A Project Named Clancy - Finale

It floats! 

Only the lightest of airs were present for the maiden voyage, but even that sufficed to move Clancy through the water.  The boat was stable and well balanced with some slight weather helm.  There's a joy to sailing a yar lil' dinghy, even if ghosting about.

Rich Kolin and Bob Pickett set out to enable amateurs to build a fun and capable sailing dinghy in their garages and boat that was "the most sailboat you can squeeze out of a 10-sheet of plywood."  How did reality stack up against Pickett's claims?  Constructing the boat was indeed straight-forward and something a first time builder could easily contemplate.  Of course, the technology of amateur built boats has advanced massively since the Clancy came out.  Kits and plans have become more complete and even easier to build, and the hull forms that now grace plywood boats can carry so much shape as to defy the medium.  Still, Clancy is a purposeful little boat that fulfils its purpose admirably.  

  

PocketShip #1 at the 2016 Wooden Boat Festival

It's been a while since I last posted, and there are quite a few things to catch up on, the major one being that Solitude III's centerboard woes have been rectified and sailing is once again a wonderful possibility.  When I get a chance, I will try to post some updates about what's gone on there. 

In the meantime, I got Solitude over to the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend for the first time in a few years.  PocketShip #1 was also there, and we managed a brief sail together, with the Geoff Kerr at the helm of ol' #1.  Sailing in company with PocketShip gave me the opportunity to really see her up close and in action.  Seeing her from that perspective renewed my appreciation for her graceful lines.   And sailing side-by-side within easy speaking distance, feeling the wind motivate Solitude forward, and seeing PocketShip gleefully surge forward under the same gust, reminded me of just how sweetly these boats sail. 

 

Here are a few photos of PocketShip from Solitude:

Photo Bombed

I am always on the lookout for ways to get new and different photos to support these blog posts.  Pursuant to that goal, on a recent after-work sail, I set about playing around with a feature on my camera that lets me control the shutter from my phone.

I waited until the sun was going down, set up the camera on a tripod on a deserted section of dock, got the phone and camera talking to each other, hopped in the boat, got the sails up, and set up for a beauty pass. The strength and direction of the wind was perfect for my purposes, filling the sails majestically as I set up on a reach for my run past the camera. My finger was on the trigger as Solitude entered the frame. Just then, out of nowhere, a stupid little plastic motorboat came out of nowhere, pulled up right between Solitude and the camera. Not wanting to ruin my opportunity at the shot, I spilled the wind from my sailed and tried to slow down enough for the stupid little plastic motorboat to get out of the way. But the yokels in the stupid little plastic motorboat decided to slow right down too. They finally drifted past me, just as I was sailing out of the frame. Giving up, I sheeted in the sails, snapped a photo (just because), and bore away to make another pass. Unfortunately, the camera's batteries had started out low, and by the time I got back into position, they were done for. So, that stupid little plastic motorboat had robbed me of my chance of getting the shot that day. Oh well, there's always next time.   

Imagine what this shot could have been with proper composition and no stupid little plastic motorboat.

Bowsprit Cam

From the same people who brought you "Gaff Cam,"  here's a new view.