bob for some cedar strips, Bob sat on it for several years and finally sold the shell to Joe Depa, who finally put a complete sailing canoe together.

There were three ACA sailing canoes at the Mid Atlantic Small Craft Festival this past Octoer (John Depa was one of them) and they acquitted themselves well in the sailing race, taking a fourth and a fifth.

The open sailing canoe administered by the American Canoe Association has two main classes; the five meter with an open rig of approx 55 sq. feet and the ACA class that uses a one-design lateen rig of about 45 sq. feet (there is a third ACA sailing class, the Cruising Canoe which I covered in this post ). All classes must use a leeboard. All of the competitors bring one canoe and switch the rigs out to race in either class. National Championships feature 5 meter racing on one day and ACA racing on the other day.

Finally a picture of one of my projects that got finished off by someone with greater focus. Here is John Depa sailing with the ACA rig...........





Here is Larry Haff and another canoeist, whose name escapes me, sailing the 5 meter rigs.............



Larry Haff............



And the other 5 meter canoe...........