2003-12-26

Boxing Day

TreeIt is now the day after Christmas. There were many gifts under the tree, too many really, but some very useful things among the packages. Saphyre is graduating from high school this spring, so next fall she'll be living elsewhere and in need of many housekeeping items. In one day she received enough to be able to survive by just adding food. From dishes to a microwave oven, she is not wanting for much now. Parker, as usual, needed more goalie equipment, and a new mask is what he wanted most this year. He got some tools, clothes and electronic gear too.

I gave Roxanne a nice watch, but where she hasn't had one for a few months, this one is taking some getting used to. It is a bit larger than the one she had. Hey! I just discovered, when I got the link to the picture, that the watch is now on sale. I never buy things unless that is the case, but this was the only watch I could find that I liked. We have now decided to bring it back, and put the money towards a George Foreman Grill (when it goes on sale), plus a different, less expensive watch. 'Tis the season for exchanges...

I got the one big present I was asking for - a Leatherman Super Tool 200. I actually wanted the Wave model, but this one is top-of-the-line. It will replace a rather inexpensive multi-tool I've worn out in about 2 years of use. The new one has a 25 year guarantee.

The big meals are still ongoing. I've probably put on all the weight I lost over the summer and fall. The boxes of sweets and cookies don't help either. Going to have to take advantage of the nice days and get outside for some exercise on a more regular basis. It has been warm and damp the past couple days, and just about all our snow is gone. I was looking forward to trying cross-country skiing next year, so I hope we get more soon.

2003-12-18

Master, Limited - Almost

The requirements for becoming a tour/charter boat (<60gt/around 50') captain, in Minor or Home Trade IV Waters, are as follows:
  • 2 months (480 hours) of sea time aboard similar vessels (>5gt/8m) to which you will be working on.
  • Marine Emergency Duties A2 - Small Vessel Safety
  • Marine Basic First Aid (I took Marine Advanced First Aid)
  • Restricted Operator's Certificate - Maritime Commercial (I obtained an ROC-M previously)
  • Ship Master's Medical Examination
  • Transport Canada 040 Chartwork and Pilotage exam for the waters of operation
  • Transport Canada 061 Navigation Safety exam
  • Complete an oral/on-board examination
This week I completed the 3-day ROC-MC (99% final mark!), so all I have left to do is get my sea time officially signed for, and be quizzed aboard the vessel I'll be operating. The 040 exam I did was for the Minor Waters of PEI, so I'd have to do another one of those if I find a job in a different area. For example, the Bay of Exploits, where I live and do most of my boating, is classed as Home Trade IV. The cost of all this is up over $1000 so far, and currently no solid work prospects in this field. Should you know of anything, please contact me.

2003-12-12

A Full Year of Raids

Today email arrived today with dates and details for the upcoming Raid Avalons. There is a new website for the adventure races too (http://www.raidavalon.com), but it is not yet setup. As a sneek preview, here is what is planned.

2004 RAID Avalon Schedule


RAID Avalon PosterFebruary 28, 2004
RAID Avalon Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Start time 8:00 am, male, female, solo, 3 person teams, 4 person teams (mix). Estimated time 5-8 hours. Distances not revealed - mt. biking, map and compass, cross country ski (Back country ski), snow shoes, rope activities, and cultural and traditional activities - $80 per person.

June 19-20, 2004
RAID Avalon, Urban adventure race St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Start time 8:00 am, male, female, 2 person teams, 4 person teams (mix). Estimated time 4-10 hours. Distances not revealed - biking, hiking/running, map and compass, canoeing /or sea kayak (to determinate), rope activities, and cultural and traditional activities. $450 per team of 4, Kayak include) or $ 300 without kayak.

July 31-August 1, 2004
RAID Avalon Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Start time 8:00 am, male, female, 2 person teams, 4 person teams (mix). Estimated time 4-10 hours. Distances not revealed - biking, hiking/running, map and compass, canoeing /or sea kayak (to determinate), rope activities, and cultural and traditional activities. $450 per team of 4, Kayak include) or $ 300 without kayak.

September 4-5, 2004
RAID Avalon Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Start time 8:00 am, male, female, 2 person teams, 4 person teams (mix). Estimated time 4-10 hours. Distances not revealed - biking, hiking/running, map and compass, canoeing /or sea kayak (to determinate), rope activities, and cultural and traditional activities. $450 per team of 4, Kayak include) or $ 300 without kayak.

2003-12-07

Just Another B-day

Well, it is December 7th, and that means it is my birthday. I'm only 1/365 of a year older than I was yesterday, so not much has changed physically. Mentally, turning 40 hasn't mattered much either. However, when I stop to think that there are very likely many more days behind than lay ahead, it can get a bit freaky. Best to have another piece of chocolate cake and change the subject...

2003-12-04

Snow Day

Last night when I went to bed there was just a light coating of snow over everything. This morning it was bad enough to close the schools. We did have some snow in early November, but that batch didn't last long since it was followed by a couple weeks of fairly warm and wet weather. It looks like we are finally getting our winter.

This is good news for all the people who enjoy this time of year. Snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, skating, and so on will soon be available to those who partake of such activities. For others, this is when they plan to be spending some time in warmer climates. I personally like the season to the point where I don't even mind spending 2 hours shovelling. It is good exercise, and get you out in the crisp, cool air.

2003-12-01

Good-bye LOcom

LewisporteOnline.com has expired. For two years I maintained a website at that URL, and for about five years previously it had been on various servers as The Lewisporte Web Mall. For most of that time it failed to pay for itself, so it was allowed to die when URL came up for renewal. HalEnt.ca still has some life left, but it is not currently directed anywhere.

This is all a part of closing Haliburton Enterprises. I put nearly 9 years into that business, and it has yet to make an annual gross profit even in the mid-three figures. I've realized that it was mostly just an expensive hobby that may have kept me from growing a good career for myself. Over the next few weeks I have to finish up all the odds and ends so that I can put this lesson behind me.

This means I am now even more actively seeking full-time employment. Prospects don't look very good here at Lewisporte, so I'm also preparing to move in the new year - should that become a requirement. Let me know if you hear of an opening for someone with experience in business, computers, land surveying, sales, handyman, marketing, shipping & receiving, design, or anything, really, I can use to get back on my feet again. There is not much I can't do at one skill level or another, and I don't mind starting near the bottom.

2003-11-24

Let the Blogs Begin!

This is the actual date I created this Blog. Here I will relay important events in my life, express comments about any subjects I wish to rant about, and generally just release a desire to express myself in writing. If you enjoy what you have read so far, then bookmark and come back again weekly to see the latest posting.

2003-11-21

Finally, a new Computer

Dell 2400 The computer I had been using was one I bought second-hand in 1996. It was a P120 over-clocked to 133MHz and, until recently, running Windows 95. Last year I upgraded the HDD from 1.2GB to 6, but there were now problems with the modem and the CD-ROM drive on top of constant lock-ups, so one of us had to go. I won.

Today, right around lunch time, my new Dell Dimension 2400, 2.2Ghz P4 system arrived. I instantly gained at least 30 times more speed, 8 times more RAM, nearly 7 times more HDD space, Windows XP, and USB ports! I was going to buy a used computer, but for very little more I was able to get much more current technology, and my first new machine in about 16 years.

I'm not sure what I will do with the old computer, but perhaps I can use it to run Linux. That might be interesting.

2003-11-09

Kayak for Sale ... Maybe

Me kayaking at Norris Arm I bought a very nice Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 kayak back in August, but I'm thinking about selling it. I am more into sailing, and would probably get more use and enjoyment from a Wayfarer 16, or similar dinghy. If you are in the market for a great sea kayak, CLICK HERE!

We had a fairly nice fall, so I was able to get out for about 20 hours in various locations with it. The picture was take of me at Norris Arm North. I also paddled around Laurenceton, Lewisporte, and Embree. I don't have a good roof rack for travelling on the highway, so my starting points were fairly close to home. There is also a fair bit more gear required to do anything more than day trips.

2003-10-04

Mount Peyton Bike'n Hike

Misfits w/Mount Peyton behindAt 0900 on October 4, 2003, the 4 members of Raid Avalon 2003's team #7, the Last-Minute Misfits, arrived at a wood's road near Glenwood to take their mountain bikes about 20km over some very rough and hilly trails to be followed by about 2 hours of hiking to make it to the top of Mount Peyton. Read the story and see the pictures here!

2003-09-02

Raid Avalon has Misfits

Barbara, Peter, Mike, Cindy This past Labour Day Weekend was not one I spent relaxing or visiting or out on the water or anything else I had done before. Rather, I was participating in my first adventure race, Raid Avalon. It consisted of 2 days of sea kayaking, running, biking, hiking/treking, and rappelling. To make it even more of a challenge, I didn't meet my 3 team members until the evening prior to the race start. Read the story and see the pictures here!

2003-01-10

Sail Searching

The Quest For My First Sailboat
J. Peter Haliburton, © 2002-2003


Warm, yellow sun in a clear blue sky, cool breezes across glittering salt water, and the sound of waves rushing past the smooth hull of a fine sailboat. These are the images which caress the mind of a sailor. They are the things you can experience with good friends and family while out for the day, or weeks, of sailing. Ah, the joys of owning your own sailboat. But what if you don't have a wind powered vessel to call your own? This is where I find myself.

Most people, apparently, start out sailing as little kids using dingies. I was a bit of a late-comer, being 33 when first introduced to it. Sailboats were uncommon sights around the Lewisporte marina during my youth, with the vast majority of commercial and pleasure boats being of the hydrocarbon burning variety. I have a vague memory of being aboard the sailboat of some distant relative from the States sometime around, perhaps, age 12, but she was tied to a wharf and could have been any type of vessel for the impression left. No, it was not until June 16, 1997 I got to know the feeling of being on a vessel propelled across the water solely by the strength of the wind.

My first summer of sailing consisted of crewing aboard a beautiful Bayfield 36, plus a handful of brief excursions in a CL14. The Bayfield 36 owner traded down to a still lovely Bayfield 32 the next summer, and as more sailboats showed up at the local marina, I was able to sail on the Bay of Exploits aboard a variety of craft including an Aloha 8.2, a C&C 25, and a Tanzer 22. I had done several 6-8 hour voyages and a 6 day and night return trip outside my normal boating waters by the end of my second season. These experiences lead to more crewing opportunities, and my cruising and racing resume was growing quite nicely - until 2002: the year without sailing. Two invitations to crew for gulf crossings didn't work out, and with the high prices for fuel, my own power boat trips were very limited. It was a sad summer indeed. The solution? Get my own sailboat!

Ok, that is easily said, but how easy is it to do? During the fall of 2002 I pondered over the possibilities. There are a lot of different types, styles and sizes of sailboats. Phase 1 for narrowing down the list is budget. If I sold the speedboat for a reasonable price, and a few other things went my way, I should be able to swing $10,000 in total. Subtracting taxes and miscellaneous expenses, I arrived at a maximum boat cost of about $7500. It was obvious at those numbers I wasn't going to be able to purchase even a 25 foot Bayfield, my preferred make, but there are some quite nice boats in the pocket cruiser range. Phase 2 was finding the affordable boats which meet my requirements: trailerable, fin keel cruisers with a semi-private head, able to maintain reasonable speeds while not sending me looking for cover when the winds get above 25 knots, and room and amenities for four people on a week's sailing holiday. I don't ask for much.

My first candidate was the Thunderbird 26. This would likely give me the largest boat for the least amount of money. They are fast, safe, and popular. The trade-offs are an old design, little interior space, and unknown construction quality since they were mostly homemade. The latter gave me the most cause for concern, so I went looking for a boat in which consistent quality wouldn't be an issue. The Shark 24 had all the benefits, with the added assurance of reputable Canadian manufacturers having put them together. The interior space, however, might be a problem here as well. While I may be single-handed quite often, I would likely often have 4 or 5 people aboard for a full day on the water. They wouldn't want to be crushed together in the cabin if the weather turned bad, or if we decided to make a weekend, or much longer, trip of it. Racing ability is not a priority, so perhaps a little more comfort might be had with a little more looking.

Canadian firms were very busy in the 1970's and 80's pumping out some great little sailboats. At about 22 feet there seemed to be a sweet spot for comfort, safety, trailerability and price. Popular boats in this class include the Abbott 22, Tanzer 22, V&G Sirius 21/22, and CS 22. I looked over the specs for these (see Table 1), and similar boats, and was leaning a bit towards the Abbott. I'd had a brief sail aboard one in 2001, and was impressed. Then I stumbled across a boat with somewhat of a local connection. The Grampian G23 was designed by Alex McGruer, a transplanted Scot who eventually wound up living in Newfoundland. I had even exchanged a couple emails with his son concerning sea kayaking. Perhaps this boat was the best compromise, with just a pinch of fate.

Designed around 1967, the G23 has a slightly retro look, but not as dated as the Shark or Thunderbird. The cockpit is somewhat small, but that means more space is devoted to the cabin. This is the opposite of the Tanzer 22, which suffers from a severe lack of interior room in favour of a huge cockpit. The Grampian also has 14" of additional width, and almost double the ballast of the longer Shark which should make it stiffer and offer more comfort in rough seas. With most boats in this size range you are lucky to have a porta-potti located under a cut-out in the forward berth, but a fairly private head is another thing the G23 has in its favour. The pop-top is an option often found often on the popular swing-keel CS 22 and Sirius 21/22. On the G23 it increases headroom from a very reasonable 5' 4" to a vaulting 6'. With an icebox, 2 burner stove and small sink, and sleeping accommodations for 5 people, weekend or longer voyages could be easily undertaken. They can also be found listed for under $5000, and even the most well outfitted is normally priced under $8000. Eureka! I had found my boat. Or had I?

There were still a couple more sailboats waiting to be considered. The Nova Scotia built Paceship PY23 also met most of my requirements, but they do tend to be a bit more expensive, being closer to $10,000. At that price I could get into the well praised and roomy Grampian 26. Another sailboat which had good numbers is the Tanzer 22-like Sonic 23. It also seemed to be a bit pricey, and the head is located under the v-berth, so it places nearer the bottom of my list.


Now that I have pretty much decided on which sailboats best fit my needs and budget, I have the winter to scour the marketplace in search of the best ones. My personal rankings place the potential boats in the following order: Grampian 23, Abbott 22, Shark 24, Paceship PY23, Sonic 23, and Tanzer 22. The spring will involve some travelling to see them in person and do some test sails. And, if all goes well, sometime in July I will be bringing home a sailboat to call my own. In the meantime, anyone looking for crew?


Table 1:


Thunderbird Shark 24 Grampian 23 Sonic 23 Paceship 23 Tanzer 22 Abbott 22 CS 22 Sirius 21/22
Length on Deck (ft): 25.979 24.000 23.250 23.000 22.583 22.500 22.000 21.667 21.167
Length at Waterline (ft): 20.250 20.000 20.917 20.000 19.417 19.750 18.750 17.500 18.750
Beam (ft): 7.542 6.833 8.000 7.583 8.000 7.833 7.500 8.000 7.917
Sail Area (sq. ft): 308.00 190.00 244.00 240.00 223.00 222.00 226.00 250.00 203.00
Ballast (lbs): 1,534.00 675.00 1,150.00 1,500.00 945.00 1,250.00 1,550.00 1,100.00 525.00
Displacement (lbs): 3,650.00 2,200.00 3,200.00 3,400.00 2,460.00 2,900.00 3,100.00 2,200.00 2,000.00
Draft (ft): 4.79 3.17 3.08 3.75 3.50 3.42 3.83 5.00 5.00
Hull Draft - not keel (ft): 1.16 0.94 1.00 1.00 1.30 1.08 1.35 0.87 0.82
Headroom/Pop-Top (ft): Sitting Sitting 5.17/6.0 Sitting/6.08 5.0 4.5 5.08 4.42/?? 4.75/??
Hull Speed: 6.030 5.993 6.129 5.993 5.905 5.955 5.802 5.606 5.802
Capsize Screen: 1.961 2.104 2.174 2.019 2.373 2.199 2.060 2.463 2.516
Lbs/Inch Immersion (PPI): 537.560 481.013 588.986 533.810 546.749 544.516 494.969 492.769 522.489
Disp.-Length Ratio: 196.232 122.768 156.100 189.732 150.017 168.054 209.947 183.257 135.450
Sail Area-Disp. Ratio: 20.831 18.009 18.016 17.018 19.620 17.503 17.043 23.696 20.504
Motion Comfort Ratio: 16.211 11.568 13.398 15.800 10.920 13.113 15.482 10.592 9.421
Ballast-Disp. Ratio: 0.420 0.307 0.359 0.441 0.384 0.431 0.500 0.500 0.263
Beam-Length Ratio: 0.290 0.285 0.344 0.330 0.354 0.348 0.341 0.369 0.374
Screening Stability Value: 30.312 49.789 48.340 34.671 37.974 36.970 22.861 45.511 92.447
Angle of Vanishing Stability: 129.693 120.053 120.433 126.213 124.299 124.831 141.102 121.264 114.852
2/1000 Rule-Of-Thumb HP: 7.3 4.4 6.4 6.8 4.9 5.8 6.2 4.4 4.0
Minimum Suggested HP: 5.9 3.5 5.3 5.4 3.8 4.6 4.6 3.1 3.0

Figures may vary from boat to boat, and some are estimated or scaled from drawings. This chart represents best efforts to obtain accurate data, but there may be errors.
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For more information and to check my facts see:
http://www.geocities.com/grampianowners/g23.html
http://forums.delphiforums.com/Grampian
http://members.sailnet.com/email_lists/processing/index.cfm?list=grampian
http://members.attcanada.ca/~jamelia/grampian.htm
http://www.telusplanet.net/public/bgschu/webdoc2.htm
http://www.pyacht.com/Rig%20Data%20-%20G.htm
http://sailquest.com/market/models/
http://www.thunderbirdsailing.org/
http://www.shark24.org
http://www.canyacht.com/onlineExclusives.php
http://boatcrew.w3site.com


Last revised: 2003/01/10