The Concordian
Issue #42, Fall 2006
SUNDA #33
Concordia, South Dartmouth, MA
Concordia bought out the other members of Sunda LLC in 2005 and is working on completing the restoration as a "filler" project. Major remaining issues involve replacing a number of broken frames and replacing the teak deck. Progress has been slow due to other commitments, but we hope to have her back in commission in the summer of 2007.
STREAMER #21
Streamer LLC, South Dartmouth, MA
Originally built in 1954 for Rose B. Dolan of "Crisette," "Streamer" was purchased by a syndicate (Streamer LLC) in 2000. In 2001 a structural upgrade was undertaken at Concordia and the interior accommodations were replaced at that time, duplicating the original layout.
The layout is interesting, featuring an enlarged forward cabin with two full size regular bunks along with extra storage. To allow for this the head is moved back in the boat and the main cabin features an upper and lower berth on the port side and a cabin stove, sink and cook-stove far to starboard.
The project this summer was to finish the interior paint and varnish which had never been completed following the rebuild. "Streamer" is now complete and following normal spring exterior paint and varnish will be in great shape for the 2007 season.
IRENE #103
Doug Cole, Bellingham, WA
2006 was the least we've ever sailed on Irene, mostly due to work constraints and Margie's foreign travel all summer. Just a few overnights and occasional day sail, though we did participate on a CCA cruise with Abaco crew Jon & Dorothy Goldweitz. This was our first real chance to try out the new SeaFrost refer system. The only comment is that we should take the ice cubes out to thaw about an hour before we expect to use them.
A highlight was taking out my 12-year old "little brother" Taylour, whom I mentor through the Big Brother Big Sister program, and sharing with him his first time on the water for a few days in the San Juan Islands.
OFF CALL #58
Peter Castner, South Freeport, MA
Off Call is hauled and I'm sad to say another season is over. We had such tremendous weather from July 4th on, it was truly a wonderful Summer!
I'm happy to report that it was an "event free" season for us. No problems to speak of and everything pretty much worked and ran as it was intended. The Gray Marine ran well (even better after a mid summer tune up), the electronics did their deal, and the Blender kept cranking out the cold beverages!
All of these small miracles I'm finding should never be taken for granted.
I found a used Wilcox Crittendon Stove with a Cast Aluminum top and was able to finally retire the now very rusty iron topped one that I had. I took the opportunity to refurbish the entire stove which now looks and works as new. I did stay with the alcohol as I'm a major traditionalist, spelled: "Old School".
Speaking of which the latest addition to our Fleet, our Peapod, towed and rowed very well and we put many miles on her bottom this year. The fun we had rowing really added immensely to the cruises we made. We may wood the spars this winter and get them back to Bristol condition. A "little" more paint work below and I think we are good to go for next season.
Happy sailing!
Peter & Crew
ABACO #102
Jonathan & Dorothy Goldweitz, Stamford, CT
As we write this fall we are still enjoying delightful October weekend overnights with brisk sailing (often jib and jigger), bright sunshine, and cool nights with a Concordia stove-heated warm cabin below. We hope to sail back to the Connecticut River for winter storage at Cove Landing Marine on October 29th.
Last winter we finally tackled "the brightwork project", and are happy that we did. The toerails, cabin sides, and cockpit comings were all wooded at CLM and varnish coats were built up. The forward corner posts of the cabin house were refastened and now appear tight. We had a late launch and didn't leave the yard until early July, but then had a delightful cruise to Nantucket and then back west to Stamford. We met up with the Bullard's aboard Captiva off Penikese Island and sailed in company for an afternoon before rafting in Hadley's Harbor. En route home the following wee we rafted with Dom Champa and Praxilla.
TAMBOURINE #97
Linford Stiles, Bellingham, WA
Tambourine (#97) has for the past several winters been kept in Maine at the Great Island Boat Yard on the Harpswell peninsula. This she has returned to the Concordia yard where she will acquire some upgrades in the culinary department. (Refrigeration and CNG stove).
In the summer she alternates between Great Island, the Sheepscot River (where my son has a mooring off of his dock) and Castine. This defines her cruising ground for the short 3 months of the summer. I frequently single hand her as my wife is now dedicated to her garden. There is, in my experience, no boat that takes so kindly to a single handing skipper. She is well behaved and imperturbable. In the interest in preserving both the boat and my strength I rarely use the genoa. She is usually under main and club jib with an occasional mizzen flying.
This is our second Concordia. We owned the 41' when we had 3 or 4 children to accommodate and switched to the 39' when it was to be just the two of us. I find the 39' to be a little more tender and sportier.
VINTAGE #51
John Foley, Port Townsend, WA
In this business we tend to describe layouts, equipment, condition, etc. when we talk about a boat. I had to move the Concordia the other day and fired her Yanmar in order to move her a few miles. It started as a routine chore. There was 15 knots of wind and moderate water. I raised her sails and took her for a spin. Forget the layout, beauty, charm and elegance of this yacht. Concordia's are all about the sailing experience. I cut off the motor and sailed her for a bit.....then I stayed out for hours flying through the water. This is a magnificent sailing machine. Her balance is phenomenal. She taught me how to sail her after only one tack and one finger on her tiller keeps her nose down and slicing through the waves. The only squeaks and noises came from her lines as they tightened in the winches when we caught the wind. An unbelievable sailing machine. She moved as a cohesive unit, not a collection of parts. Her bilge pump never came on and while we were flying through the water and heeled over, when I got to the destination port, the brass saucer on the table was still exactly where it was when we left. She is that smooth. She slices through the water.
Walter Wallace, Wallace Yacht Co.
www.wallaceyachts.com
SARAH #27
Margo Geer, St. Augustine, FL
I always look at what I wrote for the last newsletter before I begin this update, and according to the spring newsletter, I hoped to have Sarah out of the warehouse by November. That's not going to happen, but I have made some progress, most notably the stripping, sanding and repainting of the cockpit.
The picture of the right is a little misleading because the seats are put in just for the photo. Nothing is fastened and everything needs to come out so I can finish reefing the cockpit floor seams and make a few repairs where the pedestal steering was removed years ago. Then things can go back together for good and that part of the boat will be done.
That only leaves reassembling the interior, installing the engine, planning and installing electric and plumbing, and then I need to finish refastening the deck, figure out the rigging, paint the topsides, etc., etc., etc.
There are times, especially when I stand on the deck and look down at all the loose interior pieces, that I can feel my heart race and the panic start. But standing there freaking out doesn't do me or Sarah any good, so I take a deep breath and think about all that has been accomplished, all of the wonderful help and support that I have, and just take it one piece at a time.
When I was in Newport for the Wooden-Boat Show this August, David Catlett invited me aboard #7 - Aureole and I got a chance to snap a few photos of the work he's done. In September I got to meet Chris & Chris & Kathy Grace and see #15 - Lotus. As with all of my visits and chances to meet other owners, both of these visits were waaaaaay too short.
YANKEE #37
Jim Cosgrove, Liverpool, NY
Yankee's Golden SummerPristine sailing, fun adventures and great times with friends aboard remain fresh in Yankee's wake as we see summer end and the advent of autumn on Lake Ontario.
Hardly was the yawl hoisted to her new hanger-like digs when the customary routine maintenance work commenced. Break out the sandpaper and varnish.
Summer '06 was special for Yankee and skipper both: Her 50th anniversary and her owner's 70th year were observed. A gala evening for both-with a birthday cake for each-highlighted a weekend of our Henderson Harbor Yacht Club home. Fellow members enjoyed tours of the spiffed-up Yankee docked at the Club and dressed with her signal flags for the occasion. A happy time, with warm compliments and chilled champagne flowed all evening.
Yankee's summer '06 log cites passages north to Canada and Kingston, Ontario's fabulous Confederation Basin, into the Thousand Islands region on both sides of the border and countless day sailing ventures in the eastern crescent of Lake Ontario. Her final passage in '06 reached west to Oswego, N.Y., and then on to her new winter quarters at Katlynn Marine at Sodus Point, N.Y. All in all, sailing conditions were great, with the usual fluky winds.
Yankee's upgrades and improvements this past year include, besides a valve job for the Westerbeke Diesel, new locust shell blocks for mizzen sheet and jib sheet. I myself fabricated the blocks using locust for the shells, silicon bronze for the straps and sheaves, and 316 stainless steel for the axle pins. Air-dried, straight-grained plank stock for the shells came from a country doctor's locust grove over at Palmyra, N.Y. The basic bronze strap and bar stock was shipped from Atlas Metals in Denver, CO, and the stainless rod stock was obtained at a Syracuse metal supply firm. I had a local machinist turn out the properly grooved sheaves. To seal the axle pins in the completed shells, I used bronze caps taken from old A&R and Merriman blocks. Finished nicely to a honey-like tone with 10 coats of varnish. Yankee's new blocks operate perfectly, perhaps even better than the originals.
With winter in mind, I plan to hit all the brightwork with at least two coats of Captain's Varnish. Some work on Yankee's main deck to seal off a recent, persistent drip (directly above the skipper's berth!!) is a must-do. We're now toying with the idea of installing an electronic wind system, but we're reluctant to run a wire down her Sitka mast to do so. A decision is yet to come on this item.
A happy winter to all!
WINNIE OF BOURNE #11
Peter Gallant, Newington, NH
We had a wonderful summer, the highlight of which was visiting Nantucket and participating in the Opera House Cup. Beautiful island, great sailing, warm water, best of friends. But it will be back to Maine next summer. We miss the fog, icy water and lack of wind.
We're planning on a Bahamas cruise this spring, but have to figure out how to get the boat from New Hampshire to Florida in March. So I'm looking for advice and recommendations. What are the challenges to trucking the boat that far? How best to prepare the boat? Shrink-wrap it? Who is a good trucking company? What boat yard would be recommended for stepping and launching in the Miami area? If anyone can help with these questions, please contact me at petergallant@yahoo.com.
We're very much hoping to install refrigeration. No one will come visit unless we can promise cold beer.
I just received a recommendation for Awlgrip's traditional one part varnish from a wooden boat owner in the Caribbean. Let's start a forum for coatings feedback. The less work we have to do to maintain these beasts the better! What do people use for varnish, paint, bottom paint?
Epifanes varnish is a pain to use and doesn't hold up well to UV, but it is fairly flexible. I have a built up base of that, with two annual coats of Z-spar Flagship, which brushes very nicely, has good scuff resistance and holds up to UV well. It's too brittle for the build up coats though. This combination works reasonably well, but I'm still searching for something better. I have had good luck with Interlux Top-lac on the topsides. Here in New England, I can get three seasons of use with annual waxing. It flows remarkably well, is a bit brittle, but keeps its gloss. I try a different bottom paint every year. It doesn't seem to matter how much I spend, the bottom still needs scrubbing mid-season. Cheap sloughing paints seem to work as well as anything. Has anyone tried the new paints with anti-slime chemistry?
Happy voyaging!
Peter Gallant
GOVERNOR'S CUP
Concordia Class at Governor's Cup - Essex, CT - 2007
This year the Governor's Cup was held on Sept. 9th and had 18 classic wooden sailboats participating ranging from 24' to 68' in overall length. There were Schooners, Sloops, Ketches, Yawls, and Cat boats in attendance. This year we had six yawls in our class with many back from last year. Hero (#22) was the only Concordia this year, where last year Abaco (#102) participated as well. The racing (non-spinnaker) was very laid back and owners naturally kept a comfortable distance away from each other. Everyone was very respectful of each other's boats and clearly enjoyed getting out for a great sailing event.
Next September the Governor's Cup will hold its 32nd Annual Regatta on September 15, 2007. In order to have a class just for Concordias, at least 5 Concordias need to register for the event. We hope this early notice will generate some interest in participating in the Cup. It is understandable how some may be a bit apprehensive about entering a classic race, but having participated, it has been a lot of fun! It tends to offer the right amount of racing intensity and camaraderie as well as a great venue being based in Essex at the Connecticut River Museum. Here is an opportunity to have an annual Concordia event within the Governor's Cup. Wouldn't it be great to sail side by side with several sister ships off of Saybrook Light?
We hope you will consider participating in the Governor's Cup in 2007 and taking advantage of this great opportunity.
If you have any questions about the event, please contact us directly.
| Rick Peck | Jon Goldweitz | |
| #22 Hero | #102 Abaco | |
| Thimble Islands | Stamford | |
| 203-640-4844 (mobile) | 203-722-2779 (mobile) | |
| hoodsailsrp@aol.com | jcg@optonline.net |
BOATS FOR SALE
| # | Name | Price | Contact | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Halcyon | $59,000 | Nantucket Yachts, Inc. | (508) 325-5500 |
| 8 | Never Again | $125,000 | Bartram & Brakenhoff | (401) 846-7355 |
| 14 | Saxon | $85,000 | Gray & Gray | (207) 363-7997 |
| 21 | Streamer | Concordia Company | (508) 999-1381 | |
| 35 | Memory | $35,000 | Cannell, Payne & Page | (207) 236-2383 |
| 43 | Raka | $75,000 | East Coast Yacht Sales | (207) 846-4545 |
| 44 | Lacerta | Concordia Company | (508) 999-1381 | |
| 51 | Vintage | $105,000 | Cannell, Payne & Page | (207) 236-2383 |
| 78 | Matinicus | $145,000 | Cannell, Payne & Page | (207) 236-2383 |
| 97 | Tambourine | Concordia Company | (508) 999-1381 |