Saturday 25 September 2010

The Commodore invites you to the HBYC Opening Cruise of 2010!

Hout Bay,
Cape Town,
South Africa.

OPENING CRUISE Saturday 9th October!

( not the 7th as is posted on the HBYC site)

Sailpast at 2pm, Cannons to be fired

Merriment on the water!

Evening party is OKTOBERFEST with OOMPAH BAND, DRAFT BEER and GOOD FOOD!

WE WANT EVERY POSSIBLE BOAT ON THE WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND EVERY MEMBER PRESENT!!!!!!!!!!!

HBYC hasn't had an opening cruise for years so don't miss it!

HBYC Opening Cruise  9 October 2010

(thank you to Justin for supplying the following)

Traditions of the Sailpast

“The Sailpast tradition began at the First Yacht Club which was formed at Cowes in England nearly 200 years ago. The membership at Cowes was primarily aristocratic and many were familiar with naval practice and tradition. Cowes Yacht Club subsequently changed its name to Royal Yacht Squadron and certain social graces were added to the traditional naval practices.

The actual “review of the fleet” was introduced as a continuation of the naval habit of having Admirals (and/or Royalty) review the fleet on special occasions. Protocol demanded that a flagship be anchored with the Admiral and staff on the quarterdeck to receive and return the salute. Vessels sailed past, dipping their colours in salute, and with their captain, if hatted (which he should be), also saluting with the ship’s company standing at attention. The fleet passing in review would be led by the Vice-Admiral and the final vessel in the line would carry the Rear-Admiral.

The Yacht Club tradition is almost identical, except that the salute is received by the Commodore and/or President instead of the Admiral.

Tradition dictates that all club members participate in the Sailpast, on their own or on another member’s yacht. Good manners require that a member unable to participate will send his/her regrets to the Commodore. “



Sailpast at HBYC

Attendance

1. All vessels are strongly encouraged to attend. Apologies to the Commodore (not recommended)

2. All members are encouraged to attend, and to find their way onto a boat where possible. Skippers will be very obliging.

Venue

1. Sailpast will be held in Hout Bay generally between Ore Jetty and Dunes Mark.

2. The review Vessel taking the Salute will be stationed at Ore Jetty under the East Fort cannons where the Salute will be fired from.

Timing and course

1. The Sailpast is scheduled for Saturday afternoon 9 October.

2. Vessels to launch at approx 13:00 and be “on the water” at Fish on the Rocks by 13:30.

3. On exiting the harbour, vessels should congregate in the vicinity of Fish on the Rocks, ready to leave en masse at 13:45 for the Salute at 14:00 sharp.

4. Timing may be further coordinated by Radio on Channel 71

5. The “bridge boat” will be yacht QUEST on CH-71.

6. The Review Vessel should anchor approximately 500m away from Ore Jetty so that it forms a reaching angle between itself and the Ore Jetty mark, allowing sailing vessels to reach to and from the Ore Jetty mark during the time of the salute.

7. On reaching the Review vessel, yachts should sail sausages around Ore Jetty and the review vessel, leaving them each to port.

8. At the time of the Salute (14:00) East Fort cannon will sound. Yachts should respond acknowledge with as much noise as they can, using whistles, vuvuzelas, foghorns, etc. Flag waving and popping of Champagne Corks will be permitted!

9. On passing the review boat, yachts should salute the assembled flag officers (Commodore and President) in a formal and dignified manner, with more flag waving, streamers, sound signals. Etc. Please do not use solid objects or any items that may leave plastic bags in the water however! Bear in mind the Review Vessel may respond if unduly threatened!!

10. After rounding the review boat 3x boats should adopt a longer port course circling Dunes, Ore Jetty and the Review vessel, to bring the festivities to the rest of the bay.

11. The Commodore will then “Declare the Bazaar Season Open” on CH-71



Dressing

1. All crew to be dressed in Blue and White

2. Flag Officers to have naval caps and disposable blazers

3. Yachts to display as much bunting as possible!



Notes

• Engines may be used to keep pace and hold position.

• If a strong wind  is blowing, yachts should sail under jib alone.

• Prepare to have a jolly sail around the bay during the afternoon with good refreshments and company (and cameras)!!!

• Please uphold good sea-keeping and safety at all times. Look out for other vessels at close quarters, and do not collide with the review vessel!

Friday 24 September 2010

Caigs Paper Jet 14 build



Dudley Dix tells me he has now sold over 80 sets of plans world wide,we have done quite a few of those as kits,including hull number 1 which is Dudleys own boat,some news just in from Craig who is one of our customers is below.

Hi Roy


Thought I would drop you a Mail regarding progress on my Paper Jet build. Progress is a bit slow but I am enjoying the process and manage an hour or two every couple of days. I the kit is fantastic and I am learning as I go with the help of Dudley's detailed instructions, I have had a couple of mishaps along the way but fortunately nothing serious and it has all been a good hands on learning experience. (My ultimate goal is to build something a little bigger, I like the look of Dudley's new design the Didi 28 I think.)

The fact that I have to build outside has also slowed things up a bit and now that the rainy season is about to start we will have to maybe make another plan.

I have set up a blog for my friends that are overseas to follow progress (www.cdpboatworks.blogspot.com)

Cheers

Craig

Tuesday 21 September 2010

The Toylanders Dashboard

The clamps I used are because I have them,the plans ask that you use panel pins,which I am sure will work very well.We supply the waterproof fast drying PVA cold glue with each of our kits sold,one tube will glue up the entire Toylander and leave you with clean hands if you keep a damp cloth handy to wipe up reguarly.As soon as I see a  child in our own Toylander and thats any child of any age,the first thing they want to do is grab the steering wheel,then play with the folding seat,open the rear tailgate,thats why a nice dash board with a center panel is so important,its a place of adventure and where to hide keys and sweets! At least this dashboard can be fully painted and finished before I get to fit it,should I paint it black? I think so.There needs to a small internal lip just inside each end compartment to stop items falling out,the center compartment becomes an instrument panel with controls.

Toylandering

Which may be a new word but its a decent way of naming the continued construction of our so called 'Works Car' or Toylander,one of quite a few in build in South Africa now,you can buy our kit or just the plans set if you want,at just R565 including vat and postage its a good buy with over 75 A4 pages to help you build your own Toylander.We are now onto the mechanics,six 12volt dc motors and 24:1 gear boxes are on back order for customers and our own use,soon we will have our Toylander driving around the garden.

We are now doing some small items that I must admit ecaped my eye when doing our own build,read the plans,who ever reads the plans? I hope my pictures will explain what was missed,no big deal but I now have to spray paint the panels I missed...........

The Atkin Ingrid 38 Brer Terrapin lives on!

News in today tells me the boat that was said to be wrecked and lost in New York,circa 1979 was actually raised and lived on to sail again,the question is now where is she?

From Alan,another Brer Terrapin owner:

It's been along time since I smiled as hard as I did when I saw your post on the Brer Terrapin. Where was the internet back in the 1980s when I had to write letters to the South African Consulate to get confirmation that there were no leans or encumbrances on the Brer Terrapin so I could Register her in the US and letters to the Cruising Club of Cape Town to try and find out something about her history,nothing from either. This is myself back in 1977 on the  crossing from Cape Town to Salvador,Brasil on the same boat.


I purchased her cheap in 1983 from a guy in Stamford, Connecticut. She had gone up on some rocks during a storm in 1979 and sunk in about 10 feet of water. When I bought her the hull had been repaired and the Volvo rebuilt, but the aft end insides where gutted and trashed, everything was moldy and full of silt, the wiring pulled out and there were some other issues but she was salvageable. And some of the amazing details under the dirt and silt like the green stone sink in the bog and the carved terrapin made it feel like she still had life in her. Some mid-restoration photos attached.

I spent the next few years getting allot of the work done and sailing around between NY and New England. Lived on her (most of the time) while I finished school in Long Island. Also in that time a wife, kids and real job came along and in 1991 I sold her cheep to an Irishman named Cornelius Callahan who's plan was to sail her back home. Never did find out if he made it.

Thanks for filling in so many of the pieces. I have some more photos and would be happy to give more details to anyone interested. Fair Winds....



We also recieved this information from Ian Allan down in Picton,New Zealand,the Peter he referes to is Peter Horsford who did the return trip back from Rio de Janerio to Cape Town,South Africa.

Hi Roy, what a delight to get that letter about BrerTerrapin. I had a peep at the photos but want to study them in more detail later. Peter is not here presently as he and Cathy went down to Dunedin and Lake Wanaka and should ease up this way again in a week or so and I'll show him all this. He'll be fascinated.


I know a bit about the boat too. I met Pip Smith, the owner/builder when he had the boat on the market and had a long yarn with him. He seemed pretty dejected by selling and later, very sadly, topped himself. He had sailed the boat to Rio in the hopes of carrying on to the Med, he told me, so he could visit historic places and have a leisurely cruise. However his wife wouldn't have any of it and I think that's what got to him because he said very sadly and rather sarcastically to me, 'oh, I guess I'll be happy mowing the grass on my quarter acre!'

He was a doctor and told me how he had played in a band whilst he studied to earn the funds to build Brer Terrapin himself - I think with some help from his dad. What a job he did too!

Well, he sold the boat to Peter's mate (and ours too), Gerald Broom. Gerald had built himself a gorgeous little Buccaneer and sailed it a lot with Peter in False Bay. He sold that and after a few years, of course, had a hankering for another boat. He bought Brer Terrapin and did quite a lot of small jobs on her sprucing her up and Peter sailed regularly with him and I went out quite often with them too. Then Peter sailed with Gerald and a couple of others on the 1976 Rio Race (I don't think in the race as such but at a similar time) - the same one we sailed Jenny Wren over. We met over there and Gerald had in the meantime announced that he had sold the boat to an arbourist from Cape Town - and you know the rest. Gerald flew back to Cape Town and as Peter had promised him that he would sail the boat back to Cape Town, he stayed on to do that as I think the crew were relatively inexperienced.

That's the story up to date, Roy. I remember seeing Brer Terrapin for sale in a British yachting magazine in the 70's I think, and that is likely when the guy who took her to The States bought her.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Ian

Terrapin,a one horse barge

112B - Terrapin - Horse Boat 21 - Portadown 1873


13 October 2008

She was built in 1873 at Portadown Foundry as a horse drawn boat. She worked on the Royal and had Royal number 21 and was known as "Black Swan", Its not known how she ended up on the Royal as she is a 60ft boat and Royal Canal boats were 70ft.

In the 1920's she was sold off to John Roche and began trading on the Grand Canal as 112B. He sold it on to M. Dowling in Dublin. Denis Lynch of Garrykennedy bought her in June 1949 for the sum of £40 including the horse. Denis sometime later positioned her on the cill of Meelick Lock and had her stern cut out to take a stern tube and propeller shaft. A Bolinder engine was then fitted. She was then used as a Hack Boat on the Shannon carrying various cargos such as Slate from the quarries in Portroe, Turf during the summer and Corn in the harvest.

In 1961 Ken Simmons bought her and lived aboard with his family, after conversion until the early 1990's. Ken was suffering from failing health at that time so he became a land lubber so the Terrapin fell into disrepair. Ken sold her in 1996. As she had no working engine and she was based in Killaloe he towed her for the new owner to Tuamgraney. Enthusiasm got the better of the new owner who stripped her out finding as he went along, the more he ripped the further he had to go. Eventually he ended up with a bare hull. During the winter of 1998, the Terrapin sank in Tuamgraney. The following Summer, as she was a hazard to navigation, she was removed by Duchas (now Waterways Ireland) and brought to their Portumna depot.

It was from there that Martin and Mary O'Rourke the current owners bought her a few years later. They took her by road to Tullamore and have her on display beside the Round Lock House (Lock 26 on the Grand Canal) which they also own.