A reader (thanks Scott) tipped us off to a neat small-boat cruising book we didn't know about. Now we're stocking this 166-page book Practical Dinghy Cruising by Paul Constantine. The book is sort of a distillation of topics found at the U.K.'s Dinghy Cruising Association and is loaded with good information about dinghy cruising boats, techniques, safety, etc.—including some nice diagrams for modifications like a tiller tamer, a storm sail, a custom galley, and other ideas. 

We had the publisher ship a box of books across the pond and they're available now. $19.95.—Eds

Comment (0)

Here's an interesting article on a nice performance-oriented PDR—Eds

Comment (1)

A dusty crate with no return address just arrived at SCA headquarters. After careful inspection in the first floor's mail room, the package was deemed safe for opening and we removed the lid. Inside were carefully stacked t-shirts and sweatshirts. The fronts of the shirts ask "B. Frank?" and the back lists many known haunts of our esteemed columnist, including events like the Texas 200, BEER, Havasu, B.F. Egypt, etc.

We don't know whether this is an attempt at self-promotion or the convoluted repayment of an old debt, but in any case, we're now selling the limited edition B.Frank tour shirts at our website. Click here if you're interested.—Eds

Comment (2)

Paul just let us know he's posting some how-to videos at his YouTube channel.  Good stuff here. —Ed

Comment (1)

Nice SCAMP article published at Three Sheets Northwest. —Eds

Comment (4)

Kalmar Nyckel

courtesy Privateer 26 website

Gazela

courtesy BococaLand

A J Meerwald

courtesy Stan Zagleski




As part of a month long celebration (Sept 8 thru Oct 8), the Independence Seaport Museum is hosting Pirate week, Sept 17-24. A highlight of the week will be a mock battle involving at least the three boats pictured here and there is the opportunity to sail aboard these ships! For more info visit the Museums website.

Kalmar Nyckel is a recreation of a 17th C. Swedish ship which brought early settlers to New Sweden, today known as Wilmington, Delaware. Built in the Netherlands c. 1625 and purchased by Sweden in 1629, she was (and is) a Pinnace. The replica was designed by noted naval architect Thomas Gillmer.


Gazela is a Portuguese fishing barquentine built in 1901. She had a long and successful career fishing the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Her last commercial voyage was in 1969 and she came to Philadelphia in 1971. She sails out of Philadelphia.

AJ Meerwald was built in 1928. She is a Delaware Bay oyster schooner. She was commandeered in 1942 under the War Powers Act and returned to the Meerwald family in 1947. she remained in commercial use into the late 70's.

If you are in the area this weekend, lots to see and experience at the Seaport!

Original post Thomas Armstrong @ 70.8%

Comment (1)

At Whitehills harbour prior to leaving

Lashed battens

Approaching southern Jan Mayen

Morning mist at Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen's southern cape

The headland Eggoya, central Jan Mayen

Fulmars at the base of Mt Beerenberg

Looking back along the east coast of Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen's North-east cape

Landfall at Spitsbergen!

Becalmed off Prinz Karls Forland

Midnight sky over Spitsbergen

Glassy calm off Spitsbergen

Brunnich's guillemots off Spitsbergen

The mother of all noon positions

2AM calm in the high Arctic

Hitch-hiker 150 miles west of Norway "juvenile white wagtail"

The entrance to Whitehills Harbour 24 hours after our arrival


all photos and captions courtesy Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor aka The Simple Sailor and his lovely little Mingming have returned from yet another summer cruise. This year Roger acheived a long standing goal, reaching a position of 80° North. Bear in mind as you read Roger's comments below that Mingming is a 21' Coribee with bilge keels and a junk rig. She has been heavily modified by Roger for singlehand sailing.
Here's Roger's synopsis of the voyage:



Left Whitehills harbour on the Moray Firth at 1700H on Thursday 23rd June. Sailed north through the Fair Isle Channel, heading first for Jan Mayen. We crossed the Arctic Circle a week later. A few hours after crossing into the Arctic the stitching in two seams on the third panel started to fail, no doubt as a result of chafe against the topping lifts. One of the seams was in a very difficult position to repair so I dispensed with that panel entirely, lashing two battens together. We had covered c.550 nautical miles at the time and so sailed the remainder of the 3000 mile voyage minus one panel. This probably
disadvantaged us a little in the extremely light airs we were to encounter further north.
We met our first period of very calm weather about 80 miles south of Jan Mayen, with six days of virtually no wind. On Monday July 4th, just after midday, 65 miles south-south-east of the South Cape of Jan Mayen, a yacht, motor sailing, overtook us about a mile on our starboard beam. We reached Jan Mayen on July 7th, after two weeks at sea. As last time, had a fantastic day sailing up the east coast. I had a proper chart of the island this time, so was able to go in a lot closer. Unfortunately Mt Beerenberg, the 7000’ volcano, was once again under cloud cover, so I did not see the summit.
Headed north-east from Jan Mayen, bound for Spitsbergen. Two days later a northerly gale knocked us down quite badly. I was in my bunk at the time and felt the mast go way beyond the horizontal. A lot of chaos inside, but the only damage was bent framing on the spray hood.
We made our landfall at Spitsbergen, at Prinz Karls Forland on the
north-west coast, on Wednesday 20th July, after 26 days at sea. Sailed north up the coast, making sure to keep beyond the 12-mile limit (the regulations for yachts sailing in Svalbard waters are draconian).
Fantastic views of the Spitsbergen mountains, stretching to Albert 1 Land in the north. At one point I counted 73 peaks. Several times encountered relatively (for these days) large concentrations of whales along the continental shelf, mainly fin, with some humpback, minke and at least one sei whale. This surfaced very close and I was able to identify it from the photos I took.
I carried on north, hoping for the right wind to make a dart for 80°N. Had to be careful here, as there would have been ice to the west and north, and land and ice to the east: a potentially awkward trap. After some concernwith a hard blow from the south-west, the wind settled at west-north-west, giving me the perfect angle to sail quickly north, then south again.
Reached 80°N at midday on Sunday July 24th, after just less than 31 days at sea and nearly 1600 miles of sailing. Turned immediately south and began the long haul home. I had intended to sail a westerly route, using the East Greenland current, and giving us another look at Jan Mayen. However a week of south-westerly headwind out paid to that, forcing me to sail the direct route home, and putting us into the north-going North Atlantic current. Eleven days of strong northerlies helped break the back of the return leg, bringing us to within striking distance of Viking. The weather turned very sour, with a constant mix of calms and headwinds. As we approached the Shetlands the weather systems became increasingly unstable, with depressions springing up all round and following unusual tracks. Finally got to within 20-30 miles of Whitehills and were once more becalmed. I was very concerned,
as the forecast was for extremely strong northerly winds – not what you want when approaching the south coast of the Moray Firth. A fortuitous mix of a light easterly followed by a moderate north-westerly enabled us to cover the last few miles and get safely into harbour before the storm struck. Within less than a day of tying up in Whitehills it was blowing Force 9 to 10 straight onshore.
The voyage took 65 days (31 days out, 34 days back) and we logged just over 3000 nautical miles. This was an interesting contrast to last year’s voyage to west Greenland, in which we covered over 4000 miles in about the same time. Mingming has now sailed nearly 20,000 miles in six years, mainly in high latitudes. I am now thinking seriously about giving her a well-earned rest!

Congratlations to Roger and Mingming on another fantastic voyage, a great achievement.

Original post Thomas Armstrong @ 70.8%

Comment (0)

Folk Engineered

Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello

Ryan brazing a bike frame

Ryan has recently restored two brothers bicycles,the first a 1971 Raliegh International
(old)

...and new

The second restoration was a 1972 Motobecane Le Champion
(old)

...and new

Though Folk Engineered is primarily a custom shop, in 2010 they brought out an all rounder production bike.
The Marsupial,
a practical and adaptive sport touring bicycle for daily commuting, pleasure road riding, light touring, and adventure.

Family Boating

Some photos of Marie's life in boats

Teaching boatbuilding

Boat launch 2010

Some of Marie's students

Family boatbuilding

More students at work

Discovery 2011 building an Oughtred Acorn skiff


all images courtesy Folk Engineered or Marie Pasquariello

Here's an interesting couple. They have a bikebuilding business together and Marie teaches boatbuilding to kids. I first learned of this duo when Marie left a comment on my second boats and bikes post on Chris Kulczycki. Through a series of emails and facebook interactions a picture began to emerge of a rather dynamic pair. Ryan Reedell and Marie Pasquariello are Folk Engineerded Bicycles. Marie has been sailing and boating since childhood, and was kind enough to respond to some questions I posed on the business, her involvement in the boat programs and a rather romantic story about her and Ryan's relationship. I'll let her tell the story:

First, I'd like to hear a bit about your family boating experiences.

"As I told you, my grandparents had a beach house at LBI, and every summer I got to spend time by the water. We had a Sunfish, and my mom taught me to sail on that. It's the same Sunfish that my mom learned to sail on. The Sunfish was purely for adventure, and I loved sailing in the bay. My Grandad also had a small pontoon boat. The whole family (me, my 3 siblings, mom, dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) would pile in and go gunk holing. We'd explore inlets. And, of course, we'd stop to find some food. Some days, this was crabbing. We were low tech crabbers, using string, a hook, and some fish carcasses. And, some days, we'd hop in and dig our feet in the gunk looking for clams. Either way, we'd usually come home with some shellfish.
When I got into my teens, my grandparents were diagnosed with cancer. Within a couple years, their beach house was sold. The Sunfish made its way to my home town, and I'd take it sailing solo in a lake nearby. I don't know where the pontoon boat went, but my uncles all got modern 20-25' fiberglass sailboats and took up the tradition of taking us gunk holing each summer by their homes. My Uncle John has a house in Maryland on the Chesapeake, my Uncle Bill is in Maryland as well, and my Uncle John has a beach house in Brick Township."

I'd also like to hear a bit more about the semester of cycling, how it led to romance and marriage and the job at the bike library, which I am assuming is a community cycling resource similar to Neighborhood Bike Works in Philly.

"I went to Rutgers College in New Brunswick, studying art and engineering at first. In my second year of college, I met Ryan at an artsy warehouse event in Philadelphia. He had long dreads and beard, was dirty and smelly, talked about the Buddha, and was amazing. Ryan had been traveling around the US for a couple years (hiking, hitchhiking, riding trains, riding bikes, etc) and was home to visit his sister, who had just had a baby. His most recent travels included a couple (of) long bike tours on the West Coat and in the Midwest, his last through the desert and ending at Burning Man. There was an immediate attraction and "world view" connection. Ryan and I spent a couple months together in New Brunswick. Then, we parted ways... well, Ryan actually rode his bike away, I waved, then drove home for Winter break. I left to study abroad in South Africa, and Ryan went out West for more adventure.
I spent 6 months studying and traveling in Africa. Ryan and I sent a couple emails back and forth, but I didn't expect to see him again. I attended the University of Pietermaritzburg and, every time I had a chance, I'd explore the region - visiting new friends' houses, doing what the locals do, hiking, camping, going to markets, horse back riding, adventures, etc. I extended my stay a couple months so I could trek around Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana. My travels in Africa inspired an interest in sustainability, particularly in the US, my home. It also confused the hell out of me. What did I want to study? How did I want to contribute to my home society? You know, a normal existential college crisis.
A week before my plane ride home, I found out that Ryan was back in NJ. My goodness! But, my thinking was, who knows, he'll probably be leaving in a month anyway. I went down to New Brunswick to visit. He was on a friend's property digging a foundation (for what was supposed to be The Bike Library). We shared our adventures, slept in a van, and the connection was indeed still there.
We talked about my existential crisis and came up with a crazy idea - to go on(a) bike tour together on the west coast. This would mean I would have to drop out of school. On the other hand, it didn't mean that I wouldn't learn anything. So, I talked to a Professor at college, and we figured out I could do a research project. It was supposed to be about sustainable architecture, but evolved into sustainable transportation.
Ryan and I did a Craigslist rideshare out to California and landed in Santa Cruz. I had my backpack and me. Ryan had a bike and panniers and a trailer. Every morning we'd go to a cafe, where I'd hand sew parts of my panniers together, made from scraps from an awning store, pieces of a plastic bucket, and some hooks and straps. In the afternoon, we went to the Bike Church and I converted a too-small Trek 800 into a touring vehicle using their tool collective hours and work trade system. Ryan learned to work on bikes there (and on the road) and taught me to work on bikes there. Mind you, I'd never worked on a bike before... actually, I hadn't ridden a bike since I was 10. Thus, every evening was bicycle boot camp. Ryan would lead me all around, always having to camp at the top of the highest hill. I was tired, to say the least, but I was also getting strong. Of course, it wasn't all work... there were also farmer's markets, ice cream, family dinner experiences, etc.
After a couple weeks, we were prepared to leave. We headed north. Yea, the first couple days were painful, but we pushed on. We ended up zig-zagging all the way to Olympic Peninsula, stopping at various intentional communities and bike collectives along the way. The whole experience inspired my love for bicycles.. and made me learn to fix them. What a great way to get around. It's pretty fast and you feel great when doing it. I especially appreciated all the bicycle resources along the way and fully understood the vision for the Bike Library in New Brunswick.
When it was time to talk about coming home, again, I didn't expect Ryan to come. But, he did. That's when I knew he really liked me. At this point, we were making a decision to be together.
Upon returning to NJ, we starting volunteering a couple nights per week to keep the Bike Library open. The Bike Library is a volunteer-run bicycle tool collective... similar to Neighborhood Bike Works, but much smaller and only the co-op part. Depending on how many people are involved, it was open hours when people can come to learn to fix their bike or buy refurbished bicycles. There was always a constant flow of people during open hours. It lives in the basement of our friend Wil's house, and is yet to move to a structure built to house it.
I also changed my majors to art and math and got more research funding to do a pedal powered research project. Ryan and I worked on this together, despite the fact that Ryan wasn't in college. It was just our passion together. We designed and built about 10 function contraptions, including a food processor, recumbent trike, and kitchen trailer. I had the opportunity to take a chromoly framebuilding course at the United Bicycle Institute in Oregon. This is when we started collecting the tools we needed to build frames.
After graduation, Ryan and I worked on a small farm in upstate New York... and kept collecting tools. There, we decided we wanted to get married... some day. Then, we decided we wanted to move back to New Jersey... to the biggest city in NJ... Newark. A couple of my friends from high school lived there, so we moved in with them. Ryan was working at a machine shop and I got my job at Project U.S.E. We soon found a better place to live... a huge warehouse. It was 14,000 ft2 of communal living, work spaces, and tons of stuff.
In the warehouse in Newark, Ryan and I were able to build a shop a LOT and finally build frames. Since Ryan was working at a machine shop, he learned about precision and tool making. Our first fixtures and jigs were made there, until we finally got some machines of our own. We made our friends bikes. Then, we started getting requests from people we didn't know. It was then that we knew we had to take Folk Engineered to the next level.. and try to make frame building a livelihood.
We also got married in the warehouse on Sept 12, 2009. Ceremony in the alley behind the building, reception of the 4th floor, and celebratory bike ride to follow."

I'd like to hear about your husbands arc with cycling and the establishing of Folk Engineered and have you speak also to your involvement with the Co.

"I lot of Ryan's story is included above. But, you may like to know that Ryan was a track runner in high school. He's just naturally athletic. Thus, riding bikes.. and riding them fast.. is just a natural pleasure for him. Also, Ryan went to art school and studied printmaking... unrelated to anything he does now.
When FE started, Ryan and I shared all tasks, planning, designing, building, finances, etc. We did everything together. But, as FE grew, we had to specialize. Now, Ryan definitely leads the tool and fabrication department. He manages the shop. I definitely lead the communications and financial department. I manage the business. But, when it comes to bicycle engineering and vision, we work together... every bike is designed with both of our input. And, usually, both of us gets our hands on it in some way.
Also, the situation right now is that Ryan is able to work at FE full time. I work at Project U.S.E. and FE is my second full time job. For this reason, I don't get to do much frame building currently. We hope, in the next year or so, I can also work for FE full time and build frames."


What are the boats being built by Discovery 2011?


"We had 2 wonderful launches this year. All 6 boats floated with pride! The Discovery 2011 is a 10'2" Acorn Dinghy designed by Iain Oughtred. It has a round hull and is made with traditional lapstrake construction (albeit with marine plywood, still a lot of planing). This is my first endeavor at lapstrake... as well as the students. It was built by the Discovery Charter School in Newark, NJ and this was their 3rd boat (the first was a canoe and the second was a Salt Bay Skiff). It is named the Spodoxy. The Spodoxy is a mythological name representing the superheros at Discovery Charter School - Epoxy Girl, Sawdust Girl, Duct Tape Girl, Metal X, Sharp X, the Manager, etc. Each Boatbuilder has specific superpowers. Together, they form the Spodoxy team. Their boat, the Spodoxy, leads them to their secret lair in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Oh, and it can also fly. As you can probably infer, the Boatbuilding room was full of imagination at Discovery this year.
The 2 other boat designs you see are the 6-hour Canoe and the Salt Bay Skiff."

(Editors note: here is Marie's description of the project from2008)

"I joined Project U.S.E.'s boat building program this year. The Boat Building Project is a unique initiative by Project U.S.E. that is presented through a longterm, on-site relationship with participating schools and agencies. Students of middle- or high-school age explore the maritime history of their region and learn the science and art involved in boat building. The Project combines standard curricula, (math, physics, history, etc.) with rigorous and exciting experiential learning - a hallmark of Project U.S.E.'s programs. The Project culminates in the building and launching of wooden canoes or sailboats constructed by the students."

Where are you guys headed?

"FE plans to continue the tradition of custom bicycle building, because we believe it's our way to push the bicycle design industry. Our most challenging custom design of the year is the Oregon Manifest, designing the ultimate utility bicycle with 4th-8th grade students from a Newark charter school. This year, we came out with our first production bicycle, the Marsupial, a sport touring bike. We plan to do more manufacturing in the future, bring the tradition back to the US, and create jobs in the bike industry.
As for Project U.S.E., I'd love for the Boatbuilding Program to expand to have a Boat House facility. It would not only house our workshop but also be home base for on-water programs (paddling, navigation, community boating, etc). I am also working to�start a job training / re-entry program in bicycle mechanics and frame building.
In our personal lives, we'd like to be happy, healthy, and one day have a farm (near a waterway of course) with chickens and children.
I mean, inevitably, bikes and boats will always be a part of my life, whether with FE or Project U.S.E. or nothing."

I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I did.

Comment (1)

Adventurer and friend to the magazine, Sven Yrvind, has set off from Ireland for Florida in his owner-built 16-footer. To see more about him, his boat, and to track his progress—click here.

Comment (0)

Bloom, Harold. (ed.). AHAB, MAJOR LITERARY CHARACTERS. NY. 1991. 247 pp. VG in dust jacket. $28
List 204

Ashley, Clifford W. THE YANKEE WHALER. Bos. 1926. b/w and color plates. 4to. xxiv, 379 pp. First Edition, a limited edition of 1625 copies, and one of the key books on American whaling, with Ashley’s inimitable illustrations and much technical information on whaleships and whaling, as well as scrimshaw. Forster 160. A fine copy in dj with one tape repair, in original slipcase. $250
List 202

Kemp, Dixon. YACHT DESIGNING: A TREATISE ON THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH IS BASED THE ART OF DESIGNING YACHTS. Lon. 1876. b/w folding plates, ills in text. Folio. x, 118 pp. Toy says, “Kemp was a central and extremely important figure in yachting and yacht designing. His work is of great historical importance.” This book precedes the more common “Yacht Architecture” by two decades, and is his first work to include the scientific principles put forth by Scott Russell and Rankine. It features XXIV (actually forty) numbered plates, most of which are folding. Toy 4761. Unlike “Yacht Architecture” which was printed on horrible paper, this volume uses higher quality materials and has held up quite well. In fact, this is an immaculate copy, clean and fresh as the day it was printed, with six original folio illustrated advertising pages bound in at back. Sturdily rebound in half blue morocco over marbled boards. $2000
List 203

Manuscript. “JOHN WILLIAMS BOOK ON BOARD THE SHIP HECTOR ON THE OFFSHORE GROUND - LAT. 05.23 S, LONG. 100.26 W. JUNE 14, 1846 - 30 MONTHS OUT 1100 BBLS SPERM.” 12mo blank book, 4 x 5 3/4 inches. 105 pp. manuscript entries. The Hector was a 225 ton bark from Warren, RI, William Martin, master. She sailed on July 8, 1845 and returned December 4, 1847. In June 1846, cruising the line off the Galapagos Islands, crewman Williams found himself with some time on his hands. He got hold of Taber’s “New Bedford and Fairhaven Signal Book,” probably not hard to find aboard a whaleship, and copied its contents into a small blank book in ink and watercolor. Not satisfied with that accomplishment, he then copied flags of maritime nations (source unknown, but probably also from a book, with some creative additions by Williams). The result, though it may not add anything to our knowledge of flags, is a stunning little piece of folk art, done aboard a whaleship. One hundred five pages of color illustrations, with captions. $2500
List 203

Manuscript. YACHTING JOURNALS OF THE WILLIAM CARTER FAMILY, ALLSTON, MASS - MONHEGAN ISLAND AND MAINE COAST, 1915 - 1915. William and Isabelle Carter and their daughter Jamie lived in a comfortable but not over-the-top Victorian house in Allston, Mass. They owned a comfortable but not over-the-top yacht (it looks to be about a 35 foot motor cruiser). In those days the Charles River was still open to traffic down as far as Allston, and they tied their boat “Isabelle” up at “Carter’s Landing” along the Charles in that city. In the summers of 1914, 1915, and possibly other years, the three of them made family trips in the Isabelle down east to Maine. If the Carters had been upper class people, these cruises would have involved yacht clubs and lots of socializing and drinking. But they were not. Their adventures centered on the natural beauty of places along the way, of humorous adventures and mishaps - they were avowed amateurs - and a few visits with friends. All this is recorded in five hand made journals measuring about 6 1/2 x 7 inches and bound in limp leather. The pages are good heavy watercolor paper, watermarked 1914. One of the voyages is recorded in mock epic style, two in rhyming couplets, one in straight narrative, one in blank verse. All have captions, sometimes humorous, to photos and drawings. Some of the drawings are elaborate double page spreads. Four of the journals are 64-76 page in length. The fifth is 35 pages long. In total they contain 177 snapshot photographs of coastal scenes from the lock in the Charles to Monhegan, passengers and the Isabelle, and 70 colored drawings (ink and watercolor) of descriptive, decorative and humorous subjects. An intimate and charming look at recreational yachting in the early 20th century $4500
List 203

Allen, Glover. THE WHALEBONE WHALES OF NEW ENGLAND. Bos. 1916. b/w gravure plates. 4to. pp 108-322. Natural history and physical description of species inhabiting New England waters, as well as sections on early whaling from various New England ports, drift whaling, shore whaling and whaling by Indians. First edition. Jenkins p. 74. Bound in original printed paper wrappers, lightly chipped, with tear on front cover. $125
List 202

Gower, Richard Hall. A NARRATIVE OF A MODE PURSUED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO EFFECT IMPROVEMENTS IN NAVAL ARCHITECTURE. Lon. 1811. b/w plates. 126 (2) pp. This is essentially Gower’s proposal for a new design of a more stable and efficient vessel - a four masted barkentine, the Transit. The three engraved plates make her design elements clear. Gower’s text argues for her advantages, and advises how to sail and man her. Scott 500. First edition. Light water staining around edges of title and plates. Tidily rebound in modern buckram. Scarce $400
List 203


all photos and descriptions courtesy Greg Gibson

Comment (1)