Racing Spear

[Daniel Noyes]

Joel and I will be sailing our Alpha dory "Spear" in the traditional craft race during the Gloucester schooner festival. We sailed the boat at the Small Reach and I was very pleased by it's performance. Nearly all the boats at the small reach were shorter than the Alpha and there was informal dragracing at most (refreshingly informal) so the schooner fest will be it's first formal test of speed. Im not sure how the handycapping will work but I sent in the info and we'll see.
We will sail the boat over to Gloucester friday and fine tune the upwind performance. The race is Saturday, I will report on performance and handling of this historic craft.
Dan
http://dansdories.googlepages.com

[wtarzia]

So how will you sail it as a schooner at the schoonerfest? ;-) --Wade

[Daniel Noyes]

Schooner? yeah I wish...
we raced in the traditional craft races wich covers sloops (gaff and marconi and leg-O-mutton) schooners ,ketches and yawls. Then there was the multi hulls and phrf classes.

About the races...We almost made it to the starting line.
As it turned out we did not race at all, the wind was a steady 15-18 with higher gusts and a steep 3-5 ft cresting chop we sailed in it but it was not good racing conditions for a 21' boat too much up and down and not enough forward speed, the 25-35' keel boats sailing in our same class had a distinct advantage in those conditions. Frank took his 18' cat boat around the course 20 munites late over the line, the other big dory (Alice in the Lowell 19) did not race either but did stay out side for a sail.
Next year...

[Clinton B Chase]

Dan, What have you done in way of tweaking to SPEAR? I have that awesome shot of us on stbd tack flying a long, it is up at my desk at work. A recent time I looked I realized that the sail leech was quite open so a lot of wind was spilling out which is why we weren't more overpowered in that fresh breeze the last day.

I am still trying to figure out how to make the dory a good family boat so I can sell my wife on the project. In the meantime, DRAKE's oars are coming along!

Cheers,
Clint

[Daniel Noyes]

tweaking includes a very cool looking red waterline/bottom, we tried a double purchase on the rudder and it works good, but the friction in the pulleys (galvanized pulleys) made the boat a little slow to head up into the wind when the steering rope was released, very easy to hold rope against the weather helm though, also thicker steering rope around cockpit. also rope with jam cleat for raising mast at sea.
While in Gloucester I took a good look at Pete cullers gated mast steps in dancing feather, his ketch rigged sailing dory.
Dan
http://dansdories.googlepages.com