A Night Out with the Tartan 34 Classic Association

Commodore David Bourdon will pass the tiller to Richard Lariviere in January, 2015.  As David's "Last Hurrah" as Commodore and Regional Captain of the Chesapeake Bay North, he called Bay T34C sailors to a rendezvous in Solomon's Island on September 19th and 20th.  Twenty-six stalwarts converged on the Lighthouse Restaurant for a happy hour followed by a deluxe dinner with a wonderful view of the harbor.  David may think it's his last, but we know he has plenty of "hurrahs" left!

We welcome Richard Lariviere as incoming Commodore, and thank David Bourdon for his wonderful enthusiasm and rapport as he becomes our Past Commodore. Mary Ina Bourdon has also served beautifully as Treasurer for six years, and she is looking forward to "retirement" from this job.

The featured speaker at our dinner was Tim Dull, a retired Navy Captain and owner of Skymark, Hull #270.  Tim, with four decades of single-handed sailing in the Bay, spoke on "Single-Handed Tartan 34C Cruising." Tim believes that the Tartan 34C is a perfect boat for single-handed sailing due to its slim cockpit design  and the steady steering hull form.

 Tim Dull

His advice included practical suggestions on how best to prepare for a single-handed sail, and how to reduce the number of trips below to fetch items you need once underway.  These include keeping a thermos of hot coffee within reach as well as a sandwich or snacks in the easily accessible ice chest.  Navigation tools need to be within reach as well.

Tim discussed how to hoist the mainsail and the jib or genoa, and how to lower or furl them solo.  He uses "lazy jacks" which speed the process of lowering the mainsail, although they can cause issues in raising it. For ease in tacking, he has replaced the tiller with wheel steering forward of the rudder post and uses two-speed self-tailing winches.  The main sheet traveler is installed across the bridge deck and can be adjusted while standing behind the helm.  Tim uses an autopilot  for limiting fatigue on long trips, and a remote control  to keep him dry in the rain.

When anchoring alone, Tim makes the anchor ready to let go before he enters the channel or constrained entrance to the anchorage.  When he raises the anchor, he has a bucketful of water ready on the foredeck for rinsing hands and sloshing off the mud and sand that usually comes up with the anchor. For mooring in a slip, he advises having a spare set of dock lines already attached to their cleats ready to hand to the dock attendants. His recommendations also work for two-handed sailing, which most of us do, and we appreciated the tips from his wide experience.

Our Association is strong, with new members joining as they acquire a T34C.  Our website at www.tartan34classic.org is full of beautiful photos and news from our far-flung regions so visit us on the web.  It's always sailing season somewhere!

by Grace Holt