Iowa Sailing Club
Cruising Class
In addition to our teaching lessons series, a coastal and open-water cruising class is offerred periodically. The class is a once-a-week survey of cruising fundamentals.
During the Spring 2008 Semester, the class is held Saturday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. at the social center in the boathouse. Sessions are led by John Huntley, a long-time member of the UISC. Check the culb calendar for details.
After completion of the class, Skipper Huntley typically charters a full-size keel boat for week-long, sea-going graduation party and celebration. Past destinations have included the Apostle Islands, Green Bay, Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. Class members that wish to participate share in the cost of the trip.
The course covers such topics as:
Sail with Us this Summer 2008!
Big boats. Big waters.
Where?
Lake Huron, from the Ontario side into Georgian Bay and the North Channel, up, down, and across, lots of water, lots of towns, lots of summer festivals going on.
Getting there?
By car, according to Google, it's 609 miles from Iowa City to Bayfield, Ontario, going up through Kalamazoo and crossing over from Port Huron to Sarina.
What's in Bayfield, Ontario?
A gorgeous marina. Check out the marina where we've taken a permanent slip for the summer (and storage for next winter).
What's the plan?
Design a week-long cruise to match your personal liking and special interests.
Sun and fun? Sun yourself on the foredec, read novels, and take photos, and listen to music while we sail the boat. Okay by us.
Foreign travel? Visit town and cities up and down the shore -- summer festivals and celebrations, hang out with th e locals, get a taste of a whole other country. (Canada's a little more laid back than Iowa, we think.)
Charter your own bareboat vacations? Improve your sailing skills, get ready to take ASA certification tests. Look at the ASA standards, Basic Keelboat to Bareboat Chartering (ASA.com) . We'll review all the land-based stuff, and concentrate on the practical skills: anchoring, mooring, backing out of a slip, navigating, reefing, heaving to, piloting, dead reckoning, -- all that stuff that's listed. And if you like, we'll do it over and over until you do it all yourself with confidence and style.
ASA certification?
After this experiene, you will probably be in a position to challenge the ASA certification standards, basic Keel Boat to Bareboat charter, at almost any ASA school within reach. Check with a nearby school (e.g., Superior Charters or Northern Breezes, both in Bayfield, WI) for opportunities and costs.
The boat?
She's named Defiant, a 35-foot Beneteau First. Built in 1990, Euro styled. Parked on the hard for the last 3 years. It's owner (from whom we bought her last Fall), an obsessive-compusive boat maintainer. His marina, one of the best and priciest on the East coast, Concordia Boatyard in Padamaran, Mass.
Her comforts: 2 private cabins plus berths in the salon, marine head, shower, propane fired galley, refrigeration, spacious cockpit, dinghy and electric outboard.
Her equipment: she's equipped with radar, depth sounder, LORAN, marine radio, Garmin GPS chart plotter, full navigation station below. We'll also have a sextant aboard to play with, and plenty of navigation instruments (hand bearing compass, dividers, plotters, etc.) Plus a library of books and DVDs about sailing -- and good movies for the evening.
The skippers / instructors / tour guides:
John Huntley: member of the UiSailing Club since its founding in 1965; taught 5 cruising classes for UISC members and taken many on trips to the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake, the Bahamas, and Florida.
Bob Evans: owner of Lake Lanier Sailing Academy and Sea Dog Sailing in the BVI. ASA instructor and instructor scertifier. Sailing and teaching for 35 years.
Costs?
For 7-days, 7-nights, live-aboard (1/2 Saturday + Sunday to Friday + 1/2 Saturday): $650 a person, double occupancy. Out of this, we pay all dockage, mooring fees, diesel, maintenance and repair, etc. And, $65 a day extra to stretch 7 days into an 8th, 9th, or 10th day aboard.
We share provisioning equally among us, shop and cook together. Figure $75 to $100.
You pay for ground transportation, and personal shore expenses (beer? Canadian trinkets? T-shirts, etc.)
Dates?
First we've got to launch and ready the boat
May 12, 2008 and the week following, scheduled for launch and rigging in Vermilion, OH.
May 19, 2008 and month: sea trials, checking each system in the boat, learning the boat's characteristics under power, under sail, at anchor until Bob and I know everything there is to know about Defiant and have learned how she handles in open waters.
By June 28th, we'll sail to Bayfield and settle into our berth.
We plan to take reservations for 4 cruises, 1 to 4 persons each; people wanting to sail an extra day or more, remain on board after the end of the period.
July 6/28 to 7/5, we expect to
7/5 to 7/12 Cruise #1
7/12 to 7/19 rest and relaxation, boat repair and maintenance for John and Bob.
7/19 to 7/26 Cruise #2
August 7/26 to 8/1 R&R for skippers and boat
8/2 to 8/9 Cruise #3 - 2 berths reserved so far
8/9 to 8/16 R&R for skippers and boat
8/16 to 8/23 Cruise #4
8/23 to mid-Sept. Defiant starts sailing north into Georgian Bay and the North Channel. We can't schedule week-long cruises any more -- too far away from Bayfield. Tobermorey (northern tip of the enclosing peninsular) and other accessible spots exist. And we welcome working with you toward any kind of schedule you'd propose to sail with us in these pristine, wilderness waters: 10 days? 2 weeks, 3 weeks? a month? Whatever you like, we can work it out.
Mid-Sept. Defiant sails back to Bayfield to haul and winterize.
Reserve your berth for any of these cruises:
Pick a date and give me a check for $325. That will secure your berth. The balance is due 2 weeks before sail date. 75% refund if you've got to cancel up to a month before sailing; can't refund after that (but you still have the other $325).
John Huntley
John.faring -(at)- gmail.com
319-331-8567