Vineyard Open House Blog

Vineyard Haven Harbor Deep in Winter, Yet Here Are Some Signs of Coming Spring

The depths of winter are upon us and Vineyard Haven Harbor shows an empty canvas. Few boats are still at anchor, mostly those with wooden hulls. The twin masts of the Shenandoah are topped by Christmas trees for the holiday season and the docks of the inner harbor are quiet and vacant.

Gannon & Benjamin, with plastic shed in place for winter work, sits quietly Jan. 4.

On a New Year's visit to the Vineyard I snapped some photos of what summer visitors never see--a harbor devoid of activity. However, while on the Vineyard I received news of the construction of a new Alerion Express 28 (see photos below) that will be skippered by Mo Flam in next summer's Holmes Hole races. Just the thought of Holmes Hole activities gets my blood racing and my hands ready to grab a sailing bag. See below for all images.

Two-masted schooner Shenandoah set for the holidays.

Inner harbor docks in winter slumber.

Inner harbor--plenty of mooring space now!

Outer harbor--a clear view across to the Vineyard Haven-West Chop shore.

A clutch of wooden boats have the harbor mostly to themselves.

Shenandoah stripped to the bare essentials.

Below, Mo Flam's new Alerion Express starts to take shape.

Sparkling new hull fresh from the mold.

Inspecting the cabin.

Keel in place.

Fall's Last Sail in Vineyard Haven Takes in October Evening Light & Harbor's Sailcraft

October 31 presented a real treat to Vineyard Haven Harbor, a WSW breeze and 11-15 knots of wind for a beautiful end-of-fall sail. Elise and I took out Avanti for one last ride as well as a harbor tour of the magnificent sailboats--large and small--that are moored there. See below for an incomplete photo essay of the harbor's calvalcade of stars.

Avanti, a Cape Dory 270, heads out under jib power.

Avanti on the mooring at day's end.

Catboat.

The only other boat on the water.

Dwarfed by the transom of the Black Dog Ship Alabama, a two-masted schooner.

Celeste, built by Gannon & Benjamin.

Magic Time, a Vineyard Vixen built by the Martha's Vineyard Shipyard and owned by Dan Culkin, commodore of Holmes Hole Sailing Association.

Falcor, built in the beginning of the last century from plans published in Rudder magazine.

Juno, the largest sailboat built to date by Gannon & Benjamin.

Close-up of Black Dog Ship Shenandoah.

Close-up of Black Dog Ship Shenandoah.

Summertime.

Wooden boats by Gannon & Benjamin.

Roger Becker's Gloria, ready for winter.

Paul Wilson of Vineyard Haven Yacht Club Wins U.S. Men's Sailing Championship

Paul Wilson leads the way.

Paul Wilson of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and Debbie Probst of the Wawasee Yacht Club won the U.S. Men's and Women's Championships, respectively, on Lake Michigan on Sept. 26. Wilson lead the men’s Sonar fleet for the Mallory Trophy and Probst championed the women’s Lightning fleet for the Adams Cup.

These annual US SAILING Adult National Championships were hosted by the US Sailing Center of Sheboygan.

Wilson sealed the win by finishing third in the first of two races on the final day of competition. Team Wilson had an eight point advantage at the start, and the finish put them up by 10 points over Ken Kleinschrodt (Buccaneer YC).

Wilson finished with 21 points through nine races. His team won three races, and didn’t finish worse than fifth in any race. Wilson sailed with Drew Plominski (Narragansett Bay Yachting Assoc.) and Will Stevens (Vineyard Haven YC) this week.

Wilson was sailing in his sixth U.S. Men’s Championships and in search of his first win.

“I’m ecstatic about this win. It’s hard to put into words what this means to my crew as well. I’ve been sailing with Will for a while, and Drew for the first time and he was an enormous asset.”

Wilson, who grew up sailing Solings and learned to sail at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, Martha's Vineyard, was no stranger to the Sonar. “We were focused on wind strategy and boat-to-boat tactics. With no throw-outs, we played it conservatively.”

Wilson is a regular racer on Martha's Vineyard and is a member of the Holmes Hole Sailing Association there.

Arabella Observes Start of Holmes Hole Race in Perfect Position--at Starting Line

Where does a 160-ft mega-yacht drop anchor? Anywhere it wants.

The windjammer sailing yacht Arabella, a stunning 160-foot tri-masted tall ship, had the perfect vantage point for observing the start of last Sunday's Holmes Hole Post-Season race. The massive vessel was anchored right in the middle of the starting line at red nun #6 in Vineyard Haven harbor.

As boats converged on the starting line, competitors had to eek by the stern of the three-masted ship and its massive fluttering American flag while avoiding each other and the starting buoy.

While the boats slid by within inches of the Arabella, skippers and crew could see a full gallery of racing fans standing on Arabella's observation deck, drinks in hand, as they hooted and cheered the boats whooshing by. If they had stood any closer to Avanti, a 27-foot Cape Dory rushing by, they could have leaned over and helped pull in her jib as she hardened up.

Other boats getting an up-close-and-personal view of Arabella were Aileen, a Sparkman & Stephens 48, and Apres, a J-120. Gloria, a C&C 24, rolled out her big jib in the near-perfect conditions and sailed to victory over the course that went out to buoy 23(a) on East Chop and red nun #4 at West Chop. WNW winds at 10-15 knots suited the fleet just fine under the partly sunny skies. The Post Season races will continue on Thursdays and Sundays into the fall as weather permits.

Moffett Race Debrief: Why Wasn't the Current a More Decisive Factor on 1st Leg?

In reviewing last Saturday's (9/11/10) Moffett Race, one of the skippers asks a question that must have vexed many of the competitors.

Q. Why wasn’t the current moving west to east in Vineyard Sound more of a decisive factor on the first leg up to MO(A) Bell? 

Those of us who approached MO(A) Bell from the west, with the current, seemed to really lose out to the larger group that came up to the mark from a easterly slant, which I thought would be against the current. 

On the next leg up to C15, we struggled to lay a good course with that same current. Explanations or recommendations for how to best handle the upwind legs of the Moffett?

Woody Bowman (Julia Lee)

A. I thought that those of us who got into the current as far west as possible did well against those who ventured out into it further east. 

That said, once you are out into the full force of the current it should make no difference whether you do the port tack or starboard tack portion first.

Also, keep in mind that when the tide is running to the East it swings very wide around West Chop.  You can be well outside the chops before you really start to feel the full force of an East tide.

- Steve Besse (Apres)

Holmes Hole Stages a Wet & Exhilerating Moffett Cup to End the 2010 Season

The annual Moffett Cup race was held on Saturday, Sept. 11 in Vineyard Sound under cloudy and blustery conditions. Facing winds gusting up to 28 knots and a steady 20+ knot breeze, a fleet of 43 boats came to the line in two divisions to run a course of 18.1 miles. (Photography by Elise Ryan)

Brock Callan, Charlie Felder, Eleanor Morad and honorary chairman Hugh Schwartz man the committee boat.

After nearly five hours of racing up and down Vineyard Sound, the winner was announced at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club with skippers and crews in attendance and gratefully gulping down hot clam chowder and sharing stories of what had been a challenging day. Sally Culkin organized the sumptuious post-race buffet that included shrimp, smoked salmon, salads and more.

James Weisman's Perception was declared the winner on corrected time with Stormalong, skippered by Jerry Goodale, second. Six boats did not finish.

Gloria (Roger Becker) and Isabella (John Stout) ready for the start.

Heart's Desire.

The fleet jockeying for position.

Marmalade (Ian McColgin) throws up a fine bow wave.

Vineyard Vixen Magic Time (dark hull, Dan Culkin) with Stormalong (#65,Jerry Goodale) in the foreground.

Sanderling (Mal Jones), a sharp looking Alden design.

The winner, Perception.

2010 Vineyard Cup Results Show Holmes Hole SA, Local Boats Well Represented

Photos courtesy of Amory Ross Photography.

All sailors with a boat 22 feet and up were invited to race in the 2010 Vineyard Cup in Vineyard Haven, MA, July 16-18, but it was the locals who made it happen. The Holmes Hole Sailing Association (HHSA) which races in Vineyard Haven harbor and local cruisers, such as Gannon & Benjamin's Juno which won the gaff rig class, contributed nearly half of the 69 boats which raced for prizes in a variety of classes.

Visiting skippers and crews made their mark as well in the event which was held in Vineyard Sound. According to the posted results for corrected time, veteran racer Bob Lurie of Lexington skippered Mischief, an Alerion 26, to a first place finish in Class 1 in each of the three races, to win overall honors for the regatta.

Second overall was Serenity, a C&C 29 skippered by Benjamin Block of Barrington, R. I. Third was Latonka, a sleek, wooden one-design sailed by Geoff Gibson of Vineyard Haven.

In Class 2, Holmes Holer Stephen Besse, in his J/120 Apres, captured top honors. Jim Lengle of Portsmouth, R. I., with Top Cat, an Alerion Express 38 yawl was second. Tom Tetrault of Georgetown was second with Facet, a Bristol 355.

First place overall in Class 3 went to David Nesbitt, who skippered Epic, a Hinterholler 25, and made his trek from Melbourne, Florida, with his crew worth the effort.

The event is Sail Martha's Vineyard's big annual fund raiser for programs dedicated to teaching island youth how to sail and to inform them of their maritime heritage. Organizers were rewarded with competitive races held under warm, sunny skies, while consistent breezes powered the racers throughout most of the weekend. After each day's races, skippers and crew gathered under a big white tent at the public dock at Owen Park to eat, party to live music and recount the day's action.

For photos of the 2010 Vineyard Cup, visit photographer Louisa Gould's website which features more than 700 photos of the event.

13 Boats Come to the Line in 18 Knots of Wind to Start the HHSA Sailing Season

Great Official Start of the 2010 Holmes Hole Sailing Association season brings 13 boats to the starting line...all finished in the 18 knots of West South West wind. The HHSA is based in Vineyard Haven, MA, and runs races on Sundays and Thursdays in Vineyard Sound and Vineyard Haven Harbor.

Congratulations to Diane and Tim who started and finished their first HHSA race in Triumph, formally owned by Holmes Holer Herm Belmont. Prior to this Diane and Tim had been crewing for several years for Jerry Coe on Indian Summer, the New York 40. 

Rebecca Colson's Nonsuch 26 took to the strong winds and found a nice lifting westerly along West Chop to finish well ahead of the fleet. 

Other top finishers: 2. UNDINE CERULLO, ED  MORRIS 36; 3. MASQUERADE  LOBERG, M&M, MORRIS 36; 4. WICKED, HALE, ROB, SOLING; 5. STORMALONG, GOODALE, JERRY, PEARSON 31

Vineyard Haven Harbor Fall Photos

 

 

Holmes Hole Racers Beat the Fog and Fading Light in Thursday Night Sail

Thirteen boats approached the line on Thursday evening in the regular week night edition of the HH harbor races. Facing a lowering fog and fading light, the fleet raced out to West Chop downwind, turned toward East Chop on a broad reach and beat back home.

The darkening sky silouetted the fleet as boats jockeyed at the start.

A pair of Morris 36s head downwind.

Avanti had its best showing of the summer, finishing 9th as part of a cluster of boats that crossed the finish line at red nun 6 all within 30 seconds of each other.

Avanti, whisker pole extended, as it headed toward the first mark.

As the final gun sounded, the fog and setting sun combined to throw a swirl of purples, gold and yellow across the western sky and draw a dramatic finish to the evening.

All photos by Frank Brunelle.