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January/February Commodore’s Message (Art Corbett, QYC Commodore)
Greetings,
You can only sail a fast tack for so long. As our Club comes about and begins a new watch it is rewarding to
take a look at our wake. We have come far fast in the past several years
Quantico Yacht Club
thanks to the stewardship of the previous Bridge. Under Charlie’s leadership
2016 Executive Board
the QYC has made important strides with the Base and MCCS leadership to
ensure they recognize the value of QYC in meeting our common mission of
Commodore
service to the military community. Besides the usual annual recertification,
Art Corbett
they secured our continued NAVFAC lease for the next 5 years and reached
Vice – Commodore
beyond the gates of the Base to find opportunities for both fun and service.
Ken Beutel
We have grown in number and friendship and shared many new experiences.
QYC has been well served by their leadership. Charlie has been a fine
Treasurer
helmsman. Many thanks for all you have done.
Jim Wallace
As I write there is about 18 inches of new fallen snow and the lazy days of
Secretary
Dom Bee
summer seem long months away, but proper preparation now will ensure
future enjoyment for both our boats and the Club. To that end, the
Executive Board has been busy preparing the annual re-certification package and meeting the administrative
requirements that keep us square with the Base. We hope to have that wrapped up in February and then
turn our attention to inside the lifeline issues of QYC.
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Charlie Hazard recommended taking the temperature of the membership via a survey, noting that previous
surveys provided good information on that influenced his vision. I’m still soliciting survey questions that you
may wish to see asked. Our new Vice-Commodore, Ken Beutel, surfaced the 2012 survey and its results to the
Executive Board. The survey was well put together and provided very valuable guidance from the
membership. It is clear that both Marty and Charlie were attentive to the comments as they guided the
direction of the Club. We hope to take our next azimuth from the survey and then plot a course that meets
your expectations.
From our January meeting I took away a few salient points. First, folks like to socialize more than organize and
we do well to keep the meeting short and the party long. Second, we seem to have the most fun when we
have cruises that can involve both the power and sail boats. With the exception of the Long Range Cruise,
we will look to do some shorter legged events and explore some new ideas, like a pig picking long the shore
and some inland hikes from a party anchorage. As we put the calendar together, please make sure that your
ideas are reflected in the itinerary—we welcome all input.
Lots of events are already shaping up. The Sarik Family has initiated an opportunity to get a Six Pack
Captain’s License that will be of great service to the membership. Ever proactive, Ken Beutel has begun
planning for the Long Range Cruise and Jim Wallace has been doing yeoman’s work on the documentation for
recertification. We are off to a fast start on the next tack. Spring will soon be here.
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A Short History of Sailing (Dom Bee, Skipper Careless Wisper)
While my level of emotion towards sailing has reached the really love bordering on addiction level for
only 5 or so years, my love for history goes back decades. As I pondered what to write about this month, I
thought what if I combine the two and provide a short primer on the history of sailing. A quick Google search
provided an abundance of information and what you will read below is my synthesis of it:
Throughout history, sailing has been instrumental in the development of civilization, affording
humanity greater mobility than travel over land, whether for trade, transport or warfare, and the capacity for
fishing. The first record of using the wind to move vessels occurred about 5,000 years ago and comes from
Mesopotamia. It was in the late 5th millennium BC that the earliest illustration of a ship under sail on a
painted disc found in Kuwait. These primitive vessels used a square sail that acted like a modern-day spinnaker
to grab the wind and run with it. However, there was minimal control in this method since a square-rigged sail
works best only if you're going where the wind is going, and this is very slow sailing. The Vikings perfected the
hull of the sailboat. They were stubborn and slave-less, and refused to be told by the wind were they could or
could not go. These sailors had square sails also, ones that could be adjusted for fullness - more curved and
wind-catching when going downwind, or more flat for sailing at an angle to the wind. Furthermore, a small
keel proved an ingenious addition to the sailing vessel. The flat surface running lengthwise on the very bottom
of the sailboat prevented the Viking ships from slipping sideways in the water when sailing at an angle to the
wind. Simultaneously, Arab sailors were perfecting the sailing vessel in a different way. From the Persian Gulf
to Asia they caught annual
monsoon winds with the help
of a triangular sail called a
Lateen (from Latin) by the
Europeans. Trade, for the
Arabs, was facilitated by the
creation of this useful new
type of sail, which worked like
a modern day airplane wing.
Speed was achieved by the
ability of the Lateen rig sail to
"split" the wind and feel the
air on both sides. The airflow
Depiction of an early Viking ship
doesn't just allow for
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propulsion from air pushing, but more so from the area of low pressure created at the leading edge of the
cloth. Of course, the ingenious sail developed by the Arabs is the one which modern-day sailboats of all
kinds employ. The Arabs no longer had to be pushed wherever the wind wanted them to do, they could sail as
close-hauled as 70 degrees to the wind. Usually sailing was best at around ninety degrees (at a perpendicular
angle to wherever it was coming from).
In the 16th and 17th century, the oldest indications for a new trend appear: sailing out of
pleasure rather than transportation, exploration or warfare. In the Netherlands, by than a trading empire that
spun the World’s seas, Europe’s largest fleet maintained a flourishing economy. The rising prosperity of Dutch
merchants and their strong orientation towards maritime activities most likely caused them to start sailing as
a method of entertainment. Small sailboats that were light and easy to navigate were called “Jaght”. The
modern English word “Yacht” is derived
from that and the first Dutch yacht
arrived in England in 1660 as a gift to
King Charles I. The design stimulated a
whole new approach to yachting in
Britain – a rather sportive than
practical one. The first yacht club was
founded in Ireland around 1720. It was
called “The Water Club of Cork”. In
1815, a club called “The Yacht Club”
was founded in England and re-named
into “The Royal Yacht Club” in 1820,
when the Prince Regent – the club’s
most distinguished member – became
King George IV. In the 1800's, the
efficient hull and sail were brought
A picture of a replica of an early Chinese junk
together to allow for "windward"
sailing - or sailing close-hauled to the wind. The first sailboat of this kind was known as the Lug rig. Over two
thousand years ago, the Chinese had been had junks that were also a type of lug rig. The Chinese were
certainly an unmatched sailing civilization throughout history with their superior technology and navigation
skills. The lug-type rig was not introduced to the western world until the later part of the eighteenth century.
Today, the most popular rig by far is known as the Marconi, or Bermuda rig (developed about 200 years ago).
This efficient design uses triangular sails and usually consists of a Jib and Mainsail.
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Thankfully, sailing has never been more popular than it is today – even in a little double wide trailer in
Quantico, Virginia that bears the name: “Quantico Yacht Club”
Racing Update (Ray Williams , Skipper Te-Keel-La)
Well, it is winter BUT there is racing news. I expect this will be my final year as you Racing Rear Commodore
and Charlie Hazard is planning on taking on racing next year. I also want to talk about winter at the marina and
a minor improvement to Te-Keel-La.
On 16 January Cathy and I went up to the Old
Dominion Boat Club as guests of Karl Hobart
and Janice Minshall for the Potomac Yacht
Racing Council meeting. Also in attendance
were Bob Donaldson from the Barnacle Cup
Sailing Club and Denis Bessett and his wife
from the Dahlgren Yacht Club. After a great
lunch and some spirited discussion on racing
rules we came to a few decisions. The
decisions are as follows:
The PYRC race series will consist of 10 races this year with a minimum of 5 races to qualify for a trophy
1. 30 April - Coles Point Race
2. May 7 - QYC Spring Tune Up
3. June 11 - DISC GEICO Cup
4. August 5 - Governors Cup
5. September 10 - DISC Leukemia Cup
6. September 17 - QYC Masters of the Potomac Race
7. September 24 - Barnacle Cup Regatta
8. October 08 - St. Clements Regatta
9. October 09 - DYC Under The Guns Regatta
10. October 15 - QYC Frostbite Regatta
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For the above races the Masters and the Governors Cup are the qualifying long distance races, and to qualify
for a trophy you must compete in one of these races as well as 4 other races.
The PYRC is also considering a new scoring system this year. One change is that competing in the Masters and/or
the Governor's Cup will gain you extra points toward the trophy. Additionally, we will be trying out the High
Scoring system. A description is below from (http://sailanything.com/post/36070627115/which-scoringsystem-to-use-low-point-vs-high)
High Point Scoring
“High point scoring is the simplest of the series methods. Instead of getting a score based on your finishing
position, your score is the total number of boats in the race plus 1 minus the number of positions out of
first you finished. For example, in a race of 6 boats, first place would receive 7 points, second place 6
points, etc. If you received a DNF, you would receive 1 point. If a boat did not race, they would receive 0
points. Ties are handled in the same manner as low-point, the scores are just reversed.
There are two big advantages to this system. Because it’s simple, competitors can do the mental
gymnastics in their head and don’t need a calculator to figure out how they need to perform in order to
move ahead in the fleet. This system also sets a “weight” for each race so that a first place in a fleet of
15 is worth more than a first place in a fleet of 4. But because of its simplicity, this system has the
disadvantage is it can be manipulated by the competitors.
In the case where a competitor needs more points to move ahead, this competitor may encourage other
boats to participate in the regatta, therefore pushing the “value” of the regatta higher. Now some would
argue that this method of stacking the fleet isn’t necessarily a bad thing since more boats would be on
the water, but at the end of the day, someone will not be happy that old, slow boat showed up even
though they were never in a position to really compete.
I’ve seen high point scoring work well in a few circumstances. It seems to work well with a long series of
regattas where the competitors don’t change that much. If there aren’t a lot of boats available to stack
the fleet, this system keeps things simple and easy for the competitors. Also, if your goal is more about
fleet building instead of pure competition, this system works good and you can use “stacking the fleet”
to your advantage to encourage participation at certain events.”
So it is now the dead of winter and as I write this we are forecast to get 1-3” of snow after the 30” of snow we
had just a few weeks ago. To be honest I am ready for Spring. But in keeping with the spirit of the season let me
caution you to check on your boats. Cathy did post on Facebook just after the 30” Snowmageddon about how
“A” dock was pushed down on a peculiar angle that made it unsafe to venture upon. Additionally one small boat
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on “A” dock did not fare too well and was sunk. This past Saturday I was out at my boat for a short time and it
was pretty cold with a nice thin layer of ice on the river.
Finally I did make a long overdue upgrade to Te-Keel-La’s electrical system. For several years I had been reading
and hearing about the power receptacles on our boats and how they are a leading cause of onboard electrical
fires. Plus it was always a bit frustrating when
pulling into a dock at night to line up the plug
and put it on. So, I took the plunge and replaced
the plug and receptacle on Te-Keel-La’s stern.
The old connecter had 33% of the current
conducting metal of the new Smart Plug, it had
a simple push straight on design, and there are
clips on the side along with the cover to hold the
plug in securely. While we normally do not plug
into the dock at Quantico the new plug give me
peace of mind. This kit also allows you to re-use
your old cord.
See you on the water. Ray
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A Short History of Power Boating (Dom Bee, Careless Wisper)
For those of you who read my earlier article
on sailing and felt that I marginalized mariners who
use fossil fuels as their primary mode of propulsion,
rest assured, you are not forgotten. While I may
have a current bias towards the wind, the majority
of my time on the water was spent on boats that
had big hunking diesel engines and even dual gas
turbines. Imaging having 36,000 horsepower at
your disposal tooling around the ocean at 28 Knots.
Then again, imagine the refueling cost when
consuming 3,000 gallons per hour turning
expensive fuel into useless noise. Since I did not
Dorothy Levitt won the first Harmsworth Cup, driving the
have to pay for the fuel, Uncle Sam did, turbine ops Napier Motor Yacht in 1903
are some of my most memorable shipboard
experiences while in the U. S. Coast Guard. Even today, I have a guttural reaction to hearing un-muffled V-8s
on Cigarette type boats going up and down the
Potomac River at speed so for all you power boaters
out there, I still have a soft spot in my heart for stink
pots and have not abandoned you. At any rate, a
quick search of Algore’s amazing Internet turned up
some interesting info on power boats.
Although the screw propeller had been
added to a steam engine as the 18th century in
Birmingham, England, by James Watt, boats
powered by a petrol engine only came about in the
latter part of the 19th century with the invention of
the internal combustion engine. Some of the earliest
boats in use in this country were those supplied and John Hacker's 1911 Kitty Hawk was the fastest boat in the
powered by the Daimler Motor Company, Limited, of world between 1911 and 1915
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Coventry, in 1897. Daimler is
generally considered to have
been the first man to produce
an internal combustion engine
suitable for road vehicles and
for marine propulsion. In 1886,
Daimler fitted a launch with an
internal combustion engine,
and took eleven persons for a
voyage on the lake at Canstatt.
It was from the design of this
motor that DeDion evolved the
high-speed engine fitted to his
early tricycle. The second
launch designed by Daimler in
1887 had a motor of 4 horsepower, which differed from
Model of the first motor boat constructed by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in
that fitted to the first launch in 1886
that it had two cylinders,
inclined together at an angle of
about 15", working on a common crank, and was known as the "V" type. Interest in fast motorboats grew
rapidly in the early years of the 20th century. The Marine Motor Association was formed in 1903 as an
offshoot of the Royal Automobile Club. In 1904, large manufacturing companies, including Napier &
Son and Thornycroft began producing motorboats. The first motor boating competition was established
by Alfred Charles William Harmsworth in 1903. The first competition, held in July 1903, at Cork Harbor in
Ireland, and officiated by the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club,
was a very primitive affair, with many boats failing even to start. In 1904 the American Power Boat
Association (founded 1903) instituted the Gold Cup, which later became one of a series of races (for
hydroplanes from 1911) leading to a national championship. By 1910 manufacturers of outboard motors, led
by Evinrude, were producing motors that could easily be detached from one boat, tuned, transported, and
attached to another, thus making both sporting and recreational motor boating more economical and easier.
The shift from the early displacement hulls to planing hulls increased speed spectacularly, as did new engine
types. After World War II the materials for hulls shifted from wood to metals to fiberglass, the latter being
used particularly where speed was wanted. The use of motorboats for recreational and sport purposes
underwent a spectacular expansion in the second half of the 20th century. Powerboats are part of a $83
billion industry, where 38% of all adults or 88 million Americans, participated in recreational boating at least
once during the year. Not bad for 110 or so years of progress…
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From the Editor (Bernie Rogan, skipper - Journey)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is the first edition of the New Year, and the first edition with the new Executive Board in place.
As the editor of the Azimuth I want to take this opportunity to solicit your assistance in keeping this newsletter
alive as an active feature of our Yacht Club. I also want to thank our regular contributors for their previous
submissions and contributions.
Last month we did not publish an edition of the Azimuth due to lack of article submissions. This is
understandable considering the busyness of the season and our return to full steam ahead after the holidays,
however in order to continue publishing the newsletter I must receive input from our leadership, membership
and reader community by the 15th of each month. Articles of any topic relevant to boating and/or boat
ownership are welcome…to include sea stories, maintenance tips, navigation, or boat safety to name just a
few.
Please consider drafting and submitting an article to next month’s newsletter…and reply to
[email protected] to let me know if you have any ideas or comments that can help keep the Azimuth on
course and making headway!
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Note from the Editor
I look forward to hearing any feedback or suggestions from our readers, and we are always looking for
articles or pictures to include in our next edition.
This newsletter is published monthly, approximately mid-month. Please have your inputs to me by end
of the first week of each month.
You may contact me at [email protected] anytime!
Cheers, Bernie Rogan (s/v Journey)
AZIMUTH FACEBOOK GROUP
We communicate our activities in a number of ways to reach the widest possible audience. If you are
a FACEBOOK user, please join us at the FACEBOOK group AZIMUTH. To join, click on
http://www.facebook.com/groups/quanticoazimuth/ If you have a FACEBOOK account, send a “friend
request” to the AZIMUTH group. The AZIMUTH is a “closed” FACEBOOK group for our club and each
request will be evaluated and accepted by a group administrator. The group is not restricted to QYC
members but we do want to keep the membership limited to boaters related to QYC
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