[Public-List] 2013 Swiftsure Race - A30 division

[Gordon Laco]

Man I'd love to do that - but SURPRISE is on the wrong side of the
continent.  It's a great race.

I did the Swiftsure a few years ago aboard HMCS ORIOLE, the RCN's sail
training yacht.  She's 115 tons, sort of like a 1920's J Boat but with a
ketch rig.  

We started in light air, which was hair-raising for us due to ORIOLE's size
and tremendous inertia (at low speed it takes her quite a while to notice
her helm)  We trudged up to Race Rocks but like most of the fleet, we didn't
get around before the tide turned.  We gave in to the building pressure to
go after midnight and took a shot out across the straights toward the
American side, tacked, then beat back only to find we hadn't made much
ground.  Somewhat dejected, I turned in with the rest of my watch.

A few hours later, I awoke to the roar and hiss of water rushing past and a
general all hands call.  It was just before dawn and we were absolutely
galloping at 11 knots close reaching with the ship's company all up
shortening sail.  There was quite a scramble with everyone dragging on foul
weather gear, boots, etc with the deck at a high angle and gravity going up
and down dramatically as she pitched.

Up forward ORIOLE is like something from the film Das Boot - all iron
rivets, tightly tiered bunks and grey paint;  further aft one can still see
the opulance she once sported when she was the Gooderham family's yacht.

When the sun came up we were doing better than 12 and passing boats like
they were standing still, lee rail in the water and everyone grinning.  I
was one of the helmsmen in my watch and had the unforgettable experience of
steering her to windward over and around big waves in a rising wind.  Her
bow (with her bowsprit beyond that) was a long way away up forward, and you
could just feel the immense strength and power in her.

Being a Great Lakes sailor, I was particularly stunned by the length of the
waves (we get them just as big on Georgian Bay, but these crests were way
apart...) and the huge trees visible ashore.  I remembers shouting 'it's
land of the giants!' above the wind to my mates.

ORIOLE has no winches, so to trim a sheet or adjust anything, a whole watch
of fifteen men would line up and haul while trying to dig their feet into
the deck for traction.  People on the West Coast love ORIOLE, I remember
people in boats we were catching cheering her as we came up on them.  I
remember I almost wished I were in one of those boats, so that I could see
her flying over and under to windward.

Then, about noon, somebody turned off the fan and the wind dropped.  We
carried our way for a long time but too soon we were hobby horsing in the
slop with the rig slapping and banging above us.  We couldn't keep steerage
way on her.  Then, during the afternoon, we were notified that we were not
going to make the time limit to the warship doing duty as the turning mark
at Swiftsure Bank; so we pulled out of the race and registered a DNF.

Oh well.  I'd love another crack at that race some day.  An Alberg would be
a great boat to do it in.

I took a few pictures and will send them off line if anyone is interested.

Gord #426


On 08/03/13 2:48 PM, "Glennb" <brooks.glenn at comcast.net> wrote:

> Anybody in the PNW want to enter the Swiftsure this year as an A30 class?
> Three boats makes a class.  Apparently we qualify for the Victoria - Clallam
> Bay race with our ratings.
> 
> Also there is a single handed short course from Victoria out Haro Straits and
> return. Looks like a 22 mile RT afternoon thing.
> 
> I would be interested in entering Dolce if we can scratch up at least two
> other boats!
> 
> http://2013.swiftsure.org/
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Glenn
> Dolce 318
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> _______________________________________________
> These businesses support your Association:
> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> Please support them.
> _______________________________________________
> Public-List mailing list
> Public-List at lists.alberg30.org
> http://lists.alberg30.org/listinfo.cgi/public-list-alberg30.org



 1362773538.0