It’s Electric!
House mechanic Dan Ginther removes the old tankage Committee won’t be needing these buckets of piping anymore The Elco EP-40 awaiting the final installation The final install is clean and tidy Jeff Brantley at Committee’s helm, headed out for the inaugural race The Port Townsend Race Committee Boat Gets a Refit and Repower by Joshua Wheeler The Port Townsend Sailing Association, Blackbird Associates, and Steve Scharf have relaunched the 1979 CHB Trawler race committee boat, Committee. (Yes, that's the name. Underworld sounding? Or a little like naming your dog, Dog?) Fresh from the Port Townsend Boatyard, [...]
Shipwrights 2008 – A Flash From the Past
My First Race By Karen Sullivan Published in 48 North, March 2008 I've always been a cruiser and haven't gone in much for racing because it always seems so intense and competitive, sort of antithetical to cruising under sail. Besides, Minstrel is a Dana 24, not a J-24. So, when three boatless sailing friends inveigled me, on a freezing day in late January, to come out and race in the Port Townsend Shipwright's Regatta on February 2, my first reaction was "Are you crazy?" But I agreed tentatively, with the caveat that should it snow we would not be [...]
A Mark Rounding Gone Bad
Twelve Thunderbirds showed up Wednesday July 8th, a sunny evening with a steady breeze, to join the joy and exhilaration of one design racing on Port Townsend Bay. Is there more fun to be had in this Victorian seaport arts community of ours than that? I think not. Twelve boats results in challenging starting action, plenty of crossing situations, and close mark roundings. In all these situations the racing rules of sailing are our friend, provided we know how to use them. They are designed to facilitate an orderly start, to keep boats safe out on the course, and [...]
Three Modes of Sailing in Port Townsend
by Roland Nikles Cruising We will not speak of motoring from Point Wilson, past Partridge Bank, to the San Juan Channel in order to arrive at our destination in five hours. We leave this to trawlers. We will not speak of furling the genoa because we wish to go where the wind blows from. And we will not speak of starting the engine when the wind is fickle and light. These are not modes of sailing. In a warm breeze we stand on the high side and watch with wonder as the boat ploughs balanced to windward across whitecapped [...]
PT Leader Working Waterfront Insert A Little Confused
On pages 7 and 8 of the Working Waterfront insert to the Port Townsend Leader of 4/24/2018 there was a mixup regarding the races run by the Port Townsend Sailing Association and the classes given by the Northwest Maritime Center. To clarify, the races listed on page 7 are run by us, and the classes that are listed starting on page 7 and continuing on to page 8 are run by the Maritime Center. If you are new to this site - Welcome! If you have questions please email: webmaster@34.220.204.41.
On a Mission to Maximize Participation!
Maybe in 40 – 50 years there will be enough of these, cheap enough, to replace the Thunderbird. And enough local sailors to crew them. On a Mission to Maximize Participation Published on September 9th, 2018 The late great Paul Elvstrom said it best: “It is much harder to build a solid class organization than to design a new boat.” But commerce motivates people to try, and while we may get excited at the latest shiny new object on the water, class building remains hard. […]
Railmeat To The Max
It would take our whole membership to sail this boat. And we would probably need a bigger bay.
Documentary of Alula’s 2016 R2AK
This inspiring documentary can be found here. It runs about 20 min. This should get you all fired up planning for next year's race! The law of averages says there should be ideal conditions this time, but Murphy and Parkinson are heavily invested in this enterprise to guarantee a challenge.
Interesting Videos
For your entertainment, if you go to this site you will find articles about an Orcas Island wind artist and also Commanche's new monohull Atlantic crossing record. The interesting bits are from 06:10 to 20:18.