The Concordian
Issue #46, Fall 2008
70th Reunion
View of the 70th from ARAPAHO, for Concordia Co. Inc.
With a yawl that calls Padanaram home, and as a NBYC member, it is hard to describe just how long-anticipated this event was.
We set out south from Rockland on the 5th, speaking with Katrina on KATRINA, near Tenants Harbor (who sent her regrets to the fleet). Mercedes and I spent the night in Jewell and then ran into very heavy weather (25 kt headwinds and heavy rain, 6-8 ft waves) on the way to Gloucester. Under jib and jigger, we saw no boats for many miles until spotting another forlorn boat in the distance, motoring south -- PHALAROPE! Ann and her doughty crew had come out of Biddeford, regretted it, and had considered turning back. But we both decided that two wet and battered yawls on a mission to get to a cocktail party on time were better than one, and we pushed through the squalls to Portsmouth. Next day to Gloucester, and then a long 88 mile day to Padanaram; arriving together just as the rest of the fleet was having its second cocktail. Seeing so many Concordias moored in Padanaram warmed our hearts after the long, wet trip.
The race on Saturday was a treat. Indeed, the actual racing itself seemed almost like a postscript to a wonderfully delayed start that permitted the fleet to circle aimlessly for an hour; examining and admiring kin who we see far too infrequently. Compared to the anxious competitiveness of organized ocean racing or round-the-buoy racing, the event in Buzzard's Bay was a typical, good-natured Concordia contest. ARAPAHO, with both Callaghan and Stuart MacGregor aboard, was guilty of an utterly shameless display of local knowledge by sailing inside the Dumpling Rocks. And only one of the first three boats to finish in the spinnaker class actually read the sailing instructions. One has to admire ABACO and John Goldweitz's able crew of West Coast Concordia veterans (Doug and Susan Adkins and Doug Cole) for that (given what went on in the non-spinnaker contest, perhaps ABACO was the only one who read those instructions!).
Saturday was a most enjoyable dinner under the NBYC tent, and Sunday was a relaxed day, spent eating, catching up and visiting Concordia's modern and spotless shop on Gulf Road. All in all, it was a great pleasure to see everyone at the epicenter of the Concordia tradition. The beauty of our boats, the warmth and care of us all for each other made for a wonderful weekend. Whether we raced or cruised, flew a spinnaker or didn't or deigned to race at all, sailing in your companying in Buzzard's Bay for a whole day long gave me and the rest of ARAPAHO's crew great happiness. Thanks to Brodie, Carol and the whole Concordia staff for making it possible.
A large collection of great photos of the fleet from the event can be seen at:
- http://gallery.me.com/wildswan
- http://cahill.smugmug.com/Boats
- http://www.concordiaboats.com/reunion_2008.html
View of the 70th from Doug Cole, owner of #103, IRENE
Concordians will generally drop everything in order to gather with other Concordians. The 70th anniversary in 2008 was a good excuse. The Pacific Northwest fleet, consisting of Coriolis, Sumatra, Lotus, Kodama, Vintage and Irene, joined up at Doug and Susan Adkin's summer home on Orcas Island in early July and merriment was enjoyed in true Concordia fashion. All were impressed with the recent and very beautiful restoration of Vintage. A fine potluck dinner was shared ashore followed the next day by an informal regatta on West Sound. Sumatra took home the fleet perpetual trophy. Thanks again to Doug and Susan for hosting the fleet.
The East Coast fleet assembled at Padanaram on August 8 and 9th. 39 boats were present as were the owners of several others, including half of the PNW fleet. Brodie and his crew provided a wonderful weekend of socializing, eating, racing and even an open house at their new facility on Gulf Road.
Saturday's race started slowly while waiting for the wind to develope in typical Buzzards Bay fashion. This gave everyone plenty of time to admire a rather handsome collection of classic boats. The racing fleet was divided into three groups: Spinnaker, non-spinnaker and well, those who might wish to take a leisurely dip during the race. Spinnakers were in order at the start, but off Round Hill it turned into a beat. Winnie was first to the weather mark followed by Abaco and Arapaho. After a few downwind jibes and on opposite sides of the course, Winnie and Abaco converged near the finish line off the Padanaram breakwater. Winnie was first across but along with several others, inadvertently took Hussey Rock mark on the incorrect side. Congratulations to Abaco and Jon and Dorothy Goldweitz for a good race. Cheryl Strohmeier presented Abaco with the new Malay trophy. There was some confusion as to the finishing order of the other classes due to uncertainty about the race course, but regardless, there is no dispute that it was a very enjoyable weekend. Thanks again to Brodie, this crew, Concordia Company and the New Bedford Yacht Club.
Sumatra #76
Scott Dethloff, Portland, OR
We purchased Sumatra in excellent condition. However, significant work was still required to bring the boat back to top condition. Our focus on this refit was the hull. The work was done in two phases beginning in September 2006 and ending in July 2007 by myself, partners Michael Delegarza and Paul Sifried, and various hired experts. The work included repairing rot in the stem, cleaning and sanding the bottom, bedding the keel, wooding the brightwork (except masts and booms), revarnishing (12 coats), renovation of the main and butterfly hatches, new awlgrip deck, rebedding all deck fittings, winch maintenance, repainting the topsides, and installing electronics upgrades (GPS and VHF). Before and after photos of the brightwork and deck are provided on the following page.
Sumatra was initially hauled on 16 September 2006. After pressure washing the bottom, we inspected the bottom and found softness at the forefoot stem joint. We determined this softness to be due to freshwater intrusion and rotting of the stop water. Freshwater collected in the forepeak (station #3) due to a plugged limber hole.
Repair involved wrecking out one plank on each side (10 ft stealers). An additional 12-foot plank on each side was also wreaked for improved access. A large crack on the forefoot starboard side was carved out and replaced with a glued in block of black locust. In addition, 38-cm of the lower stem (laminated) was carved out to remove rot. It was determined that the laminated stem was a previous repair. The joints were previously epoxied and all failed because epoxy is a poor material choice for this application. The rotted portion of the stem was replaced with a solid carved piece of black locust, through bolted to the keel and set into dolphinite bedding compound. The bare wood was primed with red lead. The original soft pine stop waters were replaced with new stop waters made of Port Orford cedar.
After the rabbet was recreated on both sides, the planks were replaced with Sapele (African Mahogany) by Miguel Winterbern of Freya Boat Works, Port Townsend, WA. Plank replacement took about 24-hrs and included spiling, cutting, planning, fitting, hanging, faring, bunging, and corking. We used a very narrow roll corked seam.
We also rebedded the forward section of the ballast keel. To complete this, a forward stainless steel keel bolt was removed. This bolt showed no water intrusion. The area was reefed out completely and a mixture of roofing tar with a small amount of Portland cement was troweled into the opening. The keel was then jacked up and the keel bolt progressively tightened.
Other work included sanding and repainting the bottom (Petit Trinidad #1375 green) , sanding and repainting the top side (Petit Easy Poxy gloss white, 2-coats), and repainting the boot stripe (Petit Easy Poxy jade green). A new Garmin 3205 GPS chartplotter was added in August 2006 to aid navigation and as a safety feature. The chart plotter will be integrated with a new DSC equipped VHF in Phase 2.
Phase 2 RefitThe second phase of the refit began on May 10 and was completed on July 13, 2007. The boat was hauled, masts pulled, and placed into covered storage. Deck fittings, including all the stanchions, were removed. The main and forward hatches were also removed. All wood from the toe rails up was wooded and revarnished. We used two coats of Mar-X-ite as a sealer followed by up to 12 coats of Epiphanes high build varnish. The varnish was thinned with penetrol to help it flow on more easily. All cleats, wood blocks, and the dingy chocks received a minimum of 7 coats of varnish. Sumatra has teak toe rails and locust deck fittings, which set off the beautiful rich deep mahogany color of the house.
Next the deck was repainted with Awlgrip. We used a custom sand color that looks great against the mahogany house. The main hatch was glassed over (4 coats) and painted with the same Awlgrip as on the deck. The forward hatch was also wooded and revarnished. This work compliments a rebuild of the butterfly hatch that took place in winter 2006. Next six of the seven winches on board were stripped down, cleaned, greased, and reassembled. All six are self-tailing. The two mast winches are stainless single speed. The four cockpit winches (Lemar #54 and #30, self-tailing) are bronze two speed. All winches were in good shape despite some grime build up since the last time the winches were serviced. It took about 6-hrs for two people to service the winches.
Rebedding all the deck fittings took about two days with between two and four people working. Wood on wood pieces were bedded in dolphinite. Metal fittings on the awlgrip surface (including stanchions, dorade, stove vent, and others) were rebedded with 3M 4000. The mushroom vent on the aft deck lacked an attachment bolt, so we machined a new one with fabricated installation system.
We re-launched after 8 weeks on the hard. All of her seams opened during the work and she took on an estimated 200 gallons per minute for about 1 hour. Leakage quickly reduced to about 30 gpm after three hours, 15 gpm after 6 hours, and virtually zero after 18 hrs Future Plans Mainly do some sailing. When not sailing, add a bow roller for anchoring, a chain genny to the windlass, propane cabin heat and galley stove, sound insulation around the engine compartment, new boat cover and canvas, and new sails (at some point).
Hero #22
Rick & Donna Peck, Thimble, Island
Well the sun is setting sooner, there's a bit of a chill in the air, the blues are running and the coast line is filling with beautiful colors. It really is a great time of the year, but it is also that time to start preparing to take Hero to Pilots Point for winter wet storage.
As to sailing time, we did more cruising on Hero this past season than we have ever done in previous seasons. Besides the weekend day sails, we slipped the mooring lines in company (two other boats, kids and gear) for a three week cruise by way of BI, Cutty, Edgartown, Nantucket, then Vineyard Haven (north swells with east wind in harbor not recommended), Padanaram via Woods Hole, Pt. Jude and home. As many of you know going through Woods Hole can be interesting. Being an Alumni of Sea Education Association, Woods Hole is a special spot in my memory, so it was great to have the opportunity to sail Hero through those waters. We had excellent cruise weather and sea states, with the exception of our first day out where we go caught up in fast moving T-storms on LIS.
As to the highlight of our cruise it was clearly the 70th anniversary Concordia event! We rarely see other Concordias, especially in numbers of 28, and the sight was just incredible! Brodie, Stuart, Carol, Peter and everyone else at Concordia did a fabulous job with the event. It was great to meet so many other Concordia owners. It all went too fast and soon we were on our way down Buzzards Bay to Pt. Jude with a lot of great memories. A special big thank you to Carol for securing two extra moorings so our cruising in company families aboard Fusion and Tenacity could be a part of our crew of nine on Hero!
As to winter projects for Hero not much is planned, at least yet. But as many of you know there are always things that turn up. Hero's survey by Paul Haley last Spring proved that she is in great shape with no major issues. Hero got her first ever electronic wind instrument (TackTick) this past Spring along with new Hood Main and Mizzen and all performed great.
Fair Winds to All, Rick, Donna & Michelle
Amphora #9
Rob Des Marias, Clinton, AR
Amphora survived her road trip from Connecticut to Arkansas in May. Like a lady who has been ignored and neglected she wasn't quite ready for backyard banishment-again! The shipper arrived midmorning, crane in place, site work done, the driver pulls over and looks at the road, shakes his head and says, "high center." Plan A out. We look at three others options to get to the property and he's not convinced that he could make the turns or if he does, he'll get out.
More head scratching with Steve the crane-man and Joe the truck driver and a few other uninvited guests. In deciding where to off load, I noticed no boat stands?? All I received was a shrug and 'nobody told me to bring any stands." Nice! After many many calls, we could use the parking lot of the old Walmart in town. Off we go, pack up crane and back down the mountain. Now it was time to figure out how to store it until a differnt hauler could bring her home for some work. Suggestions ranged from laying her over on her side on the grass (not mine and not happening) to a truck load of railrod ties cut up as blocking, to building a cradle with 5x5's, the winner! Five or six hours later she's upright on her own, a little down in the bow and definetely the center of attention in Clinton, Arkansas. A few weeks later, crane returns to rebuild cradle on a questionable borrowed trailer. Probably even more questionable is my wood cradle on the trailer? Stands arrive in Conway, 90 mile round trip for me, boat makes it up the mountain without incident.
Presently, I am just waiting for Steve the crane guy to come out and set some trusses for Amphora's shop where she'll finally be sheltered after 16+ years of being in the elements. I am looking forward to actual getting things rolling.
Lastly, I thoroughly enjoyed the 70th, the 2nd place finish on Golondrina and the advice, offers and words of encouragement from those that have been there! I hope to be there with vessel at the 80th, or sooner.
Abaco 102
Jonathan & Dorothy Goldweitz, Stamford, CT
After an early launch in April, we enjoyed great cruising in the waters from western Long Island Sound to Nantucket this season, and Abaco is again decommissioned in Hamburg Cove.
We did not travel far, but took three fine cruises and had many weekends afloat, spending 70 nights aboard since launching. We met up with many old friends on the water, visited family members, and even rafted with friends of Doug Cole who Jon met while cruising aboard Irene (#103) in British Columbia in early September of 2001. This couple sailed to New England aboard their 1962 wood yawl, Starfire, via Cape Horn, and met us in Block Island in late June.
In August we joined the Concordia 70th Reunion in Padanaram and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with long time Concordia friends as well as making many new ones. It was hard to imagine that 40 years had passed since Jon's 1st summer sailing aboard Abaco. We were fortunate to have Pacific Northwest Concordia owners Douglas and Susan Adkins (#82 Coriolis) as well as Doug Cole aboard for Saturday's racing. After a tour of the new Concordia facilities on Sunday we sailed in company to New Bedford with Praxilla, Skye, and Captiva where we joined the Stamford Yacht Club cruise that was cleverly planned by cruise chair Dom Champa (#10 Praxilla) to follow the Concordia weekend.
In late summer we headed east once more and after dodging gales and following hurricane tracks, joined the fall CCA cruise in Block Island for a week of breezy sailing days and cool fall evenings. This cruise conveniently ended in Hamburg Cove, so no late fall delivery to the boat yard was needed.
We have a list of small (hopefully) winter projects to keep us busy until spring, and plan to get down east to Maine and Nova Scotia again next season.
Golondrina #65
John Eide, Portland, ME
Golondrina turned 50 this summer so I decided it was her summer with a party shortly after her launch in June, tee shirts, a few races and one boat show. She did well for her age.
The first race was the Camden - Brooklin feeder race where we got a good start, were near the front of the pack as we entered Blue Hill Bay then lost it all when we picked up a pot buoy. By the time we got the line untangled, then discovered that the buoy was still in the aperture which took more time, we lost about a half an hour and were well in the back of the pack. Unfortunately, my crew knows that I feed them well on Friday night so they voted for food rather than racing. Oh, well, that's racing in Maine.
Saturday was much better with another good start, some smart decisions on the part of my tacticians and careful attention to sail trim. As almost everyone went south to get the filling wind, we opted to stay north of the lay line and play the current, which we knew was not going to be as fickle as the wind. Sure enough, as the wind came in, the boats to the south had to beat up to the finish against the current while we reached down. First in Classic B, and first Concordia.
I had an uneventful (well, fog and thunder squalls and whales and close fishing boats are normal, I'd say, for a passage across the Gulf of Maine) solo overnight passage south and into to Buzzards' Bay for the 70th Reunion. I always get a thrill entering Pandanaram, although I do miss the radar tower. The weekend was wonderful, connecting with old acquaintances as well as meeting new owners.
One new owner is Rob DesMarais who purchased hull (hulk?) 9 last spring. We connected through the Sailing Anarchy web site as he was pondering getting the boat from Connecticut to Arkansas so he agreed to crew for me on the Saturday race along with three of his sailing buddies. Also, last spring I reconnected with a sailing friend from Minneapolis who I met when were were both kids sailing E Scows on Lake Calhoun, so I invited him out for the event. Gary had never sailed on a keel boat, a boat that weighed more than 1000 pounds, on water that moves up, down and sideways, so this was an experience for him. As we were heading for the finish line, I asked Gary how racing Concordias compared to racing Scows. "Well, to be honest, it's a little slow. But it sure is beautiful out here." My last crew member was Ben Niles, Allure, who handled the foredeck work. For someone who, like me, rarely goes in front of the mast, Ben rose to the occasion and was undoubtedly the reason for staying ahead of Larry and the Harbinger gang on the last leg. Once I saw their masthead chute go up, I was sure they were going to do us in, with our small fractional chute, but not that day. Thanks, Ben. Unfortunately, Jon and the Abacore crew of left coast hotshots were unbeatable, so we had to settle for a satisfying second in spinnaker class.
Sunday, Ann Ashton on Philarope, Mandala and I agreed to head to Provincetown for the night. I had not been to Ptown in about 25 years so I was looking forward to seeing what changes had occurred since the mid '70s. The changes started when I was directed to a mooring behind the breakwater and discovered that it belonged to the son of a grad school faculty member from the University of Minnesota. But that's another story that has nothing to do with sailing. Having always driven to Ptown and now arriving by boat presented a completely different face to the town, especially the people we met as we dinghied in and walked up from the water. Much nicer. If you ever get to Ptown, check out the library. Wonderful.
My next adventure was showing Golondrina at the Salem Antique and Classic Boat Show. After getting her, and me, scrubbed, polished, neat and clean, I spent two days standing in the cockpit explaining the history, their mystique and the details of their construction to hundreds of people. I also had to convince many people that they sail better than they look. But what made it fun was the large number of people who came aboard ready to tell me stories about Concordias in their lives. One fellow did a Bermuda race on one decades ago; another was an old girl friend of Hank's; another was a high school friend of Mary Ann Parkinson's (ex Winnie of Bourne); a young couple who just purchased one; and on and on. I wish now I had logged all the people and stories, since I've forgotten many of them. Again, I'm reminded of the magical legacy these boats of ours have had on American yachting. Best Sailboat in Original Condition. Spectators' Choice, Best Sailboat.
My last event was the end of the year race at the Biddeford Pool Yacht Club, back in Maine. Golondrina was a member of the BPYC in the '60s when owned by the Emmons family. Members of the Emmons clan are still very active members of the Club so when I suggested that I'd like to bring her down for the race on her 50th, we were cheerfully invited. My pick-up crew consisted of Jim Emmons, son, three older members who were/are Rhodes 19 champs, and two members of the youth sailing program, one the daughter of the owner of the earlier Concordia designed yawl, Arabella.
It's a pursuit race based on PHRF ratings designed so that ideally everyone bunches up at the end. The finish is also off a point so spectators on shore know who one simply by seeing who crosses the line first. We got a great start, in 10 to 15k winds with a good spinnaker run then a long beat back. We smoked the fleet, finishing eight minutes before the next boat crossed the line. I then discovered that there were three starting sequences and three starting times on the RI sheet and I started six minutes early. Oh, well. We still have bragging rights of beating everyone my two minutes. At the awards ceremony the next day, I was presented with a cuckoo clock. Very appropriate, but just wait 'til next year.
So that's how Golondrina celebrated her 50th anniversary.
Currently she's in my side yard all torn apart. I discovered during a survey in the spring of '07 that many fastenings below the waterline had not been replaced even though I had been told by the previous owner that the entire hull had been refastened in the '80s. I also discovered a few more punky original planks so I decided to do the job right by also replacing all ten floor timbers in the main cabin. While removing some of the bad planking I discovered the gripe or forefoot was shot - split down the middle and rotten to the core. I certainly wasn't expecting that, but I knew something was not right up there from the day I purchased her. Now I know. So that timber will be replaced as well as all the floor timbers (16) attached to it.
In the main cabin, I'm laminating up new floors with long ears that extend to just short of the bilge stringers. I feel doubling the frame cross section in that area will not hurt. I did the same under the mast step about ten years ago. Taking the boat apart and then reassembling it is a fascinating study of how A&R did things in the 1950s. As bad as the old floors are, they are perfectly symmetrical and dimensionally even. I have to appreciate the design, planning, lofting and craftsmanship that went into our boats, which makes the reconstruction so much easier. I made one discovery that does not make sense and might have contributed to the decay of the floors. With the cast iron ballast keel, A&R used wrought iron floor timber (and keel) bolts and nuts but they put a bronze washer under each iron nut at the top of the floors. Common sense and professional practice dictates that you do not mix metals anywhere near salt water. Why was this done? Does this explain the flattened oval area on the sides of the floors in the way of each washer that will not hold red lead, has whitened the oak and emits a whitish powder? Any boat builders or chemists reading this who care to chime in?
I also made some other, more positive discoveries. Golondrina's keel is not oak but some other tropical hardwood. I'm not sure what but the wood is denser and the grain is tighter. It also rings like a bell, thank you wooden boat guardian angels. Each floor timber bolt is also almost as good as new. Once scaled, they measure out to about 11mm, exactly what the plans call for. Phew!
Hopefully my Fall work will prepare Golondrina for another 50 years.
Portunus #75
Pamela Parker, Nobleboro, ME
So many things have happened in the last couple of years, or really since the last time I sent an update on Portunus that I can't remember where I left off. So I will make it short and sweet.
In response to a "mid-life" survey by Giffy Full sometime around 2001, Portunus was put on a 5+ year schedule of intensive maintenance that is now, thankfully, almost over. All work has been done by John Dunbar and the rest of the crew at Benjamin River Marine. I am so impressed by the skilled, ingenious, creative and outstanding care Portunus has received at BRM, I feel blessed. Our goal was to prepare her up for her next 50 years, while also minimizing ongoing maintenance to the greatest degree possible. Thankfully, Giffy found a very sound boat with no significant issues. Except for overdue refastening, the balance was really preventative. She has suffered none of the frame or deadwood damage/failure that seems quite common. I attribute that to the care she had received at Concordia from '59-'76, the Henry R. Abel Yacht Yard from '76 to '99 (I think), BRM, my father's attention to maintenance and a healthy load of good luck.
Here is the list of what has been done:
- Refastened below the water line, all 3000 plus screws. Amazingly only about 11 had to abandoned in place, the rest were backed out.
- All keel bolts replaced except the inaccessible one under the head.
- New dynel and fiberglass (gasp) deck and cabin house cover. After much discussion, we decided to fair, spline, and glue the deck boards, cover with a thin layer of fiberglass, then apply dynel. Proceeding this way, instead of using a thin plywood layer reduced the make up that would be needed on the toe rail and additional weight but still provided a very stable and waterproof base for the dynel. Of course, this meant that everything came off the deck and cabin trunk, but that facilitated a needed varnish strip and rebuild. Oh to stain or not to stain the brightwork, purists may cringe, but I decided to stain and am happy with the decision. The decks and cabin top are painted with a two part epoxy paint that is very thin and very durable resulting in about 3-4 years between paintings and low buildup when the paint actually does go on.
- Masts and booms refinished. Short description for a huge amount of work.
- Repower, replacing the old Westerbeke with a Yanmar. This was a pretty huge change allowing her to really ride even and high on her water line for the first time since about 1975. Her old Westerbeke is going into a friends steel pinky schooner he is building himself.
- New propane locker aft of the mizzen, ingenious, inconspicuous, and safer because any leaked gas will really drain away, as opposed to an iffy situation in the cockpit locker.
- Ice box removed, rebuilt and reinsulated. Decided against refrigeration, cause dammit, it isn't necessary, 80 lbs of ice does a lovely job . . .
- Replaced Ted Okie's flat plexi forward hatch with an original.
- Full V-berth in the forward cabin and a real, functional, sewage holding tank. The tank takes up the lower head locker, it is a custom built fiberglass tank that can only be emptied through the deck fitting.
I think that is "it".
This all took place in the winter, over a span of about 6 years. Portunus splashes in to the cold Maine waters each spring, normally in mid May. She is a blessedly dry and stable boat, her bilge pump doesn't kick on for the first time after launch until she is on her way out to a mooring. We figure she leaks a couple of gallons at most. I drag my feet returning her to the yard, often straggling in on the last weekend in October. Last year I brought her in on a spectacular sailing day right at the end of the month. In pure coincidence, Benjamin Mendlowitz and John Dunbar were taking Starlight out for a last sail as well and we met under the Deer Isle Bridge, we sailed into Benjamin River one after the other. What a way to end the season!
Some folks may remember my mother, Judy, from the 1987 photo op and the 1988 reunion. Sadly, we lost her to melanoma in December of '06. Portunus is now my last "parent", as I learned to walk on her decks holding on to the life lines and have been her student all of my life. I promised my mother to make sure I spent some significant time sailing every year. Unfortunately that has not happened to the extent that I would like, this year due to the damn crappy weather we had in July and August. Hope springs eternal for next year though.
My family's house on Bucks Harbor is for sale so Portunus will be transitioning her home port to mid-coast Maine, hopefully Christmas Cove, where I have kept her the last couple of years. However, we will continue to have at least one mooring on the east side of Bucks Harbor (Lems Cove) that is always available to a passing Concordia.
I am attaching a few pictures from our home to Brooksville. I plan on bringing her in to BRM in the next couple of weeks.
Vintage #51
Richard & Eleanore Baxendale, Seattle, WA
This was our first summer sailing Vintage after her 16 month restoration in Port Townsend. And what a pleasant summer it was. We spent much of the time doing day sails out of Seattle but had two trips to the San Juan Islands, across Juan de Fuca Strait (see accompanying photo). The first was to attend the West Coast 70th Anniversary Rendezvous in West Sound, Orcas Island, and the second was to revisit a variety of islands we have enjoyed over the years after participating in the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.
All six Concordias in the Pacific Northwest attended the rendezvous and were treated to the wonderful hospitality of Doug and Sue Adkins (Coriolis #82) and some fairly exciting racing in almost perfect weather. At the festival, Vintage was in a slip very close to Doug Cole's impeccably maintained Irene (#103). So she was in very good company and held her end up very well, we thought. While there were over 200 wooden boats in attendance at this remarkable gathering, which we highly recommend, we should be forgiven for thinking that the Concordias were easily among the most handsome.
Later in October or early November Vintage will be encased in her new full boat cover to spend the winter in the water (like all boats here) and be ready for new adventures next spring.
BTW, if anyone has a buggy top frame you might like to sell, please contact me at Richard@Baxendale.com.
Sarah #27
Margo Geer, St. Augstine, FL
Last week (October 27th) was the one-year anniversary of SARAH's launch, and I had been discouraged because her interior was still in bits and pieces in my garage, but when I stepped back and thought about all that had been accomplished: topsides painted; masts stepped; GOING SAILING; roller furling installed; RACING; mainsheet traveler system installed; new mainsail; most standing and running rigging replaced; and numerous other things, it adds a bit of perspective to the project. It also leaves me determined to finish the interior in the coming months as well as completing the electronics and the now constant upkeep of cosmetic details.
We had a very solemn time on July 18th, which was (unbelievably) the fourth anniversary of Dave's death when his daughters joined me and we finally were able to keep a promise and take him Sailing on Sarah as we spread his ashes just off the St. Augustine sea buoy.
So we've gotten a lot done and moved forward in many ways. SARAH entered four local races, and from the four races I have three trophies above my desk! SARAH has yet to get a 1st place trophy, but we have two 2nds and a 3rd to her credit. We have one more race this season and the holiday parade of lights, where style points will finally count for something...
Her sails are a large part of her racing success and in response to my frantic mizzen appeal when I realized as I unpacked SARAH's sails after all those years, that we didn't seem to own a mizzen sail for some reason..., SARAH received mizzen sails from Jim Cosgrove / YANKEE and John Towle / SISYPHUS. (Notice the mizzen is the pick of the litter back in May.)
It wasn't pretty (sail wise), but SARAH made her racing debut on May 25, 2008, for the St. Augustine YC Race of the Century, and she took 2nd place in cruising class. Her sails may have been an embarrassment, but after all of those years of hard work she was finally sailing!
SARAH also benefited from the generosity of the Panettas and OWL, and received two of OWL's headsails. I've referred to the sails as hand-me-downs, but believe me, none of these sails were old rags and there are quite a few boats out there that would give a bronze stanchion to have something this nice.
The headsails caused a bit of consternation, because although I am positive that as the e-mails were flying back and forth I told my local guru that the headsails coming were from a roller furling system (and I'm confident of that because I recall a conversation on whether or not it was practical to add hanks), but when the box was unpacked I was accused of not having mentioned it... Long story short - after a couple of days of "I know I told you" vs. "no you didn't" SARAH's guardian angel pulled out his phone, called Mike Habar of Pompanette and a Hood Sea Furl system was overnighted to the marina, installed over the following two days, and we made the race that weekend with a beautiful new roller furling and OWL's headsail!
A downside having a nice mizzen and headsail was that they emphasized what a horrible excuse for a stained bedsheet that the mainsail was. That was remedied by my friend, crew mate, and UK Halsey connection, Don Stagg. I felt bad for not using Bill Ribar of Doyle or our own Rick Peck, but when I talked to Bill at the WBS and he gave me a quote, said that he could have the main made by next season. NEXT SEASON??!!! This was June and I had most of this season left.
Don knows the boat, the local conditions, the local competition, my abilities, and, just as important, my inabilities. He came out and measured and the sail was made at UK-Halsey Texas by Pedro Gianotti with <4 weeks turn-around.
The shape is so perfect I've been accused of Photoshopping this image, but this was the first raise of the new mainsail. No Photoshopping necessary:
When it was pointed out that the loose-footed main might get damaged by the sail track and other hardware on the boom it was the final straw, and what I believe to be SARAH's original boom, which was sporting some worrisome repairs, was replaced with a new Selden unit.
In an effort to pay forward some of the goodness that has been shown me, I gave SARAH's boom to Concordia for parts or for their use on DIABLO. In the mean time it will be kept on reserve if another owner should have such a bad day as to break theirs.
The net result of a lot of hard work, a lot of help from a lot of folks, a phenomenal amount of favors called in, and double dose of good karma was this sight at the start of the Out and Back Race last Sunday. It was also our first race with a spinnaker.
Concordia 70th Reunion Race Results
Class I - Spinnaker
| Pos | Boat | Sail # | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abaco | 10068 | 4:29:03 |
| 2 | Golondrina | 362 | 4:43:07 |
| 3 | Harbinger | 448 | 4:45:00 |
| 4 | Sonnet | 526 | 4:48:39 |
| 5 | Dolce | None | 5:00:34 |
| 6 | Phalarope | 13 | 5:05:32 |
| 7 | Luna | 88 | 5:12:09 |
| 8 | Hero | None | 5:17:58 |
| 9 | Captiva | 1541 | 5:18:13 |
| 10 | Mandala | 4554 | 5:39:04 |
| RAF | Winnie of Bourne | 194 | 4:28:10 |
| RAF | Arapaho | 1219 | 4:30:34 |
| DNF | Magic | 469 | - |
Class II - No Spinnaker
| Pos | Boat | Sail # | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skye | 389 | 4:21:13 |
| 2 | Kee Nee Noh | 99 | 4:23:54 |
| 3 | Snow Bird | 518 | 4:24:48 |
| 4 | Harrier | 325 | 4:32:31 |
| 5 | Westray | 754 | 4:36:23 |
| 6 | Rowdy | CY6 | 4:41:01 |
| 7 | Irian | None | 4:55:16 |
| 8 | Praxilla | 10 | 5:02:14 |
| 9 | Summer Wind | None | 5:22:44 |
| DNS | Matinicus | 706 | - |
Class III - Cruise
| Boat | Sail # |
|---|---|
| Savu | 1018 |
| Spice | 818 |
| Snowy Owl | 91 |
| Woodwind | None |
| Whimbrel | 1197 |
Greetings from Concordia
Stuart MacGregor, South Dartmouth, MA
We are still glowing from the 70th Reunion in August. It was a pleasure to share time with so many wonderful boats and owners. Please go to the website to see pictures if you haven't yet (or if you haven't in a while).
Our new shed, speced to accommodate Concordias, 60 x 108 with 8 sliding entries, will likely be ready by the time this issue is sent out. It will be prime storage space for years to come. Individual doors will allow boats to come out & back in, as needed throughout the season from the dirt floor of storage, to a concrete floor & workshop. It also causes us to open up the space between the front property and the back field which is pretty nice.
It seems that we will have the same number of yawls in our care this winter. We are very pleased to have added as customers Richard Taylor with Snowy Owl as well as Arvid Klien and Cynthia Crimmons with Winnie of Bourne. Both Dan Harple with Taliesin, and Paul Castaldi with recently restored Weatherly will be taking their boats to other yards this Fall. We are pleased to have worked with them, and we wish them good luck with their new arrangements. We are charged with Snowy Owl and Winnie in addition to the rest of our returning customers. Both boats are well owned and in fine condition. They have been very well maintained (by Crosby's & Peter Gallant respectively). We will do our best to continue to keep these beauties impeccable.
The final picture shows Mason Smith's Javelin in the foreground. Out of the water this winter for the first time that anyone can remember. The paint has been stripped, and assessments are under way to define the scope of the project ahead. We will continue to maintain and service the yawls as well as the rest of the boats here at Concordia.
Stuart MacGregor
Concordia Company
300 Gulf Road
South Dartmouth, MA
508-999-1381
www.concordiaboats.com
Bateeka anyone?
We are restoring an original Bateeka for Rusty Aertsen to go on top of Snowbird. Jeff Makholm is also building a Bateeka for himself. Let us know if you have any interest in having us build one for you.
Editor's Notes & News of the Fleet
Doug Cole asked me to let folks know that Concordia-green corduroy is available through Soaring Heart Futon (Seattle) 206-282-1717, and while there isn't room to include the picture of the cushions done for #51, VINTAGE, it looks like the real deal.
Don McKillop of Martha's Vineyard Studio 617-834-4339 / donart@mac.com has a copy of Elizabeth Meyer's Concordia book. It is #715 of 2000, he reports it is excellent condition and available for $500.
This makes the 8th edition of the newsletter since Skip Bergman passed the mantle to me in 2004. It was never a chore, but the first editions had 70, 80 or 90 hours (conservatively) involved. Because of the tremendous amount of time involved, I tended to put it off and the first few went out days and sometimes weeks late.
Using the software twice a year doesn't exactly promote fluency, but I've finally got it down and have a fair system for organizing the information that comes in to me. With the last edition (spring 2008), I finally felt like I had the newsletter well in hand. With the spring 2009 edition, I hope to make some additional improvements to the typesetting and layout to bring a more professional feel to the newsletter. Your comments and suggestions on any changes you'd like to see would be appreciated.
I have omitted the boats for sale section because it was time consuming, and I never believed it was 100% accurate. The past couple of issues, the information was pulled directly from yachtworld.com, so it is readily accessible online.
Deadlines will continue to be April 15th for the spring newsletter and October 15th for the fall. This allows me roughly two weeks to keep reminding folks to get stuff in, organize the updates and pictures submitted, print, stuff envelopes, and mail around May 1st and November 1st respectively.
Always available:
- Burgees - $40.00
- Concordian Newsletter - Complete Issues 1-46 - $125.00
Please Note:
Concordia newsletter subscriptions continue to be $20.00 per year and your support is appreciated. The majority of owners are good about sending in their dues and some are excellent; however, there are approximately 20 boats whose owners have not been heard from since 2006 (and a few not at all). It was the policy of the previous editor, Skip Bergman, to send newsletters to each owner regardless of whether they paid for their subscription, and I decided to continue that policy in order to get as many boats / owners / previous owners attending the 70th reunion.
It may be that some parties either don't get their mail or aren't interested in news of the fleet. In those cases, it is poor business on my part to continue mailings year after year. This will be the last issue for all accounts greater than a year behind.
