Editor's Ramblings
AGM Report
Compendium of Modifications
Iroquois Mk III
Iroquois, What’s in a Name
A Catamaran can be an Old Man’s Boat
Iroquois Owners' Handbook
The Comanche 105
Letters
"Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote
The droughte of Marche hath perced to the rote,
Than longen Folk to goon on pilgrimages".
Chairwoman - Haidy Blake
Editor - S D Fisher
This year the Iroquois Owners’ South Coast Rally will be held in Chichester Harbour on the weekend of 27 & 28 July. Tides are neap and high tide is about 7 am & 7 pm on Saturday. All Owners of MacAlpine Downie designed or Sail Craft boats are welcome. Owners of other boats are also very welcome but they should be prepared to be besieged by fascinated Iroquois owners wishing to examine and look at their craft.
Remember that Chichester Bar is extending this year and that the shallows project well beyond the beacon. If you’re thinking of approaching fast at low water so as to enter on the first of the flood, turn North about 100 yards off the beacon or have your boards and rudders unbelayed. Once in the harbour turn right and there we will all be.
The distance from Brighton to Chichester is about 38 nm; if you leave 2 hours before high water at 0300 hours on Saturday, you should be off Chichester Entrance just about right at half flood if you pass through the Looe. The distance from Poole to Chichester is about 40 nm; how you work your tides I don’t know, its all too complicated for me. Ideally you should be off Chichester between 08.30 and 10.00 hours before the tide turns west. This might mean leaving Poole at low water at about 23.30 on Friday, horning in on the Needles light, to be there nicely at dawn & carry the flood up the Solent and the ebb down to Chichester. Well that’s all perfectly simple then. However do keep an accurate accredited witnessed log reading or the Brighton bunch might just pip you for the long distance pennant, especially if they go around the Owers. On the other hand, if anyone comes from the west of England or the East Coast that will quite rightly put the kybosh on our South Coast hops.
The Annual General Meeting was held at the Cruising Association Library, St. Katharine’s Dock, London on the first Friday of the Boat Show. It was one of the best yet attended by over 60 members and their friends.
Reg Crampton sent his apologies for absence with a note to say that he still has his Iroquois and was in fact the first British vessel into Argentina after the Canberra. Rony & Elise Buque (C1, EL BUQUE) were off to Spain for a couple of weeks in order to speed Rony’s recovery. Reg hopes to be back in the UK in June/July 1985, having sailed over 30,000 miles. Russ & Barbara Dordi (305, BARU) also tendered apologies, they had gone to India, alas not by Iroquois, but nevertheless not a bad trip. Doug & Janet Mackay (153, KAWA) were also unable to come, as were Richard & Anne Collier (77, CHEROKEE), P B M Roes (212, DRAKAR II) from Holland, and Hugh Tusting, all of whom also send apologies for absence.
Those present were Arthur & Maggie Adam (158, SHALDIR) and their guests Mr. & Mrs. Agnew; David & Elizabeth Asdell (C1, SEA SQUAW); B A L Barnes (295, SEACAT); Viv Bennett (70, CATINA); Rod & Haidy Blake (116, KATIKI); Patrick Boyd & son; Barry & Mrs. Bucknell (150, CANDIDA II); Harry Faulkner & son (60, TAQUAMENAW); Ian & Noreen Greer (C16, NISA) (from Ontario, Canada); the Holmes part of the Hart/Holmes/Moss combi, together with Mrs. Holmes (31, MOGGIE D’OR); Brian, Sue & Victoria Keeler (138, TREAD SOFTLY); Dennis & Biddy Marrian (183, CAT O LAFITE); Di & Derek Morris (79, CLAUDIA) and their two guests; Ron & Mrs. Newton (275, SEVENTURE); Ben Ouwehand (299, TAKIA) and his guest; the clan McPack, Ken, Thelma, Geoff and Louise (86, THELKEN); Mr. & Mrs. 3. Platt & Mr. & Mrs. D J Wheate (293, TWO MUCH); Dr. Jean Segalen & his guest (272, EROS); David, Juliet and Amelia Shankland (160, RAZAMATAZZ) up from S. Wales; Paul & Jean Smedley (22, ALLEDA); David & Yvonne Smith (100, CHIQUITA V); Reg & Robert White, Roderick MacAlpine-Downie, and last but no means least Stuart Fisher (132, ANTARES).
Your Secretary, having taken on board a faintly disapproving response to the extreme informality of the 1984 AGM, provided a more formal environment for 1985 with proper reports and elections. There were also lapel name badges!
Your Chairman, Haidy Blake, welcomed members and gave a brief resume of the years events; Stuart Fisher, Secretary & Editor, proffered apologies for absence as informed, and welcomed Reg & Robert White, Iroquois builders, and Roderick MacAlpine-Downie, Iroquois designer, David & Elizabeth Asdell (David being Chairman of MOCRA), Mr. & Mrs. Greer who had came from Canada for the meeting (amongst other things), Dr. Segalen who had come from the Med & France, and Ben Ouwehand, who had come from Holland.
Finances of the Association were reported to be in good shape, there would be about £700 in the bank account by the time all outstanding bills had been paid and subs received. The AGM was self supporting and absent members were not subsidizing those present.
Membership is growing slowly, we have now about 80 members, send out 20 complimentary copies of the Newsletter and printed about 125 copies in total.
The referendum on use of part of the Association’s funds had been overwhelmingly in favour of a compendium of modifications culled from back numbers of the Newsletters and from any ether available sources.
An election was held and Haidy Blake was re-elected as Chairwoman, and Stuart Fisher as Secretary and Editor.
A prize-giving was then held and Victoria Keeler, dressed charmingly for the occasion in a black jump-suit, together with elegant Victorian style lace-up boots, accepted the long distance pennant on behalf of TREAD SOFTLY, for the longest distance covered by boat to the 1984 rally.
The members’ attention was drawn to the Summer Rally 1985, to be held in Chichester Harbour on the, 27th & 28th July on East Head Sands, and to the MOCRA programme of Multihull events. Poole members now stand a good chance of winning the 1986 long distance pennant.
The meeting then adjourned to an unusually splendid buffet supper, provided once again by Norman & Marion Parr, who also ran the bar with great efficiency for us again this year. The meeting informally recorded its best, wishes to Rony & Elise for Rony’s speedy recovery.
After supper Viv Bennett showed a lovely film of his Iroquois cruising in the Aegean and in Turkish waters, and Jean Segalen shared some splendid slides of his cruises in the same area, both accompanied by amusing arid witty commentary. The meeting broke up reluctantly at about 10.45 and was generally agreed to have been one of the most convivial in recent memory.
AGM 1986 will take place at the same venue on the first Friday of the Boat Show, as usual.
Your honorary editor will go through his collection of back numbers of the Newsletters and abstract those items which are relevant. As suggested by E J G Toxopeus (219, SUZANNE) the information will be categorized under subject. In this respect we are particularly fortunate that Ted & Suzanne Loder (182, WIND DRAGON) have kept the survey returns they accumulated and have been kind enough to send them to the editor for use in the forthcoming IRICUMED (Iroquois Cumulative Edition). We are, however, short of illustrations, either photographic or diagrammatic, and short of alternative layout plans of the interior, and most of all short of successful methods of combating the leaks!!!
Will all members please look at their boats and send in details of successful mods, alterations and changes to your editor, who is himself in need of some advice on modifications to his own boat. The concrete paving and brick steps are in place and this Spring he hopes to put up the patio and terrace screen, so that the sun loungers and barbecue are protected from the cool sea breezes; the problem is, what sort of climbing plants would be best suited for the poor type of salt-soaked soil on which Antares is now so nicely bedded. He is hoping for a nice show of foliage and flowers across the trellis and up the rigging by Summer and for the Autumn, there are plans to lower the floor of the cabin to ground level so as to provide a split level saloon, and hopefully to connect the heads and sink to the main drains. Hoping to hear from you all.
REG WHITE LIMITED
NEW FOR 1985
IROQUOIS MARK III
32’ CRUISING CATAMARAN OR FAST MOTOR SAILER
MORE FREEBOARD20 KNOTS UNDER POWER MORE HEADROOM
TWIN 60 HP INBOARD/OUTBOARD ENGINES - THE SAILORS BOAT
COMPLETE BOAT LESS ENGINES £28,900.00
Hull and cabin top moulding complete and joined together at sheer line with centreboard case fitted to each hull, all storage locker lids and hatches supplied in GRP. Silver anodised fore beam fitted. Price £7,700.00.
SAIL AWAY version includes:
For only £14,800.00. At this stage the yacht can be sailed away and completed by the owner.
Complete boat £29,300.00.
The Iroquois Indian is, or was, about as common as the true Briton; that is, he was non-existent, or if he did exist, it was so long ago as to be irrelevant and of so short and insignificant a duration as to qualify for non-existence.
However, whilst we may doubt the existence of the Iroquois as a tribe, there is no doubt of the existence of the Iroquois Confederacy which was formed from the alliance of five great nations; the Mohawks, Senecas, Oneidas, Onandagas and Cayugas. At one time or another they claimed dominion over a vast area of North America with almost innumerable client nations. The tribes living in an area bounded by the Atlantic coast of North America from Chesapeake Bay to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and west from the Chesapeake along the Potomac to the Ohio, north up the Mississippi and the Illinois, along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, across the northern shore of Lake Huron, east along the Ottawa to the St. Lawrence and north east to the sea. Of course this claim was disputed fiercely on and off by the Abenakis, Adirondacks, Algonquins, Penobscots, Mohicans, Delawares, Shawnees, Pickawillanees, Potawatomis, Twightwees, Sauk, Fox, Wenro, Susquehannocs, Miamis, Ohios, Wyandots, Ottawas, Missisangas and Conestogas. Indeed, the Iroquois Empire itself was, as a matter of fact, a myth created by the English Foreign Office, or its 17th century equivalent, for the purpose of confounding the French.
It was accepted, by all, as being inescapably true that the French were the first Europeans into the Trans-Appalachian regions; it was equally obvious that once there they had entirely kept out the English and everyone else.
Therefore, the land could not be claimed as an English colony by right of primacy of discovery or by right of occupation, so in a really brilliant, subtle and thoroughly underhand and British Foreign Office type move, the English Colonists and their colony offices in London upgraded the existing Iroquois Confederacy to a "savage empire". They then claimed that the Iroquois had conquered all these lands; that the five Nations were in treaty with England and that therefore all the lands in question belonged to the English crown by right of deputed conquest on the basis that what belonged to the Iroquois belonged..... to the English. They were so successful in propagating this theory that it has been believed ever since in spite of the mass of crystal clear and concrete evidence to the contrary.
The Iroquois Confederacy was truly founded by none other than that old stalwart of class 4c, Hiawatha; possibly in about 1400AD, that is 15 years before Agincourt, but maybe much earlier if we bear in mind our tendency to telescope pre-history, due simply to underestimating the ability of pre-historic peoples and their oral traditions. It finally collapsed when the War of Independence was won by the colonists and there was no longer any need for a compact with the Indians, who were by then greatly weakened both by disease and the attrition of constant warfare and whose land was the one great ready resource capable of succouring an essentially immigrant nation.
Contrary to the impression created by J Fennimore Cooper and his ilk, the aim of the Indian and of the colonist was essentially peace, and the Indian went to far greater lengths to keep the peace than did the colonists. The ferocious, swift-running, cruel, cunning Iroquois warrior, forever on the warpath, was a myth; the reality was a shifting, changing web of trading and territorial agreements within the five primary nations, and between them and their immediate neighbours and distant partners, all based on an understanding of the realities of power, superior armament and territorial priorities.
They were fighting men, warriors without peer, but they used war, as advised by Von Clauswitz, as an extension and arm of diplomacy, their prime interest was in the preservation of their lands and preservation of peace for the purpose of trade.
The final enigma of the Iroquois is that no-one, least of all the Indians, knows where the name Iroquois comes from or what it means. Bearing in mind that the first European who stepped ashore in Canada is reputed to have approached the nearest indigenous inhabitant and, saying, "Now my good man, what country is this?", received the reply, "Canada". He then dashed brightly back to his chums and, elated, said "I say chaps, this is Canada", whereas the supposed real meaning of the reply was "I can’t understand a single syllable of the absurd language you speak, you fool".
As it’s also now known that in many cases, when early anthropologists asked an Indian the name of a neighbouring tribe and faithfully recorded the answer, they were in fact carefully writing down the local word for "stinkers", "lay-abouts"," mother-eating cannibals", or worse, it may be as well for us not to know.
S D
The immediate and universal reaction among my sailing friends was open-mouthed shock. They simply would not believe that a monohuller of 50 years standing would buy a "freakish", newfangled cruising catamaran. Hobie Cats were all right for boys and girls, but a cruising sailor in a catamaran? No way!
Even my loyal and loving wife was defensive and sought to apologize for my aberration. "It probably won’t last", she told them. "He just has to let the infatuation run its course. Together they clucked their tongues, shook their heads and came to the conclusion that this erstwhile canny Scot had lost his marbles; this "Maineiac" had become a maniac.
Now, two years later, I am still happy with my British-built Sailcraft Iroquois Mk II 30-foot cruising catamaran. Not only do I not regret my decision but I can put my reasons into words. Succinctly stated, I am an old man and it is an old man’s boat.
My first experience with a catamaran was with Chuck Kanter on his 40-foot catamaran DUET from Marathon, Florida, to Annapolis, Maryland, in 10 days, outside from Miami to Little River Inlet, South Carolina, and then by waterway. An exciting ride in gale winds at 11 to 12 knots under storm jib and trysail down and across the Neuse River convinced me. Suddenly, 50 years as a traditional sailor nothwithstanding, I had to have a cruising catamaran. Over my wife’s objections I sold our beloved 35-foot sloop, THETIS, and bought an Iroquois, christened IO, for the nymph whom Zeus changed into a white heifer to hide her from his jealous wife Hera, and for whom the Ionian Sea was named. IO has two private double cabins aft, one in each hull; two single berths forward; a head with shower to port and galley starboard amidships. The saloon bridging the hulls has convertible bunking for five grandchildren, if that, Heaven forbid, ever becomes necessary.
IO is an old man’s boat, this old man’s, at any rate. I confess to having grown impatient, to feeling less secure on my feet, to liking my comforts more, to sleeping less and more lightly, to having grown more forgetful, to worrying more, to being lazier, to increased attention to pennies and where they are going and even to being weaker than I once was. I suspect other old men, if they are honest with themselves, will make the same confession.
For many old men, their impatience leads them to abandon the slowest form of locomotion, known as sailing, and turn to powerboats. For me the compromise has been to double my speed in a catamaran. In light breezes IO does five to six knots on all points, except downwind. At the other extreme, when THETIS would wallow along at two to three knots deep reefed, IO plunges through the Chesapeake chop at eight knots or better. The stiffer the wind the higher she points, outdoing THETIS in over-20-knot winds. Off the wind things get lively. Once, in a squall at the mouth of the Severn River near Annapolis, we reached under full sail looking for shelter. Our log registered 13 knots before the hulls squirted out of the water on a plane and the needle dropped to zero because the impeller was out of water. We didn’t feel the windward hull lift then, or ever since.
IO is also a dry boat even at these high speeds. A marine architect friend spent hours one day watching and marveling at the way the prows slice through the waves. We have taken green water over the coach roof but not as often as in any monohull I have sailed. This leads me to the subject of comfort. In the Gulf Stream, DUET, on autopilot, romped along at 10 plus knots while Chuck and I sat on the taffrail sipping coffee or something more stimulating. IO, although 10 feet shorter, is not quite so luxurious but I can steer from anywhere in the cockpit. I do not have to ask my wife or guests to move out of my line of sight; I can move. Normally I sit or lean against the tie bar between the two rudders and steer with my backside. Half the time she steers herself; or, when the sun is hot, I put her on autopilot and escape to the shade of the sail. If it is raining I can hide in the saloon and play a game of solitaire while watching our progress through the wraparound windows. When the cockpit gets crowded with more than six people, some guests prefer to seek the shelter of the cabin. Since it is one the same level as the cockpit they are not cut off from the conversation but are out of the sun, rain or wind. At this point I must admit to one negative factor about IO. In winds over 15 knots, when I am hurtling along at 10 to 12 knots, the wind over the deck is 25 plus, which makes for some discomfort. When I tack under these conditions I am tempted to ask myself, "Where did the wind go?". However, my old man’s impatience overcomes the comfort factor here. Besides, I can always go below!
One of my growing worries is my forgetfulness. I tend to leave tools on deck or mugs on the rail. But after a day’s sail on IO they are still there. Imagine where they would be on THETIS; they’d be off THETIS, growing oysters on the bottom of the bay. I have never sailed on a trimaran but I understand there is more motion aboard in all but the heaviest and slowest. IO never heels over five degrees, which drives my friends in our cruising group crazy. They watch me from astern entering a puff of wind without a visible change. When the puff hits them and knocks them on the beam ends, they curse me roundly.
Comfort and sleep are related. I need less sleep now than when I was younger, but I also need it more. The slightest noise out of the ordinary awakens me and I cannot go to sleep again. On THETIS I had many a sleepless night and was a zombie by day. On IO we have all the lines tied off well away from the mast, thanks to her 13 foot beam from stem to stern. The anchor rode runs over a roller on the bow of the port hull. We sleep in the starboard hull aft. Rudders and centerboards are up. IO skitters across the waters all night long if there is any wind but only a soothing slap of water on the hull and the wind in the rigging disturb the silence. No more do I worry about the "bunk, bunk, bunk" of the lays of the nylon line slipping through the bow chock of THETIS. No more careening at the end of each yaw. No more rattling of wires inside the mast as THETIS rocks under me behaving like a giant pendulum. No more awakening at dawn with a jolt as commercial fishermen roar by. In the Chesapeake I can slip up almost any creek (18-inch draft) and snuggle up against the bank, even tie to a tree.
Despite the high price of fuel, there are still a lot of powerboats out there. In my monohull boats, particularly on light and variable days, I used to curse the power-boats as they roared by, shaking the wind out of my sails and forcing me to grasp frantically for my mint julep. They are no problem to me now, or certainly less of a problem. Coming up the Intracoastal Waterway in DUET, Chuck and I were often amused by the frustration of the nice-guy skippers of cabin cruisers. Trying to be nice to us rag wavers they slowed down to reduce their bow waves and wakes. Then they could not pass us as we were moving along at over nine knots. It usually took them some time to understand our "hurry up and pass us" signals. And when they did pass us we could see them shaking their heads in amazement at the ease with which we survived their mammoth bow waves.
The older I get, the more I like to lie at anchor. I resist mightily the urge to be up with the dawn. Yet I hate the claustrophobia of a normal monohull’s cabin where I must stand up to see what is going on outside. Once standing, even now, that youthful urge to get moving still takes possession of me. IO’s "cabin" is as open as a pilothouse and much larger than in any boat anywhere near her size. It is wonderful to sit there with a mug of after-breakfast coffee and watch the old squaw ducks flapping madly past. Even if I wanted to I couldn’t stand up, since there is not enough headroom. If I ever "move up" to a larger catamaran it will have to have six-foot headroom throughout and an inboard engine.
Heeling is a thing of the past. Although IO is so light that every footfall changes her trim fore and aft or athwartships, it is only a matter of inches. A 30-foot monohull, unless it is a motor sailer, heels over even when a hundred pounder comes aboard. And look what happens when you begin sailing. Pretty soon the deck can only be negotiated on all fours, the helmsman is battling the tiller with his feet braced valiantly on the cockpit sole, or the far side of the cockpit if he has long legs, which I do not. I dislike standing with one foot in sloshing scuppers while battling for control of a wheel. In over 20 knots of breeze, THETIS, even when reefed or on jib alone, was uncomfortable. A day’s sail in four-foot seas from Atlantic City to Cape May, New Jersey, left me exhausted. An equal distance trip in IO across the infamous mouth of the Potomac River to the Coan River in stronger winds was less tiring, the cockpit did not fill with water nor did the waves break over the cabin. Furthermore, the trip was over a lot sooner. Comfortably reefed, THETIS would slow to a crawl on the wind or a close reach. IO sailed across the mouth of the Potomac River reefed down to the last reef points under working jib at 11 knots. Only spray from the tops of nearby waves dampened the exhilarating ride.
As a Scot living on a pension, I watch pennies. Some readers probably have said to themselves, "Why didn’t he buy a bigger boat, a heavy boat like a Westsail or a motor sailer if he wanted speed?". The answer is simple; I do not have the wherewithal. I have a friend who has a beautiful 40 foot ketch that I would buy if my ship came in. But even the maintenance would kill me. Here again the catamaran was my answer. When I feel that it is time to clean IO’s bottom, I beach her on a convenient sandbar and wade in to scrub her down. (Like Joe Namath I wear panty hose under ‘my swimming trunks to protect me from the Chesapeake’s stinging nettles.) Although I have not done it, it is comforting to know that I can let IO "dry out" on a mud flat or sandbar for repairs, better scrubbing, painting or to avoid paying dockage fees in a crowded harbor. Even when every sensible old man has gone my route and those empty spaces are filled, think how many more boats per square mile can dry out than swing at moorings, let alone at anchor. On a cruise to the English Channel island of Guernsey in a Fisher 30, I saw an Iroquois, a sister of IO’s, dried out in a sheltered section of the outer harbor while we were forced to wait at an exposed mooring for the signal to go in over the sill of the inner harbor. Once in, I have to admit, the dockage and other arrangements were top-hole and St. Peter’s Port was a convenient delight, but still I envied that other skipper his freedom.
Although I dislike the crankiness of an outboard, I have to admit it is cheaper than an inboard. Our 15-hp engine pushes IO along at six knots in calm water. In heavy weather, forget it! However, I am still enough of a purist to believe that seamanship is required then and not a powerful motor. On the above-mentioned trip along the coast of New Jersey, the engine overheated and had to be turned off until the trouble could be found. It was a lesson I have not forgotten. Sails and seamanship are the ultimate answer. In IO I am forced to use sails when I might have used the engine in THETIS. If I can only rig a self-tending jib I shall be even happier.
I am absolutely convinced that, as the years pass by, I shall discover more reasons why IO is an old man’s boat. At the moment there are only three reasons I can think of why it is not. I have mentioned two, the outboard and the lack of a self-tending jib. The third is a matter of aesthetics and tradition. There is nothing more beautiful than an old wood monohull in the tradition of the AMERICA. When I first saw IO, I shuddered at her ugliness. But true beauty is more than skin-deep. I named her IO because she looked like a clumsy white heifer wallowing at anchor. But, like her namesake, there is a nymph inside the skin; and, like her namesake, she is most seaworthy. Who but IO swam all the way from the Hellespont to the Ionian Sea and Italy? She had her gadfly and my modern IO has her detractors, but I still say she is an old man’s boat, or any person’s for that matter.
McGregor GRAY
Members will be pleased to know that the Sailing Manual has been translated into French and full credit given to the Association. They just never got around to sending us a copy of the Journal. My apologies to those I maligned in France. I repeat the most useful piece from the Manual both in French and Dutch for the benefit of all members.
7. On peut toujours servir le the sur in plateau avec des tasses, en se tenant dens le cockpit, pendant que l’on depasse un monocoque au vent, sur lequel tout l’equipage est assis en range sur le cote au vent en mettant "tout le viande dehors" pour essayez de tenir leur bateau droit.
7. Thee aanreiken moot altijd op een blaadje met kop en schotels, staande in de kuip, als er een monohull passert met de hele bemanning aan Loef met de benen buitenboord om de boot overeind te honden.
Have you got that all clear now, it’s essential that we none of us get these little pieces of seamanship wrong.
For those of us with the requisite spondulicks, the latest version of the Comanche has a lot to recommend it. Malcolm Kerr offers a wide variety of options, not least of which is the standard specification boat fully fitted out by what, in my youth, was Johnson & Jago of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, who were then, a genuine-beduine, up-to-the-knees-in-wood-shavings, little-shipyard. They have evolved, transformed, and quietly kept pace with the polyester revolution and will now fit out Comanche shells provided by Malcolm Kerr.
One of the most worthwhile factors to take into account when considering the latest mark of Comanche is that the alterations and changes are approved of by Roderick MacAlpine-Downie; the boat is now 10.5m, or 34’7.5" long.
FIRSTLY, you can buy the bottom hull mouldings only at any beam up to 17’0", however you would then have to build up your own deck and topsides. SECONDLY, there is the sailing cruiser, a boat we all know and love. THIRDLY, the raised deckhead version, this gives 5’10" headroom in the saloon and has one large Vetus sliding hatch, and FOURTH is the motor/sailer version with a raised cabin top giving 6’3" in the saloon and full protection in the cockpit.
Bulb bows and vortex keels are variations on offer, as is a wide range of engine.
PRICES (less engines) as at September 84 for the COMANCHE 105 are as follows:
|
Complete Boat: |
To standard specification, ex works building yards |
£37,925.00 |
|
Sailaway Version: |
Hull and deck bonded, main bulkheads and forebeam fitted, rudders, skegs and steering fitted, mast support and ‘A’ frame fitted, exterior of boat completely finished, including pulpit, guardrails and stanchions, handrails, cleats, deck hatches, toe rail, sheet and halyard winches, mast and boom, mainsail and working Jib, navigation lights, chain plates, bow roller, mooring warps, anchor, fenders. Antifoulded, launched builders yard. |
£25,750.00 |
|
Mouldings: |
Hull and deck bonded, forebeam fitted, skegs and keels bonded, stringers fitted, cockpit, floor and forward anchor well bonded. Hatches and rudder supplied loose. Ex works moulders |
£9,875.00 |
All above prices are excluding VAT
Finally, an interesting and valuable point. There is already a working manual available for the use of those who wish to do their own fitting out. It lists and illustrates a large number of points which, when taken into account, save an enormous amount of time and effort and which help to produce a cheaper article with a superior finish.
Dear Mr. Fisher,
Enclosed is my subscription for 1985. I am most grateful to you and your colleagues for spending so much time and effort in support of the Association.
The latest issues of the Newsletter were most informative. I now find so much scope for further improvements; maybe some day someone will catalogue the information per subject, e.g.
In the latest issue the use of a cork insulating paint was mentioned to improve insulation. I applied Korkass paint/ICl/to the aft port cabin; 2 coats, It was a complete failure. Condensation was not reduced and after a year the Korkass paint flaked off taking the original polyester paint with it.
Wishing you all the best,
E J G Toxopeus, #219, SUZANNE
Dear Mr. Fisher,
We briefly met at the Exeter Maritime Museum during the MOCRA meeting.
I spoke then of buying a cat. I have now reached as far as deciding to look for an Iroquois and I wonder if you might know of any for sale from your members. I have Zoestra offered at £8500 - a 1966 boat, but perhaps I could just about squeeze into the Mark II price range. Anyway if you can help or if you care to pass on my telephone number to possible vendors, I shall be most grateful.
Sydney Rudge
Dear Stuart,
Because the Pacific Northwest is plagued with light winds in Summer and strong Winter winds, I felt that the Mk II could use more sail area. As I already have a furling genoa which comes back to the cockpit (size; luff 30’, foot 18’, leach 32’8"), I felt that increasing the main and going to jiffy reefing was the logical answer.
We decided to extend the mast eight feet - to 41 feet, making it now a fractional rig. Sailspar sent me an eight foot section, and two sleeves for the splices. We added the section on top of the original mast, after first cutting off the masthead. An extra heavy spinnaker bale was made part of the new mast head, as were 2 halyard sheaves and tangs for the double backstays - which I extended. I placed jumper struts at the forestay intersect and ran the jumper wires seven feet up and down for added strength - as I wanted to carry the masthpad spinnaker. At the forestay intersection I installed a bale for the ‘storm’ (1.5 oz) spinnaker and put 2 other halyard sheaves on as well. I have roller furling (Cruising Design -Reefer model) on the forestay with its own internal halyard. I really wanted to go to the full roach main with full battens but, as we do a lot of cruising (as well as a lot of racing) I compromised with a conventional main with 2 generous reefs. The new main measures luff 37’, foot 11.5’ (210 sq ft). I installed "jiffy reefing" with all lines to the cockpit. In fact all halyards, Cunningham, reefing lines, foreguy, pole lift, etc., are led to the cockpit. I have three Lewmar 10 winches (plus the original 2 speed Gibbs) and have used sheet stoppers. One mistake I made was to purchase stoppers without clutches. The clutches are now well perfected and don’t spring back, i.e. when lowering a halyard. So, after completely re-wiring the mast and installing wind speed/wind direction, lights etc., we went sailing. What a change!! Much more drive in the light stuff - and very little weather helm. But in heavy air the mast was like spaghetti and needed, unfortunately, running backstays. These were installed from the shroud tangs (at the forestay intersect) to a deck plate just forward of the backstay chain plates. I use a 3 part purchase system with its own cam cleat - with snap shackles on each end for easy disconnection. They are a nuisance, but they really have quietened the mast down - and I think they are helping to control forestay sag too, even though I should have more mechanical advantage - or go to a winch for this. I bought a used NORTH full cut spinnaker (luff 41’6", foot 23’5") and am amazed by the extra drive and speed. If I were buying a new one I’d go to a tri-radial, but that’s another $2,000! As we are still in the tuning process and getting used to the fractional rig I have been very pleased with our Winter race series results so far - elapsed time, first, second, first, first & fifth (the fifth was in 0-5 knot stuff which still kills us). As most others have, we have modified many things and I can’t think of anything too unique to comment upon.
Our Cruising plans this year are to go to Barclay Sound and up the West coast of Vancouver Island in July. We cruise the local Georgia Straight and San Juan Islands every weekend when not racing; In Vancouver, BC is the headquarters of the Western Multihull Association, which organizes many races. Multihulls now are a recognized class in all other Yacht Club Races (finally) thanks to the dedication of W M A directors.
We sail from Blaine, Washington (5 miles from our home) right on the Can/US border. Anyone planning to come to EXPO ‘86 in Vancouver - or for any other reason - is welcome aboard!
Thanks for such a great Newsletter, and "hi"
to all IOA members we’ve met.
Darch & Catherine Oborne. 92, AIRBORNE
Darch also sent a photostat of the Hood Stowaway boom which he is intending to fit to AIRBORNE for the 1986 season, at a cost of $4400, including sail and installation - Ed
Dear Stuart,
Since writing to you last, we have found out that our London trip and attendance of the AGM would cost us more than the new 100% jib we badly need. So rather than come over now, we have decided to invest in a new sail and be able to visit Britain next year. The latter is the more likely to happen as we have been told that we will probably get a proper berth at Scheveningen Marina soon, while thus far we had a mooring near Volendam on the Ijsselmeer.
I am very sorry not to be able to attend the AGM, and
wish you a very fruitful and enjoyable meeting as well as - Clear Sailing,
P B M Roes
Dear Mr. Fisher,
I enclose a cheque for £5 as my membership fee for the Iroquois Owners Association. Boat details are:
The boat is normally sailed by my wife and I. As you quickly realised, we had the misfortune to be capsized off Gurnard point. However, the boat is in excellent shape - a tribute to how well Malcolm Kerr built her.
One factor which sticks in our minds about the capsize is the speed and lack of warning with which it all happened. The boat inverted so quickly - no more than 10 seconds from upright and sailing along to complete inversion. There would be little chance of getting out if inside - the bridge deck settles to the water very quickly. Also, one is very helpless because there is little chance of getting back in from the water. The boat of course suffers greatly too.
Since I do not see how we would avoid the same happening in similar circumstances in future, I have decided to fit a masthead buoyancy. Also I am contemplating an escape/entry hatch and buoyancy to help keep the boat higher in the water. If you have any thoughts or articles on any of these aspects I would appreciate them and would be pleased to make a contribution towards copying costs.
I spoke to Colin Myers of Iroquois Catamarans about a lightweight float made from llb density polystyrene foam. Unfortunately I couldn’t follow it up last year and I understand they have stopped business now. Is this so? If so, do you know how I can obtain a float or mouldings for a float?
Yours sincerely,
Peter H Mitchell, NOKONI, Comanche 27
Dear Stuart,
‘Karma’ is at present on land, with the anti-fouling stripped off, hopefully drying out enough over the Winter that a mild case of ‘pox’ can be treated on my return.
Yours, K Hayward
Dear Stuart,
Now and then at this time of the year, with the snow on the ground and the wind howling outside, my mind turns to those warm summer days of sailing and the IOA Newsletter. First, I thank you for your letter and as you requested have enclosed the results of our owner’s survey for your further use in the Newsletter. You should keep them as part of the records of IOA.
Last summer we again did much work on our boat. This delayed the launch until mid summer, much to my distress. Early in the spring I had decided that since I did not have much work to do this year (I never seem to learn), I would scrape off all the old bottom paint (10 years worth at least) and put on something good and smooth After starting scraping, I removed the leeboards to do them as well and found that although beautiful on the outside, rot had occurred underneath the fiibreglass coating. After peeling off rotted areas and sanding, I put on a coating of fibreglass resin to seal the surface. Small amounts of copper bottom paint in the crevices of the old cloth prevented the resin from setting and suddenly the board was coated with the equivalent of honey. What a mess!! Finally, in desperation, I rented a commercial floor sander, removed all glassfibre coatings and re-glassed both boards. I even spliced in a new section where the rot had been. I recommend owners check their boards well. Fresh water had seeped into the boards from the upper forward area where the shackles attach. I also filed down the screw heads that intruded into the board slot. These had scraped long gouges in the boards as they had been moved up and down. The whole process took nearly an extra month. We did totally refinish the bottom and now have two smooth coats of the high price spread (Micron 33) on it. This paint is supposed to be good even after winter storage, so I do not plan to do anything to the bottom this year. We shall see. Better living through chemistry, I hope!
I finally replaced the jib winch and halyard with a two speed Lewmar 16 and very low stretch line (3/8 inch Stay Set-x). I was encouraged to do this after the old wire halyard jammed at masthead with the jib halfway down in 35k winds and rough seas. Generally, this was a bad scene, since my, wife had not really wanted to go out sailing that day anyway. Jibs at half mast sure make a lot of noise in those wind conditions. I later did get a superb color photo of the boat from the top of the mast after freeing the halyard. That was the good bit. If you want to use it for the potential photo guide let me know. We have observed no sag in the jib with the rope line and it is much, much nicer to handle.
We also installed a small holding tank for the head since some crowded harbors require you to use one. I put a 14 gal. Nauta bag in a fancy varnished rack mounted just astern of the port leeboard case in the head compartment above the water line. It lasts about a day with 4 persons on board using it carefully, enough time to get out of fussy harbors.
Now for the good part. After several weeks of day sailing with friends, including several from the UK and Sweden, our two boys, Suzy and I sailed south below Cape Cod to Nantuckett Island. This island, about 20 miles offshore, was the center of the whaling industry during the 1800’s, but today makes its living from tourists. We spent 5 days there, anchored 20 yards off a sandy beach with the nearest houses nearly 2 miles away. We also met the Iroquois Runaway there. The Liebman’s have it fixed up very posh inside with carpets, a heater, shower, etc. They also have two 25hp outboard engines on the stern (my kids were impressed), which push it at over 10 kt using lots of fuel. We, on the other hand, use a Chrysler 250 (9.9hp) engine with about 6 knots of speed. With its added 15 inch extension it worked superbly all summer, always started and kept the battery charged. The prop is really deep now and there is no cavitation, even in choppy sea. We are very pleased. Chrysler is no longer making these engines since that part of the company has been bought by someone else. Too bad, since that engine had more thrust than many 15 hp engines. We left Nantuckett Island in a 20 kt breeze and raced two 38 foot monohulls for nearly 3 hours, all of us neck and neck during that time. We had a reefed main, filled up water and fuel tanks and were dragging our dinghy. It was fun!!
Finally, there was a nice article on catamarans in the Feb. issue of Cruising World (Xerox copy enclosed) describing the joys of an Iroquois. Nice to get the word out to at least some of the rest of the world. Keep up the good work on the newsletter, we really enjoy it!
Sincerely yours,
Ted and Suzy Loder, #182 WIND DRAGON
Dear Mr. Fisher,
Enclosed cheque to cover my current obligations.
We have owned Chinchilla for fifteen years. I estimate that we have sailed (in our part of Long Island Sound, a fairly large part under power) about 15,000 miles. This is not extensive cruising, but very satisfying to us.
During the past July we cruised to Martha’s Vineyard to North-east US. Multihull heaven! Tashnoo Pond. This is a beautiful, tree-lined bay. It is protected from other intruders by a shallow entrance (3 feet depth). In there we found Dick Newick and many of his creations including ‘Rogue Wave’ and ‘Moxie’. We were guests on a very impressive and exciting sail on ‘Moxie’.
Enclosed is a clipping from the Feb 1985 issue of "Cruising World". It expresses my view of the Iroquois. We have permission of both the author and publisher to include it in the Association Newsletter if you find it appropriate.
Sincerely,
Ellery P Snyder, #76, CHINCHILLA
Dear Mr. Secretary/Treasurer and Editor of IOA Newsletter:
JEN-JEN has now sailed over 30,000 miles (in 18 sailing seasons). She is becoming a "grand old lady" in Swedish multihull circles. I have recently ordered a new genoa for her. The sail-maker - Mr. Birger Sjoberg - crossed the Atlantic in 1973 in an Iroquois, owned by French-Canadian Jean Allard.
Are you curious about the envelope? It is a souvenir from a short trip to Lebanon last spring. I worked there for 3 months in the service of the UN.
Enclosed is my due to IOA. I appreciate the work you put into it. I was delighted to receive the Winter 1984 Edition of the Newsletter. The beautiful color photos by Di Morris awaken memories of last summer and light up this dark and cold time of year.
JEN-JEN took part in a Swedish multihull rally at Karlskrona (known by the famous Russian sub-marine U 137 - or Whisky on the Rocks, as we called it) last July. We finished 3rd in our class, far, far behind the winner and the second boat.
During the Karlskrona races JEN-JEN passed 30,000 M, proving she is a well used boat. Going home from Karlskrona - 300M non-stop - we ran into a thunderstorm during the night. Lightening in all directions, heavy rain and wind-gusts probably of Force 8. Apprehensive, nervous, scared. Choose any of these words - I was it. My crew - a last minute substitute, a farmer of very little sea experience - was totally undisturbed. I even had to waken him up for his watch - he was soundly asleep. Later that day we ran with a steady Force 6, speed 9-15 knots. My crew got the bug: He was shouting, singing, dancing at the tiller. On entering the harbour of Halmstad there was a climax. A huge wave made us surf 17 knots and sure enough we dug into the preceding wave, stopping suddenly and getting a ton of water gushed over us. Five minutes before we had taken off our oilskins!
Jean Allard, Canada, CHATDOTTE, Sail Nr 148, do you still read the Newsletter? If so I have greetings for you from Birger Sjoberg, my sailmaker. Birger crossed the Atlantic with you in your Iroquois in 1973. Birger’s address is: DUCKMAN SAILS, 452 00 STROMSTAD, Sweden.
1985 plans are forming. ]EN-JEN will go to Scandinavian Championships in Denmark. The place is Bandholm, Lolland, far south in Denmark. Going there we will visit SKAGEN, LAESO, ANHOLT. After ‘the races we will continue to Kiel. From there we will see how many vacation days are left before we decide any new goals.
Happy New Year,
Yours sincerely,
Douglas Falk, #24, JEN JEN
Letter written to Multihulls Magazine
Gentlemen,
You have ruined the biggest money maker at our club. We used to run a pool on when we would get the Sept. issue of Multihulls. Now, you’ve gone to Vol.10/Number 3 and the thrill is gone.
Speaking of Volume 10/Number 3: On page 44 is a picture of Iroquois Mk I, No. 27. I sail No. 26, so naturally this grabbed my attention. I’ve never been real happy with my cockpit arrangement and No. 27 appears to have a different set up than mine. However the picture is not clear enough to see what they have done. Do you, by any chance, have a larger, clearer picture that I could borrow, beg, buy, or steal from you?
May your winds always be strong, steady and reaching.
William H. Dovey
Dear Mr. Fisher,
Enclosed please find my subscription fee for 1985. The IOA Newsletter is much appreciated and it seems that people keep inventing and applying improvements on their Iroquois.
I followed the advice of an Iroquois friend and checked the position of the rudder blades. To obtain an exact 90o angle to the transoms for the blades, I had to shorten the tiller connection beam by two inches. The impression is that there is less turbulence and better steering.
To the most appreciated items certainly belongs my roller reefing headsail. It is such a convenience that on leisure days we often use this sail only. It is slightly larger than the 150% genoa and reaching it offers adequate push. The roller system is a Goiot, very well made and operating perfectly. To accommodate the roller drum I had to change the fore-stay-fitting, which was done by mounting a second eye plate to the rear of the cross beam and connecting it to the original fitting by means of two plates that accommodate the toggle to the fore-stay terminal. This is also shown on the sketch from my Iroquois sketch book, as is the tiny boarding ladder that folds up against the transom still allowing the rudder its unobstructed swing. This ladder was made of s.s. pipe, two s.s. brackets and a wooden step, and makes climbing on board after swimming (or worse) comfortable.
Best wishes for the coming season, yours,
Aat Marinissen, #187, SUPERSTAR