Here’s a pic from 1991 as we prepare for the start of the Fastnet Ocean Race.
The boat is Gulvain, a Laurent Giles design built in 1949 using surplus aircraft aluminum plates, riveted to aluminum frames. In 1950, she won the first postwar TransAtlantic race, finishing three days ahead of second place.
During my two years as captain of Gulvain, we weren’t quite so successful although we did win the Daytona to Bermuda Ocean Race in ’91.
The boat was restored during 1990 in Tampa, FL. We then participated in the Pineapple Cup which is a race from Ft Lauderdale to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Afterwards, with the owner aboard we cruised around the Caribbean before sailing back to Florida and the start of the Daytona-Bermuda. A couple days in Bermuda, receiving our just rewards and then we sailed to Annapolis for the start of the Annapolis-Newport Race.
Late June, we set off for England but had to divert to Halifax, Nova Scotia with a broken boom. Unable to replace the boom in Halifax, we repaired it by shortening the boom. Cut out the damaged portion and put the two halves back together.
After leaving Halifax in the fog but with the wind in the right portion of the quadrant, we had an easy sail across the Pond – well, except for the night that Tim, our largest crewmember fell out of his bunk when the leecloth couldn’t support his weight.
This post may also be found at As The Anchor Drags, my sailing tales
Somer's Place 