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The Concordian

Issue #40, Fall 2005

 

Java #1

Vagn & Sally Worm

Nothing earth shattering to report about JAVA; she has just gone home for the winter at Bob Vaughan's Seal Cove Boatyard, Harborside, ME. This past season saw only local cruising in Maine waters. A trip from the Benjamin River to Southport Island on the 4th of July, and taking part in both the Essex Yacht Club and the Corinthians Maine cruises.

Last winter all wish list items were taken care of and we now have roller furling, a ice chest that is bigger and better and holds ice for several days while still visibly looking the same as the original installation, plus a new hand operated water pump in the head.

We still get lots of compliments from passing yachts, even in the "woodenboat capital of the world" (Brooklin, ME) all attesting to the excellent job IYRS made of her restoration, and the fine care of her yard.

This year's Eggemoggin Reach Regatta was the usual drifter. It never seems to blow for this event, and JAVA dropped out. Next year we plan to do all three days.

Congratulations To

David and Laura McCurdy on their purchase of #6 ROWDY (formerly TABAKEA); Terry Fisher and Diane Rosenfeld on their purchase of #34 MANDALA (formerly ORIANE); and Dan Harple of South Dartmouth on his purchase of Concordia # 52 TALIESIN (formerly BANDA) . Welcome!

Hero #22

Rick & Donna Peck

This summer was another great one on Hero. We had a lot of great weather, great sailing, great memories and as always really enjoyed time away from the day to day grind on shore. It is great to slip her mooring lines and sail away...

We sailed out of Hamburg Cove mid June and had some great day sails on the weekends prior to preparing for our summer cruise starting in mid July. We headed up to Duck Island in light fog that turned so thick that Donna, as look out on the bow, almost disappeared many times! We threaded our way in between the breakwaters and the various boats moored inside Duck Island to get in safely to Pilots Point. The rest of the 10-day cruise to Block Island and Watch Hill were blue skies and a great time was had by all.

During the first 2 weeks in August staying in the Thimble Islands, we met up with Abaco out near Faulkner's Island on their trip in from Block Island (by way of Maine). It is always great to sail along side by side with another Concordia... They sailed into the harbor and anchored in front of the cottage. They came on the island to fill us in on their Maine trip and had the opportunity to enjoy the view of their Concordia from the deck high above the harbor.

Labor Day Weekend we cruised up to Mystic to enjoy all that the Seaport has to offer. On the way back we headed for Hamburg Cove up the Connecticut River to leave the Hero near Essex for a few days prior to the entering the Governor's Cup Classic race the following weekend. We discovered our transmission was locked in forward as we entered Hamburg Cove against the late day exodus of boaters heading home at the end of the Holiday weekend. Over the next few days, we thoroughly evaluated the situation and gained insight and opinions from many. Despite the mechanical challenge, we participated in the Governor's Cup and had a great sail with a number of classic sailing vessels (schooners, yawls, sloops and even Easterner, Ray Hunt's 12-meter design). The challenge just required a bit more planning with regard to bridge traffic and fetching necessary moorings for the weekend activities. The organizers for the Governor's Cup put on a fantastic event and their hard work showed in the outcome.

Cove Landing and Dave Van Ness did a great job getting Hero serviced. The bright spot on the transmission repair was it allowed us the opportunity to inspect Hero's frames under the engine, since it was pulled out, to service the repair. Fortunately all looks great in the bilge. I even had time to clean out the debris that collects under the engine, red leaded the bilge and button her up before the engine and transmission was re-installed.

As far as additions on Hero this year, not much to share except retractable lazy jacks and a new set up for the running back stays. Hero's jib track is very short compared to what I have seen on other Concordias. Using 3/8 line, shock cord and a snatch block set up on each side, it ended up working very well. Shock cord is fastened to the eye on the end of the wire, runs down the stantion to a fairlead mounted on the base, then aft to the side cleat on the winch pad. The 3/8 line is secured to the eye as well, then directly aft through the snatch block fastened to the base of the forward mizzen shroud and then up to the top aft cleat on the winch pad. Essentially, when I want to use the running back stay, I pull on the 3/8 line, which pulls back the wire to support the mast. While this happens the shock cord stretches out. When I want to release the running back stay, I let the 3/8 line go and the shock cord pulls everything back in forward, quickly and neatly.

Nothing major planned for Hero this winter, but I am sure I will put a few minor projects (toe rails, paint and varnish) together to keep me busy.

Fair Winds to all,
Rick

Concordia Company

South Dartmouth, MA

CAPE TO CASTINE RACE

On July 31, 2005 the 2nd Annual Cape to Castine Race was co-sponsored by Castine Yacht Club and Concordia Company.

This event is a great way for classic yachts, and especially Concordias, to get "down" to Penobscot Bay in company and in a hurry. Being a relatively young fixture on the schedule it was difficult for a number of boats to block out the time, but we had a quality fleet of four yachts: Phalarope, Kee Nee Noh, Arapaho and Snowy Owl. After cocktails and a clam-boil at the yard the fleet proceeded through the canal at slack water, in time for a 2:30 p.m. start on the Sunday. The race itself was plagued by light air at the beginning and end, forcing the race committee to request the fleet to take their positions at 11:30 p.m. Monday, and proceed under power to Castine.

Through a complex series of calculations and negotiations it was determined (perhaps not unanimously) that the order of finish was 1st Arapaho, 2nd Phalarope, 3rd Kee Nee Noh and Snowy Owl DNF. Dick Taylor pulled in to Scituate, MA for a nice dinner and a comfortable night's rest. Arapaho was awarded the Phalarope Trophy, given in memory to Tom Ashton, late resident of Castine and owner of Phalarope.

The welcoming party at Castine Yacht club was second only to the party which followed at the Ashton's house, immediately up the hill. Ann Ashton invited all Concordia captains and crews in the Castine area and it was a splendid affair. Thank you again, Ann.

This event leads into a week of classic yacht racing culminating in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta on the following weekend. If you prefer to cruise, this is the heart of Maine's wonderful cruising grounds.

Why not mark your calendars now for the Cape to Castine Race 2006, which will be on the weekend of July 29/30?

Arapaho
Jeff Makholm of Arapaho and the "winning" crew.

RESTORATION PROJECTS

Niam was launched on October 4th following perhaps the most comprehensive total yawl restoration we at Concordia have yet undertaken. Owned by the Ryan family for 50 years (since new) the family decided to "put her in shape for the next 50 years". Following a detailed survey the work commenced and included:

With the major work complete, Niam was launched, rigged and commissioned so that the family could take her on a late season shake-down cruise. Any remaining loose ends will be addressed over the winter and the start of her next 50 years and will commence in the spring of 2006.

Niam

For more photos of the Niam restoration visit www.concordiaboats.com/projects_niam.html.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Maddy and I were lucky enough to be invited this fall to visit with Douglas and Susan Adkins both in Seattle and Orcas Island. As most of you know the Adkins's yawl Coriolis #82 was badly burned in the Seattle Yacht Club fire, and subsequently returned to Concordia for restoration. I'm happy to report that under Doug and Susan's care Coriolis is in great shape and appears to have fully recovered from the fire and the round trip back East. Visiting the Adkins Orcas Island home was Doug Cole in Irene #103, which is very well traveled and in truly remarkable condition.

Inevitably we split up families and manned the two Concordias for an informal (some hope!) race, in very light air on West Sound which is one of the most delightful sailing venues I have ever visited (not unlike the West Coast of Scotland but more trees and better weather).

Irene #103

Doug Cole

Our season was mostly uneventful. We had wonderfully steady winds locally most of the summer and enjoyed lots of day sailing. Our summer cruise took us to Princess Louisa Inlet in British Columbia.

In early September we had an informal Concordia rendezvous on Orcas with Coriolis and the Adkins. Kodama lives nearby on Lopez but was not ready to leave her dock due to some an earlier electrical problem. The MacDougal's did join us, however as did Brodie and Mattie MacGregor from Concordia in Padanaram. We divided crews one afternoon and did some casual racing on West Sound. I never did understand the handicapping, but we certainly had an enjoyable day of sailing. A nine boat six meter regatta was taking place on the same body of water which added to the visual stimulation.

Survey Results

Carol Lyn #50

How long have you owned your Concordia?

November of 2000.

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

Our yawl's name is CAROL LYN after my wife. Her hailing port is Rockport, Maine. Originally the boat was named ELECTRA. Subsequent owners named her DJAKARTA, BANJO, NJORD and JAKARTA.

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

I became aware of the Concordia Yawls in 1990 when I began searching for a classic wooden sailboat. We, living in Michigan and limited to a thirty-five foot boat ended up buying a thirty-four foot Hinckley Sou'wester sloop. Since the Hinckley was purchased in Maine and we asked a Maine company, Rockport Marine, to carry out a fairly extensive rebuild, over the next several months we had ample opportunity to see several Concordias up close.

After sailing the Hinckley in the Great Lakes for six years, I retired from teaching and we moved to Maine because of the sailing. Part of the move included trucking the Hinckley back to where she had been built and then moored for more than forty years. In the fall of 2000, we decided to see if we could sell the Hinckley and buy a Concordia. Not only were we able to sell the Hinckley the first week for the asking price, we discovered that JAKARTA was for sale. After a survey, we closed the deal on the boat that was to become the CAROL LYN.

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modifications? Etc.

This year we spent the entire month of August aboard the CAROL LYN. The first week was spent participating in the Castine Yacht Club's Castine to Camden Yacht Race, as well as the Eggemoggin Race Regatta. Following that, we cruised coastal Maine. Mostly, we let the wind and weather decide where we would go. Along the way, we met some excellent people including several Concordia owners. We particularly enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts from the Castine Yacht Club including Ann Ashton, the owner of PHALAROPE.

Next summer, we would be content repeating our experiences of 2005. Often, when asked about this summer's cruise, friends want to know what wonderful destinations we set for ourselves. One of the things we have learned about cruising Maine: it isn't necessary to have distant destinations to have an excellent time. Obviously, we are fortunate to have as our home-port one of the best cruising areas in the world. Even destinations just five miles away from our home in Rockport are absolutely terrific.

In terms of repairs, our principle objective is to continue the regular maintenance schedule established when we bought the boat in 2000. This means, amongst other things, at least two new coats of varnish on all exterior surfaces each year. With the addition of this year's new radar, all the electronics have been replaced. Next, we would like to increase alternator power and have better quality batteries. On a month long cruise, refrigeration is important, but it places significant demand on the house batteries. Amongst the things we learned this summer is that battery problems are often caused by the inability of stock alternators to properly charge batteries. Since an improved after market alternator with an external adjustable regulator appears to cost less than a new Yanmar standard alternator, it makes sense to make the improvements.

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails? Etc.

A windless and a deck washing pump would be nice. We also want to investigate a spinnaker sock of some sort, as well as a larger head sail. CAROL LYN is one of the 7/8 rig yawls changed to mast head rig by shortening the mast. Although there is no substitute for racing skill in a regatta, a larger headsail might help make up for some of the blunders we encourage through lack of racing practice and skill.

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefited the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

In our view, most modifications to the original design diminish the boat. On the other hand, GPS chart plotters and radar make a significantly difference in sailing comfort and safety. Although we continue to use paper charts and dead reckoning for navigation, entering narrow waterways and harbor entrances is significantly more comfortable and safer with the added eyes provided by GPS and radar.

Somewhere along the way the through hull for the electric bilge pump was placed under the counter stern. Each year the arrangement has caused problems. Although the boat doesn't leak, when close hauled on a starboard tack the suction created defeats the vented loop. In addition, although a gate valve was installed near the pump to prevent water in the hose from sliding back into the bilge, air locks develop making the pump run continuously. Perhaps routing the bilge pump outlet to the cockpit as originally designed was the better theory.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

We can not think of any other boat we would rather own than a Concordia.

Dolce #53

1. How long have you owned your Concordia?

One Year

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

DOLCE , Padanaram-South Dartmouth (formerly BEAUTY)

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

Beautiful lines, ease of sailing.

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modifications? Etc.

Cruising

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails? Etc.

New sails

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefited the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

She came to me beautifully maintained and modernized.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

Find crew more easily.

Horizon #54

1. How long have you owned your Concordia?

We purchased Horizon from Mr. Stillman B. Brown on December 12, 1995.

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

Our boat is HORIZON, boat number 54, A&R number 5271. She is a "41", built in 1957. Her current hailing port is Searsport, Maine. She was built with a transom and pilot berth to port, and with a cabin sole set somewhat lower inside the hull to provide for extra headroom. She was built with a teak deck, lead keel, and a cut away forefoot unlike any I have seen on a 41. Her double spreader rig was specially designed for her by Ray Hunt at Waldo Howland's request. I can only speculate that she was built for a particular customer who then cancelled the order, because there are several letters in the boat's file that indicate that she took almost a year to build. Several boats begun after her were completed before her. On completion of her construction, she was shipped by freighter directly from Bremen to Los Angeles. She was equipped on the West Coast and eventually was sold to Mr. William Mead of Newport Beach and named MELINDA. In 1966, she was sold to Mr. John M. Wilson of Santa Barbara and renamed HORIZON. She was sailed and raced extensively, and raced the Transpac at least twice.

In 1987, she was purchased by Robert Gorman of New Hampshire, trucked back to Concordia, renamed EURDYCE and refitted to be "original". She attended the Concordia fiftieth reunion in this guise, and then passed through several owners. She was CAKER during the 1988 - 1990 seasons, BALI for the 1991 season. In 1992, Stillman Brown purchased her and her name restored to HORIZON.

We purchased her in the fall of 1995. We had looked for a boat which was already in excellent shape and which had already gone through the Concordia "refits" that are necessary as our boats age. She was given a complete inspection by Concordia Company, and was trucked to her new home on Lake Michigan in the spring of 1996. We sailed her happily through the 2002 season, when my business life provided the opportunity to relocate to Maine. HORIZON found a new home at Benjamin River Marine in Brooklin, in company with her sisters FABRIELLE, KATRINA, STARLIGHT and PORTUNUS. We may hold the fleet record as the only boat that has sailed in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Great Lakes.

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

I grew up in the fifties in the land of Concordias, the shores of Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts. As a youngster I particularly admired SAFARI (28) and JAVELIN (57). Later in life, while living in Chicago and in partnership in another boat, I found MISTY (66) in a remote corner of our marina. We became great friends with the owners, Tom and Vicki McIntosh, who advised us on the care and feeding of a Concordia in a land where most wooden boat skills had long been forgotten. A visit to my parents, which also became a visit to Concordia, set the process in motion that resulted in the purchase of HORIZON. We have never regretted it, and hope to have her as a part of our lives for many years to come.

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modifications? Etc.

We are cruising types, although we may venture into doing the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta from time to time. Sailing in Maine provides almost limitless opportunities for exploring new territory and finding new locations to anchor for the night. The coast of Maine can keep us occupied for a long, long time to come.

Modifications? Probably not. We are quite happy with the boat as she stands and always wonder at the foresight of the original design. I like to keep my boats simple and uncluttered, so I don't foresee much change. Repairs are a part of our life as owners of these fine boats. Some say we are really "caregivers", and I would agree. HORIZON underwent some heavy work last winter in bow area to replace stem bolts, reposition (back to original) the forward floors back down into proper position and repair some movement in the stem joints. This winter we will go aft to the area of the mast step to the next joint in the stem-keel assembly and do some work there to eliminate some annoying "under sail only" leaks in that area. Beyond that in the out years, it will be time to replace the canvas cabin top, and at some point replace the teak deck with plywood and a teak overlay system.

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails? Etc.

The wish list is pretty short, other than a scheduled approach to repairs. This year we purchased a new main and mizzen to replace the set of Manchesters purchased in 1988 when the boat came back from the West Coast. At some point we might consider refrigeration, but that is some distance off.

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefited the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

I have found a few things that all owners need to look into, and have reported some of these in earlier issues of the Concordian. Check you forestay fitting for cracks in the bronze strap that runs down the stem. That strap carries a great deal of the load, and cracks tend to develop around the mounting holes for the screws. We found several cracks in our fitting. Second, make sure you understand how your backstay fitting is constructed and what condition it is in. Much to our surprise, we found that all we had was an oak beam which bridged three deck stringers and had no tie in to the rest of the structure of the boat. A failure of either the forestay or backstay fitting could have serious results. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is have your boat inspected completely by your yard annually, and by a surveyor every three years or so. These inspections should pick up items which you may not notice, and they also offer considerable piece of mind. I use the results of my surveys to develop a maintenance plan for the boat on a three-year basis.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

We have loved our time with HORIZON. I can't think of anything of significance that I would do differently, except perhaps to find a way to rearrange my schedule to allow more sailing time.

Off Call #58

1. How long have you owned your Concordia?

I have been the proud owner of my BELOVED OFF CALL for 17 years.

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

OFF CALL, Camden, Maine

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

A love affair that began around 40 years ago while a lad when I saw a Concordia sail by ......The knock out beauty of the hull shape, the rich details of the woodwork the various hatches, hardware and fittings. The symmetry and balance of the details add to it the warmth of the interior, the outstanding sailing characteristics with the split rig, which allows so easily for shorthanded sailing. I looked at many Concordias but none were in the condition I sought .......... Then one day my Dad said " you know that Concordia over in Townsend Gut you have always admired" and the rest is as they say HISTORY!

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modifications? Etc.

OFF CALL resides in Camden Maine which I and my family feel is the epicenter of the very best Sailing and Cruising to be found. Because of our base location we don't need to venture far to be very content. We gave up racing our boat several years ago and do not miss it. We do the usual cosmetic work/maintenance year after year........We have upgraded our electronics which are pretty close to a necessity if you want to move about safely in Maine when the fog rolls in. We have always practiced minimalism on board.......and we fell in love with OFF CALL because she was so original........so we have fought all compulsions to make her more modern and continue to rebuild and repair as things wear. This includes the original ice box, canvas decks, Gray Marine (gas) engine and the (cantankerous) WC Alcohol stove.

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails? Etc.

We are very happy with the boat as designed and built........the only drastic departure to originality I made was with my electronics installation. We have them permanently mounted inside the dodger. This now prevents the folding down of my dodger ......but allows easy trouble free access to my Radar and C MAP chart plotter. Since my last birthday I'm sorry to say my eyesight is no longer what it was.

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefited the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

I was fortunate to buy OFF CALL from the original Owner: Dr Clark Staples ...I wish I could have talked him into selling it to me 4 or 5 years earlier. Clark had devoted much energy in his life to OFF CALL. I often tell people it was more like adopting a child than buying a boat...he put me through quite a vetting process, he had always taken exceptionally good care of her. She was maintained and stored inside with the best yards in New England. This resulted in a very well found boat requiring mostly; cosmetic upgrading, wiring, etc.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

I can honestly say that I'd do nothing differently...it has been a great boat to share with my two sons, who have grown up sailing her; in and out and all along the Coast of Maine.

Sonnet #63

1. How long have you owned your Concordia?

I have owned SONNET since 1968.

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

SONNET, Oyster Bay, New York

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

When I moved near Oyster Bay in 1963 I had a Folkboat, which I sailed from it's home port to Nantucket for 5 years. In the course of getting out of Oyster Bay I'd pass Seawanacka YC where 5 or 6 Concordias were moored. I literally drooled over them but any thoughts of getting one were out of the question financially. In 1968 I was called by a yacht broker friend who said he had a Concordia 41 that HAD to be sold. I scoffed at him but he explained the situation which essentially was that a non-profit outfit had been given the vessel as a donation and they needed the cash pronto so they could claim some money donations to the national organization. I offered and extremely low price and after some sweetening I became the owner of the boat. Needless to say the learning curve from a 25 footer to 41 was steep, but with four sons to absorb the blows, we survived and actually began to race competitively. The vessel took a beating in our hands but survived 4 Newport/Bermuda Races and at least 12 Marblehead/Halifax Races. We did well. The boat became an important part of the family and continues to be so.

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modification? Etc.

I live from one day to the next and find it difficult to make long range plans. My physical health prohibits doing a lot of distance sailing either single handed which I used to do or short handed with my geriatric friends. I do plan to continue going on the CYC affairs. I do want to get up to Maine again next summer where I haven't sailed in 5 years. No major repairs or modifications are envisioned.

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails? Etc.

At this point I do not have any urgent wishes. It would be nice to have refrigeration but I don't foresee any long cruises where this might pay off. One of my daughter-in-laws who sails competitively says I should get new sails but we'll see. The old ones still catch air.

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefited the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

In 1995 SONNET was a basket case. The steel floors used on the 41's had pretty much rotted the frames and the vessel leaked like hell. Most of the ribs had cracked - another result of A&R's solid oak frames. I think you could have opened up the vessel like an egg box with so many cracked ribs. So I took it to Rumery's who had restored MOONFLEET and knew, contrary to Waldos statement - you couldn't take one of these beasts with just a screwdriver. Thirty eight new ribs, eight new planks, a new rudder and having spent a portion of the National Debt I had a vessel which cut through the water rather than slither thru it, was dry and had a new lease on life. In about 2000 I finally switched to diesel, a Beta made by Kubota, which has worked most satisfactorily. 1/2 the fuel consumption, more horsepower and trouble free. Other than completely refastening the teak decks and putting a Dynel cabin top on, nothing major has been done nor seems necessary. I consider stripping the topsides and varnish every 5 or 7 years as regular maintenance.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

Nope!! I'm happy with the 37 years of learning about the boat although it might have been easier if I had some familiarity with a Concordia from the start. They remain one of the most beautiful vessels of that size and a treasure to own.

Golondrina #65

1. How long have you owned your Concordia?

Since 1991.

2. Vessel name and hailing port?

GOLONDRINA, Portland Maine

3. What drew you to your Concordia?

I fell in love with the look of the Concordias in the spring of 1971 when I saw five or six being unwrapped in a yard in South Freeport. They were the most beautiful boat I had ever seen and I lusted after them during the next twenty years. The more I saw them on the water, and as I learned about their history and mystique, the more my love affair grew. Finally I was in a position to purchase my dream in 1991. Of course GOLONDRINA at that time was a cosmetic wreck, having spent close to 20 years in St. John, USVI, but she was structurally very sound.

4. What future plans do you have? Cruises, races planned? Repairs? Modifications? Etc.

I've taken GOLONDRINA back to the Caribbean on two occasions, in "98-"99 again in '02-'03 so I've sailed my dream. At this point she deserves a quiet retirement sailing the New England and Canadian Maritime coast with yearly classic regattas.

5. What items do you have on your wish list? Refrigeration? Windless? New sails,? Etc?

As I get older, I will continue to make modifications to the rig to make it easier to sail. Lazyjacks. Multipart mainsheet. Anchor winch. Self tailers on the mast. GOLONDRINA was built for and delivered directly to Los Angeles so she never had a cabin heater installed. We sure need one for the coast of Maine and I'll put one in soon.

6. What repairs/modifications have you made and how have they benefits the vessel's upkeep, performance, or comfort?

The two major modifications I've done to the interior are a CNG stove with oven, since I like to cook and enjoy the occasional hot muffin on a chilly Maine morning, and a SeaFrost engine driven refrigeration system installed before the last trip to the Caribbean.

The biggest structural change was adding Greg Tuxwell's truss rodsystem under the mast step. All the problems with the mast pumping, opening the garboards under the mast step and taking days to tighten up again were solved with that addition. It's non-invasive and works.

Pounding twice through rough weather in the Gulf Stream proved to me that it's the way to go. I've varnished, replaced a Westerbeke 4-107 with a Yanmar 3GM, varnished, redid all the wiring, varnished, installed new but basic electronics, varnished, replaced all the thru-hulls and piping, varnished. I've also done a lot of varnishing.

7. Is there anything you would do different?

Not waiting as long to acquire my dream boat, but I'm not complaining.

Praxilla #10

Dom & Deb Champa

Well summer of 2005 will go down as one of the best sailing summers for Praxilla. We spent almost 5 weeks aboard this summer with stops in Nantucket, Block Island, Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, Newport, and one week sailing around Shelter Island. The weather was great, the wind fair, and company we sailed with great.

The first cruise of the summer started with the CYC sponsored by IYRS. We had a great sail from Nantucket to Vineyard Haven with our Concordian Editor, Margo Geer, on board. It was great fun. It was fun as usual with many of the same boats returning. The second cruise was a week spent sailing in company with ABACO to Hamburg Cove and around Shelter Island. The weather that week could not be matched.

There is some thought of organizing a Concordia Cruise for next year... If anyone is interested please lets us know so that we can incorporate your thoughts into the planning process. Preliminary routes include Maine, but it is all very preliminary right now.

It is now the middle of October and PRAXILLA is scheduled to be hauled next week. See you in the spring.

Classic Yacht Cruise

July 9th - 15th

Thanks to Dom and Deb Champa for their hospitality aboard PRAXILLA. I had wonderful time following the fleet. Day sails included: Newport to Nantucket; Nantucket to Vineyard Haven; Vineyard Haven to New Bedford; New Bedford to Third Beach; and finally Third Beach to Newport. I learned quite a lot sailing on PRAXILLA from Nantucket to Vineyard Haven-as noted at right, a chart plotter was already on SARAH's list, and the Veuve Clicquot is a given, but I have now added a cannon to the Wish List....

Other Concordias present included #29 FEATHER, #40 SKYE, #63 SONNET, and #91 SNOWY OWL. SNOWY OWL remained an elusive bird, and I never got any pictures of her, but I enjoyed meeting her owner, Richard Taylor. ABACO's absence was noted and often lamented. Hopefully Jon and Dorothy will make the 2006 CYC.

Robert E. White Instruments, Inc.

711 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02111

(800) 992-3045 or (617) 482-8460

Rest assured... You've anchored for the night in a new harbor. Down below in your bunk, you listen to the rain and the rising wind. The boat is restless and the rigging is starting to sing. Has the wind direction shifted? Will your anchor drag? Do you have to leave the warmth of your bed to go make adjustments on deck?

Suddenly you remember that you have a Commodore TELLTALE COMPASS over your berth. It shows that your boat's heading has not changed since you dropped anchor. No need to go topside for now. You can put your fears to rest and drift back to sleep.

Your vessel is a major asset.

By reporting your boat's heading, the Commodore TELLTALE COMPASS is a source of added security. Check that your first mate is holding the right course or see if the direction of your anchor hold is still appropriate. Mount it over the skipper's berth or the nav. station and enjoy increased confidence in the safety of your vessel.

Solidly constructed of brass, copper and bronze, the TELLTALE is guaranteed a full 3 years. It comes as shown with a polished brass gimbal ring and mounting bracket. It is available now in limited quantity.

Boats for Sale

#NamePriceSellerContact
51 Vintage $105,000 Cannell, Payne & Page (207) 236-2383
11 Take Five   Peter Gallant petergallant@yahoo.com
35 Memory $35,000 Cannell, Payne & Page (207) 236-2383
36 Magic $95,000 Kingman Yacht Brokerage (508) 563-7136

Moonfleet #49

Jan Rozendaal

My father bought No. 94 "Katrina" in 1964 and sailed her hard including three transatlantic crossings and much cruising in the Baltic and the Mediterranean. She is a bright-hulled 41 and sailed out of Mystic shipyard for many seasons. Dad and mother cruised with the C.C.A. in Maine, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and Katrina served them well despite a gas engine (Palmer I think) that can only be described as unreliable and that is being charitable. When dad could no longer sail (he cruised alone with my mother well into his 80's) we moved the boat to Brooklin, Maine where my sister lives. She has been in the care of the Benjamin River Yard for about 15 years. She has received excellent care and with a new Yanmar, new structural keel, a complete centerline rebuild and vigilant attention to any trouble spots. She is in superb condition and transports us up and down the coast of Maine in style every summer.

My mother, who was the official owner of "Katrina", died in December of 2002 and we decided that my sister, Katrina Parson should become the new owner of "Katrina" so she will continue to sail out of Center Harbor, Maine. While I will continue to sail "Katrina", I decided to fulfill a long time dream and buy a Concordia for use on my home waters, Lake Champlain. I have owned a camp on Malletts Bay, Vermont for over 30 years and have owned boats and sailed on the lake for many seasons. For those of you who are not familiar with Champlain, the lake is about 100 miles long and up to 10 miles wide and is tucked in a valley between the Adirondacks to the west and the Green Mountains on the east. The lake has several very nice harbors, beautiful views and quite clean water. While less sporting than cruising in Maine, no tides, no fog, no lobster pots and fresh swimable waters have a certain appeal.

My first decision was a 39 or a 41. 1 had little experience with the 39's but thought that the smaller version might be more suitable for the lake and perhaps a bit prettier on the mooring in front of my camp. After looking at quite a few boats, I decided on a 39 despite the quite dramatically less room below compared to the 41. As I did not need a great deal of storage to cruise the lake the storage problem on the 39 was not much of an issue. To make a long story short, I ended up buying no 49, Moonfleet that I remember racing against in the Eggamogin Reach regatta when she was owned by Greg Carroll. She was in nice condition with new dynell decks and a completely refurbished interior but was reported to leak badly when rail down. She passed a survey by Capt. Paul Haley and we could not find any problems but we were not able to test her under sail. We trucked her to Burlington, put her in the water and sure enough when she was heeled over she leaked dramatically around the mast step. I continued to sail her gingerly last summer and this past winter she is undergoing the ever-popular centerline rebuild at Rockport Marine in Maine. Fortunately the structural keel was sound but we replaced all the floors and keel and floor bolts. She is scheduled to return to Vermont by the middle of May and enjoy her first season of fresh water sailing in sound condition. Lake Champlain is a "no Discharge" lake so we replaced the water tank under the port side main berth with a large holding tank. A foot pump supplies lake water which is suitable for boiling foods and cleanup.

There are definitely two classes of Concordias and I do not mean 39's and 41's. There are the boats that have had the centerline job done and those that have not. One buys a boat that has not been done at his or her peril. It is inspiring that new owners continue to buy and upgrade these wonderful boats but ownership should only be undertaken with a full understanding of what is required to put and keep them in good workable condition. I will report on Moonfleet after she gets a full season under her waterline.

Mystery Photo Debate Continues and the varnish files...

Mystery Concordia

Readers may recall this photo was originally published in Issue # 37. J.P. Sumner sent this picture he took in August of 1954 after Hurricane Carol. His notes said "Sister to Malay" and the picture was taken at Thomas Boatyard- (now known as Dodson Boatyard-Stonington, Connecticut). I titled it the "Mystery Photo" and asked Concordia buffs and historians to submit ideas on which Concordia this might be. After each publication, at least one summation and/or logical guess was presented. After the last issue's guess that it was #18, Armata, I received these two comments:

Regarding "Mystery Photo Sparks Debate" on page 15 issue # 39, the Concordia in question cannot be Armata / Spice as her topsides were not white. Her owners, Moreau and Alice Brown, specified the color red when she was built and delivered in 1954. Please refer to the black and white photographs on pages 118 and 139 of Concordia Yawls the First 50 Years that will show Armata emerging from the A&R yard prior to shipment with the dark (not bright) topsides. The Browns owned Armata from 1954 to 1961 and she was maintained, stored and berthed in Padanarum.

I would appreciate this being printed in the next issue # 40 and do not have any other opinions or speculation about the Concordia yawl that was wrecked during hurricane Carol in 1954.

Thank you
Tom Laird
Spice #18

And:

As you know, through the generosity of Brodie MacGregor and Concordia Co., Mystic Seaport now owns the Concordia Co. business files dating from the 40's through the mid '70's and over 600 related drawings, most of which deal with the Concordia yawls. As a Seaport volunteer I've been reviewing and cataloging them for the past 2 years or so. According to the files:

All 21 of the Concordias in commission in August of 1954 were built with fractional rigs and jumper struts, including the three 41s, ACTAEA, ARMATA, and SLY MONGOOSE III*. According to Waldo, the first masthead rig didn't appear on a Concordia until Ray Hunt modified HARRIER in the fall of 1956. (Many of the earlier boats were converted to masthead in the '60's.) The mystery yawl shows no sign of jumper struts.

*Drayton Cochran refers to the "masthead" rig on SLYMONGOOSE III on page 68 of "Concordia Yawal-The First 50 Years." He comments that she's an improvement over the old right with backstays. Her specs, however, show a double-headsail fractional rig with a bowsprit. I believe he's referring to Ray Hunt's design "14YD" developed in August of 1953 for the '41. The jibstay was raised 18" on the mast and a forestay was added for a double-headsail rig. The twin jumper struts at jibstay level were retained and a third jumper was added at forestay level. Hunt statted that with this rig running backstays were unnecessary for cruising and "may be used for racing, if desired." Cochran evidently omitted them. (As OTTER, she was converted to masthead in 1965.)

These three 41s all had a knuckle at the lower leading edge of their ballast keel. The boat in the photo does not appear to have this knuckle, but has the more cutaway 39 shape. If that's true, she's not a 41. Jack Sumner, who took the photo is a fellow seaport volunteer. I placed a call to him to obtain his input directly. Examining the original photo with a magnifying glass he confirms it's a yawl with double spreaders and no sign of jumpers. He is also quite sure the ballast keel has no knuckle. He remembers the boat was visiting Thomas Boatyard and her home port was in New York. SLY MONGOOSE III and WHISPER (a fractional 39) had New York home ports in 1954.

The mystery continues.
Joe Callaghan

Phalarope #13

Ann Ashton

I had a really busy summer sailing up in Maine learning how to handle the boat without my husband or son on board to hold my hand. My husband had always handled the sails while I was at the helm so had a learn the other part and did so quite successfully.

Summer of 2004 the Castine Yacht club had sponsored a very successful race honoring Sparkman & Stevens which ran from Marion, Mass. to Castine. There were ten S & S boats and one Concordia Yawl (us) in that race when we had 25-35 knot winds and we blew out our spinnaker. Anyway our club decided to sponsor another race with the Concordia Company to honor the Concordia Yawls and the prize was given in memory of my husband.

I took the boat down to Rhode Island for a family reunion and then brought on the mother of one of my crew members and my daughter. Us four females(two mothers and two daughters) cruised around Buzzard's Bay for five days ending up at the Concordia Yard. We all got off the boat and my son and his friends got on to race the boat back to Castine. Unfortunately they did not have nearly the winds as they did the year before so the race was called around midnight on Monday night.

Arapaho was the leading boat and won the trophy with Phalarope second. There were only two other Concordias in the race - Snowy Owl and Kee-nee-noh. Tuesday night I hosted a dinner party at my house which is right across the road from the Castine Yacht Club for all the Concordia owners and their crews who had participated in the Cape to Castine race and those who were joining us for the first leg of the Eggemoggin Reach Race series.

The Eggemoggin Reach Race was another disappointing rather windless day and probably more than half of our class did not finish. We did persevere through the whole race but finished about last of our pack who did finish. A couple of weeks later I entered my boat in the Retired Skippers Race and we finished a respectable eighth out of some sixty boats. I could not skipper my boat as I am too young but had a friend do it for me.

The rest of the summer was spent day sailing out and around Castine with many houseguests visiting me this summer. Last weekend my son and I took our boat around to its winter home which is about a two hour put from Castine. Both our radar and GPS gave out just as the fog rolled back in. Fortunately my son was able to get the radar back so we managed to get the boat into a very narrow channel without incidence. Earlier in the summer I had dreamt that I had gone aground but fortunately that did not happen this summer or our last trip in the fog. I don't know what we have planned for maintenance on the boat this winter. I kind of leave that to my son and Seal Cove Boatyard. They just send me the bills.

Captiva #100

John Bullard

Limited sailing this summer due to the press of personal, political and business commitments. We did sail to Maine for our neice's wedding in Boothbay. As we left the Cape Cod Canal, our 20 year old Yanmar slowly gave up the ghost. What winds there were came from the northeast so we barely made the wedding. We revised our vacation plans so that Boothbay Harbor Marine could put in a new Yanmar. The new owner of the old Samples Yard owns a Concordia and had just done the same operation to his vessel. All went well and we gave it good use returning to New Bedford over the long Labor Day week-end in mostly light airs. We sighted many large whales very nearby on most days. We did have several opportunities to try out our new Doyle asymetrical spinaker, main and mizzen staysail and they all combined for ease of use and new speed. We're now on the look-out for Abaco so we can try to get even for the many injustices they have visited upon us.

John K. Bullard, President
Sea Education Association
P.O. Box 6
Woods Hole, MA 02543
jbullard@sea.edu

Off Call #58

Peter Castner

Off Call is safe and sound hauled out in Camden Maine with a fresh coat of warm Turps'and Linseed oil applied to her bottom. Stored inside out of the wind and weather. We had a wonderful Summer sailing and Cruising the Penobscot Bay. Now that we are permanently located in Camden ...........we do not stray far! If you are in the area stop by and say hello, hard to miss us we are the only Gray Concordia in Camden.

We found a couple of new spots to anchor that are very well protected and very visually appealing. Having cruised in Maine since a tad it never ceases to amaze me when we find yet another new spot. On our last Fall cruise we had a wonderful glutonous Lobster Cookout complete with blended Pina Coladas.Nothing like the grinding and whining of a 12 volt Blender to spice up the night in an otherwise quite achorage. Have some paint work lined up for down below.............and otherwise I think we are in good shape.I'd like to have a better cockpit rain fly made .........so my mind is at work figuring out that design...........Happy sailing

Peter & Crew

Taliesin #52

Dan Harple, South Dartmouth, MA

Banda was the original first-ordered "bright" Concordia. She was bright for only two years and has been painted ever since. We commenced as part of the refit a process to bring her back to bright. We renamed her "Taliesin."

Winnie of Bourne #11

Peter Gallant

Take Five's name has been changed back to Winnie of Bourne. She has new chain plates and a new carbon fiber reinforced spruce mast. The insurance company, Acadia, is still refusing to settle the claim. We participated in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta and associated races, and also went to Newport for the Classic Yacht Regatta; a great summer.

Peter Gallant

Sarah #27

Margo Geer

SARAH continues to enjoy her 50' x 60' "home." And I continue to enjoy the security of knowing that she is safe and dry. Currently, all major structural work has been completed, and my shipwright, James O'Brien, has addressed every item noted in Capt. Haley's February survey. There is still a tremendous amount to do, but I find some satisfaction in knowing that things are coming together instead of being taken apart.

Milestones since the last newsletter include James removing multiple scarfs, plugs, and Dutchmen in the stem rabbit and replacing with one solid piece. Also, SARAH has seven new starboard planks and eight new port planks (or vice versa). All other planking was reused and is in place. The ballast keel has been sanded and primed with red lead. James fabricated new bronze brackets for the rudder and said rudder is hanging in its rightful place. As his final trick before leaving to go cruising for a few months, James did a magnificent job of rebuilding SARAH's cockpit. There are additional photos in my albums at www.imagestation.com. If you search the site for user name = "margogeer" - all lower case - no quotation marks, it should take you to a list of available albums.

Golondrina #65

John Eide

After I returned from the Caribbean in the summer of 2003, I hauled Golondrina to work on the horn timber problem I discovered before the trip south. In the fall of '03 I tore off the transom, cut away some planking, pulled the old horn timber and removed a few bad frame ends in that area.

Then the project got derailed. In February of 2004 I met Bruce Schwab when he made a presentation at Portland Yacht Services about his experience preparing for and sailing in the Around Alone race, the single handed, five leg, four stop race around the world in late '03, early '04.

His previous boat was Rumbleseat, a totally rebuilt 40 foot A&R built 30 Square Meter from the 1920s with a modern fin keel, spade rudder and state-of-the-art rig that he sailed in the 1995 Transpac to a record solo victory. I had raced against her, now named Diva, in a number of races in Tortolla and Antigua on both of my trips south. She is fast, maneuverable, wet and owned by an absolutely wonderful fellow, Dr. Robin Tattersall of Tortolla. Robin had a boat, Galetea, in the 1980's that was a rival of Golondrina's in the classic races around the Virgins. There was already a connection, of sorts, between our boats and us. And, my '03 Antigua Classic crew had just done a race on Diva and she said it was the wettest ride she had every had in her 30 years sailing.

Bruce was in Portland preparing his new boat, Ocean Planet, for the Vendee Globe solo non-stop race starting in France in November of 2004. I volunteered one day a week, which was fine, until the summer when I realized that he needed more help. Bruce was relying totally on volunteers, like me, to do the work and selling tee shirts for living expenses. From the 4th of July through Labor Day I spent about six and a half days a week sanding, laying up carbon fiber, rigging, wiring and doing whatever was needed to get him to the starting line.

Ocean Planet has a wood hull, in case you wondered. I never would have gotten involved if it had not been a wooden boat and if it had not had a wood tiller. Our slogan became "Real Boats Have Wooden Tillers" although he really wanted a carbon fiber tiller to save a few extra pounds. I never got around to making him the carbon tiller, for some reason. I also put two bronze screws in the hull and a nicely finished mahogany spacer hidden in the carbon boom we made (for an 1800 square foot main!) just to make OP a bit more like, well, our boats.

The payback for all my labor came when Bruce asked me If I'd like to join him, and three others, on the delivery to France in late September of last year. YES! A free round trip from Portland to Les Sables d'Olonne on the Atlantic coast of France on an Open 60 high performance offshore racing boat is not an experience to turn down. We averaged 12 knots for the 2900 miles, while avoiding hurricane Karl and a reforming Jeanne by outracing them rather than having to batten down and suffer through their furry.

With modern electronics and a fast, light hull, I am convinced that that is the way to go for an offshore or round-the-world cruising boat. Why wait to get beat up when you can see it coming and rapidly get out of the way? And it sure is fun surfing down the front of a wave, coaxing OP beyond 22 knots, while steering with that wooden tiller.

Bruce was the first American to finish the Vendee Globe race and is only the second American to have sailed around the world non-stop, the first being Maine's Dodge Morgan. He finished the race in 9th place out of 20 starters, a rather respectable finish considering he did it without major corporate sponsorship and with a total budget for the building and campaigning of Ocean Planet in both races of about $3 million. Most campaigns spend that amount just on the boat itself. You can read all about it at his web site: www.bruceschwab.com/ (go to news) or at the official race site: www.vendeeglobe.org/uk/home

Does that mean I'm abandoning Golondrina? No way. OP's 14 foot draft means most of the coast of Maine is off limits, the fin keel with bulb ballast is a guaranteed pot wrap catcher and Concordias just look nicer down below. My involvement with Ocean Planet did mean that Golondrina did not get launched this summer. She will go in next summer with a new horn timber, transom, about 10 new planks and a nice tucked and tightened rear end, ready for another 47 years or so. See you on the water.

Fall Issue News & Notes

The newsletter continues to be an ongoing process, and I appreciate the support in the form of feedback and contributions of sailing news and photos. I do my best to stay organized and keep the newsletter e-mails and written mail separate from the hundreds of other things I receive. However, I heard yet again that I'd omitted something from the last newsletter, so please let me know if you've sent something that hasn't been published. I promise it is inadvertent! This is the fourth issue since Skip Bergman trusted me with the responsibility. At this stage I believe my assistant, Claudia, and I have scaled the learning curve associated with the publication software and printer system. This issue has definitely come together easier, and the Spring Newsletter may even be published on time.

Concordia Burgees are available (16" x 24") and are $40.00 each (includes shipping and handling)

Joe Callaghan continues to work on cataloging the Concordia drawings and business files donated to Mystic Seaport. Copies of any of the materials are available at nominal cost through Mystic Seaport Ships Plans (860-572-0711). If you do not already have a copy of the information available relating to your vessel, I highly recommend it. The copies of the correspondence I have between Concordia and A&R on the construction of #27 and the original equipment list is an invaluable reference, and will be a permanent part of SARAH's Ship's Log.

In response to several inquiries, we are now offering advertising in 1/4 page, 1/2 page, and full page increments. Please check out the Robert E. White Instruments, Inc., Telltale Compass ad on page 16. Thanks to continued paid subscriptions and the advertising purchased by Mr. White, this issue brings The Concordian back into the "black" after my unilateral and rather expensive decision to print in full color.

Some interest has been expressed in creating a website devoted to the fleet, its history, and current status of the vessels. I am happy to donate the domain www.concordiayawl.com to the effort. Please contact me if you are interested in assisting.

Subscriptions are $20.00 per year and checks should be made payable to Margo Geer. Thank you all for your continued support.