I had lots of problems sending the last Grapevine. For many reasons several copies did not get there. Some people's mail boxes were full, some new address's I have been given appear wrong, some firewalls blocked the email and some address's work if sent individually but not in my mailing list. So my apologies if you never received issue 4. Hopefully this issue will get through.

Welcome to the new owners of Sagitta. Jeff Savage has sold it to the Mileshkin family and it is being raced out of RMYS with the sail number S452.

Over the years the cost of producing the printed newsletter has risen, association membership fees have been kept low but membership numbers have decreased. Obviously this causes financial difficulties when producing the newsletter. The Assoc would like to continue to communicate with all owners but we may be forced to publish smaller newsletters, less newsletters or even stop posting printed newsletters to non-members. Anybody who doesn't wish to receive the printed newsletter please let Dick or myself know.

From George Condor (Tardis)

I would like to make half hull model of the S&S34 and for this purpose I would need a isometric diagram of the hull. Sparkman and Stephen could provide one but the cost is prohibitive. I am wondering if someone around you may have one and willing to scan it in or make photocopy for me.

Contact: George.Gondor@facs.gov.au

Maybe other members are also interested in a model? (Ed)

As new owners of Star of the Sea that came with no pedigree we are interested in finding out whether or not any member can shed light on when she was built, anything about her history and whether or not she has had a change of name. A tall order I suspect, but perhaps there are other members with similar interests and it might make an interesting semi-permanent section of the Grapevine.

Contact: Frank & Libby Braybrooks

Email: fbcc@zeta.org.au

Dick Newnham and I have also been talking about starting a S&S34 web site, and would like to start building a history of all 34's on the site. There's a lot of (hard to access) information in all the old association newsletters which are stored in Dick's archives. (Ed)

From Frank Braybrooks (Star of the Sea)

We in the east are slowly getting together and perhaps George Condor who organized a get together in Cowan Creek a week or so ago could contribute a few words on the event to the Grapevine. Unfortunately we could only be with them for a short while but expect to catch up some time in the near future.

From George Condor (Tardis)

Our local NSW association had a very successful weekend cruise to Broken Bay. Six boats and seven owners (one came by car) turned up. We had a five boats raft for the night. We are planning the next get-together during Easter on Lake Macquarie.

All S&S34 Assoc. members are invited to attended the following events.

Our ultimate destination is Lancelin. However this is very much wind- and swell-forecast dependant. We plan to head for Mindarie on the 25th (25nM), to Lancelin on the 26th (45nM), returning to Two Rocks on Mindarie on the 27th, and Fremantle on 28th. If you could allow to include Tuesday 29th in your Easter break, this would give you more flexibility during the Cruise. We may only get as far as Mindarie or Two Rocks if the weather is unfavourable for heading north and returning to FSC in good time. If this happens, then we will make plans as the weather unfolds. Please add your name to the list on the Cruising Section notice board in the club if you are interested in taking part.

NOTE that skippers are required to log on and off with VN6DI for formal radio cover.

Cruise Coordinator: Rob Campbell of Dusky Dolphin on 08 9381 6727, 0438 133 944. or aoraki@iinet.net.au.

Cruise Captain: Ensueno

Contact: Rob James jamesr@ramsayhealth.com.au or phone 9307 2391

Informal cruise for those not wanting to go further. A repeat of the last long weekend with possible bbq ashore and sundowners.

Cruise Captain: George Condor (Tardis)

Contact: George.Gondor@facs.gov.au

It is an invitation event hosted by FSC and sailed on S&S34's. Invitations to racing 34's and all club commodores will be sent soon. Conducting this race on S&S34's for 25 years is certainly something to celebrate!

Contact Dick Newnham on (08) 9385 8098 or email newnham@iinet.net.au

Cruise Captain Ron Kempin.

Briefing at RFBYC on March 3rd.

Contact Ron on 0408 958 323

Email: rfbyc_cinc@yahoo.com.au

Cruise Captain: Mistress Too

Contact: Rob James jamesr@ramsayhealth.com.au or phone 9307 2391

Contact Mark Loader on splash2005@tpg.com.au or 0418 958 322.

S&S34 Association members, Scott & Gretta Lee, of Aries II, are planning a cruise to the Abrolhos from 25th March to 21st April 2005 . They are seeking interest from other boats.

Plans are now to depart for Geraldton on Fri 25/3 with stopovers at Lancelin, Jurien and Port Denison. Then leave the boat at Geraldton YC until 9/4 when the school term hols begin, then sail over to Ab Is, with a return date in Perth no later than 21/4.

Contact Scott on 9388 0135 or 0418 164 797 or email slee@highway1.com.au.

Maybe we can get several S&S34's on this cruise? (Ed)

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club at the beginning of its second century will host and honor Olin Stephens with activities during the week of May 9 of this year.

Most notable will be an Evening with Olin Stephens on Thursday, May 12^th consisting of a dinner, lecture and slide show of S&S yachts. Film footage will be shown including that taken aboard Dorade in 1932 during her Trans Atlantic victory. R.C. Keefe, Staff Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club, will deliver the lecture reprising Olin Stephens's talent and accomplishment. Mitchell Gibbons-Neff, President of Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. and Olin Stephens will deliver remarks and converse with those attending.

On Saturday, May 13, Olin Stephens and Mitchell Gibbons-Neff will participate in Royal Vancouver Yacht Club's Open Day celebrations, including our annual "Sail Past."

Fredrik Ekstrom and his team have produced a fabulous programme based in Helsinki.

Registration before 1st April and full information pack including hotels.

Contact Fredrik: f.ekstrom@kolumbus.fi

Presently I am in Venezuela, hoping to leave shortly for Panama via ABC Islands and Columbia en route to Brissie, a long haul by myself, at least I have a great boat for it, after 30000 odd miles I should know!!!

I saw 'Miss Cath' on the hard in Trinidad, but I never saw anybody on her, she was all closed up. If you hear from the owners tell them she looked OK, although a little lonely.

Big A and me got hit out of the blue on anchor in 5m water on sandy bottom, the first wave sucked all the water out and Big A was laying aground sideways to the sea I managed to close all the hatches seconds later we were hit from the first wave (I been told it was a 10m monster) I thought I am surfing in Hawai.
To make it short there where some 5-6 waves coming one by one and every time Big A hit the bottom very hard, after the 4th hit the mast broke 1 meter above the deck.
I got the engine started and managed somehow to get in to deeper water dragging the mast and rig with me.
Thanks to my Hearth Interface inverter/converter I managed to cut all my standing rigging with a flex (no chance with wire cutters or hack saw )
I left all the rig behind and went in even deeper water, did some diving on the hull and there was not one scratch ore any damage what so ever.
It's a Swan 55
Since I am insured I do not worry to much, but I never (after owning here since 1975) did I come so close to loose here
Best regards,
Horst

I have just finished reading the feature about S&S 34's in Cruising Helmsman.

Kiriwina (S&S34) has moorings here in Napier NZ and has belonged to a sailing buddy (John Craven) for about 14 years.

There is another S&S 34 up north some where that had coach roof damage when coming to New Plymouth for the solo race back to Mooloolaba. I was told the larger windows that had been fitted contributed to the weakening of the damaged area.

A couple of areas that could benefit from strengthening seemed to be the aft coach roof area and the flat areas each side of the keel. You will no doubt be aware of these and other improvements that could refine the design. The new ones perhaps are stronger in these areas.

I have owned a wooden S&S x 1 tonner built by Salthouse Bros. in 1968 (Launched Dec 1968) since August 1989 and have no intentions of selling. Picture enclosed 36ft 4 ins x 10ft 5 inches x 6ft5 ins. A bit deeper with all the cruising gear of course.

Can you please let me know addresses, contacts etc regarding the S&S's. I have looked at some on the internet but am very keen on the classic design and would

appreciate what ever you are able to send. I would love to see S&S regattas and while the modern racers are very exciting I still get warm fuzzies from the older classics. The Challenge Cup sounds exciting and any info that you are able to point me to would be appreciated. We do have a member of the S&S Association north of Auckland and as I have changed computers I need to re-find his name.

I do the occasional delivery and always look at the yachts in the vicinity and it is always a thrill to see another classic S&S.

I do have a few notes some where as to one or two other S&S's which I would be happy to pass on when I sort them out, should you have an interest. You may find Coasting.org interesting.

The S&S34's cleaned up in Division II at RPYC on Saturday 26th February:

Swagman - 1st & fastest,

Kungari - 2nd,

Perie Banou - 3rd.

Russell Cato in Lady Ann II took out second place in the large jib and main fleet.

If my experience is anything to go by Russell and crew would also have been well placed in the partying (Ed).

It is better to live one day as a lion than ten years as a lamb - Anon.

The world is a funny place.

It's hard to imagine, as you stand in your backyard or lie in your bed, that there is a spot on this amazing globe directly opposite you. If you drilled a hole directly through the earth, where would you come out?

At 5.36 p.m. on 7 December 1998, I sailed from the safety-of my home waters of Melbourne, Australia, on my 34-foot yacht Lionheart, and set course for that other point - latitude 38°18'N, longitude 35°22'W. And when I got there, I kept going, returning to Melbourne on 31 October 1999, 328 days and roughly 27,000 nautical miles later. In my quest, I became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop and unassisted.

Why? Simply, for the adventure. I had dreamt of sailing around the world, so that's what I did. If we don't live our dreams, what's the point of living?

Lionheart - the name of the boat that carried me there and back, and also the title of this book - is a story of that journey. More than that, it is a story of human spirit, the very same spirit that lives in all of us, and what it can achieve when put to the test.

A group of Skippers are walking through town looking for crew, when they see a five-story building with a sign that read, "Crew Association: Ship's Crew Available" Since they are without their crews, they decide to go in. The Security Guard, a very salty type, explains to them how it works. "We have five floors. Go up floor by floor and once you find what you are looking for, for crew, you can go there and make a selection. It's easy to decide since each floor has a sign telling you who's inside."

Everything seems wonderful, so they start going up and on the first floor the sign reads, "All the crew on this floor are beginners." The skippers laugh, and without hesitation move on to the next floor. The sign on the second floor reads, "All the crew here are experienced, smart but weak."

Still, this isn't good enough, so the Skippers continue on up. They reach the third floor and the sign reads, "All the crew here are experienced, smart and strong." They still want to do better, and so, knowing there are still two floors left, they kept going. On the fourth floor, the sign is perfect, "All the crew here are experienced, smart, strong and Former Americas Cup Champions." The Skippers get excited and are about to go in when they realize that there is still one floor left.

Wondering what they are missing, they head up to the fifth floor. There they find a sign that reads, "There are no crew here. This floor was built only to prove that there is no way to please a Skipper!"

1) Device designed to bring up mud & weed samples from the bottom at inopportune or unexpected times.

2) Thing rotting in the bilge of every racing yacht (unseen).

3) Any of a number of heavy, hook-shaped devices that are dropped over the side of the boat on end of length of rope and/or chain, and which is designed to hold vessel securely in place, until a) wind exceeds 2 knots, b) owner and crew depart or c) 0300.

http://www.sailing.org International Sailing Federation

http://www.yachting.org.au Yachting Australia Inc

Let me know if you have anything to advertise in the next issue (Ed).

Tim Dallas (Superstar) has the following for sale:

Stern Frame to fit cruising S&S34; Ideal mounting point for solar

panels, wind generator, outboard stowage, sun shade and mast rest when

lowered etc. Originally designed and built for SuperStar, now available

for any cruising S&S34. $500.00. Call 0439 393 877 or

Timbo@PlanetDallas.net - photo's available on request or at

www.planetdallas.net/SS%20For1.jpg

Autohelm combined depth and log instruments. $250.00. 0439 393 877 or

Timbo@PlanetDallas.net

Also - Hegst Horsa close hauled wind instruments (mast head unit faulty)

$100, 0439 393 877.

See notes from Panther above (Ed).

You are invited to join/rejoin the S&S 34 ASSOCIATION.

You don't have to be a paid up member but it sure helps! Both the Association and yourselves are advantaged by the continuous flow of information and being a member assures that you will continue to receive relevant information and stories of interest. Go for it!

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION is only $25.00

Post a cheque or money order payable to S&S 34 ASSOCIATION OF W A

to A.R. NEWNHAM

51 Oban Rd

CITY BEACH WA 6015

OR by direct bank transfer to Bank West account; S & S 34 Association of W A, BSB 306 050 Account 418 7992.

Please make your deposit notation reference code your SURname.

If you or your boat details have changed (or you are a new member) please forward the following information to the above address (or return email)

Owners names, Address, Yacht name, Yacht Club, Sail Number, Boat Name, Racing or Cruising?, Phone Numbers (Home, Work, Mobile, Fax) and email address

S&S34 Grapevine is an opt-in, privately maintained e-newsletter in association with the S&S34 Association of WA.

Submissions gratefully received, Please send to: laws@iinet.net.au

with "S&S34 Grapevine Article" in the subject line

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If you wish to subscribe to this newsletter please email: laws@iinet.net.au

Type "S&S34 Grapevine SUBSCRIBE yacht name" in the subject line and I shall add you to any further mail outs.

It is not necessary to join the Assoc. to receive the Grapevine emails. Although, it would be appreciated if you could also include the following details so that the S&S34 Association "List of Yachts" can be updated:

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