Header Photo: Sunfish in Big Waves off Wrightsville Beach

The previous header photo was of a Sunfish racing in the ocean off Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina in their 2018 World Championships. It blew the whole week and the waves were tremendous for offwind sleigh rides. I harvested this photo from the Internet and don't have the name of the photographer. I would appreciate if someone could help with a name.

My2Fish did some research and pointed me to the web page with a slew of great photos from the Wrightsville Beach Sunfish Worlds. TOH to My2Fish.

Douglas Fowler Finishes Restoration of Bill Garden Paper Canoe

Time to wrap up the saga of the Mystery Canoe. For those who want to dig back into Earwigoagin to review previous posts, click on the following links:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Some winter work

Douglas Fowler sends along photos of the finished restoration of the canoe model. What a gorgeous sailing canoe! There is no-one better in the World at canoe restorations than Douglas Fowler; just for the simple fact that it is a rare occurrence to come across an individual who is such a perfectionist. Douglas ruminates on wrapping up putting this model back together:

"Well it’s finally done! Probably won’t try this again. Massive amounts of time with the sails causing me particular agony! Didn’t see that one coming. Being made out of paper also added a difficulty factor as well. I’ve had a plexy case made so I’ll close it up tomorrow. Having trouble finding a clear surface to put it on. Still want to have a little plaque made identifying it for the base but that can wait. My sign shop is closed up so I can’t go and design it with them. I enjoyed restoring it and it certainly was a worthwhile project. Maybe someday I’ll build a full size one although probably not out of paper as spec’d. It would be a good one for cold molding out of some type of veneer or even a thin plywood bending panel. At 20’ it would be a good size for this lake. I wonder if a full size one was ever built and if somewhere in the Northwest it still exists? I suspect being made of paper with plywood ribs and bulkheads the chances aren’t very good."

 

Tom Price Pencil Drawings

Good friend, Tom Price, top-notch racer and also an artist, sends along these pencil drawings he did as trophies at a recent Star Regatta. Obviously most of them are of Stars but he also did a nice one of a traditional tall ship, I think a barquentine. Just superlative work! As always click on one of the photo to get an expanded view.

Classic International 14 up in Alaska

Here at "Earwigoagin Central" we receive the odd email every now and then. Murray Buttner updates us on the travels of the Ames 2 Classic varnished woodie International 14. (The previous history of the Ames 2 International 14 can be found over at the CBIFA blog.

"I recently purchased her ... and she is now up in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. There is a huge, beautiful bay here. Steady breezes (except when it’s howling) and well protected from all directions except the North/Northeast. With her smaller 420 rig she is perfect for this San Francisco Bay of the North!"

Some beautiful photos of Murray sailing the Ames 2 during the Alaskan winter, snow-capped mountains in the background.

Radio Control Model Yachting and a Rich Man's Toy

The previous header photo was of some chaps in Australia racing radio control model yachts, specifically the A class model yachts, the biggest of the RC classes. Some out in Interweb land interpreted this to mean that Tweezerman, in his dotage, had resigned himself to sailing from the shore, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The few times I have tried RC model yachts, I found that, spatially, I am challenged to sail properly when I'm off the boat. (Read this to mean dangerous to fellow model yachts as well as buoys of the course.) Also, my finger reaction with joy sticks and knobs is pathetic. Thirdly, racing model yachts doesn't excite my passion the way a full size dinghy does.

The reason I post this; If I was of the 1% crowd, and, if I was to pour some of my ill-gotten gains into a keel boat, I would want a custom built yacht with a long, long overhanging stern. I love those classic long sterns. There would be nothing cooler than be a a helm of my yacht and look astern at a transom that goes on forever. And where does the RC A class model yacht fit into this. They have the longest overhanging sterns going. Just look at two pics of the current crop of designs.

So as a 1% playboy, I would take some play money and have a full sized A-class model yacht built, say about 10 meters in length; designed to sail with only two people; minimal accommodation under a tiny coach roof; completely impractical. But I would have that long, long beautiful stern and the stern waves curling off  the hull and those waves finally rejoining the playing field off in the distance astern.

And that would be sublime.

Header Photo: RS Aero Start

The past header photo I decided to give some love to one of the new crop of singlehanders; the RS Aero. The header photo, lifted from the InterWebs a couple of years ago, features a start in Seattle when they were sharing the line with some Lasers. Now that the new singlehanders have been out for a while, I'm not in the loop as to how the new classes are doing vis-a-vis the Laser. I haven't seen any real movement in Annapolis away from the Laser. If anyone knows the photographer let me know. I always like to have an attribution for a photo. Feel free to comment.

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• The ISAF trials for the new Olympic singlehander.
• Some recent vids of singlehanders including the RS Aero.

Update on the California Jester Dinghy

Xenon Herrmann sent along an update to history of the Santa Cruz Jester Dinghy. It looks like the Jester was based on an earlier "East Coast Dinghy."

"I own an ancient 8' plastic-classic sailing dinghy which I believe is the "generic East Coast dinghy" upon which the Jester was based (according to Skip Allen quoted in the July 2018 Latitude 38 article on Made In Santa Cruz Race Week It came with a stainless steel tube at the bow which I figured was more than a fishing rod holder based on the El Toro rudder and gudgeons on the stern which came along with it. The previous owner used it as a rowboat, but I built a conservative lateen rig and a leeboard; it has no daggerboard slot. Much of the wood was rotten, which I've replaced. Since taking the photo showing the sail, I've made a taller mast for it and have begun experimenting with adding sail area, though even with the 30 sq. ft. sail shown it will sail in glassy conditions. It is an absolute joy to sail.

Xenon sent along two photos:

The original stainless steel mast tube.