[Public-List] First time at the Syronelle

Dominic Amann dominic.amann at gmail.com
Tue Jun 24 08:24:40 PDT 2014 

Your story was very instructive. It fits with my own experience and a
general theory of mastery. There are three stages along the growing mastery
root with respect to accidents.

1. Learning - competency is low, but attention is very high, so accidents
do occur, but not as often as one might think.

2. Competent - one has become confident, the basics are all known,
attention starts to drift, accidents happen.

3. Mastery - along with the basic competence, one has had a minor mishap or
two, and has learned "constant vigilance".

Of course, tiredness can cause accidents even in stage 3.

Personally, I am more nervous as a passenger with drivers who have never
had an accident - and especially with those who think they are very good
drivers.



On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 11:19 AM, Gordon Laco <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:

> Hello Eric -
>
> Where do you sail Dimanche Matin?
>
> Gord #426
> (I really want to try to instigate A30 racing here at home now...)
>
>
> On 24/06/14 11:16 AM, "Eric Chavigny" <eric.chavigny at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > Thanks for the story. i can only imagine how stressfull it was.  I just
> bough
> > A30 Dimanche Matin hull number 541 and we got the mast up last weekend.
>  As it
> > is my firts boat I was quit nervous.
> >
> > I will take your advise in checking more then twice the knots and having
> the
> > mind clear before undergoing such task
> >
> > Eric
> >
> >
> >  A30 Dimanche Matin
> > #541
> >
> >
> >> On Jun 24, 2014, at 11:07, "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> Thanks Mike - so I have to come to Annapolis to hear your story?
>  That's not
> >> so subtle coercion!
> >>
> >> We'll try to make it happen.
> >>
> >> G
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 24/06/14 10:58 AM, "Meinhold, Mike J." <
> MICHAEL.J.MEINHOLD at leidos.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Gord
> >>>  Thanks for sharing the story and your self-analysis. That's a benefit
> to us
> >>> all. That's an awful thing to experience, especially imagining how much
> >>> worse
> >>> it could be. (If you don't know my parallel story I will tell you next
> year
> >>> with a rum in my hand)
> >>>
> >>> I replaced my spreader "roots" or tangs and can provide them to you for
> >>> models
> >>> if that helps.
> >>>
> >>> I had a great time at the Syronelle and enjoyed sailing against
> Surprise and
> >>> socializing with her skipper and crew
> >>>
> >>> Mike
> >>> Rinn Duin 272
> >>>
> >>> Michael J. Meinhold
> >>> Senior Naval Architect, Leidos, Inc.
> >>> 4321 Collington Road, Bowie, MD 21076
> >>> michael.j.meinhold at leidos.com
> >>> 301 352 4734 office  240 350 6974 cell
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: Gordon Laco [mailto:mainstay at csolve.net]
> >>> Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 09:38 AM
> >>> To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
> >>> Subject: Re: [Public-List] First time at the Syronelle
> >>>
> >>> It's my own club! I think I'll make an opportunity to go and talk to
> them
> >>> directly.  A friend doing his term on the board was present so I reckon
> >>> there will be something official too.   I can't order a flogging
> alas...
> >>>
> >>> I'll say again - the racing was great and it was wonderful to see some
> of
> >>> you folks.
> >>>
> >>> Gord
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> On 24/06/14 9:33 AM, "John Birch" <Sunstone at cogeco.ca> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Sorry to read you were so shabbily treated by a few inconsiderates.
> Suggest
> >>>> you write their Club Board.
> >>>>
> >>>> Touching someone else's mast - 6 dozen of your best boson, and lay
> into it
> >>>> man.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>>> From: "Gordon Laco" <mainstay at csolve.net>
> >>>> To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
> >>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2014 9:16 AM
> >>>> Subject: [Public-List] First time at the Syronelle
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Hello friends -
> >>>>
> >>>> Well our first participation in an Alberg 30 regatta is behind us.
> >>>> Surprise
> >>>> is home at her jetty at Midland Bay Sailing Club now (not quite
> safely but
> >>>> more of that later).
> >>>>
> >>>> First, let me say on behalf of my crew Clint Nielsen (with the Viking
> >>>> tattoo
> >>>> on his arm)  Steve Parm (who can almost reach the spreaders without
> strain)
> >>>> and Peter Laco (my eldest son) that we all enjoyed ourselves
> immensely.
> >>>> We
> >>>> had no idea how we¹d measure up as a racing crew in a One Design
> fleet...
> >>>> We¹ve done well racing PHRF here but we¹d never been up against an
> Alberg
> >>>> 30
> >>>> in fighting trim, let along a mob of them.
> >>>>
> >>>> It was great to see other boats Olike us¹.   Alberg 30¹s are quite
> capable,
> >>>> shippy looking sailing vessels; the way sailing yachts should look.
>  We
> >>>> kept
> >>>> saying to each other when on various points of sail ³wow, I guess
> that¹s
> >>>> what we look like².  This reminded me of my brother in law¹s comment
> after
> >>>> visiting Holland, homeland of his parents: ³everybody looked like me;
> tall,
> >>>> awkward with receding hairlines....²
> >>>>
> >>>> The moments before the first race on Saturday morning were filled
> with a
> >>>> degree of tension... I had no idea how it would go.  We finished
> fourth but
> >>>> were starting to calm down and do what we do.  When we got to the
> start
> >>>> sequence for the second race, we¹d designated JAZZ as our target to
> beat
> >>>> and
> >>>> set ourselves to start aggressively with her.  The action in the last
> >>>> moments was every bit as exciting as anything I¹ve ever experienced.
>  It¹s
> >>>> great when crossing swords with an expert ­ you can both trust each
> other
> >>>> not to do something un-ethical or dangerous... So you can push.  An
> >>>> opportunity appeared in the last seconds and we started in a very good
> >>>> position.  we managed to stride away from the others but with JAZZ in
> close
> >>>> combat all the way around the course... But she nipped us with
> apparent
> >>>> ease
> >>>> during the run to the finish.  Second in that race was our best
> finish.
> >>>>
> >>>> The rest of the races were in lighter air, some with a chop that I
> was used
> >>>> to during the days we lived and raced in Toronto, but I guess I¹d
> lost the
> >>>> knack of dealing with.  We had difficulty keeping SURPRISE moving and
> my
> >>>> attempts at casting the dice didn¹t pan out.  We were very pleased
> that our
> >>>> worst race, third on Saturday I think, was also one of SAM¹s best, so
> our
> >>>> team mate dragged us up enough that we finished fourth overall in the
> final
> >>>> reckoning.
> >>>>
> >>>> Somebody asked me Owhat happened to you guys¹ after the first day ­
> all I
> >>>> can say is the chop in the very light air was difficult for me and I
> think
> >>>> I
> >>>> became frustrated and wasn¹t making good decisions with regard to
> tactics.
> >>>> During our best race, aside from still being optimistic, there was
> enough
> >>>> air that we were sailing in the area of 4.5 to to 4.7 knots most of
> the
> >>>> time
> >>>> we had enough air to keep SURPRISE trudging along and we were able to
> keep
> >>>> up.  A skipper I sailed for and learned a lot from once told me
> Olight air
> >>>> sailing is what really separates the good from the not so good racing
> >>>> skippers...¹
> >>>>
> >>>> It was a great experience.  I told my wife when I got home yesterday
> that
> >>>> the regatta combined the two elements that make yacht racing
> fantastic.  We
> >>>> had great battles out on the water; with good sportsmanship... And
> >>>> comradeship and cooperation in the evenings.   I learned a lot and
> with
> >>>> luck, may be a more consistent threat to the leaders next time.
> >>>>
> >>>> So Sunday afternoon came.  With John Kitchener¹s and other¹s help we
> >>>> lowered
> >>>> the mast onto SURPRISE¹s deck and motored away to the commercial
> marina for
> >>>> hauling out Monday morning.  On the way across Toronto Bay we crossed
> paths
> >>>> with an Alberg 30 named MADRIGAL III which I recall racing against
> when I
> >>>> crewed in SURYA, an A30 which won the Syronelle when I was a boy back
> in
> >>>> the
> >>>> early O70¹s.  I thoroughly approved of her colour scheme and told her
> >>>> skipper, who turns out to have owned her since she was new (same
> colour as
> >>>> SURPRISE).
> >>>>
> >>>> I slept by myself in the boat and by mid morning Monday we were on
> the boat
> >>>> transporter and rolling up to Midland.  Two hours later we were in the
> >>>> water
> >>>> in Georgian Bay again.  Last night we motored over our Club¹s mast
> crane
> >>>> and
> >>>> that¹s where things began to go wrong.
> >>>>
> >>>> The yacht transporter had brought our mast over to the club so we
> wouldn¹t
> >>>> have to carry it off the boat ­ very kind of him.  Upon arrival we
> found a
> >>>> bit of a disturbance going on... An old member with a drinking issue
> was in
> >>>> the fourth hour of trying to raise his mast and was in an altercation
> with
> >>>> a
> >>>> responsible member who was trying to intervene to resolve their
> tangled rig
> >>>> and get them out from under the crane and clear  the dock.   When we
> >>>> arrived
> >>>> with SURPRISE on the tractor trailer rig, the difficult member
> accosted me
> >>>> shouting Oyou can¹t launch that boat here!¹  I thought he was kidding
> so
> >>>> said with a laugh Osure we can, it¹s only 10,000 lbs, I¹ll use the
> high
> >>>> jib²
> >>>> (normally only used for masts)  Then I realized what was going on and
> tried
> >>>> to explain I was only dropping off the mast... He wasn¹t listening.
>  We put
> >>>> our mast on horses and left.
> >>>>
> >>>> I went by an hour later to see if the crane was available and found
> the
> >>>> difficult member gone, and another yacht I¹d never seen raising her
> >>>> mast...and my mast (complete with new genoa on the furler) thrown on
> the
> >>>> ground; my horses under their mast.  I asked if they¹d done that,
> they said
> >>>> yes.  I said Olet¹s put it back up again please¹...they complied with
> poor
> >>>> grace.
> >>>>
> >>>> I went home for supper and when I came back found the mast on the
> ground
> >>>> again with the masthead only on a block of wood.  Not very nice.
>  Feeling
> >>>> cranky, but with the help of friends we began the process of stepping
> ­ a
> >>>> simple job.  We had the mast over the boat horizontally about five
> feet up
> >>>> (the jetty is high) and were beginning to raise it.  Then a remarkable
> >>>> thing
> >>>> happened.  The knot I¹d tied for the crane hook sling line, which I
> thought
> >>>> was a bowline, began slipping and apparently in slow motion snaked
> itself
> >>>> out and we dropped the mast diagonally across SURPRISE.
> >>>>
> >>>> I was holding the heel of the mast and received quite a wallop as the
> heel
> >>>> bucked upwards when the mast landed on the cabin top and the head
> went down
> >>>> into the water.  We all stood still for an instant... What an
> embarrassing
> >>>> and potentially very dangerous incident.  Damage?  Only slight
> luckily.
> >>>> The
> >>>> mainsail, bundled on the boom and laying on deck, took most of the
> landing
> >>>> impact.  The portside lifeline, somewhat slack without the shrouds
> >>>> spreading
> >>>> it, took the rest.  Mysteriously the starboard spreader was broken
> off at
> >>>> the tangs, which were bent.  I didn¹t see this happen but reckon that
> the
> >>>> sling line must have snaked around the shroud/spreader and for an
> instant
> >>>> bore the weight of the mast before breaking and letting the mast
> complete
> >>>> it¹s fall.  If that is what happened, I reckon the spreader
> contributed to
> >>>> the relatively soft landing the mast made across the cabin top.
> >>>>
> >>>> Looking back on the mast raising operation, I considered the cascade
> of
> >>>> events that led to the accident.  The RCN trained me to watch for such
> >>>> things as part of the Bridge Resource Management regime of thinking
> the
> >>>> Navy
> >>>> uses; regardless, I didn¹t see any of the signs.  They taught us that
> one
> >>>> can be on the road to trouble long before one is aware that the
> cascade has
> >>>> started
> >>>>
> >>>> I was tired.  I was upset by the drama happening at the mast crane
> when I
> >>>> arrived at the club.  I was further upset by the behaviour of the
> people
> >>>> who
> >>>> put my mast on the ground (new members it turns out ­ probably didn¹t
> know
> >>>> any better)   The result?  I tied a bad knot. I remember checking it
> but
> >>>> obviously didn¹t really look at it and feel it as I normally do.
> That is
> >>>> the only explanation I can offer for the sling line releasing.  I
> don¹t
> >>>> believe it is possible for a bowline to snake through itself as we
> all saw
> >>>> that one do.  I tied it with a long tail, so we all had time to see
> it go.
> >>>>
> >>>> We¹re lucky the mast wasn¹t higher...we¹re lucky we didn¹t have the
> mast
> >>>> vertical with people on the boat kneeling to shoot the pins in to
> secure
> >>>> the
> >>>> shrouds and stays when it came down.  I am very lucky nobody got
> hurt, I
> >>>> would have been responsible for what might have been a tragedy.  I am
> lucky
> >>>> the damage isn¹t worse.
> >>>>
> >>>> So, the ending not withstanding, it was a terrific weekend.  I¹m
> sorry the
> >>>> explanation of the accident seems to have overshadowed the good stuff
> ­ but
> >>>> I¹m still getting used to the idea that it really happened!!!
> >>>>
> >>>> Gord
> >>>> Surprise 426
> >>>> (yes, I will race with you folks again.... Can¹t wait)
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> These businesses support your Association:
> >>>> http://www.alberg30.org/store/A30supporters.html
> >>>> Please support them.
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> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>
> >>>
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> >>
> >>
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-- 



Where there is a shell, there is a way...

Dominic Amann
M 416-270-4587

 1403623480.0

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