Sunday, December 19, 2010

B&B Mess-About 2010

On Chapel Creek and Bay River,
October 31, 2010   [by Joe Anderson]
At the end of October, B&B Yacht Designs in Vandemere, NC, hosted their third annual Mess-About.

Here are a few favorite photos along with a YouTube slide show. We have also posted a Picasa album of photos.

There are also photos on the B&B Forum posted by several attendees.

Marissa in front of the boat-building workshop,
October 31, 2010   [by Randy Marshall] 















Friends,  SandyBottom,  Graham,   Marissa     
 


















A Few More Favorites

Dock on Chapel Creek   [by Randy Marshall]

Bay River Skiff 17  #134 in the wake of  CS17 Southbound crewed by
SOS (at right) and Ken Potts on October 31  [by Ken Potts]

Dawn Patrol  from aboard Southbound 
October 30, 2010 [by Ken Potts]



















Dawn Patrol:   Roger Mays at the helm with DWSB rowing.  
Roger owns the CS17 Mermaid  [by SandyBottom]
 

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Small Craft Advisor

Issue No. 67
Great memories of our eight-day coastal cruise in June arrived in the mail today.  Like a bright spot of sailing sunshine on a cold winter day, there it was, the latest issue of "Small Craft Advisor" magazine addressed to SOS.  Inside issue No. 67 is a wonderful four-page article by Steve Earley about the longest and most varied day of our eight-day Tag-Team cruise aboard Spartina and Dawn Patrol.  Steve knows how to tell a good story.  The article is accompanied by six photos. One is a lovely photo (by Steve or Bruce on Spartina) of SandyBottom enjoying her turn at the helm of Dawn Patrol

While issue 67 is arriving by mail for subscribers, issue 66 is still on the news stands and on the magazine's website.

Previous posts on Steve Earley's Log of Spartina:


The cover photo on Issue No. 67 is of a new John Welsford design, the SCAMP  (LOA 10'-12', Beam 4'-5'.)  The name is an acronym for Small Craft Advisor Magazine Project.   Several are being built.  Two are scheduled to race in the 2011 Everglades Challenge.   It's beyond me why the editors wanted to put their own SCAMP on the cover when they could have featured this fine photo by Steve Earley...
Hypothetical cover photo:  Did not happen
What a nice cover that would have been. The issue does include a version of this photo as a thumbnail in the table of contents.

Issue 63 cover photo:  Spartina and Bruce Hollingsworth
on 2009 cruise  [photo by Steve Earley]



Spartina's Skeeter-Beater Cruise in No. 63

Spartina recently graced the cover of issue 63 which contained another four-page article by Steve, entitled "Pamlico Sound in Spartina"...













 
Issue 46 cover photo:
The wa'apa sailing canoe "Fall"
[photo by SOS aboard the twin, "Rise"]
Origins of Dawn Patrol in No. 46

Dawn Patrol's origins can be traced back to issue 46 which featured an article by Randy Marshall about the 2007 Everglades Challenge (EC). New boats appeared in the article, including Graham Byrnes' EC22 Southern Skimmer crewed by Graham and Randy, and a pair of wa'apa sailing canoes, Rise and Fall.

Rise and Fall were built just-in-time for the EC by SOS and three of his friends when they were 20-year-old engineering students at NC State University (NCSU).Building in rented space, with support from family and friends, they were dumpster-diving for materials but cutting out parts in the NCSU student workshop on laser-guided / computer-controlled machines. Donations: epoxy from Duckworks, rudders from CrazyRussian, sails from Brian Weber, seats from DWSB, borrowed paddles, etc. SOS and Matt Hazard in Rise, and Mike Rhodes and Chris Hazard in Fall finished in 1st place in Class 5.

Rise and Fall in 2007 [by DWSB]








Graham Byrnes,  Matthew Layden,  Alan Stewart
aboard Southern Skimmer in 2007    [by DWSB]















Meanwhile Southern Skimmer was also built just-in-time for the 2007 EC and finished in 1st Place among all boats. After the race, Graham gave SOS, Wizard and me a ride on the new EC22 in Florida Bay off Key Largo. It was a beautiful experience and the idea "I want to build and sail one of these!" took root.

A few months later SOS successfully talked me into building a Core Sound 20 in time for the 2008 EC.   I had no choice for two reasons:   SandyBottom was helping him twist my arm,   and you cannot say "no" when your boat-building son wants to spend quality time with you building a boat you know you'll love building and sailing.   Yep, I know I'm a lucky guy.

Now another EC is just around the corner.  The Dawn Patrol, a pair of SCAMPs, and many other sailboats, sea kayaks, sailing kayaks and other innovative new designs will be gathered on Tampa Bay to take on the EC challenge.   And after that adventure in early March, Spring sailing is sure to follow.

A new issue of "Small Craft Advisor" helps warm and brighten a cold winter day.

--Paul

Friday, December 10, 2010

WaterTribe North Carolina Challenge (NCC 2010)


Moon Shadow  and  Dawn Patrol
[photo: Ms. Kokopedal]

Our trip report for the WaterTribe NC Challenge of September 24-25, 2010,  has five parts:

NC Challenge 2010: The Start


Dawn Patrol rolling off the Cedar Island beach at 7:30am as the sun rises   [photo: SandyBottom]

Last-Minute Preparations

The challengers were on the beach before dawn for last-minute preparations before the sunrise.  Friends and family snapped hundreds of photos of the start.  Video and slide-show media can be viewed on the WaterTribe "challenge viewer" webpage by choosing  Select Event: NCC2010 .


Race manager SandyBottom surveys the pre-dawn starting line   [photos: SherryO] 
 

The starting line on the high-water mark  [photo: SandyBottom]

On the starting line at sunrise   [photo: SherryO]

WaterTribe NCC Challengers a few minutes before the start of the NCC  [photo: SherryO]

SandyBottom says "GO!" at 7:30am

At 7:29am race manager SandyBottom announced a one-minute warning.  She asked that the larger sailboats give the smaller sea kayaks a minute or so of head start so that they would not be trampled.  No problem;  it takes a few minutes to roll out the larger boats to floating depths.  Thirty-two boats left the beach.  Only 3 did not finish.   The first 10 finishers, in order, were....
 SewSew,   A-class cat (Class 5), 
  ArdieO,   racing kayak (Class 2), 
SaltyFrog,   sea kayak (Class 1),
JayBird,   sea kayaks (Class 1), 
                      Kokopedal & Sirtackalot,   Hobie tri (Class 5),  
   DogsLife,   sailing kayak (Class 3),
          WhiteCaps,   sailing kayaks (Class 3).   
           Moon Shadow,    Seapearl 21 (Class 4), 
Dawn Patrol,    CS20 (Class 4), 
                                 HoldYourCourse & CourseSetter,   Isotope cat (Class 5). 
  
GO !   
[photos: SandyBottom]

Kayakers are quickly off the beach  [photo: Maura S]






Going   [photo: SandyBottom]

ArdieO (left) and Southern Skimmer (right) at 7:29am  [photo: SherryO]

A fast start for ArdieO,  1st Place winner in Class 2  [photo: SherryO]

ArdieO was the first off the beach  [photo: SherryO]

No wasted motion,  ArdieO is already in the lead  [photo:  SherryO]

Sea kayakers away at 7:30am  [photo: PaddlePeddler]

Launching in very shallow flat water  [photo: PaddlePeddler]

[photo: Maura S]

[photo:  SandyBottom]

Sea kayakers lead the way [photos:  PaddlePeddler and Maura S]

Dawn Patrol is away!

We use three inflatable rollers each rated to hold about 1000pounds.  WaterTribe rules do not allow the rollers to be under the boat before the race begins,  so getting them in place was the hard part.  After that....  well, it's all downhill from there,  as they say.  The rule is that the rollers and any other such devices must be carried in the boat all the way to the finish line. 
Dawn Patrol begins to roll 
[photo:  SherryO]


Dawn Patrol into the water [photo: SandyBottom]

 

Dawn Patrol  and  the Isotope catamaran  [photo: Maura S]

Dawn Patrol floating [photo: Sandy Bottom]

Dawn Patrol rows away (far left).
ShadeSeeker's skiff,  CrazyRussian's cat, and CS17 Mermaid are nearby (right)
[photo: SandyBottom]

Isotope catamaran (left),  CS17 Mermaid (right) 
[photo: SandyBottom]















Moon Shadow hits the water!

Moon Shadow rolls out [photo PaddlePeddler]

Moon Shadow:  Bigfoot holds her  back while Jarhead brings the next roller  [photo: SandyBottom]


Southern Skimmer  launches!
Roo (Graham Byrnes) and his EC22 Southern Skimmer before sunrise  [photo: Maura S.]
Southern Skimmer rolls  [photo: SandyBottom]

Southern Skimmer:  Roo and Tinker pulling anchor line   [photo: SandyBottom]
 
Southern Skimmer  [photo: PaddlePeddler]

All Boats Away
SewSew floats his A-class catamaran,  wins 1st Place in Class 5  [photo:  SandyBottom]

SewSew trailed by kayaks  [photo: PaddlePeddler]

CrazyRussian launching his inflatable catamaran  [photo:  SandyBottom]


HoldYourCourse walking his Isotope cat ahead of CS17 Mermaid,
and near ShadeSeeker's skiff.  At far right, Dawn Patrol starts rolling. 
[photo:  SherryO]

Chief launches his Tridarka-Raider-Converted Kruger canoe  [photo:  SandyBottom]

Isotope cat away,  Balogh tri-sail kayak preparing [photo: PaddlePeddler]
 
Dawn Patrol rowing (far left),  Mermaid rowing,   the Isotope,   and Chief' (far right) [photo: PaddlePeddler]

Sea kayaks, SewSew, and a Hobie trimaran near the marker. Dawn Patrol rowing with SOS standing.
ShadeSeeker rowing skiff,  CrazyRussian rowing catamaran,  CS17 Mermaid floating (right). 
[photo: SandyBottom] 


Thanks for the Photos

While the challengers were busy launching,  family and friends took hundreds of photos and some videos (available at WaterTribe "challenge viewer" by choosing Select Event: NCC2010).  The slide shows and video of the start are also available on the WaterTribeAdventures section of YouTube; e.g. Ms. Kokopedal's videos of the start.

The photos in this blog post: 
        16 by SandyBottom, 
10 by SherryO,  
                   8 by PaddlePeddler's family, 
4 by Maura S. 
SandyBottom 
[photo:  SherryO]







Thank you!