VOL 21,
NO. 4 (FALL-2011)
22 September,
2011
The 19th
Annual
2011 ALBERG 37 FALL RENDEZVOUS
Was Held Saturday/Sunday, September
17-18, 2011
Click
Here for Previous Rendezvous Write-ups and Photos
The
19th Annual Alberg 37 Fall Rendezvous was held at the Assenmacher home near Kinsale , VA on Saturday/Sunday,
September 17-18, 2011. Unfortunately, due to the recent Hurricane
IRENE, Tom and Kaye Assenmacher's
1975 MK-II Yawl, SHEARWATER was the only Alberg 37 in attendance for the
Rendezvous.
Also
arriving (drive-ins) were Henk and Wendy DeVries of Cobourg, Ontario
(PAWBEE); Wayne and Sherrill Bower of Bowie, MD (TEELOK); Lou and
Jean Wayne of Rochester, NY (PIKA); Joran and Lin Gendell of Williamsburg,
VA (ELIXIR); Ron and Cindy Strahm of Independence, MO (ENVY); and Wayne and
Cindy Milroy of Oshawa, Ontario (LEEWAY II); Kip and Linda Newbould of Coles
Point, VA (MISCHIEF); and Wil Hewett of Charleston, SC (FLORENCE GRAY).
Others
attending the Rendezvous were friends/neighbors/A-37 Wannabees: Becky
and Jerry Knop of Reisterstown, MD; Don and Judy Polifka
of Kinsale, VA along with friends Jim and Susan Poole of Charlottesville, VA; Rod and Polly
Mercker of Lottsburg, VA; and Al and Rachel
Zmurchak of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Those
arriving on Friday enjoyed a pot luck dinner on Friday evening along with a lot
of 'sea stories', renewed acquaintances and a good time was had by all! Saturday dawned with drizzle/rain and cool
weather, which persisted the entire weekend, eliminating congregating on the
dock! Saturday's events included 'crab picking' where a bushel of
steamed local Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs were consumed (in the garage due to the
rain). Later on Saturday, a hot dog and
hamburger BBQ was held, along with Becky's (Knop) famous Crab Soup!
Sunday's
weather was a repeat of Saturday's, and most folks left by mid-day on
Sunday. A great time was had by all in
spite of the weather!!
Click Here For Rendezvous Photo Slideshow
Hurricane IRENE And Its Effect On Cruisers
By Tom and Kaye Assenmacher
Kinsale, VA
So far, this has been quite an active hurricane
season here on the East Coast of the US
and Canada. We were ‘hit’ with Hurricane IRENE in late August, but received
very little damage (tree limbs and debris – neighbors lost a few trees with minor
damage). Unfortunately, the New
England area, along with parts of New
York State,
received major damage due to flooding.
Several canal systems connecting the Hudson River with the Great Lakes
have been damaged, and some areas closed down, requiring ‘Snow Birds’ to devise
alternate routes in order to ‘Head South’ for the winter. Kaye and I are planning to ‘head south’ via
the ICW in mid-October aboard our 1975 MK-II Yawl SHEARWATER. This pre-supposes the hurricane season has
quieted down considerably by departure time.
For a short web based article on our experience with IRENE, check out
the following: SHEARWATER
SURVIVES HURRICANE IRENE!
New Members
Welcome aboard to Ricky
and Sophia Pantaleo of Marathon, FL,
the owners of the 1971 MK-II Sloop (# 70) LITTLE
WING (formerly the EMMA ROSE). LITTLE
WING is berthed in Marathon, FL.
Welcome aboard to Louise
Becker of Darwin, Australia, the owner of the 1976 MK-II Yawl (#164) BOUSSOLE, which is berthed in Darwin.
Welcome aboard to Greg
and Dara Darlington of Snohomish, WA, the owners of the 1967 MK-I Sloop (# 15)
TIMESPINNER (formerly owned by Mike
Carlson). TIMESPINNER is berthed in Everett, WA. (Ed. Note:
Years ago we received a note from a previous owner of TIMESPINNER (Peter Garnett who owned
the boat during the period 1978-1984), that he had once sailed the boat to New
Zealand and back.)
Potential
Fire Hazard
Submitted by John Rilett
MOLLIKET - Alberg 37 MK-II Sloop (Hull # 218)
Hilton Beach, Ontario
I want to alert Alberg
owners about a potential fire hazard. All the AC wiring on my Alberg 37 was non
marine wire and was showing its age. My ground fault interrupter kept
popping off when I tried to use the several of the AC outlets. So I
decided it was time to replace all old wire with marine grade wire. When
I was removing the wire from the shore power inlet I noticed a bare wire.
This was not apparent on casual inspection because the cable had
electrical tape wrapped around it. The tape was old and friable and
easily fell apart exposing the bare wire. My first thought this was
the ground, but I quickly dismissed that idea. It was apparent that the
insulation had burned off the black or positive wire and melted some of the
inlet receptacle and scorched the bulkhead. The shore power was
still working so I'm unsure how long the problem had existed. If you
haven't inspected your shore power connection, it might be a good idea to do
so.
Back Side of Shore Power Receptacle
(Ed. Note: This article has been ‘archived’ in the SAFETY
FIRST section of the Alberg 37 website.)
MOLLIKETT is
slowly getting ready for a trip south -
long held dream of her owner. If things work out they hope to get
to the Bahamas for part of the winter.)
THEN - We
also recently (9/22/2011) received the following email from John and Fleur:
“Hi Tom, We are trying
to head south but not having good luck with the Weather. We almost made
it to Port Huron when we learned the Erie Canal was closed because of damage
caused by Hurricane Irene and was not expected to open again this year.
Therefore, we decided to head south via Chicago to Mobile
Alabama route and are presently weather bound in Pentwater, Michigan. We hit bottom coming in so we are waiting for
wind and waves to settle before sticking our nose out again. We've been
about 3 weeks on Lakes Huron and Michigan and have not had a decent sailing day yet. Wind
has either been on our nose or no wind. We've been held up in Lexington, MI, and Mackinaw City for 4 days each and now Pentwater. Weather is
supposed to be better tomorrow so we will be pushing on to Calumet Harbor to get our mast un-stepped. We hope to see you
in the Bahamas but not likely for Christmas.
John and Fleur aboard MOLLIKETT”
PERKINS
4-108 SHOP MANUAL
Courtesy
of Sue Hyett of Ellingham, Chathill, Northumberland UK
Sue
kindly shared the shop manual, (PDF format) with us. This manual
has been archived in the Project Database section of the Alberg 37 Web Site and can
be viewed or downloaded in its entirety.
News From Members
Jack Vanderloo,
the owner of SOUTHERN CROSS (1977
MK-II Cutter-rig), reported in late August that they had survived Hurricane
Irene quite well in Manhasset
Bay, NY and were then moored in New York City (79th St. Boat Basin), and were getting the first indications
of the devastation of upstate New York and the Erie Canal. From word we received, the New York and Erie Canal Systems were heavily damaged, and
numerous boats have been stranded.
Back in July, we received the following in
an email from Robin Phillips, of
Gillies Bay, BC, who owns the 1967 MK-I Sloop (Hull #1) KATYDID
(ex-COYOTE ANGEL): ‘Just a short
note to update the website on my current location. The boat, KATYDID, is in Bahia del Sol in El Salvador. After a year of travel I am back
in Canada to work for a few months while Katydid
waits out the East Pacific hurricane season on a mooring in the estuary at
Bahia del Sol. When I return in October my plans are to move south
through Central
America and on
to the Galapagos. From there, in March or thereabouts, I am heading into
the south Pacific. KATYDID
continues to exceed all of my expectations.
One day I promise, I will get to that long
story of rebuilding her and sailing her south. Right now I seem to be
caught up in life. Which I think is where one should be.
Sincerely,
Robin Phillips”
Mike
Rostron, of Bellingham, WA, the owner of the 1970 MK-I Sloop GALENA
sent the following:
“I attended the annual Alberg Rendezvous June 18th in lovely Ganges, British Columbia.
West Coast Alberg Rendezvous
I had no idea until recently such an active Alberg group existed
here in the Pacific
Northwest -- a
great group of sailors, with a shared appreciation of Alberg designs in common.
This was their sixteenth year. Appropriately sixteen boats
attended, including three Alberg 37s (all MK-Is: BRANDELARA II, GINGER TEA,
and my GALENA). Other boats included a number of Alberg
30s, two Alberg 22s, and some Cape Dorys, including a rare Cape Dory 40 that
everyone was salivating over. I was pleasantly surprised to find our
boat, previously named "SABRE II,"
has one of the best racing records in the Northwest --something I never
suspected. I regret I have never met the previous owner, Tom Ellison, who by all accounts is a
legendary regional racing captain (A health issue finally stopped his racing
career). Big shoes to fill should I ever decide to race her!
I have attached a few photos of the rendezvous. There is a
shot of BRANDELARA II looking very
fine.
BRANDELARA II
BRANDELARA II Again
A-37 GINGER TEA is just as nice, but I
didn't get a photo of her. There is a photo of yours truly and GINGER TEA owner Jelle Duyf
with our guitars in hand. We were the dock entertainment that
evening, and we performed to a very kind, lively, and appreciative audience.
Mike Is The Guitarist On The Left With
‘No Beard’ – Jelle Is The Guitarist On The Right Of The Photo.
I can also tell you there are some fine chefs in the Alberg group.
The potluck was outstanding! I hope to get up there again next year
with my wife, who was unable to make it this year. I urge all west coast
Alberg design owners of both U.S. and Canadian extraction (especially
A-37s) to make the trip to Ganges harbor (or "harbour" if you're Canadian) next year.
The 2012 rendezvous is scheduled for the weekend of June 23rd. The voyage
from Washington can be excellent, often with great
sailing across the Strait
of Georgia, or
up Haro Strait (depending on your route and departure
point), and up Swanson Channel. The Canadian Gulf Islands are not to be missed -- every bit the
equal or superior to the more well-known San Juan Islands. Just be sure your papers are in
order (passports preferred)!
Yours,
Mike Rostron
GALENA
1970 A-37 #59”
Voyaging
Aboard JOINT VENTURE
Off The Coast of Venezuela
By Ken and Anita Tillotson
1975 MK-II Yawl, #147
Part
1- Los Roques
We left for Los Roques, Venezuela on the 13th of July- about 9,30 am. There wasn't much wind and what there was,
was on the nose from the north. So we
motored with the main awning still up. I
was expecting more wind from the northeast before nightfall, but it was slow in
coming. Eventually it did, but not until nearly midnight.
The jib was pulling us nicely along as we motor sailed past the huge island of Tortuga, in its' lee for 3 or 4 hours. By 3 am we had 15 to 17 knots from the NE. Our
course was WNW more or less, and so we were on a broad reach. The Autohelm did
not do a very good job maintaining course, as the boat was rolling somewhat,
resulting in massive overcorrection. So I was forced to hand steer or continually
adjust the Autohelm accordingly. Anita
spelled me off a few times but she had trouble with the Autohelm setting and
continual adjustment and the cat (Ebonera) continually wanted her attention. I
finally laid down for some intended sleep whereupon it was noticed that the GPS
had stopped functioning. I immediately
tried some of our rechargeable batteries in the unit, but to no avail. I tried batteries in both of our spare GPS's
and none worked - all the batteries were dead and we couldn't immediately find
the battery charger. The main GPS had a
wire break and so in the end, I bypassed it with a new wire to get the unit
functioning again. Needless to say, I
was quite exhausted as we neared the island/reef conglomeration known as Los
Roques. We were approaching the SE corner of Los Roques and wanted to arrive
around noon
with the sun overhead. This time of day offers the best visibility for
reef/coral hazards necessary to make a safe entrance. By the time we got to the entrance, it was
nearly 3 pm
and past peak visibility. I deemed that we
could manage even though the GPS chartplotter charts, as well as the paper
chart we have, did not pinpoint our position as accurately as we were used to.
Anita was on the bow pointing directions to help us avoid the
shallows/reefs. We made it through the
entrance and then headed north up a channel between 2 reef systems about a mile
or so to an area that was safe to anchor.
We did so, in about 30 feet of water.
Our paper chart does have a disclaimer, indicating that GPS positions
must be adjusted 0.1 minutes N and 0.13 minutes E. That simply is not good
enough...you have to be able to see what is in/under the water. Half a mile further to the north lies the
prominent wreck of a 70 ft vessel that's probably been there for 30 or 40
years. We were comfortably at anchor with the sounds of waves crashing on the
reefs interspersed with the squawks of local seabirds. As tired as we were, we decided to forgo
dinner, but indulged in a bottle of wine and retired with the sun. It was a peaceful night, and we awoke to a
beautiful sunny morning. We weren't
anxious to move along and in fact we stayed put for 2 days before pulling the
hook and making the 10 or so mile northerly passage along and between the reefs
to the main island El Gran Roque. This
is where all visiting yachts are required to check in. As long as your boat has
already checked into Venezuela, you are permitted to remain in Los
Roques for 15 days as long as you pay the appropriate and nominal fees and
register with the various authorities.
It was a Saturday, when we arrived at Gran Roque and checked in with the
Guardacosta (Coastguard) - but the parks department and the Authority where the
fees are to be paid, were closed. So we
had to wait till Monday to complete the process. Sunday had the wind come up and it backed to
a southeasterly direction making the anchorage uncomfortable. We decided to move a few miles to the lee of
another island where some mega powerboats were anchored. We found better shelter there, after which 2
other sailboats anchored right behind us, seeking similar shelter. Early the next morning we returned to Gran
Roque and completed our check in. We
also checked out the slim pickings in the small grocery stores. Fresh fruit and
veggies was all that we really wanted, but the quality and selection were not
stellar, to say the least. We had a pizza and some beer at a local patio cafe
and then dinghied back to the boat in the dark. When anchoring in most places
in Venezuela it is generally advisable to lift and
lock your dinghy, or be without it in the morning. We've traditionally hauled the outboard motor
off the dinghy using our mizzen halyard and mounting it on the stern pulpit for
the night. No one seems to bother doing
this in Los Roques, and so we haven't either...although one of the first things
I check for in the morning is our dinghy.
Tuesday morning, we pulled anchor and headed to the nearby (4 miles) anchorage
of Noronqui, a gorgeous array of 3 islands all joined by reef/sandbars and
mostly 50 ft plus deep. We found a shallow spot about 1/2 a mile from any of
the islands. We anchored there by our lonesome in 16 ft of turquoise crystal
clear water. I put the ladder down, and we went swimming. I snorkeled and
cleaned some growths off the waterline and dove down with some emery cloth to
clean the propeller. Numerous other sailboats
came and went over the ensuing days, and many local powerboats with tourists
would arrive in the morning to drop people on the beach for the day and retrieving
them later in the afternoon. Evidently,
a very popular spot. There was one guy kite
surfing in our vicinity, but he definitely wasn't an expert - like we've seen
in Bonaire.
The wind came up to 20 knots plus and we dragged a little, so I decided
to move in closer to shore early the next morning to seek better protection and
peace of mind. The next morning, we
decided to head back to Gran Roque that in 20 knots was a 2 hour beat even in
these relatively sheltered waters. And
so here we are, back for another Pizza.
Part 2 - Los Roques - Forestay
We
are planning on leaving Los Roques to head in an easterly direction towards
Margarita. And since the prevailing
wind, and the prevailing current will both be against us it is all the more
important to consider the weather /wind/wave conditions. We expected a good weather window for Monday
July 25th. And so we motored southward from El Gran Roque, still within the
confines of Los Roques, between the inner and outer reef systems, returning to
the southern most anchorage which we enjoyed shortly after entering some 10
days prior. We anchored there on Sunday
afternoon anticipating our departure for the following morning. Early Monday morning, we lifted the dinghy
out of the water using the main halyard, and scraped the bottom of it to dislodge
the slime. The dinghy was deflated and
tied down on the foredeck. As we were
doing this, another sailboat was approaching the anchorage. It appeared to be an American boat that we'd
met weeks earlier in Puerto la Cruz.
Looking through the binoculars, as it approached, I could clearly see a
French flag flying. As the boat neared,
the name became clearly visible, and we exchanged mutual waves of acknowledgement.
By the time they were finished anchoring or even before, the French flag was
gone. The three other boats in the
anchorage were in fact French - evidently the American boat deemed it to be
safer to fly a French flag enroute without other boats as companions. In fact, this is the ONLY American boat that
we've seen this year, in our travels. The vast majority are French. When we first came to Venezuela in 2008, there were more American boats as well as
more Canadian boats than there are presently.
Shortly after 10 am we pulled anchor and proceeded to the exit point to
the open ocean just over a mile south. The wind was a moderate 15 knots from
the ESE, but there were steep waves to pass through as we went, making only 2
knots under power in 20 feet of water.
Anita wasn't too impressed at this point. As soon as I could, I pulled a
small amount of jib out via the roller furler. This helped immensely and
doubled our speed. Within a matter of
minutes, a loud bang echoed. Shortly after that the wind generator blades were
hitting the backstay, and the forestay looked looser than normal. I tightened
the backstay as it appeared very loose as well.
This seemed to help for a while.
And then another loud bang echoed.
The forestay and jib were sagged even more, and then one of the wind
generator blades snapped off after impact with the backstay. The jib was furled and it became clearly
evident that the forestay was broken somewhere higher up as there was no
apparent problem at deck level. The whole forestay was thrashing around held up
only by the halyard holding the sail. We
had only gone about 2.5 miles, but I had to turn back, hardening both sheets to
minimize the thrashing. We had to return
to the anchorage from which we'd just left.
I was hoping that a fitting at the top of the mast had broken and that
I'd be able to fix that with another.
But somehow I thought that it would not be that easy. We motored back in and anchored. I had to go up the mast, and I needed my top
climber. The top climber allows me to
pull myself up a 5/8 line to wherever the line leads. So I set the top climber
up for my ascent, and we emptied a cockpit locker to find the extra forestay
that I feared we would need. I brought
the extra forestay forward of the spreaders and told Anita that I would be
dropping a line down to her from the top of the mast if I needed her to attach the forestay for me,
so that I could haul it up. And so armed
with tools, fittings, cotter pins, lines and a bottle of water, I climbed
up. I had waited until later in the day,
because of the heat of the day, and the fact that there should be fewer power
boats come by to throw a wake that would make me hold on for dear life. Near the top I could plainly see that the
forestay had broken right at the swage.
There was no possibility of repair.
The goal was clear. I had to undo the cotter pin holding the remnants of
the old forestay, take the pin out, without dropping it. Because I couldn't quite reach, I had to lash
a line from the top of the mast with a loop for my foot to go in, to get an
extra 15 inches closer to the top. Once
there, I could reach (although precariously) the fitting, and with needle nose
pliers, alternating between hands and holding on to the mast with the other, I
managed to get the old cotter pin out, and subsequently the pin. I then lowered a line with an anchor shackle
attached (for weight) to Anita waiting below to attach the extra forestay. I hauled the forestay up and lashed it to the
furled sail so that I couldn't inadvertently drop it. At this point Anita indicated that a power
boat was coming. We were anchored
furthest back in the anchorage, and thankfully the power boat must have seen
me, because he slowed down to a crawl.
Any wake he gave was absolutely minimal.
I managed to get the new forestay attached and cotter pin installed,
exclaiming “I got it ". And then my
hat blew off my head and landed in the water never to be seen again. I made my descent, but when I got to the
spreaders I installed the line for a new flag halyard that had broken
previously. Once back on deck, I began
to contemplate how I would bring the old rig down without incurring further damage. Stay tuned....
Part 3 - Los Roques - Roller Furl Down
As
it was, 15 to 20 knots at anchor does not compel one to unfurl a large
genoa(jib) with only the halyard holding the whole rig aloft. And so it was essential to lower the rig via
the halyard. But first, the furler/lower
halyard connection to the deck had to be disconnected to allow the furler drum
to go forward as the halyard was lowered. Otherwise, the six foot sections of
aluminum running the full length of the halyard would be in danger of bending
or otherwise causing damage. The drum
and furled sail were progressively maneuvered forward over the pulpit as the
halyard was slowly eased, necessitating that the drum enter the water. In this
manner we managed to lower the rig, with only the top 6 ft aluminum section
folding at the joint to the next section. Ultimately we had the furled sail at
deck level running lengthwise and lashed to the lifeline with the drum
extending forward from the pulpit about 4 ft.
We still couldn't unfurl the sail at this point. And it wouldn't be a good idea to try another
exit from here. So, we headed north the 10 or so miles back to El Gran Roque,
where I hoped we could get the rig ashore to dismantle it and fold up the
sail. The sail would be no good to us at
this point, since it does not have hanks with which to attach it to the new
forestay, and since it was way too large
to use without the ability to furl. We
anchored near the Guardacosta(Coastguard) station and I dinghied in to explain
our plight and that I needed the assistance of a larger vessel than our dinghy
to bring the furled rig ashore. The Capitan
explained that his Vessel was under repair and that we'd have to seek the
services of a local. The Capitan offered
the use of the large concrete pad, where we could unfurl and fold the sail etc.
I dinghied over to the nearest local, explaining my plight (all in Spanish of
course) and within 15 seconds he followed me to Joint Venture. We promptly unlashed the rig, and it was
aboard his 25 ft Pirogue in less than 2 minutes. Minutes later we had the
furled sail on site at the concrete pad offered by the Capitan. Minutes after that, the local on the Pirogue
had me back to the boat where Anita was waiting, and we dinghied into shore to
perform the tasks necessary. I gave the
friendly Pirogue driver a 50 Bolivar note (6 dollars equivalent) with which he
was pleased. He offered to come to pick
us up, but of course after dismantling the
rig and compacting it all, we wouldn't need that help. No necessito !
Muchas gracias. It took about an hour and a half to compact the rig and fold
the sail so we could transport it all in the dinghy back to the boat. In the
meantime, our American friends had shown up, anchoring just behind us. They had cleared out of Venezuela before they left Puerto la Cruz, and they had no
intention of signing in at the Guardacosta etc. since they would only be
allowed 1 day to stay in Los Roques.
They wanted to top up their water and diesel before departing El Gran
Roque. And so I indicated where they could obtain both, for free. They were headed west towards Bonaire. We also wanted to top up our
water and diesel before making another attempted departure. So in the morning,
I started to dinghy towards the desalination plant. But the Americans (Larry
and Deb), intercepted me, and told me that there was no water because there was
no power with which to pump. There is a
hose that leads to the beachfront near the plant that allows dinghies and other
shallow drafted vessels to approach with Jerry Cans that can then be filled with
desalinated potable water. So I figured
not going if the power was down. Larry
also told me that the local dive shop sold diesel for $7 US per 20 liter
container (which they were happy with since $20 per container was what they were
used to in the States. I asked if that
included the container, Of course it did not.
I pointed towards the plant that there was a large vessel offloading
cargo and fuel and that in my experience, it was free. Larry said he'd check it out. Off he went, but apparently came back empty
handed as the line up of local boats holding multiple barrels was too daunting.
In the afternoon I decided to try my luck with water and diesel. The pumps for water were still down, but I
found a local who took me to a faucet about 100 meters inland where there was
some water availability. He told me that
water is stored in massive reservoirs high up on the hills and that it feeds a
smaller reservoir all via gravity, from which we were tapped into. All I had to
do was lug my two 30 liter (30 KG) containers back to the dinghy. Meanwhile the line up for diesel did not seem
to have abated. So from shore side I walked to the back of the cargo ship and
held up my 2 measly diesel cans and shrugged my shoulders. I was promptly waved to come aboard, and they
filled them up. 50 liters of diesel for free. Coming back to the boat, Larry
could see that I was loaded down with water and diesel. I explained what I did and
so they went and did the same and were similarly successful. The next morning,
Larry and Deb headed off west, and we decided to leave as well, but exiting
from the north this time, similarly as we had done a year earlier. There were large 2.5 to 3 meter waves as we
moved out of the lee of El Gran Roque under sail and power. The water is only
100 ft deep here and so rollers coming in from deeper ocean get magnified in
shallower water. With Anita at the helm as I raised an old #3 hank on working
jib, screams of discouragement prompted me to turn around. To be continued...
Part 4 - Los Roques - Exhaust Elbow
Our
latest attempt to depart Los Roques has been thwarted in a big way. One of the several large waves that we encountered
in the first minutes north out of the
lee of El Gran Roque inflicted major damage to the exhaust elbow exiting the engine. While I was at the helm, Anita indicated that
a high pitched alarm was sounding...it was the bilge pump alarm ..I immediately
went below to check the bilge and to my horror found the water just 3 inches below the floorboards. I had
just recently installed a new bilge pump and had switched it on immediately.
The engine had been shut down minutes earlier when I thought it was overheating
from the smell and smoke that were billowing from the broken exhaust elbow
along with the associated sea water. I had not yet diagnosed the problem. While the bilge was being rapidly emptied by
my new 2000 gph bilge pump, I was running around looking for a reason for such
a rapid intake of water. I checked the head (toilet) first and then other thru
hulls. No problem and the bilge was purged. I now knew the exhaust system was
compromised in a big way. We sailed
downwind toward the small island group of Noronqui where we spent several days
anchored about a week prior. I also
happened to mention the anchor location of Noronqui del Medio as a good one for
privacy and comfort to the Americans (Larry and Deb). And so as we came into
the lee of Noronqui from the north, we could see a boat anchored just where we
were planning to. We had to make 4 or 5
tacks to get ourselves to the point where we'd drop the hook. Sure enough, it
was the American boat that had departed about 2 hours before us. But they were
nowhere to be seen. And no response on the radio. It was only about 11 am. Oh well. I was most interested in looking closer at
the exhaust problem. I quickly found the exhaust sagging but had to wait a
little for things to cool down. First, I
had to remove the wrapping of insulation covering the exhaust piping that
eventually connects with the exhaust hose. Now I could clearly see that the
pipe exiting the engine had broken in a jagged fashion right in half. I knew
right away that I could not make a good enough repair to be permanent. In any case, the exhaust piping had to be
unbolted from the engine at one end and from the intermediary piece that
connects to the exhaust hose at the other end. It was very awkward and took
nearly two hours not including swearing and grimacing. To get a decent repair done I would have to
make it to the mainland Venezuela or Margarita...or go west to Bonaire or Curacao. So.. I
started to take an inventory of my repair materials and spare parts. I settled on epoxy steel, a double wide hose
clamp, steel wire, fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. A few more hours had the
repair work waiting to set and cure. I rested for a few hours and then decided
that the repair was dry enough that I could re-bolt everything. What I hadn't accounted for was the fact that
I'd made the whole thing a little bigger in the process of repair. As a result,
I had to invent innovative ways to use the wrenches in what turned out to be a
very tedious procedure to complete the connections. What a Joint Venture !
Early the next morning, we would try to
depart Los Roques if my repair worked. I
started the engine and had exhaust water coming out from the exhaust where it
should and everything appeared to be functioning as it should. So we pulled the
anchor and set off under power. Once we were out of the lee of Noronqui and had
wind and no obstructions, I stopped the engine not knowing how long my repair
would last. We had an east wind of about 10 knots. We were able to sail a
course of 040 magnetic making about 3.5 knots.
After a few hours we had only averaged a course made good of due north.
The westerly current of about 1.5 knots, played havoc with our intentions,
especially with so little wind and only a #3 jib. I decided to try the engine
again, but after about half an hour it was clear that my repair had failed. So
the engine was stopped and we tacked. In short order it became apparent that
under these conditions we weren't going to get very far. We weren't making much
easterly headway, and so we tacked back heading north again. We needed a favorable wind shift before we
could hope to avoid the reefs of Los Roques to the south. We headed north for 6 more hours before
getting knocked down, which meant time to tack.
Now we could make some easterly progress which was somewhat heartening,
because it looked for a while like we might have to change our destination
downwind to Bonaire. The wind
freshened to 16 knots and we were going nearly 6 knots in a SE direction, so we
should have no problem clearing Los Roques if this wind would hold. By midnight, the wind had abated and shifted unfavorably. We
tacked every hour or 2 or more often if it seemed advantageous. Sometimes we'd tack and then tack right
back. Very frustrating. We'd have been
under power long ago, if we had an engine that didn't spew exhaust and water
directly into the bilge. At least we've
cleared Los Roques and the obvious danger, but thoughts of heading downwind
still lingered. I was awake all night, and daybreak didn't bring much change.
Still we fought on. Surely more wind
would come our way soon. We had to fight for every inch of progress and it was
reminiscent of light air racing when thoughts of the race being called
came. But the current hadn't abated, and
any progress made good was southerly. I was still more or less without sleep,
save the odd catnap. The painstaking
necessity to sail the boat as efficiently as possible kept me attentive to the
helm. And then miracles of miracles - a NE wind, only 8 or nine knots but NE. And
so we could make some easting. With the Autohelm set, I fell asleep on the
cockpit floor waking up a few hours later to find us going over 5 knots in an
easterly direction. It was nightfall and things were looking up, but by midnight the wind died and shifted E with little progress net.
By morning, the glassiness of the ocean was not awe inspiring. We were only 20
miles from Tortuga and refuge in a possible anchorage...but there is
virtually nothing and nobody there.
Charging the batteries up to this point was the job of the trustworthy
Honda inverter/generator. It was lashed on the stern atop the lazerette. Every 4 or 5 hours it had to be started. The Honda must be level or the low oil alarm
shuts it down, So I had to tilt the unit accordingly if we had any heel. The solar panels don't cut the mustard, the
wind generator has a broken blade and the water generator doesn't put out much
unless the boat is moving 4 to 5 knots at least. Gasoline for the Honda was continuing to dwindle,
and would even more so if we went to anchor if only for a rest. So Tortuga as an
interim destination was dismissed. And we didn't want to use up all the gas
because the dinghy with our 6 HP Yamaha pushing on the stern quarter was our
ticket to shore if there was no wind and within 15 or 20 miles of a destination. Anita would always ask how we were doing, and
I'd have to tell her where we were headed at that particular point in time.
Over the past days I had given her no less than 5 different answers and it
prompted me to say that there should be an annual race from Los Roques, to
anywhere upwind and that one is only allowed to change that destination 5 times
and that the fifth time was set in stone…. at least I was laughing. Even increasing speed from 1 knot to 2 was
heartening. Late in the afternoon the NE wind returned and before nightfall I
decided to head south for the port of Carenero. The night before the NE wind died and it was still
over 100 miles to Porlmar and Margarita.
We had 17 to 18 knots, and were on a broad reach headed SSW towards Carenero
some 60 miles to go and moving at 6 knots plus.
We still had a full main, and I was in no mood for reefing. By 4 am we were within 20 miles of Carenero when the wind
shifted from NE to ESE. We were beating again, and unable to lay the course
required but still going 6 knots.
Daybreak brought the welcomed sight of the Venezuelan mainland. We
continued on a port tack and ended up about 8 miles west of the rhumb line when
we tacked 2 miles from shore. We had 20 knots of wind, and were moving at 7
knots in these sheltered waters. We had to beat, but it was very exhilarating
and the best sailing we've ever had in Venezuela. In fact the wind strengthened over the ensuing hours
as we beat at or near hull speed with a destination within our grasp. We sailed into Carenero around noon under full main, anchoring in a sheltered lagoon near
the Yacht club. We were welcomed by many
of the locals in their pirogues as we made our way in. At the time there was only one other boat
with people aboard, a French boat. Oddly,
they never acknowledged or exchanged waves. So we ignored them, as they ignored
us. They left several days later. The following morning, I took the
disassembled and broken exhaust pieces with us to the local Mercury outboard
store. The manager of the store (
Christian Caldera) was an extremely helpful gentleman. After I explained our plight, he offered and
drove us into Higerote, a nearby town where we might find replacement parts. We
went to a hardware store, but they didn't have exactly what we were looking
for. Then he took us to a local welding
shop. The proprietor there looked at and
assessed what had to be done in a matter of minutes. He told me he could cut
off the damaged parts of the exhaust elbow and then weld a stronger piece of
heavier gauge tubing. He said it would
take about an hour, and that it would be 150 bolivars. I told him if they did a
good job I would give him 200 bolivars. That’s $24. Muchas gracias. I then gave the same... 200 bolivars to
Christian with which he was pleased.
I
reassembled the exhaust. It works, doesn’t
leak, and is still. A few days later we motor sailed the 88 miles ESE back to
Puerto la Cruz. It's another 70 miles ENE to Porlamar, but time to take a
rest.
(Ed. Note: The following excerpts were
sent via email by Ken and Anita in August, 2011 – their adventures continue!)
A-37 Rosters Available
If
any member wants an 'UP TO DATE" roster of A-37 IOA boats/owners, just let
us know via email (a37ioa-at-sylvaninfo.net - remove the "-at-" with
"@" ) and we'll send you a copy via email attachment. The roster will be in "HTML"
format, and you will be able to display the roster via your web browser. The reason we don't publish the complete
roster on the A-37 website is to maintain member's privacy as the roster contains
phone #s and email addresses.
A-37s For Sale
(Please check the Alberg 37 web site (A37's
For Sale/Wanted) for the latest postings.) (Ed. Note: Several Alberg 37s have recently changed hands – so there are
people out there looking for these great boats.)
Current offerings include:
FOR SALE - SOLSKIN -
1970 MK-I Yawl, Hull # 58 (Click
here for further details and link to photo). Call John Long (410) 871-9660
FOR SALE - MARYNYA -
1973 MK-II Yawl, Hull # 123
- $35,000 USD.
Contact Michael Hughes at maryna7ATgmail.com (replace AT with @ before
sending email). Click
here for further details and link to photos.
FOR SALE - TAMAR - 1969 Alberg 37 MK-I
Sloop, Hull ID Number 376954 (Hull #54)-
All replaced electrical with marine wiring throughout, Ample Power smart
charging and house/starter battery crossover, Blue Seas Systems panels fuses
and breakers, 380 amp gel cell house batteries, all ten stainless opening
ports, all replaced bronze thru-hulls and valves, Beta Marine 28hp diesel with
only 12 hours running time, bronze shaft log with dripless seal, 4 bladed
14" VariProp, new propane locker and new Force 10 stove, LOTS of custom
interior work. Click Here
for more photos. Excellent survey from last summer, Boat is located in Bellingham, WA. $44,500.00 USD
Contact-Email svtamarATgmail.com
(remove AT before sending) for pictures and info.
FOR SALE - PIKA - 1967 MK I Hull #20. Currently lying Green Turtle Cay, Abacos. Cruise equipped!!
See Featured
A37's for extensive description and photos. $49,000 USD.
Contact Lou Wayne -
email: l.wayneATfrontiernet.net (remove AT before sending).
FOR SALE - 1975 Alberg 37 Mark II Sloop SCRIMSHAW, Hull #152. Cruiser/racer
well equipped for both missions. One owner. Excellent racing record. Superbly
maintained. Many extras including cookware, dishes, silverware, cockpit
cushions, dingy, Winslow 4 man liferaft, tools, 3 size genoas, 2 spinnakers, 2
mainsails, Raytheon depth/speed/wind instruments, loran, GPS, Tiller master, 3
anchors, 150' chain/nylon anchor rode plus additional 100' nylon anchor rode, cockpit canopy. Boat located
in Annapolis, MD.
(Click On Thumbnails For Larger Photo)
Asking $50,000 US.
Contact: Charles Deakyne.
410-647-6674,Email charles.deakyne@gte.net
For Sale - 1980 Alberg 37 MK-II Sloop Located in Port Townsend. Washington Great offshore
boat. Excellent condition well maintained. Lots of sails, Profurl roller
furling, Volvo diesel, Windless, Monitor and Autohelm self steering, GPS, VHF
and single sideband radios, Bruce anchor with 200' chain and 150' rode, recent
survey. Depth and knot meters.
Contact James at (360)
765-3222
jarsulich@olympus.net
FOR SALE - SOLA
GRATIA, Alberg 37 Mk II Sloop #107
Clean and well kept
A37. Ready for cruising! Solar panel, manual windlass, Aries windvane
self-steering, 250' chain anchor rode, furling genoa, main with 3 reef points,
lazy jacks, upgraded self-tailing winches, 1000 watt inverter, propane stove
and BBQ, new anti-fouling, and more. Deck recently
professionally repaired and refinished.
On the hard in Toronto. Asking $51,500 Cdn.
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1972/Alberg-37-Sloop-2252090/Toronto/Canada
FOR SALE: 1972 Alberg 37 MK-II sloop; recent Westerbeke/roller furling/radar etc., etc. /
ready to sail! Too many toys and no time. $44,000.00 - On the hard at West
Newbury, MA
Contact Dan Lord at: 978 462
1112
FOR SALE: GENESIS -
1967 Alberg 37 MK-I Sloop (Hull # 23) offered at $49,000 USD (Recently purchased Zodiac
Cadet Series dinghy with recent 6 HP Tohatsu outboard can be negotiated).
Genesis has been completely modernized, while retaining her classic lineage.
She has been professionally painted, rigged, wired, and fitted with new
electronics in 2007. I have owned Genesis since 1995. Over time, we completed a
fairly extensive refit which is now 5-10 years old.
Main features: Awlgrip deck,
mast & topsides; complete re-wire & re-plumb; recently replaced
electronics, including Raymarine chartplotter, wind/speed/depth, radar, &
under-deck Raymarine auto pilot. Inverter and microwave. Integrated Ipod
stereo, refrigerator and hot water heater. Engine re-power with Westerbeke 44B
in 2003. Rope halyards that lead to cockpit; modern ports; sails & canvas
in great shape; rigged for spinnaker. 12” Flat screen installed in v-berth;
custom Fairclough winter cover; and many, many other smaller items.
The work was completed over
5-7 years, and was done professionally. Extensive records and documentation
kept. Boat is located in Myrtle Beach, SC. Will consider a 50% share under the right
circumstances.
Click
Here for Photos Contact Reid
Tomlin Phone - Cell: 973-332-5701
Email: rtATwasmerschroeder.com (replace AT
with @)
ALBERG 37's WANTED
I am looking for an A37 project boat. The motor and cosmetics are
not critical but it must be structurally sound (bulkheads, hull, deck). Located
on the east cost near NC is a plus. I can be reached through email at Curtis
Vance(at)bellsouth.net
Gear For Sale
(Check out the Gear
For Sale/Wanted section of the website for latest listings)
Complete
Alberg 37 Main Mast, Sails and Rigging For Sale Or Trade From 1973 MK-II Yawl (hull no. 111). No reasonable offers
refused. Will sell whole or in parts including:
- main sail
- Harken furling jib
- trysail
- spare jib
- 2 speed halyard winch
- 1 speed halyard winch
- 2 rope/wire halyards
- spit back stay
with (3) Sta-Loc terminals
- fore stay with complete Harken furling gear
- 2 shrouds with Sta-Loc terminals
- 4 inner shrouds with swaged terminals
All in good working condition
(apart from 1 wonky halyard sheave (fore port) that should be replaced sooner
or later).
Reason for sale: converting to
experimental rig using free-standing masts.
Currently in Charlottetown, PEI, CANADA
Shipping to be arranged. Grab
yourself a bargain! :-)
Contact: Simon Foster
email: glasiadATyahoo.co.uk
(replace AT with @before sending email) Tel: (Charlottetown) 902 566 1842
Alberg 37 Custom Cover for sale . The cover was made by
Fairclough Sailmakers, and is listed at $1,500USD. It has been used 4 seasons
and recently has been serviced for extra reinforcement and stitching (cover is
currently at Fairclough's facility in New Haven, CT) .Cover retails new for
$4-5,000. I have recently moved to FL and have no further need for a winter cover.
Contact Reid Tomlin at: (239)
263-6877 . Check the Gear For Sale page on the
A-37 Website for a photo of the cover.
For
sale - Zodiac, 4 man offshore valise liferaft. Never deployed, purchased new in 2000. Always stored inside
and is in great condition. Buyer responsible for shipping and repackaging,
however if it cannot be repackaged for any reason send back and we will refund
the purchase price (shipping not included). Asking $800 USD. Contact Bill
and Debbie Horne: serenade2ATsbcglobal.net (replace
AT with @).
Gear Wanted
Al Peckenpaugh is looking for a 13" x 14" LH (Left
Hand) prop (7/8" shaft) for his 1967
MK-I Sloop GYPSY LADY. He has the Volvo MD-2 engine in his boat. If
anyone has this prop, please contact Al.
alpeckenpaughAThotmail.com
(replace AT with @ before sending)
I am
looking for a spray dodger for "KUMA" my 1971 MK-II A37
Yawl, any colour will do, or even just the frame. ALSO, I am looking for an Alberg 37
Tiller with fittings to use as an emergency tiller.
Thanks!
Peter D McIntosh
RYA/DOT Yachtmaster (Ocean)
captpetermacATfastmail.fm (remove
AT and substitute @ before emailing)
Wanted as spare -
Datamarine S-200 DL LCD Digital Depth Sounder Instrument.
Tom
McMaster
S/V Sojourn
Web Sites of
Interest
CaptainRated (http://captainrated.com/) is the boating review site providing
real reviews by real boaters brought to you by ActiveCaptain (https://activecaptain.com/)
Spindrift
By the Editor
We are always looking for articles
(cruising, racing, maintenance, etc.) and photos of your boat for inclusion on
the website and newsletter. Send the
articles via email attachment in MS WORD and the photos in .JPG format if
possible. Please don’t send large files,
especially high resolution photos.
Photos should be 100 kilobytes or smaller if at all possible. We’ve had some emails with attachments which
take HOURS to download.
Hopefully, we've included most or all of
the pertinent correspondence that we've received over the past few months. Our apologies to those items which we may
have missed.
We need a good candidate for "Featured A-37" It's been several years since we had a new
addition to the Featured A-37 list. If
you would like to do a write-up and submit photos of your boat, we'd like to
hear from you! Take a look at the
articles on the website (click on the link above) as examples.
The A-37 IOA
participates as a cooperating group with BOAT
U.S., and members receive BOAT U.S. membership
for half price. Just mention you are a member of the Alberg 37 Owners Group and
include the Cooperating Group number GA 83253 S when you join Boat U.S. or send in
your annual renewal of membership.
Have a great
Alberg 37 FALL – We’ll try to publish a WINTER Newsletter while in the Bahamas, but no Guarantee!
AND KEEP IN
TOUCH!
Tom and Kaye
Assenmacher in Kinsale, VA
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