[Public-list] Dismasting! Alberg 30 yawl at Brand's

Sat Jul 15 07:23:25 PDT 2006

        John,
  Thanks for the additional information on the extra shackle between the turnbuckle and the SS chainplate.  Per Don's advice I will use at least 10x magnification to examine all my bronze fittings that hold up the mast.  Though, from all that has been discussed, I am going to start a budget for replacement with newer fittings to replace the bronze.  I might try the "Zyglo" dye inspection in addition to the visual and report back to the group about how that goes.  I have gotten the point that the bronze does have a useful life and depending on how hard the boat was driven, we are now ,for all Alberg 30's, playing Russian Roulette with mast support.  All have mentioned that it is way better to throw away fittings that may have some life left in them, vs, having the failure that you did.  I don't feel that I need to have the same failure on my boat to drive the point home.  Your failure SIR has probably prevented we from experiencing the same, and for that I thank you.

  When I mentioned Travis' marina I really meant Brand's.  A brain fart on my part.  At Brand's is where I first discovered what an Alberg 30 was.  We were considering Bristol's, Cape Dory's and then we spied the Alberg 30.  These are all good boats in their own right but, we really fell in Love with the Alberg 30.  In the fall of 2001 there was one at Brand's on the hard that was for sale.  It had a dark blue hull and was owned by someone from out east.  At the same time we reviewed the boats in the water and spotted your boat, the yawl rig and I think another boat.  There was a very pretty Alberg 30 which had nice, unusal, wooden shroud guards it had a light colored hull......................I wonder if that was your boat.

  Anyway we spent the remainder of the summer looking at Alberg 30's and finally bought # 133 from Saint Clair, Michigan.

  Geroge is right the Association should try to obtain not only the Alberg 30 Yawl plans but the story as well.  Interesting........................would really like to feel how she sails.  Say Hello to Andy M from all of us in Albergland, ;-)

  Michael 

John Brugeman <johnbrugeman at ameritech.net> wrote:   Michael,

We did have a shackle fitting between the turnbuckle and the SS chainplate. We are not sure which failed. Positive thing is we will get new mast, new rigging, new electronics, and paint job where there was damage to the cabin top and the side of the hull. In checking some of the other bronze fittings that were savaged, we found many of the turnbuckles loose at the threads. 
We keep our boat at Brand's Marina in Port Clinton and I know the gentleman who owns the Alberg that was converted to a yawl. I have never sailed with him so I can't say how an Alberg yawl sails. Andy M., the owner, doesn't sail much as his health isn't very good. As Andy tells it though; he called Carl Alberg one day and asked if he had ever designed a yawl. Carl told him he had it on paper but it was never built. Carl told him to send him $5 and he would send him the plans, and he did. Andy refit his Alberg to the plans Carl had sent him and it looks great but I can't say how it sails. How did you know about this boat?

John Brugeman
Mermaid 305

Michael Connolly wrote:
John,
It looks like you have taken proper precautions to prevent a dismasting. I wonder if there is a failsafe way of inspecting older bronze fittings. My boat #133 has all of its original bronze fittings and if I remember there is a clevis at each end of each of the turnbuckles, but no shackles. Did you have an extra shackle fitting between the turnbuckle clevis and the SS Chainplate? 

Sorry to hear of the damage to your boat. Do you slip at Travis Boatyard in Port Clinton? If so, have you seen the Alberg 30 that was made into a Yawl? Do you know how well that boat sails?

Michael 

John Brugeman wrote: Michael,

This mast is removed every fall and inspected every spring at launch. I think this was a matter of age fatigue of some of the original bronz fittings. I replaced wires in 1998 but some of the old shackles were reused because they looked great. None of the wires failed, which is usually the case. Always the fittings.

John Brugeman, Mermaid 305

Michael Connolly wrote:
John,
I am curious. Were all the stays and shrouds original or had you done any replacements? How often have you inspected the rig? When you have inspected all and know exactly what failed I would like to know what failed and where. Thanks.

George will know who is making a mast extrusion that is closest to the original. Shipping will likely be much of the cost to you.

Michael #133

John Brugeman wrote: Fellow Albergers, 

The Mermaid (3068305) had a disastrous dismasting in Lake Erie last Saturday July 1st while under sail. We were on a hard port tack with about 10-15 knots of wind with the rail in the water. It looks like the upper port shroud let loose at the masthead and then the two port lower ones let loose. It was like a rifle shot and it was all over in a few seconds. The mast folded and the mast and sails dove off the boat, with very little damage to the deck and hull except for a couple of deep scratches topside. We were about 3 miles off Port Clinton, Ohio and were able to be towed in via Boat U.S. Needless to say, our new main came through without any damage, and the jib had some small rub holes in it which certainly can be repaired. The mast and the instrumentation at the head, however, were trashed and the rigging will have to all be replaced. There are also some rub marks on the starboard side of the hull where the mast was rubbing while being towed.

I would like to hear some comments/suggestions from fellow Albergers who may have experienced this same situation. Where might one purchase a new mast with the same configuration, and what brand of turnbuckles and wire would be appropriate for replacement? The boom was not damaged, but the gooseneck was broken and will have to be replaced. What might one consider for upgrades while we have this opportunity to do some things? We still have a wire main halyard and most of the boat is original. We even have the original Kenyon instruments.

We are still in the investigative stage of this accident without an estimate. We do have a very capable full service marina, which I am very confident with, handling the estimating and who will be doing most of the work,. Three years ago we redid the deck on this boat and this same marina did an excellent job.

Needless to say, we are still in shock as to what happened to our lovely lady.
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