ALBERG 37
INTERNATIONAL OWNERS
ASSOCIATION
C/O Tom and Kaye Assenmacher
a37ioanospamr@sylvaninfo.net
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VOL. XV, NO.4 (FALL - 2005)
NEW MEMBERS
David Blaise
Beaver arrived at
Welcome aboard to Jon
and Helen Kuhl of
Welcome aboard to Catherine
and Robert Bennett of
The
Adventures of JOINT VENTURE – Chapter I
(1975 Alberg 37 Yawl,
Ken
and Anita Tillotson (Port
As a famous writer once started his novel “It
was the best of times, it was the worse of times.” Watching our scarred veteran boat become a
gleaming young beauty, we felt a deep sense of satisfaction. But it has come at a high price in
frustration. Anyone who has ever been through this process will
understand. The romantic dream becomes
reality very slowly and with many setbacks.
Here is a run down of why the boat took a month
longer to paint than anticipated: The deck
required more attention than originally thought. A bow repair done in the past
was done in shoddy fashion with nonstructural material and so this had to be
addressed to make the boat seaworthy. This caused a 2-3 week delay in itself.
The primer coat showed small pin holes
apparently caused by too hot of a gel coat when the boat was built. These had to be filled by hand and primed
again several times before the paint could be applied.
The bottom was sanded and revealed major
fractures in the keel. This was repaired
with fiberglass.
The cradle pads could not be moved to paint
underneath as too much of the boat’s full weight was being supported by
them. It was necessary to hire the
marina’s travel lift to move her to the yard and put her on jack stands. For the next weeks, we climbed a long ladder
and worked on the installation of the new electric winch, plumbing and
electrical projects.
The workers had to come to the yard to finish
putting the hatch covers, and other odds and ends, etc. The wind blew fine dust all over our newly
painted boat and small stones made their way to the deck even with everyone
taking their shoes off. The original
deck fittings now did not fit and it took weeks of frustration to get some of
it fixed.
The engine needed to have a heat exchanger
installed to keep the salt water away from the engine parts. The marine diesel mechanic started his work
in early June. He would come at
After over a month of sleeping at my daughter’s
home, we moved onto the boat. The
forepeak bunk was the only cleaned area of the boat. Tools and parts covered every other surface. We ate fast food, and used the marina
washrooms.
On June 29th we were launched and
towed to the newly built dock in front of the
Work progressed slowly on the engine as we
continued to install, organize and store an impossible number of things. People were surprised to find that we had not
left yet.
Compounding our difficulties was the extreme
heat wave. The temperature every day was in the thirties (centigrade) and very
humid.
The one bright spot was the Alberg
Rendezvous. We thoroughly enjoyed
meeting many of the Alberg owners and hearing about their adventures. As newcomers to this group, we were made to
feel welcome.
Eventually the sails were on, a surround by
Genco had been installed, a new barbeque mounted, and numerous lights and fans
installed to make us much more comfortable.
The engine was started! It still needed some things installed and
adjusted but we were close!
We finally received the hardware to install the
cockpit teak table. This is the
culmination of a series of mistakes by the seller….first we realized in the
spring that the hardware to attach the table to the binnacle guard was the
wrong size. The seller was informed and
we were asked to send back the wrong size and they would send the right one. We
were sent brackets but without the proper hinges to mount the table. The seller
was informed of this error & a new shipment with the correct brackets &
hinges. That done, we waited and waited but the new shipment never
arrived. We traced it and found that
they had got the address wrong. They sent it to 254 Epworth instead of 245
Epworth. But by this time, it had been returned to the
After several conversations with the seller,
they agreed to send us the right hardware by UPS. Today it arrived and it is the right
item. Just another ongoing source of
frustration finally resolved.
We kept organizing and stowing items. We kept pushing ourselves to be ready to
leave. Then disaster! In taking an old fire extinguisher out of the
cabin, it fell and discharged its contents all over the cabin! What a mess.
Ken and I spent most of the day trying to clean this stuff up. The stress is getting to us. I could not control my tears at this latest
reversal.
As usual, we finally talked out our feelings
and moved on. At
The next day, we put everything away, making a
master list of where everything was stowed so hopefully when I want a can of
tuna, I’ll be able to find it. Every
nook and crevice is full. A day later we
took the boat out to test the engine and the new ‘Campbell Sailor’ prop. The engine ran smoothly and the prop had us
moving at a higher speed than would have been the case with the old prop. The captain was very pleased. We seemed to be in good shape, so we planned
to leave the next day, Saturday, July 15.
The next morning we were up and ready to
go. I could hardly believe it after all
this time.
I’m on the dock with the bow line in my hand;
the engine is running sweetly; and Ken puts the engine in reverse. At once a terrible grinding erupts. Ken turns the engine off and we stare at each
other stupefied. What on earth has
happened? After a minute to compose
ourselves, Ken gets into his shorty wetsuit, mask and flippers and dives down
to look at the prop. He finds to his
amazement that the prop blades have all been bent backwards and the rudder is
damaged. Little did we know how badly
this damage would turn out to be! The natural thought is that the shaft has
come out and backed into the rudder, particularly since the engine had just
finished being worked on.
A “Harbour Day” celebration is underway this
weekend so we can’t get the boat hauled until Monday. Saturday night, while everyone is whooping it
up and fire works are going off, it is a very quiet pair on Joint Venture. My brother tries to convince us to join in
and have a beer, etc. but we are just too discouraged and decline. Monday, the boat is towed to the marina dock
and hauled out of the water. What a
sight the prop and the rudder are. The
first thing everyone says is how on earth did this damage occur. No one had ever seen anything like it.
The boat
is taken to the Whitby Boat Works where Alex tells us he can fix the rudder but
it will not be done until Thursday or Friday.
We resign ourselves to living on the hard again. It turns out that the prop cannot be
fixed. Ken orders a new one to be
shipped to an address we will provide later.
The original old prop will have to do in the interim. The shaft was not the cause of the damage and
we guess that something got in between the prop and the rudder. We will never really know. Just a case of bad luck is the
consensus. In the meantime…some of
the work done by the workers from Custom fiberglass repairs was not adequate,
so Lewis offered one of his more skilled workers to fix these deficiencies
while we were on dry-dock anyhow. After 5 days in the sling the rudder repair
was complete. Although the rudder was badly damaged and split down the back,
the lower portion of the rudder had long term water ingress and associated
wetness. The lower 2/3 of the material in the rudder had to be replaced due to
prior damage in years gone by. The rudder repair was done with a great deal of
skill and workmanship and is now stronger than it ever was.
Saturday,
July 23
Finally, the work is done, we’re launched and
are once again ready to leave.
The engine/prop/rudder have not been tested but
we pay our bill and say good bye to fellow Alberg owners, Wayne and Cindy (Leeway
II). We put the engine in gear...no grinding.
We smoothly make our way out onto the lake and turn our bow towards the
east. As we motor sail along at 6.5
knots Ken decides to shut the engine down for a while. After several hours the
wind drops and the engine is restarted but starts to overheat almost
immediately. Ken adds glycol to the
cooling system which seems to solve the problem. It is clear now that that
there is a leak in the new closed heat exchanger system that was installed by
Durham Marine. Ken feared that it was leaking and had indicated so to Winston.
Winston had said it was just shrinkage from the engine cooling. The wind is
strong from the south west and good size waves push us along. The boat surges and rolls and I am very
seasick. I sleep off and on all day and
by evening I am feeling well enough to stand my 3 hour watches. The wind has also dropped and the lake is
smoother.
Sunday,
July 24
The next morning dawns hot and clear with a
nice following sea and we arrive in
Monday,
July 25
We sail out of
Tuesday,
July 26
The next morning at
We come to a bridge which is too low to get
under. It is the type which raises up to
let sailboats or freighters through. We
are forced to motor slowly around in circles waiting for the bridge to be
raised. We are concerned about the
ongoing overheating of the engine. The
bridge is finally raised and we continue until we come to the next bridge of
this type. We again circle and
circle. After about thirty minutes, and
this seems long, finally the bridge is raised. As Ken increases speed to get
through the bridge, the engine stops and won’t start again. We are horrified as we lose way and start to
drift. The boat slowly turns sideways to
the opening but thankfully, the current carries us through without hitting
anything. Ken frantically works to get the
engine started without any luck. We
raise the jib and begin to tack back and forth in the very light wind coming
from the direction we need to go but thankfully we have a 1-1.5 knot current in
our favor. The channel we are in is used
by lake freighters so we slowly get out of the buoyed channel as Ken continues
his efforts to get the engine to start.
We spend a lot of time drifting sideways. The engine starts! We keep our fingers crossed as we carry on up
a channel to the first lock which is near
No amount of motor power will move us. Slowly, the people on the boats come out to
see what happened and begin to discuss in French what should be done. A couple speak some English and we confirm
that we are indeed aground. We are asked
to throw them lines and they will try to pull us off. This is not successful, so then we throw them
a halyard and they pull and pull to tip the boat on her side. We are able to move a bit but are now
sideways to the opening. It seems
hopeless but these folks are determined.
After some conversation, they decide to try from the other side of the
entrance. Ken throws lines again but as
the distance is greater the line doesn’t quite reach shore. The fellows scramble down the rocky shore to
try to get the lines. I am sure that
there must have been some bruises and scrapes but they are intent on what they
are doing. Darkness has set in and the
mosquitoes are out in force. I spray Ken
and myself but can do nothing for our helpers.
The boat is once again pulled over on to her
side and with Ken racing the engine and with a few stops and starts we bounce
and bump our way out. There are cheers
from the triumphant crew on shore and we on the boat. Ken and I say merci, merci, thank you, thank
you. What wonderful people. We motor out a ways and use our new windlass
to anchor for the first time. It worked like a dream. Our new anchor snubber
was set in place to take the strain off the windlass. It is now dark and we have definitely had
enough for this day.
Wednesday,
July 27
The next morning dawns dark and overcast with a
light rain falling off and on. Ken tries
to start the motor and it will not start.
The starter will not even make a sound.
Ken spends the day trying to resolve the problem with no success. I spend it huddled in my bunk. We spend another night at anchor.
Thursday,
July 28
The next morning dawns bright and sunny. Ken puts our brand new 6 hp 4 stroke Yamaha
outboard motor on the dinghy and goes back to the shore to try and find a
mechanic and some gas for the dinghy. He comes back saying that we have been
offered free dockage at a dock along the front of the marina where the water is
deep enough for us. How to get
there? Ken decides to push Joint Venture
with our 11 ft Achilles dinghy, Clipper. Ken just clips the dinghy on the
starboard quarter with a couple of lines and away we go. With a nervous me at
the wheel and Ken in the dinghy we slowly set out. The sailboat moves along smoothly and as we
approach the dock, Ken leaps out of the dinghy, takes the helm and brings us
along side and I jump on the dock and tie up the bow. Easy as pie! The small hamlet is
Melocheville. We are unsuccessful finding any mechanical help there, but we
have learned how to move the boat using the dinghy. We are sure to find mechanical help in
Longueuil (opposite
We set off in our new mode headed for
Longueuil. The new outboard motor has to be broken in so for the first hour Ken
runs the engine at about half throttle which gives us a speed of about 3 knots.
Later we find that we can attain a speed of 4 knots at ľ throttle but someone
must be in the bow of the dinghy to keep it from rising up; particularly when
power boat wake threatens. In this fashion we travel to the next lock. Will they accept us in this configuration I wonder? When we enter the lock, we get looked at but
no one says a word and we lock through with the dinghy on the wall side…no
problem. Ken sat in the dinghy with a boathook to fend off the wall while
holding the provided rope as the boat was lowered in the lock. We continued in
this fashion through the next lock and up the narrow channels which we share
with a lake freighter at one point.
At one of the last of the locks, we have to tie
up to wait for the lock to open for us.
The “pleasure craft” dock is empty and as we head towards it, I am
forward waiting for the boat’s bow to curve around to bring us along side. As we steam straight ahead, I am frantically
yelling at Ken to “bring her around” with no success. It appears we are about to ram straight onto
the dock, and I am paralyzed with fright as I suddenly hear Ken shout “Watch
out!” as he comes running past me and vaults over the bow onto the dock
grabbing the bow pulpit as he goes managing to maneuver the boat inches away
from hitting. The problem was a strong
current which sped the boat along and created the inability of the helm to turn
the boat fast enough. We experienced the
same difficulty as we were leaving. Ken
was at the helm as I powered the outboard motor. We were heading straight for a wall where big
signs indicated Danger. Ken shouts “faster“. I see us speeding towards the wall and let
off on the gas, whereupon, Ken shouts urgently, No…more power. I turn it up and slowly see the bow turning
away from the danger. The helm needed
all the power in the outboard to turn it.
But it was nerve wracking to say the least. As we dinghy motor towards the last lock, we
realize that the gasoline powering the outboard is down to a quarter tank. We will be lucky if we have enough to get us
to Longueuil. We are getting a lot of
wake from two boatloads of young people water skiing. I spend the afternoon in the dinghy being
bounced around. Through the last of the
locks and heading out to follow the markers in to Longueuil, the level in the
gas tank says empty. We resist taking a
short cut and hold our breath as we motor the last few minutes. We tie up to the gas dock and when Ken gets
the gas tank filled it takes 12.3 litres
in the 12 litre tank so it must have been fumes we came in on. The last
five minutes had been through a marked channel with a cross current of 3.5
knots The boat and dinghy had to be steered at about 45 degrees to our
heading…not a good place to run out of gas.
Ginette and her husband came to welcome
us. She provides us with the pass cards
necessary to use the showers and laundry facilities. She will arrange for a mechanic to come to us
as soon as possible. How wonderful it is
to have friends like her. We are safely
at dock with the prospect of getting our engine problem looked after and we
have arranged to get our self steering installed tomorrow.
Friday,
July 29
A beautiful sunny day. My first order of business is to go and have
a shower. I take Chelsey with me hoping
that I can shower her as well. Not
possible as there are lots of people around and a big sign on the shower room
door saying No Dogs. So I walk her back
and go and enjoy my first shower in a week.
Back at the boat, the fellow who will install our
After making lunch for us all, Chelsey and I go
for a long walk. It is very beautiful
here right beside the water with
Eric works until
Stay tuned as we continue to make our way
towards the ocean.
Ken, Anita & Chelsey (Ed. Note:
To view the full text along with photos, go to the Alberg 37 Web Site –
Main Page – Chapter II will appear in the next Newsletter.)
Sonny and Petra Power,
of
Marcel Steinz
(SOUTHERN CROSS), Geoff Cunliffe (THE EVERDEN), Lou and Jean Wayne (PIKA),
Heather and Bill Beaver, along with their new son David Blaise Beaver (HALCYONE) and Tom
and Kaye Assenmacher (SHEARWATER), along with other friends held an impromptu
“Mini-Rendezvous” at the Assenmachers in Kinsale, VA the weekend of September
24-25. Marcel was down from
Nick Blady
reports from
Jack St. John of
Alan Peckenpaugh
recently sent a link to his website relating the refurbishing of the 1967 MK-I
Sloop (
Lynne Purvis has placed her 1975 Alberg 37 sloop (hull # 153) TRONDELAG, which is located in the Brisbane, AU area, on the market “Sad to give up TRONDELAG as she is such a great boat but not using her enough in the last couple of years to warrant keeping her. She’s ready to go for anyone wanting to sail the Pacific.”
Ashley Walker (GOOD NEWS) and Jay Zittrer (SHARED
WATCH) (boats being located in the same marina near
John Langley of
Baddeck, NS is looking for the following items for his 1980 MK-II Yawl TALISKER: 1) Advice on where to order a good quality
dodger/sail cover and awning for an A-37 yawl - looking for a manufacturer who
knows the boat, has various dodger configurations and can custom make to order
via phone/email. 2) Full boat cover for TALISKER - A-37 yawl, for use
with masts in or out and 3) Conversion kit or replacement stove for Shipmate
(kerosene) to propane.
Contact: John
G. Langley
Email: jglangleynospam@cunardsteamshipsociety.com
(please remove "nospam" before sending email)
Fax: 902 295-1785
Telephone: 902-295-1147
Dave and Tanya Ord of
Geoff and Bunkey Cunliffe of
Mark and Debbie Crowe of
Lou and Jean Wayne of
The
following was received from Lois Jacobs
and Merle Galbraith who are currently cruising in
Item # 773199830641
$1.86 Canadian each in April, 2004
From: Home Depot Store #7109
Phone (904) 428-7939
PLASTIC CORNERS (white plastic L-shaped things which fit in the lower right and left corners of the cabinet cutout into which the drawer slides)
Item # 773199830108
Corners for #6722
$1.43 Canadian each
From: Rona Home and Garden
Phone (416) 751-5527
We hope this helps any readers who are trying to repair cracked plastic drawer parts with items identical to the original ones.
We're LOOKING FOR the round, brown plastic, cylindrical inserts which fit the finger pulls in some of the cabinet doors. Any help out there? Thanks!
Regards,
Lois Jacob & Merle Galbraith, INTERLUDE
(Disclaimer – A-37IOA has no
financial interest in any products listed.)
The following web sites provide a
lot of good cruising/communications information especially Marine Single
Sideband Radio.
http://www.cruiser.co.za/radionet.asp
http://www.docksideradio.com/east_coast.htm
http://www.boatus.com/cruising/ithaka/200501-01.asp
http://www.onpassage.com/Admin_pages/Index/Emergency_and_Medical_Index.htm
http://www.marinecomputer.com/index.html
http://www.noonsite.com/Members/webmaster/R2002-08-09-1
http://www.setsail.com/binn/homepage.taf
(Please check the Alberg 37 web site (A37's For Sale/Wanted) for the
latest postings.)
Recent offerings include:
TRONDELAG 1975 Alberg 37 sloop (hull # 153).
Currently lying in the Brisbane Australia area. Fully equipped for
offshore sailing. Asking 78,900.00 Australian. Contact Pennie Stephenson
Phone 61 7 3880
4066 fax 61 7 3880 4166
e-mail sales@boatservices.com.au
TIME PASSAGE 1980
Alberg 37 Sloop (hull #210)
Fully equipped fresh water cruising boat located in
Includes #1 and #2 furling head sails, #2 and #3 with hanks, spinnaker pole,
and mainsail. Very clean boat with many extras.
Upgrades/updates: 1999/2000 - Awlgrip hull and deck, electric windlass, SS 3
blade prop
2002 - engine rebuild, new head, new cradle
2004 - screens added to full enclosure, new starting and house batteries, all
lines, exterior teak painted
2005 - new sheaves and halyards, rebuilt alternator, new exhaust
Current owner regrets leaving sailing and plans to switch to power.
Asking $79,000 CDN
Contact Dave Ord by email at alberg@ord.ca Boat in water until
GONZO -
(Click
here for Inventory) (Click here for
Photos)
Yours
for only CDN$72,000
FIGMENT 1973
MK-II Yawl,
(Click
Here for Photos and Inventory)
Contact: Jack St. John - Tel: (207) 633-5529
KANDACE ROSE 1976
MK-II Custom Cutter, Hull No. 168, Volvo Penta 28hp, Very well maintained. Recently Surveyed,
(902)747-2928
Email; kandacerose@ns.sympatico.ca
ELUSIVE 1968
Alberg 37 MK-I Sloop (
Sleeps 6+, 3 jibs, mainsail, pole, new rigging 2002,
new bottom paint 2002, Ampair wind generator, Raymarine Autohelm, VHF radio,
digital depth sounder, refrigeration, marine 12000 BTU air conditioning,
CD/am/fm Aiwa stereo with Bose speakers, 2 anchors w/chain, pressurized
electrical freshwater system w/60gals water, electrical marine head, inboard
Westerbeke 4-107 37hp, new dinghy may 2004, 2.5 w/outboard, bimini, dodger,
BBQ. ELUSIVE is a documented vessel
527394, located in
Asking $33K
Contact Captain Papo at (939)645-0282, (939)940-9756
or negronrafa@hotmail.com See photos at www.sanjuansailing.tk
MAROONED
1981 Alberg 37 Sloop.
Lightly used
Contact Frank @ 647-223-3536
ENVY
1970 Alberg 37 Yawl, equipped for cruising. On
the hard at the Indiantown Marina,
