Clipper Marine Owners' Biographies
A Clipper Marine Owner submitted his somewhat biographical Owner Information in a narrative format. This gave me the idea that perhaps we would all want to know a little more about each other than just boat numbers and locations. We were all beginner sailors at one time or another, I still am, and it would be interesting to see how far we've come.
If you care to do so, please submit a brief biographical sketch of your sailing experiences to the webmaster. Email MUST include either "Clipper Marine" or "CM" in subject line. Email not meeting this criteria is deleted automatically before I can preview.
Thank you in advance.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Joe Cox wrote:
I came to sailing late in life. 'PuddleDuck ' is my first boat ever (except for a model of PT-109). Read a couple of books and took the boat to the lake. I single-handed the boat for the first year until I felt comfortable enough in my skills to take others sailing.
I got very involved in local club racing for several years. However, due to time demands, I've all but dropped out of active sailing for this past year.
Currently 'PuddleDuck' is on the hard awaiting completion of the restoration project. I can't wait to get the boat back in the water.
Fair winds to all,
Joe
s/v PuddleDuck
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Herb Ocobock wrote:
I am a novice sailor even though I am a retired Coast Guard Master Chief Boatswain's Mate with 26 years of experience none of it was with sails. I have traded in twin diesels for Dacron and love it.
My current project is to point higher and beat any boat slow enough to let me pass them. I sail on a small lake, South Ten Mile Lake, near Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast. I belong to a yacht club that consists of three fleets, San Juan 21s, Geary 18s (flatties), MC Scows, Lasers, and Holder Hawk Dinghies (for the kids). The boats are in the water from April through October. We have over 50 races per sailing season. Last year I started competing so I could learn to sail better. Not too much luck yet. She sails great with a lot of wind but that is not always the case on the protected lake.
Thanks again,
Herb
s/v Maile Jo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Wes Johnson wrote:
I'm the son of a career Navy pilot, so we were always stationed at cool military bases next to the ocean. Norfolk, Whidbey Island, Monterey....and 10 years in Hawaii, where my dad had the good sense to buy a Sunfish, and later a Hobie 16, and teach us how to sail in Pearl Harbor.
Twenty-five years later I'm now a newspaper reporter landlocked in Kansas, but sailing remains in my blood. Kansas means "south wind" in Kanza Indian parlance, and we've certainly got a lot of that blowing here across the prairie.
I moved up from small daysailors to a Nacra catamaran to a Clipper 21, and now am rebuilding a 1974 flush-deck Clipper 26 with my first-mate and sailing buddy, son Jeff. "Prairie Clipper" will be a frequent sight on area lakes and hopefully will ferry us to far-away destinations.
Wes Johnson
s/v Prairie Clipper
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Patrick Wharton wrote:
Never Sailed before this Millennium. Not quite sure what put the idea in my head. Decided to give it a try and took a three day ASA Course, in my hometown of Fernandina Beach, FL. Loved it!
Casually came upon an advertisement for a Clipper Marine 21 for sail. The gentleman selling it was letting it go for $1600 with a dual axle trailer. I thought… "What can I loose, the trailer is worth almost that much!"
That was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
The CM21 was named "The Pioneer" by my daughter (It is the "One who came first") is an ideal vessel for me. It has allowed me to "Learn the Ropes" intuitively as I rig and upgrade. It is marvelously forgiving as I make the inevitable mistakes in that learning. It has the ability to sneak into the rivers or take to the ocean around the barrier islands of North Florida.
I have "Big Plans" for this small boat…. Maybe even a grand visit to Key West !
Blue Skies!
Patrick
s/v The Pioneer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Timothy Lape wrote:
I recently began thinking about sailing while I was in the process of discharging out of the US Navy. My father and his father before him were both Navy sailors. Saltwater has flown through my families blood for generations.
I had always loved watching the sailboats and tallships leave San Francisco Bay, but I hadn't put too much though into sailing them until recreantly. I took a sailing course in Pearl Harbor at the Navy Yacht club there and I loved every minute I was on the water (and occasionally in the water).
I started looking through a Latitude 38 and came upon a add for a 26' Clipper Marine. I feel in love with it instantly, mainly for it's tiller had been taken out and a helm installed. My father and I already envision many "Sunday projects" in her future.
Her name California Republic comes from my love of my home state and the beautiful coastlines that you will only find here.
Fair winds and following seas,
Timothy Harold Lape
s/v California Republic
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
John Clary wrote:
I also came to sailboat ownership at middle age and am still quite a novice. Over the years I have boated on lakes in Texas and on the bay in the Gulf of Mexico. I was always on other people's sailboats and power boats though. One thing is clear. I have no use for power boats. Sailing is my love.
My Clipper Marine 21 (Wendy) is my first sailboat. I found it in 1997 on its trailer in a pasture in the Rio Grande Valley. I liked its lines and asked the property owner if they would sell. It turns out that it was a Clipper Marine 21 and had been there 10 years and was missing its keel. Otherwise all pieces were intact including a jib and mainsail. So, for $400 I bought my first boat. I had to dig the trailer out of axle deep mud and buy new tires and wheels so it could be moved. I have also had a keel built by a local welder. I have made some repairs to fiberglass and am repairing the running rigging now. After the rigging is complete and a few tweaks to the keel, I'll finally be able to test it in the water. (Hope it doesn't sink.)
Thank goodness for the ACM website and message posting sites. They have helped me immensely in my restoration project. I live on a small lake in north Texas and look forward to teaching my two kids to sail in Spring 2001. (We'll all learn how to sail Wendy together.)
John Clary
s/v Wendy
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Bob Meehan wrote:
Although I don't own my CM26 anymore, I still find myself very interested in them.
I first got an interest in them in 1973.I was fresh out of college and starting my first teaching assignment. What impressed me most was their good looks and cost. I liked them so much that I tried to sell them from my backyard! I went so far as to borrow $11000 to by a 21 and 26 for floor models. I wasn't really ready to make a bigger commitment to them by ordering more boats for future delivery. When I balked at doing so, we both agreed that I might be in over my head. I got my money back and didn't have to sell my trailer!!
I eventually bought my first clipper in 1987. It was the same 1973 blue Clipper 26 flush deck that had first caught my eye at a local sailboat shop in 1973! It was a beauty and the envy of all the local trailer sailors. They were good boats for what they were made for.
Anyone who puts them down doesn't really know the boat. Even today you can buy them at a great price and spend a $100 on paint, roll it on, tip it and sail away in a great looking boat.
Bob Meehan
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Geraldine Clarke wrote:
Well, I'm not even a sailor. I got a great new job in San Francisco but, after a couple of months, the commute from Sonoma got to be too much. I spent a few weeks looking at ugly, noisy, outrageously over-priced apartments that wouldn't take my dog. Every morning I was passing two marinas and so the light finally dawned - living on a boat during the week might be the answer! For 12 years I'd lived on an old barge that had been put up on stilts in Marin County. I'd forgotten how much I'd loved the reflections on the water, the birds and the quiet.
Since I'm not a sailor, I began looking at powerboats. Then my cousin mentioned that he had a boat for sale and he'd give me a good price if he could come to S.F. Bay and sail her occasionally. I went up to Eureka to see her and fell in love. She's a 30' CM that has been extensively renovated - lovely teak interior and lots of conveniences. She has a new mast and 800 lbs added to her keel. At one point she'd been used to fish salmon commercially (a rather masochistic endeavor in my opinion but her former owner swore by her....) The clincher (after really coming to hate noisy city life) was her name - The Quiet.
So my dog and I have moved quite comfortably into her cozy interior four nights a week and I'm reading every sailing book I can get my hands on until Spring when the days get longer and I'll be able to take sailing lessons. In the meantime, I'm enjoying life aboard immensely.
Geraldine Clarke
s/v The Quiet
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Richard Waller wrote:
There is me, Richard, Laurie my new wife, the new kids, Camilla 8 and Rachel 12 and my son Chris 18, also three dogs, one cat, and five llamas.
I bought the CM21 on a whim, loved it, bought a Sunfish also, and now the new CM26. We live on an isolated homestead in the forest north of Lake Tahoe, Laurie and I are both elementary teachers. We run a commercial llama packing outfit in the summer. I have taught skiing and ski mountaineering for many years. The kids XC ski race, Chris was one of the top high school racers in the nation. Laurie is just plain flat wonderful, we got married in August on the beach on Molokai, at sunset.
Our lives are good.
Richard Waller
s/v Laurie Anne
s/v Laurie Anne II
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Gary Pinkerton wrote:
Earlier in the year, I'd been thinking about a sailboat when I saw a CM21 for sale on Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston. I was amazed that a 27 year old boat could be so clean and apparently defect free. No modifications at all had been made. For the price, I decided it was a mistake-free decision so I took the boat home. When I took the boat out with a friend, it was only my third time to sail. The next time out I soloed on Clear Lake, S of Houston. It felt more like remembering to sail than learning. Since that time, I've take 3 ASA classes completed the Basic Coastal Cruising certification.
All of my sailing is on Galveston Bay, just past the Kemah Channel and east of Clear Lake. I've replaced winches and jib tracks and am just beginning to rewire the whole boat and get running lights working. Like the rest of you, I try to imagine sailing WITHOUT the worries of that dang keel. For the most part, I've stopped the wobble but know that more is in my future. I bought a new Nissan 5hp four-stroke for power that works like a charm.
For now, I'm happy with my little boat. In the spring I plan to trailer it south to Galveston and explore some new water and anchorages. Offats Bayou is THE best anchorage in Texas and that will be an early overnighter I'm sure.
Gary Pinkerton
Seabrook, TX
s/v @peace
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Deanna Sue Hart and Russ Hart wrote:
How we found our Clipper Marine 26
We were camping one-week end and on the way home we picked up the Spokane Washington newspaper and just for fun were looking at the want ads for sailboats. We located a 26-foot Clipper Marine with lots of extras and a fair price. So the next week end we made arrangements to go see the boat. We were so lucky to have a sunny windy day and were able to take a great test drive. We fell in love. Neither one of us had ever sailed before, but this was a life long dream for my husband. So not knowing where we were going to put this boat, or come up with the money, we wanted it. After all the arrangements were made, we brought her home, found a nice place at the marina and our lives changed.
We owned our Clipper for 30 days and decided to take her out to the San Juan Islands in Washington. With only the advice to buy a chart, off we went. We had the time of our lives, even for being so very green. We have learned so much since then. That trip got us excited to go back and we knew we had lots of work to do.
Our Clipper is a 1974 and very much looked like the 70's in the interior. So we stripped it all down, painted, stenciled and added various cabinets and shelves about. We had a new canvas built for the pop-top in blue to accent the white on the boat. I also sewed a jib bag cover to put on the bow for easier access.
We then tailored to Seattle, Washington in the spring to sail in the Puget Sound for 10 days. What a trip that was, lots of bad weather and rough seas. But we learned how much our boat could handle. So upon returning from that trip we decided that new sails were needed. So we special ordered a new main sail with storm capabilities and a new storm jib. We are well equipped now.
We then sailed to the San Juan Islands again in August and made it to Sidney Canada. We spent 14 days aboard our Clipper and really didn't want to come home.
Our new project for this year to build rails on the stern, sew a new main sail cover and buy a small motor for our Walker Bay dinghy. We purchased our Clipper in July of 1999 and named her The Clip-A-Long. We spend many nights out at the marina as a great get away. We have such a wonderful time with our Clipper; I just don't know why we didn't do this sooner.
Deanna Sue Hart
Russ Hart
s/v Clip-A-Long
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Christopher Jongbloed wrote:
As a military brat I traveled the world quite extensively, but I spent the
majority of my time in the middle of the desert in the town of El Paso.
Those not familiar with its location can find it in far west Texas,
approximately 5 miles from hell. Hell doesn't have any water (so I'm told)
and neither did El Paso. Therefore the first time I got to go sailing was
when I went away to Boy Scout camp and sailed a dolphin. I use the term
"sailed" lightly since it mainly consisted of me getting fed up and
swimming/pushing the boat around the lake.
I didn't sail a big boat until college when a friend of mine invited me down
to his Catalina 22 on the coast. I had no idea that someone my age could
afford a boat that big! I loved my the sailing trip so much, when I got back
I started flipping through the newspaper that night. A week later I saw a
boat advertised in Austin, called up, and went to look at it that night in
the middle of a storm. I like it so much I bought it on the spot, no hull
examination, no sailing tests, I knew absolutely nothing except that I felt
seriously cool sitting in the cockpit (even though it was pouring rain).
I've been learning to sail it ever since with the trial and error and error
and error and error and error method..... but I'm doing much better now
Christopher Jongbloed
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michael Connor wrote:
I started sailing at the age of 13 in the Boy Scouts. I spent my summers on one of the NY Finger Lakes sailing - a couple of times with the fellow who moved on to design the Laser.
At 20 I started building a 19' Gaff rigged sloop from scratch. I sailed it in the Great South Bay on Long Island. The boat lasted 2 year at which the cost cutting efforts I took delaminated the hull overwintering one year & out came Mr. Chainsaw.
About 10 years ago, I worked with a Ranger 34 prototype owner (outfitted by Dennis Conners) owner who needed crew. I begged him to enlist where I became his Foredeck hand. Racing in the Long Island Sound on this boat was just a fantasy come true. It was overballasted & over rigged to do load testing - it stayed tied up if the winds were less than 10 knots - but at 30 knots out came the Spinnakers, bloopers, windsocks and anything else aboard that would catch wind! I did that for 3 years before moving on to family life.
Last year I was 'given' a Clipper Marine 26 by a neighbor whose ex owned it & left it behind. She wanted a lawn, I wanted to sail. I now have the lawn ornament & am slowly reconstructing it.
Michael Connor
s/v Downeaster Alexia
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Dave Bennett wrote:
I was introduced to sailing about thirty five years ago in San Diego. I had read and dreamed for years, but that first taste in San Diego Bay was finer by far than any fantasy. Lido 16's and Knockabouts (16', centerboard) were first, then a little exposure to coastal cruising aboard a thirty-eight footer locked me in for life.
Back in Ohio a few years later, it didn't take long for a sweet little Knockabout to melt my skimpy $400 savings account. Our affair lasted well beyond her functional life. For several years I tried to save for a new boat, but something more important always demanded the money. Finally, I decided to buy a boat and finance it. I could certainly afford it by that stage of my life. I set out the requirements: small enough to trailer launch (the family would hate driving four hours to the boat) and large enough for Christy and me plus two pre-schoolers and an occasional overnight.
Then the search for a new boat started - boat shows, dealers, classifieds, and weekend jaunts to view prospects. Eventually I was split between a Cal-21 and a Precision 19, both used and comparably priced. I was being very practical, but emotion slightly favored the Cal.
And then it happened. Sunday paper: "21 foot sailboat with trailer and 4.5hp motor" - only fifty miles away so I went for a drive. I crested a hill overlooking a lake, and there was the most elegant and beautiful small boat I had ever seen. Thirteen years later I still see her as the image of grace.
Dave Bennett
s/v Feather
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Del and Lina Hatton wrote:
Born the son of a Scottish Merchant Marine I've lived up and down the West Coast from Anchorage to San Diego and now have settled in the Puget Sound area. There is a saying that I picked up in San Diego that has stuck to me well, "There is no life East of I-5". In another words, once you have attached yourself to the sea/water it is hard to pull away! This has been the story of my life.
Joined the U.S. Navy 1969 and spent the next 6 years repairing PBRs, Swifts, Micboats and Tugs. In 1976 I took sailing classes at NTC, San Diego.
Became a Racing Skipper up to 19' Sloops and 16' Cats. I raced a few times in 14' Innerlakes a custom built glass boat with bilge bailers. I did well but lost interest in a short time.
After that I bought a CAL 2-27 with a 180% Genoa and auto pilot. Spent every weekend for two years sailing and SCUBA diving up and down the coast of Southern California and into Mexico. Then traded it + cash for a 38' Pacemaker made of oak, mahogany and teak. What a leisure life as a live aboard,I thought, until it worked me to death trying to keep up all the wood and hardware. Then sold it in 1986 and all I've had to keep me entertained is a little inflatable Boston Whaler (my old dinghy) until last summer.
I've always dreamed of a sail boat with some power boat capabilities. One that could run into shallow waters or even run up on the beach. But still heavy enough to handle some choppy seas and keep up with the big ladies. One day, on the way home from work I stopped at a traffic light. I caught this yellow boat out of the corner of my eye. It looked as if some one had cut the keel in half. so, I went over to investigate. It was sitting on an old rusty trailer with a flat tire and a crushed pop-up hatch. But the bottom side is what amused me.
In my dreams there she sat! I did a quick survey of the hull with her twin keels. She was as solid as anything in her class. And the mast was long and worthy of praise. I looked around and found a for sale sign barely hanging on and faded so bad you could hardly read it. The price had been marked down a couple of times and they were only asking the price of the fairly new Honda 4-stoke motor that was on board. I rushed home and talked to my wife and she said buy it. After some repairs and up grades she'll be a real pleasure. We call her the RESURRECTION for we have both been brought back to life.
I once had a bumper sticker that read "I've spent most of MY FORTUNE on fast boats and pretty woman. The rest I just wasted!"
Avast me hardy mates!-------
Del and Lina
s/v RESURRECTION
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
William D. Wagar wrote:
As a kid growing up in Ohio, I spent a lot of time in the library looking at
sailboat specifications and dreaming of someday owning one. A definite
romantic from the get go. Like some of you, my first real experience was at
Boy Scout camp on sunfish. I worked at a camp for three years as Nature
director and had access to boats on a regular basis. One of the counselors
had a classic Windmill which he taught me to sail. Years later, having moved
to Flagstaff, Arizona, some friends went together and bought Scorpion, a CM23
twin keel in Marina Del Rey. I was given boat privileges and eventually
bought out the remaining partner. Incidentally, one of the two partners ran
off with my 1st wife, but since I ended up with the boat, I figure I got the
better deal! Scorpion has been berthed in a slip at Wahweap Marina on Lake
Powell for 18-19 years now, with the occasional haul out. I can't tell you
how many fantastic times I owe to my little yacht. Now days, my wife Barbara
and my dog Schooner share one of the most beautiful places on earth with the
Scorpion and me. We have traveled to the US Virgin Islands each year for the
past 6, and I dream of buying a liveaboard to moor in Coral Bay, St.John. A
guy's gotta right to dream, right?
Will Wagar
s/v Scorpion
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Bill Battersby Wrote:
When I was four, my father took me sailing on a lake in New Hampshire aboard an Alcort Sailfish. If you're not familiar with the design, it's a narrow sailboard without a footwell, like it's sister the Sunfish does have. I screamed bloody murder and begged to be taken ashore. That would probably have been the end of my sailing adventures, except my love of boats kept me interested.
Years later at the Jersey shore, my father asked me what I'd like for my ninth birthday which occurs just before Labor Day. I said, "why don't we try sailing again. Could we rent a boat for the afternoon?" He skeptically agreed and the result was that we spent that wonderful afternoon tacking and jibing all over Great Egg Harbor Bay behind Ocean City, NJ. The following summer I took sailing lessons at a local sailing school, and at the end of the season forked over $125.00 for a Snark Sunflower. This cheap little boat became my vessel of discovery and adventure as I sailed among the marshy islets which dotted the bay, and explored secret little creeks & coves; dodging clouds of gnats, mosquitoes, and ravenous greenhead flies.
In later years, I acquired a Sunfish knockoff called an Amflite 14 (also AMF Alcort), and a custom (translation: homebuilt) wooden sloop, only to divest myself of all sailboats during my freshman year of college in order to finance books, etc. I went boatless and did not sail again at all until the mid-eighties. While on a trip to Sarasota Florida, I rented an Aqua Cat for a day of sailing in the Gulf.
That was it! At the end of the next summer, I discovered "Landing Free"; Clipper 21 hull number 773. I had known of these boats years before from Sail Magazine's Sailboat & Equipment directories (major bathroom reading material, & all around dreambook). This particular boat rested in a gas station parking lot and was full of water from having the hatch left open - probably for the entire summer if not longer. Aside from that it was in pretty good shape. The gelcoat was clean and not oxidized, and once dried, the interior was serviceable. Apparently the owner had at least taken care of the boat while in possession. I found the For Sale sign laying in the cockpit and went to see the gas station owner. He said that he new the owner and they were anxious to sell due to a divorce. All the equipment was available for the boat, and they had been asking $2000.00, but were open to offers. A day later and a thousand dollars lighter, I had "Landing Free" towed to my house and parked in the driveway.
The cushions in the cabin were in poor condition from water immersion, so out they came. I purchased a set of Paceship 23 interior cushions, which the gas station owner "just happened to have", and they fit just about perfect. That is, the quarter berth cushions fit great; the Vee berth cushions looked right as long as you threw some pillows up there. Needless to say, the unique lifting seatback from the Vee berth was sacrificed for the time being. After cleaning the boat thoroughly, she was stored for the winter. The following year I launched her and kept her at the same marina where my father had rented the Sunfish many years before for my birthday. There was no outboard motor, and I had no money for one once the marina turned me loose. However, I had never used an outboard on any boat I'd sailed before so it really didn't make a difference to me at the time. I actually enjoyed the reverse-snobbery which comes from frothing in to the pier and shooting up into the wind to make a perfect landing under sail. It was kind of fun to see the owners of newer and larger boats reaching for fenders as I'd cruise into the mooring area, only to breath a sign of relief and give a nod of approval at another successful docking.
Two years later I was talked into buying a larger boat and sold my CM 21 to a friend of a friend. The larger boat ultimately became a victim of my marriage, which has gone away as well. I am now actively search for a another CM 21, or possibly my old one if I could find it. If anyone knows of one in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland area which is not a basket case, feel free to e-mail me.
Bill Battersby
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
John Dinkelman wrote:
As I young boy I was lucky to find a Sea Scout troop here in Utah. A very rare thing, and I would hitch hike every Tuesday night 15 miles to attend the meetings. But I absorbed much and little did I know that later in my life I would owe much to the Boy Scouts Sea Scout Ship "Natrium" (a mineral found in Great Salt Lake)
....after a tale too long to tell here I ended up as a Army Marine Warrant Officer, having been the Chief Deck officer on a 7500 ton freighter that worked up and down the East coast as a training platform for Army units and as Master of a small tanker in Viet Nam,, the first tour in Nam I was master of a landing craft that I steamed over 12,000 miles ... While stationed in San Francisco at the Presidio between Nam tours I crewed for a dermatologist at the Letterman General Hospital that had a 31 ft Coronado and loved to sail on San Francisco Bay
...I retired with 35 years federal service and then was the machine shop supervisor at the state prison for 10 years. Finally hung up the keys there and now want to spend my golden years with my CM 21 'Rigel" that once was Richard's Laurie Ann. I named my boat "RIGEL' as it was one of my favorite navigational stars for my morning and night shots as it was so easy to find... Utah has some very nice sailing sites even though its a desert state
... I'm not interested in sailing on Great Salt Lake because of the bad corrosive effect on the trailer, through there are many boats on the lake. But for me I'll sail the local reservoirs and Lake Powell , Flaming Gorge and Yellowstone Lake
.. I have a lot to learn, but love it... intend to install my HAM radio and operate 'Maritime Mobile"
Best regards ,
John
KC7AW
CM 21 sv "Rigel"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Chuck Bechtel Wrote:
I just swapped my 145 horse noisemaker for a nice CM 23 twin-keel, because I do not like powerboats. The first weekend in October 2002 (three days ago now) I brought her up from Annapolis. I was originally headed for Elkton, MD (yeah, the elopement capital of the east coast) but wound up becoming the newest resident of Rock Hall on the Chessie Bay… 35 knot winds shredded the old jib and snapped a shroud… oh well. I have been sailing for twenty-five years, driving everything from a Sunfish to a 170 tall ship. First sail experience (not counting the time I stood up in a canoe with my windbreaker half-zippered, aged 11) was in college aboard a Laser, and when I saw the rooster tail blowing up behind me during a broad reach and not a sound more than a seagull in the distance, I fell in love with the power of the wind. I am deliriously tiller-happy, and after the punishment through which I put my Clipper 23 (HN 2190) I think I made a really smart swap. Anybody who knows the excitement of a rollercoaster-ride down a four foot swell in a little boat, heeling over enough to make Marines blanche, hearing the rigging sing that little Hummmmm song, well… Anyway, she’s already in winter storage just waiting for me to make her the best lookin’ broad in the Bay. BTW: I named her the “Sweet Discourse” after a quote from Shakespeare that now sounds very appropriate: “All these woes shall prove as sweet discourse in our time to come.”
Glad to be aboard, maties.
Chuck
s/v Sweet Discourse
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Larrel Barber wrote:
I started sailing with a band member and friend three years ago; I then decided it was not a crewmember I was to be.
I then came into possession of an O'DAY 23 in major project condition and started on the repairs. One day while returning from a fishing trip my first mate and Cabin girl Jeannette, she spotted a big white sailboat along side a second hand store in Carson City, NV. It was getting late, so we returned the next day to look at a very abused CM 26 MK with a moveable trailer. The boat had been a rental on Tahoe and had been replaced by a J-boat. We bought the boat for $1500 and took it home.
I then mucked out all the leaves and beer bottles and other things of foul odor, to find all the cushions to be in very good condition. After the major muck and other stuff removed I set my Little Buddy to work on the swabbing of the cabin and the entire inside of the boat. The O'DAY was set aside at this point and "Mariah" is raised to the boat of priority. We cleaned and inspected and I removed the obvious rot in the V berth and aft berths caused by lack of maintenance. The boom and rudder were missing so I borrowed from the O'DAY and ordered new sails. The trail got two new axle springs. We then registered the boat and launched at Pyramid Lake four weeks from purchase date.
A perfect morning for a maiden voyage, blue sky, light winds and good friends. This is when I learned about the cracked keel house, cracked from keel bolt to top of housing, just a minor setback. I repaired this and we set sail again about three days later with the in-laws along. We had a great sail and bail, found the crack in the bottom of keel house, repaired and set out for Lake Almanor. Four days later after great wind and food and drink, our boat was dry! I found the Clipper Marine Boathouse and many helpful bits of information for other Clipper Marine owners. Maybe later I can post some pictures of the projects we've done. These boats are great teaching tools and I am looking forward to many fun days/weeks on the boat.
Oh by the way, since we got Mariah we took a sabbatical from our jobs as bartenders at the Hangar Bar and Grill, to sail and play music. If you're in Reno or surrounding area and see Ketchafish listed as entertainment stop by and say Hello!
Larrel and Jennette Barber
s/v Mariah
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Wilson Goddard wrote:
Dear Joe:
Thanks for the info on the netting. I'll try KMart etc.
The weather has been cold at night but warms to 70s in the afternoon. We get out about once a week. Clear Lake has about 100 mi of shoreline, is 25 mi long by 8 mi wide.
Our CM21 fortunately, had one owner that kept it mostly in the carport and only sailed in fresh water so it's in reasonable shape. There was dry rot in the forward fold up back which I replaced, then foam filled all voids and weak spots that were spongy. I pulled the windows out because they leaked badly, re-set with butyl putty (comes in 1" wide by 20' rolls at RV shops) and used car window glue inside and out to seal around the glass.
I set up a 10 watt solar panel to charge the battery. Not much load with the LEDs lights pulling only 0.2 amps max (2.4 watts). Set up a bottom line fish finder sonar with the sensor 6" in forward of the keel. Routed the lead up forward in the keel well. I mounted a gimbaled compass and the sonar on a 3" strip that fits the lower slot in the companion way. Would like to construct a panel on a hinge that would swing from inside across the companion way but each time I get to measuring, everything is at an angle and I accept the present set-up (too lazy).
I liked your Jib and main sheet set-up, so I'm putting two cleats just aft of the hand-grip so they can be easily available when winds kick-up. I to installed a tiller Tamer on top of the tiller. I use a slip on extension on the tiller which swivels latterly but can be fixed so I can steer from the cabin.
I'm putting together a jib down-haul which will rout through a double pulley at the for-stay base. One 1/8" line will route up to the top of the jib and another to the jib sheet. Winds can kick-up very fast on Clear Lake and I often solo. Usually, I run down-wind, tie the tiller, drop the jib and secure it forward. With the down-haul lines, I'd like to do this from the cockpit. With the jib down, the CM21 is very tame in high winds. I have an extra set of sails from my 16' Condor which have reef points and are perfect for high winds. (jib 47 sq ft, main 69 sq ft).
We are planning to spend a month or so at Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave and Lake Mead. Will take my kayaks and fish. Last winter we spent 4 months bushwhacking and kayaking along Baja living on fish! I installed 4 -50 watt solar panels on our trailer which also charged a trolling motor that I use on my double kayak. This makes a fine fishing machine with a range of about 10 mi.
The Lake Mead Sailing club in May makes a 5 day outing on Mead and sails up into the Grand Canyon. This would be a neat trip so am going to trailer camp and check out Mead this winter.
Thanks for the invite to add project ideas to the Clipper site.
Best Regards,
Wilson Goddard
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Donnie Lande writes:
I was a 37 year old with a wife, a son, a mortgage, 2 car payments and my only experience with sailboats was seeing them distantly on the waters when I would drive down to Norfolk. They were so gorgeous, but that was as far as my imagination would take me. I was raised (as was all of my extended family) in the cornbelt from good Norwegian stock, short on ambition but full of love of family. I have an uncle that I have always admired for his ability to keep "rooted in the real world" but had always been a free spirit. He grabs hold of life in a bear hug and his exuberance is contagious. Tragically, his world was altered when his bride of 40+ years suffered a stroke while visiting their daughter in Texas and their family was brought to the hospital to be with her, to see her off on her next journey. She didn't leave, her indomitable spirit carried her through and she is still blessing this world with her beauty and charm.
Our paths crossed quite unexpectedly in 1997 when his career brought him to VA where I had been living for a few years. They had been staying in a house in the DC area and were moving to my town. The move was uneventful but he approached me with a problem that joyfully and unexpectedly changed me forever. Would I take my 1996 Chevy S-10 4 cylinder pickup, install a class III hitch, and go with him to Washington and pick up his boat? This boat, he said, he'd bought while living in Kansas, and after an unexpected move, had sat in his driveway for 5 or 6 years, never moved, the "renters" kids had used it for a plaything. How he got it from Kansas to Washington, I've never asked him, but it "sat" in the driveway in Washington for another 2 years or so. He asked me if I knew anywhere to keep her. I'll find somewhere was my reply and that is how 1973 Clipper 21 #963 came to rest in my yard, in my possession, and at my disposal. I spent an entire year reading voraciously, cleaning, tearing out rotten wood, and sitting in the cockpit dreaming. My son of 9 would occasionally join me, but more often than not, he'd see me toiling to no gain and would find other pursuits. Over the next couple of years, after she had been made seaworthy (I mean to say floatable, far from seaworthy) my uncle's grandson (an accomplished boater of 14 and captain of his school's sailing team) and I would put her in and day sail, he and my son screaming for speed and heeling and me screaming equally as loud to back her down, turn her up into the wind. I had no clue what she could take or couldn't take. I put more blood sweat and tears (not to mention money) into making her seaworthy over the next couple of years and was interrupted last year (2002) by a deployment overseas for this war on terrorism. 21 years in the Army Nat. Guard and they wanted some of that experience back. I was glad to go. I came back in Feb 2003, and invited my uncle and his wife to dinner at our house to celebrate my birthday and my homecoming. His birthday present to me was the title to the boat and trailer. I was once again floored by his unfathomable generosity and faith.
I've been sailing my Clipper 21 for 4 years now, steadily gaining confidence, bringing her back to her glory. She has been a forgiving and tolerable teacher, and the credits to her user friendliness are very well placed. She has brought experiences to my son and I that never would have been possible had it not been for my Uncle Kent.
I bounced countless Norwegian and Viking names thru my head to name her, but I think I'm going to name her Orchid in honor of my uncle's fondness for these temperamental beauties.
Now I'm a 42 year old with a boat and some other stuff. We are truly blessed.
Donnie
s/v Orchid
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Gordon and Lucy Ford write:
Got into trouble with the missus last year when I balked at buying a 16ft Brentwood Bay Fisherman that was sitting in the used boat lot. The boat was in good shape, on a trailer and rigged with a 10 Hp Evinrude 4 stroke. As we were building our home on Salt Spring Island at the time I didn't want to spend any extra money in case the house cost more than our budget. Told the missus that there is usually one advertised in the paper and that we could pick one up when the house was finished. Famous last words, the house is essentially finished and no BB Fisherman advertised.
Mean time I`m using a 12 ft tin boat (aluminium car topper) to run our crab traps out front of our new home on Ganges Harbour. Slightly hairy in the winter when a south easter is blowing out of Seattle. Cleaning crab bait spilled crab bait out off a riveted boat is also a pain.
With no BB Fisherman in sight I checked out a very sad looking 21 Ft Clipper tied to a dock across the bay from our new house. The boat had been tied to a dock for at least 3 years and to our knowledge had not been used in that time. The bottom was covered in mussels and barnacles, the cabin half full of water from topside leaks, a fair amount of rot evident and a crop of moss and mildew on the decks. The owners were never `home`as they have a fishing lodge up the coast near Sonora Island and a motorhome that they spend the winter in in the southern US. Left a message with the owners neighbours that I may be interested. A month ago got a phone call from the owners that they would be willing to part with the boat for $1000 CDN (780 $US).
The boat had been converted to a fixed keel and I wanted to check out the keel before parting with cash. As the guy who does the sailboat haulouts here on Salt Spring was on holidays an alternative was needed. Missus suggested I tie the boat up under our dock at high tide and let the tide go out. Getting the mast down was ``no problem`` , only one bent turnbuckle etc. Chained the boat under the dock and let the tide go out . Found the fixed keel was firmly attached so paid the money. (will post a picture soon)
Put a new windex and anchor light on the mast and put it back up. Raising masts on a floating boat is not recommended, another bent turnbuckle. Used the boat to run the crab traps for a week or so (self bailing cockpits are great as spilled rotten crab bait can be washed down the drain) and noticed the windex was loose.
Down with the mast to tighten up the windex then back up. Getting better, only one bent turnbuckle. Then we then noticed that the widex that had been carefully aligned with the head works was pointing off to starboard. The mast has a definite left-hand twist. Down with the mast, turn the windex, up with the mast without bending another turnbuckle. Say we`re getting good.
Now it`s time to learn to sail. Unfortunately every time I hoist the sails the wind dies. Hopefully this does not go on for too long.
So, if your up here at ``the center of the known universe`` (San Juan's - Gulf Islands) this summer and are becalmed around 1600 hrs you know Ford is trying to learn to sail again. Don`t despair he gives up after an hour or so.
Regards,
Gordon and Lucy Ford
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Frank Nash wrote:
I learned to sail while in the Navy at Norfolk, VA. I continued to sail mostly 420's and Oday day-sailers out of the base sail shop. After the service I finished pharmacy school and Cyndi and I moved to Texas. I decided I needed a hobby and golf just didn't fill the bill. I started looking for a sailboat in nearby Austin. After a frustrating day of wheelin and dealin at the local sailboat shop. We were headed home and I saw my clipper 26' chained to a pole on the side of the road with a for sale sign. It was clean and the price was right so I called the guy and gave him a deposit. Hence the name of my boat "Roadside Attraction". I have since moved to my home town of Bozeman Montana and look forward to sailing on Canyon Ferry reservoir (runs from Townsend MT to Helena MT). I had all of the standing rigging replaced last summer and I am currently re-working the electrical system and the interior.
Thank You
Frank Nash
s/v Roadside Attraction
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Rob Hoppe wrote:
My boat is hull number 576 and was built in 1971. Over the years and many modifications later, (none for the better) I bought her. About 3 years ago I tore the insides out of her removing all the waterlogged, rotted and badly glassed plywood. As well as the v-berth, sidebunks, "galley", and all the miscellaneous BS that was stuck where it had no business being. The guy that had her before me poured a concrete floor then poured an inch of resin over that, then glued carpet down. He replaced the keel bolt at one time with 1 inch steel bolt that has now rusted down to less than 1/2 an inch. At some time in this boats life, the centerboard winch line snapped and the board swung down and slammed into the front part of the case causing pretty severe damage where the mast step mounts. It was badly repaired and still leaks like sieve.
The "original" winch system was removed and a lewmar capstan was mounted on the companionway step with a 3/4" nylon line to act as the new raising line. No mechanical advantage there, the rope slips, and is a serious pain to try and raise that monster. The lazarette hatch was broken at some time and once again, badly repaired with glass mat. The chainplates were replaced with cheap stainless steel, and are warped from the tensioning of the shrouds, and when they were reinstalled were run under the rubrail and outside the the deck instead of through the original holes cut into the coaming. These holes were filled in with plumbers putty and glassed over, once again, badly. There is cracking and crazing through the deck and hull that has to be gouged out and refilled and I have about 8 inches of cracking/delamination under the port chainplate. The standing rigging has been shot and the spreaders were replaced at some time with galvanized conduit, and are way too short. Most of the deck fittings were bolted down with steel bolts (rusted solid) and all the split rings and clevis pins are also steel and rusted through. The bottom of her hull is badly blistered and the centerboard itself is soo rusted, dinged and pitted it looks like a piece of the titanic freshly raised. To top all this off, the inside was painted with household latex paint that has since cracked, aligatored, and is peeling pretty bad. She is old, and tired and in need of some serious TLC/rebuilding. I have taken a few pictures of her and will continue to do so during this whole ordeal. This is something I have been putting off for some time, but it needs to be done. For her sake and for mine. I will turn back into a boat, even if it kills me and at this rate, it probably will. I figure that she is in such bad shape now that no matter what I do to her will be an improvement over what she is now.
There are a few pictures of her online already if you would like to take a look. The URL is listed below. Just thought I would say,"Hi" and allow y'all to share in my misery/adventure/passion...
Take care and happy/safe sailing...
Rob Hoppe
1010 Timmons Drive
Copperas Cove, TX 76522
http://www.geocities.com/erynthegrey/rob/boats.html
Home 
Latest images 
