bragging

May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i here claim that i have the fastest alden caravelle in the world! :)
of the 19 built, i have maximized aeolus for speed. yet i am not what one would call a racer. i just love sailing 'well'
i'm the fastest. come to lake michigan and i''ll duel any of you! :)

ain't life great :)
1583960025248.png
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
If only someone would give me an Alden Caravelle, I'd be there to take you up on that challenge. I know you'ld win, but that's not the point, is it?
:)


-Will (Dragonfly)
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
i know that vessel well. a close friend oversaw the restoration on that boat to ready it for sale. carbon rig with 4' added. yeah, i'll take all comers..
dodger = slower, roller reefing = slower, oh ,i can go on :)
prolly has a 3 bladed prop, hell that's like dragging a bucket.



remember, we are just being silly here :) on a cold winter's day in the north
 
Last edited:

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Any idea why they went with a carbon rig?
Because, they can. There is likely a promise of higher performance - like say 2/100th's of a knot, and the $$$ hits the counter. :)

The real spenders are the even older boats that go for a faux spruce finish. Those can run into big $$$$. This one replaced a spruce rig. They since have put the real spruce back on and stored the carbon fiber, probably for the next owner. Nice to know you have a spar rig??

Thunderhead carbon fibre spar (1 of 1).jpg


The extent some of these owners will go with these old boats in the quest for speed may be this example. Like many owners, this Concordia yawl is used mostly for racing. It's the most well cared for example of this class. It has a faux spruce finish carbon main mast and boom(the mizzen is still real wood - everybody has a $$$ limit,...).
Concordia carbon fiber2.jpg


They pushed the old boat so hard last season the forestay pulled the stem right out of the planking! :(

Oh well, she's just like new again by now, and ready to make that rigging sing in 2020.
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
that's a hollow stika spruce mast. split. i've seen such.
up in the straits of mackinaw doing a chi-mac race. pushing hard, right to the limit, got slammed by huge thunderstorm/squall. i, not my crew, made a mistake and called for the main sheet to be eased at the hight of the blow. 100 mph wind gust, blinding rain. i forgot to have the roller reefing boom, boom vang eased first. the crew had just in the nick of time gotten the 11/2 oz spinnaker down and put away. the wall of wind hit and the boom snapped. very loud. big bummer.

PJ's was still going strong. the carpenter there, Richie Hall, had me in their wood loft sniffing wood for the best option. 9 days and the new boom was mounted on aeolus.

kept the broken boom in my boat storage space at the house all these years to remind me not to be stupid again.