posted January 16, 2005 09:53 PM            

Joanne and I are just back from the show. The sailing exhibition has continued to shrink while the power boater's real estate has continued to expand.

The highlights for me:

Derek Hatfield signed the copy of "Sea of Dreams" that I got for Christmas. We shook hands and chatted. He will be speaking in a couple of weeks at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough.

The CL Sailboat booth was interesting. I got the registration form for the rendezvous. The cheque is in the mail (don't cash it until payday). The new "Stealth by CL" looks like a hot skiff!

The boat in the Star class booth actually had the sails that Ross MacDonald and Mike Wolff used in Athens in their campaign for the silver medal. The measurement certificate was still afixed. Way cool!

The Lake Ontario 300 poster featured a naked sailor shaving while on the tiller. He used the same blade that I use. Isn't that exciting?

posted January 17, 2005 05:09 PM               

I wouldn't suggest you come to Toronto from any great distance. In terms of boats, it's probably 90:10, power to sail. I look forward to the show as a kind of "Tonic". It gets me all charged up to start getting on with projects before spring .

posted January 26, 2005 09:22 AM               

Tried the OSA sailing simulator. Various pistons move a Byte hull while you view the boat's virtual action on a large screen. It's very easy gybing a virtual boom; you don't even have to duck. My son (veteran Laser sailor) also pointed out that the virtual mainsheet doesn't snag on the stern corner when gybing.

posted January 26, 2005 10:01 AM               

There was a 23 foot boat there called Tess. It was huge containing enclosed head, standing headroom, dining table over the centreboard. I don't think it would sail very well but it had the same wishbone mast lowering rig as Shortwave. It was done in stainless and was an integral part of the pulpit / life lines.

Catalina sales person was most informative. No sales pitch, just talked sailing.

Worst sales line came from the Benateau 36 First series salesman. He explained to me that we should by this boat because based on the dollar exchange it was cheaper than last year ($180,000.00+ instead of $200,000.00+) And... he would throw in the spinnaker gear and carbon fibre pole for free! A $6,000.00 saving. I told him my whole boat did not cost $6,000.00.

My favorite boat at the show: The J-100. A gorgeous 33 foot boat built for pure sailing. Large cockpit, small cabin area. Self tending jib would make playing shifts a breeze. If I had an extra $100,000.00 lying around I seriously think I might buy one.

Back to reality, Lynn is very keen to change jib cleats over to Harken; they're a smooth working cleat. She also liked their automatic ratchet fairleads. The ratchet action on these blocks only engages under pressure. Might make holding the jib on windy days a little easier. The perfect Mother's Day gift?

posted January 28, 2005 07:06 AM               

I have to agree about D'Arcy's comments on the J100. We toured this boat together, and what a boat, for a daysailor! Actually, it was more like a 30' Sandpiper. The interior was very simple and basic, much like our boats. Although my Sandpiper has a folding table, which the J did not. It would however, be very comfortable for a few nights swinging on a hook. And it probably moves out pretty good too .

I was impressed by CL's display this year. Both the Stealth, and the CL16 c/w carbon fibre parts, were VERY cool. Looks like Tom and Cody are moving in a very positive direction, and I wish them the very best.

Looking forward to an early spring!!
Eric