Piers Didi mini transat number 598

Piers bought a mark two kit to the Didi mini transat from us,we recomended a boat builder to do the constuction,Piers then entered the Heineken South Atlantic race from Cape Town to Salvador but while installing the boats plumber works he slashed a tendon in his in his hand and had to retire his entry from the race,he later sailed the boat to England,single handed of course.The mark two Didi mini transat is noticable by the longer cockpit seats that go right to the back of the boat,there is also a 60mm raised section aft to allow the rear access hatch to come clear of the water.

Antal and Lewmar winches for sale

These are now sold,excepting the smaller Lewmar stc 30 size,there is also a Lewmar 16stc which is not in this picture for sale,contact me at roy@comlumber.com  for more details.These have since been sold,we can still do decent prices on new Lewmar sizes over 40:1 .

Self tailing winches for sale.

We still have the two Antal size 46:1 alloy self tailing winches for sale,they have had very light use and are as new inside,priced at R4500 each,sold as a pair so R9000,or about U$1150 for both.The Lewmar chrome ST 46:1 has been sold,the Chrome Lewmar ST 30:1 is still available,shipping at cost world wide is no problem.
Contact me at
roy@comlumber.com

Roy.

Chris Bonnet,sailing instructor

Chris Bonnet,sailing instructor.

These classic pictures crop up now and again,I tell people never ever discard your pictures,they are not repeatble,think about it. This picture was sent to me by Chris Sutton,he is one of the two lads on the left,the other one being his brother,Greg.The event is a sail on one of the first Morgan 31 GRP design by Angelo Lavranos,the man pointing and steering is the very well known Durban sail instructor Chris Bonnet,I do not have the names of the two ladies,the year is around 1976 and the place is Durban,South Africa.

Rios Jurujuba yacht club waters

Left click to view the picture full size.

Long before the marina and all the larger fishing craft used this space,just a few club boats used the water in front of the clubs terrace,here we are anchored with lots a free space to move around in,the boat is Ocean Cloud,an Endurance 27 design by Peter Ibold,the year the picture was taken was 1985.

The Lipton Cup winners are?

The Endurance 37 Ocean Cloud 26th August 1992 as a mark boat for The Lipton Cup in Hout Bay.



Well we do not know this year as the event is still being sailed right now in Table Bay and under the burgee of the RCYC,the last I read Greg Davis was leading the event?

Greg is nothing if not consistant,as back in 1991 he won it for the HBYC,meaning we had that amazing cup on display for an entire year in our club house,we also got to host the next Lipton Cup Challenge in our own waters off Hout Bay in 1992,I had a task to mark the inshore bouy on Ocean Cloud.

Diving for supper with Christian Eckhoff,yacht Donella

Donella,a classic all teak build design by Laurent Giles,picture copywrite to Roy McBride.

I last saw Chris many years back,he was cruising with us in Brasil,he was telling me one day about how to catch fish with a spear gun,as I had very little luck in my attempts.Chris had dived for a club in Zululand,he was very experianced and knew lots of tricks,the first thing was to be able to dive deep enough,the next was to stay down there and wait for the fish to come to you,chasing them just does not work it seems!The following is a story of a dive Chris did that went wrong but does have a happy ending.


Christian Eckhoff- Shark Attack by Grey Reef Shark
Last year we sailed to Kermadec island on a diving trip. From there to Minerwa Reef about 260 miles South/west of Tonga, a super diving spot. I have been there often, one of my favourites. This time we got more excitement than planned!
On the 3rd days diving, I had an argument with a grey reef shark. I shot a 6kg grouper for the pot in about 60 feet. When I got to the surface l started pulling the grouper up, not much fight, I shot him well. A grey about 5 feet long came in like lightning. I did not have the gun in my hands as I was busy pulling the fish up. The grey ignored the fish and came straight for me, [he covered the 60 feet in about 3 seconds]. He got my left arm, I punched him on the eyes and head with my right fist. He let go and came around me to my right side. I had him under my right arm like we were wrestling. I punched him in the belly with my left which was badly mauled,[you could see the bones] he then left me.

At that stage I was swimming in a red blood cloud. I decided to get to the inflatable as quickly as possible before his partners joined the scrap. I could not see the shark as there was too much blood in the water. {My diving buddies where busy swimming towards me with the dinghy in tow from about 60 meters away. Not too far away, but too far to get the shark off me!!} The shark had one more go at me, into my back, but bit into my dive belt weights. That put him off. I managed to pull myself into the dinghy and was pretty groggy. My diving crew, Ryan Green from Durban SA , ripped a speargun rubber off one gun and made a tight tourniquet around the left arm, by that time I had lost a lot of blood! We than raced back to my Yacht "Donella". Here is an interesting observation;before leaving the scene, I said to Ryan "get my speargun out the water". He quickly pulled it in, and to our surprise the grouper was still on the spear. The shark never touched it, he just wanted to show me who is the boss around Minerwa Reef!![Territorial Dispute?]

When we arrived at Donella I managed to get into the cockpit and lay down to get my diving suit off etc. We had some luck on our side. The day before the accident a 60foot Kiwi Yacht "Sea Toy" on route to Tonga had come into Minerwa Reef, to do some fishing and have a bit of a rest. They wanted to leave early that morning but got delayed, that was my good luck!! One of the Kiwis on board, "Kevin", came over to us quickly as soon as they heard Shark Attack. He told me he had just completed an advanced first aid course with the Auckland Coast Guard and would patch me up""My arm was a mess and my right hand was badly cut, I must have touched his teeth when I hit him on the head. Kevin did a great job.He could not stop the bleeding at first. He got hold of a Doctor P. Bradley in Wellington on Marine Radio. The Dr advised Kevin what to do. When the Dr was told that they could not stop the bleeding he advised" tourniquet the arm off". Kevin replied that he will lose his arm and the doctors reply was, "better the arm than dying". I was not aware of all this, Kevin applied another tight bandage and managed to stop the bleeding.

I owe him a lot! While all this was going on, NZ Marine Radio had called a Mayday "all Ships within 200 Miles of Minerwa Reef" My luck was still holding out. The NZ Navy Research vessel "Resolution" was in the area. They changed course for Minerwa and advised eta next day at 20.00+ -"we will take the patient off the Yacht and take him to Nukualofa, Tonga". WE had to wait 30 hours and a floating Lazarett would be in Minerwa. By that time I was sure someone was looking after me. We got through the night ok. I have a good tolerance for pain that helped. The next morning I asked Ryan to take the dingy and go back to the spot of the attack and to try and find my diving watch. Maybe the shark had spat it out. One hour later he came back with the watch, he found it in 60feet lying on the sand. Sharks don't like watches, well done Ryan.

"Resolution" arrived in the evening, it was pitch dark, blowing 30 knots and raining. The Ship had to heave to outside. Four officers and the medic came into the reef in a big Inflatable with an inboard Diesel, what a trip. The Medic was 1st class, They did not like my condition. I assured them I could make it. Good-bye to Donella, my crew and the Sea Toy Team. They saved my arm and maybe more? In a hair-raising trip which required top class seamanship, we made it to Resolution in a 2,5m sea bouncing all over. They hoisted us, crew, myself and the inflatable by crane on deck.

It was now 10.00pm. When it was announced over the intercom" MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" the patient is on board, the whole crew broke out in a tremendous cheer. I felt humble and very grateful to everyone. The Medic and his team did a great job. They could not operate on board but cleaned and bandaged and put me on a drip. 36hrs later we arrived in Tonga. 1.00am dark, raining, blowing. Back into the dinghy, by this time we were getting quite good at it. Bye- bye and cheers from everyone, off we go into the little harbour 3miles away. When we arrive there, my daughter Heike, the NZ high Commissioner, my friend Paul Groll from Nukualofa, two Tongan Doctors and a worn out ambulance stand on the pier. Off to the Hospital. The Dr. has a look at the Medic report and tells me to come back tomorrow morning, you are ok for now. We are back in the islands!!

Paul and his Wife Edith make us welcome at their Home, tremendous hospitality, nice to have friends when you are in trouble. Next morning off to Hospital, what an EYEOPENER but they try their best. Into the theatre, Heike, Paul, myself and someone else. Nurse arrives, lets take off the bandages the Dr is coming just now. I have my doubts, but she is good and careful. After a while the Dr. comes in. 110kg of Tongan, he looks like Jonah Lomu. Sandals, Hawaiian T-shirt and slacks and happily whistling away. He looked a long time at the injury and in the end I asked him whether he thought he could fix it. He answers yes so I said please fix it. While he is operating he said, you are a very lucky man, if you were bitten by a tongan shark there would be big infections! Minerwa sharks have very clean teeth. There is no pollution around there. How lucky can you be! After cutting a lot of black looking flesh away he pronounced that it was fine, a walking miracle, everything is still working and he could close up.

That was a successful end to my episode, I realise that it could have easily gone the other way. We then phoned my wife Hannelore, she was in Holland at the time visiting our daughter Anja. Hannelore is used to excitement from my end, but this one did not go down well, but she managed quite remarkably. "Donella' was sailed to Tonga by my crew with a Skipper on loan from "Sea Toy" They immediately offered the assistance of Bruce, a good Kiwi Skipper. They sailed "Donella" to Tonga without a scratch!!

Two weeks later my friend Harald from the Yacht "Aida" flew from New Caledonia to Tonga and helped me to sail to Noumea via Minerwa Reef, where we got some Lobster, then on to Conway Reef and Walpole Isl. Harald and Ryan did the diving, I had to wait a bit.

Since then I have been diving again without any problems like sharks etc, all systems are functioning but I am a bit more careful!!

I have often thought about the attack, what could I have done differently. I did not have the gun in my hands as I was pulling the fish up. Even with no spear in the gun I would have been able to get rid of him as l have done before. My partner was too far away, that was a mistake. When we started spearfishing in 1959 in Zululand and Mocambique we had lots of problems with sharks such as Zambesi, grey shovel nose, ragged tooth, oceanic white tip, black tip, Mako, hammerhead and even the great White. But the last twenty years diving in N-Zealand has been almost troublefree with sharks, so you become blasé. That was mistake no.2!! You never get too old to learn.

My resolution: It took 40 years of diving to get into trouble, I am now 69years old, if it takes another 40years for the next one, I have no Problems!!

Salvadors harbour before the marinas

Photo is by Roy McBride and copywrite.

This just has to be one of the most exciting destinations after crossing an ocean on a small sail boat,thats what I thought at the time anyway,I have now sailed into this harbour twice,once as crew on a friends boat,Brer Terrapin and once as owner and skipper on my own boat with friends as crew,John,Simone and Notty,a trip of a life time and we have the movie to proove it! its available on DVD and fully edited by Notty Productions,UK.

The sailing Saverios of Brasil

Picture copyright to Roy McBride.

This picture was taken by me in 1977 its in the bay off Salvador city,Bahia,Brasil,its a timeless picture as there are so many similar boats sailing on a daily basis,some trade,some are now tourist boats,many of those never use sail,this one prooves they are well able to.

Whats building?

As a follow on to the blog below,these are some pictures sent by Alain,a customer who bought his own kayak plans from another company,then asked us to supply materials,we do this all the time,we sell kits but we also sell the materials too.

Whats packing,its the the Dixi Dinghy!

Dear Customers,

We continue to recieve your valued orders, we process, pack and ship,large or small we ship them all! the package in the picture is a Dixi Dinghy kit going to Eshowe,in Natal,South Africa but it could just as easy ship to Botswana, Dubai, or Italy,we ship world wide on a regular basis.We now have sent orders out in the hundreds if not a thousand plus,I have never worked it out but its a regular event and the orders keep coming in,we sent phenolic glues out yesterday to Standerton,Johannesburg, it was very cost effective with www.sapo.co.za and ten kgs packed cost just R85,thats just over U$10, we have no problems with that service or charge at all.Todays packing has started on a hard spray dodger kit we are sending to Graham down in New Zeland,so on it goes.

We do try and supply a tracking number when possible but please remember,we are responsable for your order only untill it is posted or shipped,then the responsability moves to the carrier/shipper,all kit exports by air or sea are insured but at an extra service charge to the client.We have been asked once or twice about sending funds to us when we are so far away, we have now shipped to twenty four (24) countries,either as our boat kits,materials or recently the Hillman Imp,Singer Chamois,Sunbeam Sport exhaust manifolds,remember,if you have a project on ,we may be able to supply your materials direct to you cheaper than you can buy locally yourself?

Roy

Marvin Creamer,the navigator

Globe Star at Cape Towns Royal Cape Yacht Club.


Globe Star


The Route


Globe Stars sail plan

Marvin Creamer.

It was after an early morning shower at the RCYC mens facility,I was having a shave at the row of sinks and standing next to me, was a guy called Marvin Creamer doing the same,just an average looking guy,we chatted and he spoke real easy,you would never think he was on his way soon by small yacht for the southern ocean and all it entailed,this was by way of the stars and ocean currents,as while Marvin had tables and a sextant aboard,they were sealed and not to be used on his around the world voyage.This was long before what was termed Satnav became the norm,Having recently invested in GPS I can only think back to that shave and the man standing next to me doing the same.

The Globe Star voyage
By David Cromie

house fly brought the news: land was near! On May 13, 1984, after 510 days at sea, Marvin Creamer ’43 neared the end of a voyage which had begun as a fantasy in his teenage mind while reading avidly about oceangoing sailboats. For half a century, Creamer dreamed of sailing ’round the world in a small boat. On the second of his eight Atlantic crossings, he began to consider the possibility of a voyage around the globe without the use of navigational instruments. Now, the appearance of the house fly was a good indication that he was about to become the first person in recorded history to complete such a feat. His 36-foot vessel, The Globe Star, was almost home.

Four days after the fly’s visit, following a night of “wrestling with heavy sails,” the exhausted skipper had just crawled into his bunk when he was awakened by repeated shouts. Overhead, a U.S. Coast Guard chopper circled the Globe Star. Off the starboard bow, Creamer spotted a red marker, the “F” marker just 15 miles south of Cape May. At 1 p.m. on May 17, the Globe Star entered Cape May harbor having logged 30,000 miles and 17 months at sea. It had been a “jolly romp” on the ocean, Creamer writes in his record of the journey.

Using only environmental clues, Creamer and his crew sailed around the globe in a record-breaking feat of grand proportions. They relied on stars, waves and water color, bird life, cloud formations, the sun and planets, the horizon and identifiable landmarks. With their sextant, clock, compass and radio sealed in a locker below deck, the crew of the Globe Star proved what Creamer had always believed—that it is possible to navigate the globe in a small boat without instruments. The soft-spoken 68-year-old retired geography professor became an American hero much admired by those he met during his adventure. Creamer and his crew docked at Capetown, South Africa; Hobart and Sydney, Australia; Whangora, New Zealand; and Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Christmas 1983 was spent in the Falklands where they had unknowingly made port at a top secret British military installation. “We were the talk of the Royal Air Force,” Creamer writes. “They treated us like kings, but they thought we were crazy.”

“What we demonstrated,” he concludes, “is that information taken from the sea and sky can be used for fairly safe navigation. How far pre-Columbians sailed on the world’s ocean we do not know; however, it is my hope that the Globe Star voyage will provide researchers with a basis for assuming that long-distance navigation without instruments is not only possible, but could have been done with a fair degree of confidence and accuracy.”

Creamer has always been a doer as well as a dreamer. As a Glassboro State undergraduate, he founded and published The Half-Whit, parody and competition for the official student paper, The Whit. From 1948 to 1977 he served his alma mater as a professor, and also held posts as director of public relations, president of the Faculty Association and chair of the Social Studies Department. Named Outstanding Professor by The Whit in 1964 and Distinguished Alumnus by fellow alums in 1980, Creamer won additional awards after the voyage: Cruising World appointed him to the Sailing Hall of Fame, and in 1986 the Cruising Club of America awarded him sailing’s highest honor, the Blue Water Medal. Today, Creamer and his wife, Blanche Layton Creamer ’42, reside in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., where they plan to stay on dry land.

North Sails,a Dixi Dinghy sail

Large or small,we supply them all,with supply from North Sails the quality is easy to see.


The well known North Sails logo,while we buy our North Sails from the Cape Town loft,all sails carry a world wide twelve month warranty,we can supply world wide at very good prices when the sails are sold as part of our kits.

I was at North Sails this morning collecting a sail for the Dixi Dinghy kit we have on order,this will be one of our smaller kits we produce but in many ways just as important as the larger ones,as acorns do make very large oak trees,start small,think big,its not unusual for a small dinghy to start as a trial construction test on the way to larger things.

Peter Harper really flying!

This may have been late sixties,early seventies and at Lydden Hill,UK,the car is a Chrysler works rallye cross car driven by the late and very great driver Peter Harper,its said he went around bends faster than Harpic!Check out how clean Peters wind screen is compared with the Mini behind him.

Jimmy Woolf becalmed!

Yacht Bolt Hole,jimmys self built steel yacht,its a great picture and I think the very first time its been published,copyright is to Caroline Woolf.Left click the picture to see a really great quality photo.


This is a man who by now has circumnavigated,not on the same boat but he builds what he sails,steel construction.The picture was taken in the Azores high,not a breath of wind. I assume Jimmy asked his wife Caroline to take the picture from their dinghy?

The 1965 Scottish Rally,Hillman Imp,works car number 5

This Hillman Imp,registration number 4525 KV and marked number 5 on the doors,was of course Rosemary Smiths Rootes Competitions works entry.

1965 June
This rally is the main subject of the Rootes video "Highland Imp 1965". Only a few weeks after the Tulip. And only 3 days after the Acropolis Rally where three other Works Imps competed, only the crews being flown home to compete [source: Don Barrow]. The Works team had three Imps, driving with the engine lid agap: the third one being David Pollard with comp.no. 11 - he wasn't shown to finish. The event lasted 5 days. It consisted of 1166 miles, mostly rough and muddy roads through forest area, and 52 special sections. Paddy Hopkirk (Mini-driver) declared it the roughest rally he'd ever been in. Of the 105 cars that started only 42 finished (according to the video). But the Imps were much in evidence.