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Page 1 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
VAGBNEWSLETTER
44
Dec 2007 Webpage - www.albinvega.co.uk
Letter from The Chairman.....
Hello Fellow Vega sailors and friends
2007 is nearly finished as far as my sailing programme goes, I can't pretend it's been a vintage
year , at least not for 'Jenavive' and me.
It started well, we launched quite early and the Easter break saw us exploring the waters of the
Swale, (the channel between Kent and the Isle of Sheppey for those unlucky souls who are not
East Coast sailors). We had four days of sunny weather with light to moderate winds and
another big plus for me was that my wife Veronica joined me on board for the first time for
several years a most relaxing and enjoyable mini cruise. One more mini cruise that was OK
and after that every time I went near the boat the wind would pick unto Force 6-7 or
alternately die away completely and sailing became a very frustrating business.
To add to my woes 'Jenavive's' exhaust system started to rot away leaking into the bilge. I
should really have replaced it when I fitted my Beta 7 years ago but at the time I thought I was
economising by making do. A new water trap, several metres of exhaust hose and a handful
of pipe clips later and I was once more underway. I was amazed how small the cockpit lockers
had become since I last did the job. The boat must be shrinking.
Just when you think things can't get worse my fuel tank in the keel developed a leak, luckily
Steve Birch had a replacement stainless steel tank which I have fitted in my Port Cockpit
locker complete with fuel tank gauge The first time I've had a fuel gauge in the 24 years I've
owned the boat, the original cork float device has given up before I bought the boat. One of
the few disappointments I've had with the original design.
The VAGB's year has been a bit of a disappointment as well. The excellent venue where we
held our Fitting Out Lunch and Laying Up Supper are no longer available to us due to change
of policy. They served us well for many years and we are finding it extremely difficult to
locate a suitable alternative at a reasonable price. Di Webb stepped heroically into the breach
Page 2 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
by hosting us in her home in the Spring but we cannot continue to impose on her, so if any one
has ideas on how to solve this problem please let me know.
In the Spring we set up a committee to organise the 2008 International Friendship Rally at the
Royal Harwich YC, an excellent and very welcoming club on the River Orwell near the road
bridge at Ipswich. Early indications are that we will have between 30 and 40 Vegas at the
rally. We want to encourage as many owners as possible to support the event, VAGB only
hosts the event every tenth year and the Rally is a chance for the more competitive to measure
themselves against the rest of the fleet and for others simply to enjoy the company of fellow
Vega sailors, swapping ideas and stories, meeting old friends and making new ones.
The organisation of the rally is making good progress but of course we need an indication of
final numbers as early a possible to complete our planning and costing.
You will find a booking form in this newsletter or on our website, please return to Steve Birch
who is doing his usual excellent job on the administration.
On the Sailing front Steve with the help and support of the Fareham Sailing Club organised a
rally on the Solent at the end of August. Unfortunately I couldn't attend myself as I was
wrestling with effects of foot and mouth on our local agricultural show, but that's another
story. By all accounts the Vega Rally was a most enjoyable and popular weekend.
Just to round off a vaguely disappointing sailing year I tried to get my boat ashore for the
winter the other week and at a time when all the press were talking with complete authority
about tidal surges, we had whatever the opposite is and had to give up with 20cms less water
than we needed. I'm going to try again at the end of the month.
Now to look forward to 2008, I have complete faith that 2008 will be the sort of sailing season
we will remember for years, hot sunny days, gentle to moderate winds from abaft the beam,
we will be needing more suntan oil than engine oil.
Well perhaps it won't be quite that good but I will settle for at least a couple of weeks of that
sort of weather in the Harwich area in late June to early July, but whatever the Gods give us I
am sure that we will have a tremendous rally at Harwich and I look forward to meeting as
many of you as possible there.
On behalf of the officers and committee of the Vega Association of Great Britain I wish you
and your families a Happy Christmas and good health and prosperity in the New Year.
Mike Freeman - Chairman VAGB
Page 3 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Mast Steps
I've got maststeps on my Vega (the previous owners put them on, so I can't say much about
installation). They're fantastic and make climbing up the mast a lot easier and more
comfortable if you have to work at the mast head for a long time.
We have folding steps up to the spreaders, and fixed steps from the spreaders up. There are
advantages to both. The fixed steps feel more secure as your foot is encased and can't slide off
sideways: great if it's at all swelly. But, they do tend to catch and hook halyards, which can be
annoying. The folding steps solve this problem, but don't offer such secure foot holds and you
have to unfold/fold them as you climb up and down the mast.
My one tip would be to put the topmost steps at the same height and in a position where the
top of the mast reaches just below shoulder level. With the steps any higher and you feel very
insecure, with nothing to wrap your arms around when at the top of the mast, but much lower
means that it's difficult to get on top of the mast head to do any work.
I hope this helps! Isla Reynolds Vega Beowulf
VAGB Emails
I've been meaning to get in touch with you for a while to thank you for your assistance in
selling my Vega. Having advertised it twice in PBO, once in Scotland's local Yachting Life
mag and having entered it in the Inverkip 2nd hand boat sale - all to no avail, the VAGB
web-site did its work and Lyra now has a proud new owner (I've given him your details). As I
say - thanks!
My 20 years as a Vega owner were well spent and Lyra probably looked better at the end of
the period than at the start. I'm now enjoying my Westerly Fulmar, which strikes me as a 'big
Vega' in a lot of ways and which I hope will see me through the next 20 years.
Good luck to VAGB and all Vega owners. Andy Scott. Vega “Lyra”
We've now finished working and are back in Wensleydale; currently house/farm-sitting for
my younger brother whilst he takes his family to France skiing, whereafter we fly back to
Greece, next Friday morning.
For the coming summer, rather than send lots of long rambling e-mails that perhaps not
everyone is interested in reading; we’ve set up a blog site, which you can log onto and see
what we’re getting up to. If you’re interested, log on to: -www sailblogs.com/member/
springfever
Page 4 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
There’s not a lot on there yet, but if it works we hope to post a diary and photos as the
summer cruise progresses; the biggest question at the moment is where/how far we actually
go.
I managed to get a new mainsheet slug made up by a local engineering company who were
doing some subcontract work for me on a project in Bradford; it looks very pretty but the test
will come when I try to fit it into the track; I hope it’s ok as I know from experience that filing
down stainless steel’s no fun at all
Have you seen that Jester Challenge website? Looks perfect for a Vega; I’ve no chance for
2008; put who knows, I might be back to the UK by 2010.
Bob & Lesley, Spring Fever.
Long Distance Single-Handed Tips
Your best friend for those long single-handed offshore passages (my longest was 12 days,
1300 miles) is a windvane. It is a must, and I dont think I could have made the 9 months
without it...it almost became a survival gear!!!
Another big must is sun protection: I really under-estimated it when I left with my Vega and
once in the tropic, I was terribly looking for shade...it is almost impossible to stay out in the
cockpit during day if you don't have a good dodger or bimini or those removable tarp with
battens.
I was on a limited budget so I did not have fridge nor any fancy equipment. The most
expensive gears were my liferaft, the windvane and my EPIRB...some really basic and
necessary equipment!
If your budget allows it and depending on the places/time you want to drop the anchor, I
suggest to install a watermaker...it allows you to bring less water with you and be lighter
therefore faster...and you have more freedom and can stay longer in those remote places.
I had also 2 x 80w solar panel, which allowed me to never run the engine to recharge the
batteries (2 starting in the bilge and 2 houses in the STBD lazarette.
One more thing, Vegas are really strong boats: I took two knock downs and hit 3 time corals
head and came out of this without a glitch...else than some bottom paint left in 3 feet of water
in DR, San Blas and Costa Rica...
Good luck with your trip....this cruising life is so great that I'm doing all I can to get back to it
as quickly as posssible...
If you decide to go in El Salvador, there is a great place to stop (Bahia Del Sol)...and once you
've pass the sandbar, about 1/2 mile inside the estuary, you will see Vesper, my Vega, waiting
for me to take her on new adventures (or for a buyer to take her...)
Patrick Garceau
Page 5 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Mr Vane – 3ew kid on the block…
This is a low cost alternative to the wind self-steering
systems that are on the market today. With the demise of
the Navik this may be the successor for the Vega.
For sailors that feel the need for a non electric way to
keep their boat on course, a new self steering system has
been developed: Mr. Vane. This windvane self-steering
works on the servo pendulum principle as do most
windvane systems such as the Aries, Monitor, Pacific
and Navik (Double-Servo)
.
The windvane
and the pendulum rudder.
The windvane rotates around a horizontal axis, usually
tilted by about 20 degrees. Mr Vane controls the rota-
tion of the pendulum rudder around the vertical axis.
The pendulum rudder can rotate around two axis:
1. Vertical, along the boats mast.
2. horizontally so it can swing from side to side like
a pendulum.
Any change in wind direction causes the windvane to swing, this causes the pendulum rudder
to rotate and the water flowing past the pendulum rudder will cause it to swing sideways
resulting in a lot of force and movement. This force and movement is transferred to the boats
main rudder through steering control lines attached to the tiller via associated blocks.
The sideways movement of the pendulum rudder causes the steering control lines to ensure
the main rudder steers the boat back to the desired course to wind. Remember a windvane
self-steering system will only hold a “course to wind” and not an exact magnetic course.
Small yacht considerations when adding a windvane.
Adding weight to the back of a boat influences the boats behaviour whilst underway,
therefore is best to keep the weight of a self-steering system to a minimum whilst still
retaining strength and structural integrity. Due to the clever design and the use of modern
plastics, Mr. Vane is by far the lightest system on the market today. Weighing in at less then
Page 6 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
8 kgs (basic system) it is almost half the weight of the main competition!
Quite often smaller boats are fitted with an outboard engine. Until now it was only possible to
combine windvane steering with an outboard engine if the engine was mounted off centre, as
a servo pendulum system gives the best performance if it is mounted in the centre of the boat.
Mr. Vane has the option to mount its vane mast off centre and mount the system underneath
the outboard bracket and in front of the engine.
Mr. Vane is the first commercial windvane system that has been fitted with a USD (Up Side
Down) windvane. This type of windvane was
developed by Jan Alkema who was awarded
the John Hogg Prize of the Amateur Yacht
Research Society for this achievement. The
USD vane makes a significant contribution to
the reduction of oversteering on running
courses which has always been a problem
with self-steering systems.
Owners of small yachts usually have smaller
budgets. This is why Mr. Vane has been
designed for self assembly. This is limited to
a bit of painting, drilling and bolting parts
together. There is no welding or bonding
required. Self assembly makes for a very
affordable system at just under £650.00 ster-
ling, VAT included.
Page 7 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Why the Vega ?
A few years back...probably three now, I saw the video "Berserk" on our local RSN network
(Resort Sports Network) most of you are familiar with the film, but I remember the beginning
as they spoke about taking a fiberglass, 27' sloop to the Antarctic! My first thought was..."you
poor fools, you are going to die"! After the program ended, I was intrigued by the little
"bombproof" vessel, featured in the film, that had taken these three sailors around Cape
Horn...to the Arctic and then back to South America; so I researched the Vega, and was
throughly impressed by her design, handling and safety factors.
With three children...a limited amount of cash, but a huge desire to do day sails, overnights
and extended cruises in the future, we needed a boat that was structurally sound, spacious
enough to sleep four, could be upgraded easily, and it needed to be a somewhat forgiving craft
as I am the only experienced sailor on board. The Vega kept coming up on our criteria list!
Though she lacks the traditional lines that we have leaned towards in the past, we couldn't be
happier with how she has handled herself in 18-20 knots winds, and she moves rather nicely
in 10-12. Her motion is very comfortable for a smaller boat, and the high combings are great
with young children (always nice keeping the kids "in" the boat!),
I still have a lot to learn about the Vegas, and there are some changes that I suppose we will
make in the future, but for now, she seems to fit the bill nicely. Though she may not be the
prettiest boat in the bay, the bottom line with this craft is that we feel very safe aboard her, and
know that in a blow, she will do fine and so will her crew, and to us...that is worth all the
money in the world.
Chris Graham
Paul and I were land-locked sailors in St. Louis, Missouri, doing most of our sailing on the
Mississippi and on a small lake in central Illinois. We trailered our Venture 17 to the North
Channel of Lake Huron, cruising in it for a week in pristine waters. Subsequently, we were
bored with sailing around in a circle and then back to the dock slip. We sold our St. Louis
home and moved to Maine with the idea of buying a vessel capable of going to sea. Frankly,
we had our hearts set on a traditional, wood craft. The wooden boat broker in Camden, Maine,
after hearing how much we had to spend and what our intentions were, recommended the
Vega. We looked at several before buying Double Fantasy (we renamed her) in Mattapoisset,
MA. She had already been from Maine to the Bahamas and back (all the chart kits came with
the boat!), and so it seemed fitting for us to make that trip as well. Now that we have owned
her for 23 years, I think she is holding up better than we are! Melanie and Paul
HalvachsV1826 Double Fantasy
I went on a 2 year search to find an affordable seaworthy craft for possible cruising. I first read
about the vega in John Vigors book "20 small sailboats to take you anywhere". When "freya"
Page 8 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
came up for sale in the local craigslist, we went and looked, liked what we saw, and bought
her for $5000.Then we took her out for a repower, bottom paint, and many upgrades,
including rudder total rebuild, rebuilt yanmar, and mast support beam. Put her in the water 5
weeks ago. She sails nicely. Does not point too well in light air, but when the wind gets up
over 15 knots, she is one tough little boat. Took her out under the Golden Gate Saturday, and
she just wanted to keep on going, but we had to turn around and get back to the real world.
We had her up over 7 knots later that afternoon crossing behind Alcatraz. Renamed her
"Kemanalea". Mixture of Indonesian and Tahitian. Anyone up for a San Francisco Bay Vega
get together????? Larry Bissel V1493
The number of reasons people give for buying a Vega are almost as numerous as the number
of Vega owners. My reason is probably quite a common one though rarely admitted. Basically
my wife liked the look of her and felt that the accommodation was better laid out than the
other similar sized boats we looked at.
After a long boatless period, in late 1982, we came to the conclusion that we could afford to
buy a boat. We were both working and in addition I was getting an annual bonus which would
sort out the mooring fees. Like most of my plans this one soon fell apart after I purchased the
boat, as the annual bonus dried up, but by that time we had 'Jenavive'
Before buying 'Jenavive' we had spent time wandering through boatyards from Brightlingsea
to Poole. All the boats were ashore and we had no idea of their relative merits as sailing
cruisers. After several weekends of this haphazard procedure we arrived at a yard on the
Hamble where 'Jenavive' was ashore for the winter. We were actually there to see another
boat of similar length. This boat squeezed 6 berths into the same length as a Vega by an
ingenious system of folding surfaces, trotter boxes etc. my wife took one look at this
ingenious three dimensional jig saw puzzle and said this may be OK for a caravan but it will
never work at sea.
On the way out we noticed another boat for sale, on enquiry the broker said it was an Albin
Vega. I'd never heard of them but my wife seemed keen to explore further so we clambered
aboard. One look at the sensible interior layout, good size berths, grabrails, reasonable
headroom, galley by the companion way, (these were the days before the 'Age of Enlighten-
ment' and my wife did virtually all the cooking) convinced my wife that this was the boat for
us. I didn't know anything about a Vega's sailing qualities but she somehow looked right,
strong and sensible.
My wife as always destroyed any bargaining power I might have had by being extremely
enthusiastic about the boat while the broker was still on board. A short desultory haggle took
place with the owner and our offer was accepted subject to Survey. I wish I could say that the
survey was worth the expense, several minor problems were highlighted but because the boat
was out of the water with no batteries on board so many things were uncheckable, like sails
and rigging, engine and electrical systems, VHF, Echo Sounder, Autohelm etc. I had also
forgotten to check what mooring ropes and fenders came with the boat
After acquisition I discovered that the sails and, rigging and engine were OK but the VHF and
Autohelm never worked again and the Echo Sounder was an indifferent performer. The
mooring lines were minimal and the fenders zero as the ex-owner was taking them to his new
boat. Also we had no crockery pans etc. We had neither sought nor been offered a full
inventory. Another lesson learnt.
Page 9 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
By the time we fully realised the extent of our failure to check things through we were in love
'Jenavive' irrespective of her faults and virtues. We were lucky, by sheer beginners luck we
had bought a good strong sea boat with many fellow Vega owners able and willing to give
advice and help on putting things shipshape. She has carried us many many hundreds even
thousands of miles over the last twenty four years and I don't think I have ever regretted our
purchase. She has taken us from the west of coast of Sweden to Brittany and the Channel
Islands plus extensive exploration of the UK home waters. I have always been impressed with
the standard of the basic fittings on the boat which have stood up remarkably well to fairly
hard use.
If only I could keep her a little smarter but the Medway mud gets everywhere. At least that's
my excuse. Mike Freeman Vega “Jenavive” V1768
I worked as a paid hand on boats and I raced a Soling and sailed lots of small cruising boats,
big and small. Some boats are tough and hard to break. Lots of boats are flimsy and easy to
break, in the hull and rig and in the accommodation (grab rails, etc.) I like Journeyman
because she is a tough little boat, hard to break.
As a close second reason, Vegas are so carefully designed, in the hull and rig, sure, but also in
all the little details of the accommodation. Finally, the boats have a turn of speed, by which I
don't mean they are quick little things, but that given careful sailing they can make a good
days run.
3icholas Walsh Vega “Journeyman”
I bought my Vega (#257) in 1977. In the meantime I put over 40,000 miles under her keel. I
often had the opportunity to buy a (larger) boat, but my Vega suits me just fine. I sail about
95% single handed. I went through a few set of sails (main + Jib), I strengthened the standing
rigging, I put a new bottom pain on ever year or year and a half, I painted the hull twice,
changed all through hulls, have a new engine (Yanmar 10 hp diesel), and she has kept me
young and happy!
Wilhelm, V-257
The Vega is a great choice for a first boat. The Vega is my third boat and I continue to be
surprised by every aspect of this boat. As you will soon hear from others in this list, she is an
extremely sea kindly vessel, her construction is bulletproof and is typical of the high quality
that is synonymous with Scandinavian sailboats. The Vega is an extremely well behaved and
forgiving vessel and can handle some of the most severe conditions that mother nature can
dish out. These boats have sailed around the world, and crossed every ocean. With the Vega,
you can't go wrong really.
That being said, there are a few things you need to know about the Vega, and I understand
your hesitation to hoist the sails right away, but the most impressive aspects of this little craft
Page 10 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
are best realized with the canvas up. I would encourage you to try motor sailing a few times,
even with a reef in the main, just to get a feel for what she can do. Try heading for a little open
water on a calm day and just try the sails up and feel what the boat can do...
The Vega handles remarkably well in tight spaces for a full keeled boat (something that I was
concerned about after owning two fin keelers!). She can be a bit stubborn in reverse however
(as the prop is located behind the rudder), and it takes some time to get a feel for the speed
needed to generate steerage (I am still getting used to it I must admit). A little practice will
have you zipping in and out of your space in no time I am sure.
There are so many people on this site that are far more experienced and knowledgeable about
this boat than I and I am sure you will hear from several of them. Also, the input that you will
receive from this Vega group, should you ever have any questions about the boat, can usually
be answered ( I have yet to stump this list and lord knows I have tried!). You will find a great
deal of help and support from Vega owners as we seem to be a pretty passionate group!
Last point is that there were over 3500 of these boats produced which means there are parts to
be found, upgrades specific to the Vega, written materials, etc... that you simply will never
find with those models that only saw a small production run. Even more impressing is that
most of these boats are still sailing strong throughout Europe and North America. We have
been enchanted by this little boat and we look forward to the years ahead as we continue to
upgrade and learn more about what this sturdy and dependable craft can do.
Chris & Kerin Graham Vega "Ready About" V1865
You won't do much better than a Vega for your first or your fifth boat. I tend to agree with
Steve that you're better off with an inboard versus an outboard but if the Vega you're looking
at has the appendage off the transom, so be it. She'll treat you kindly (with or without the
motorchugging away) and not get you into any trouble. As well, if you enjoyputtering about
on boats, you can take the interior apart with ascrewdriver and a 8 to 10mm wrench for
purposes ofupgrading/refurbishing/etc -they're bulletproof, well designed and, toquote my
less than enthusiastic sailor wife, 'a real boat'.
If by chance the one you're looking at is the Jim Allen, Vela listing in Oak Bay, all I can say
is trust him and tell him what you want to use the boat for. He'll treat you well and steer you
in the right direction - even if it's not one of his boats or a Vega. Jim helped me buy my V2947
in Seattle, captained her with me when sailing home to Powell River (in November's 25+ knot
winds) and it wasn't his listing. He knows Vega's, has owned and renovated several, and has
sold the venerable Vega circumnavigator, Lorna Doone, at least twice over the years.
Good luck, give a call if you want to talk about Vega's or Vela, I'm in the P. River phone
book.
Geoff Warren
Page 11 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
2007 Round the Island Race
It was a beautiful morning providing you did not object to getting up at 3.00am. From the
Hythe Sailing Club on Southampton water I looked out across the water as we loaded our
personal gear aboard Blue Bar. By 4.00am there was a steady procession of yachts making
their way from the marinas upriver from the Test and the Itchen towards Cowes. Dull shapes
with navigation lights glinting across the water.
4.30am let go the shore lines and joined the stream going south. We had decided to start at the
Northern end of the line close to the west bramble buoy. A melee of yachts tacked back and
forth, no sign as yet of Sea Star, our sole rival for Vega line honours.
6.20am the fleet ahead of us get the gun and surge forward. We ease the sheets and make for
the line. It is bedlam we try and maintain a course on starboard tack. Slowly the minutes tick
by, in vain we try and see the onshore marks, we do not want to be swept over and incur a
penalty. In the distance a rumble of a gun and the yachts surge forward. Harden the sheets and
we are off. Tack inshore for clear water then about to take advantage of the stronger mid
stream tide.
On the second tack we see a Vega slip by astern, Sea Star and that is the last we saw of her,
later we learn that she had retired. 3 hours to the Needles we do not flirt with the short cut by
the wreck, two yachts have already hit it today. To our right a dismasted catamaran is under
tow to Lymington.
Spinnaker up, a good set but the wind has fallen very light, no more than 4 to 5 knots. We
ease inshore as there is still tide against; quite a few boats follow us in although there is a
large pod heading out across Freshwater bay. The wind freshened, now 12 to 15 knots, Blue
Bar is on a roll and she is moving easily past yachts that had the drop on us while beating
down to the Needles. 8.9 knots is the best recorded on the run past St Catherine’s down
towards Bembridge. We are looking as though we are going to set a really good time. The
Folk boats around us are having a terrific race, several thrashing along together. Ahead of us
is Grimalkin, the yacht that eventually survived the horrendous weather of the1979 Fastnet
race with my friend Nick Ward on board who was left for dead by the rest of the crew. ‘See
his book, Left For Dead’ which was published this year.
We drop the spinnaker after an untimely gybe and Grimalkin slowly disappears in the rising
wind. Even without the spinny we were still touching 8 knots goose winged though with the
wind rising to 22 knots I reckon that if we had held on with the spinny Blue Bar would have
been surfing along.
At Bembridge we turned the corner and back on the wind. Still making excellent progress to
Ryde. Here the tide was now running strongly against us and we had 18 knots of headwind.
We tacked inshore but so many yachts were trying the same tactic that every time you were on
port you were constantly having to give water to other yachts. And several times you had to
avoid yachts on port tack that refused to yield. Eventually our starboard pulley block shattered
Page 12 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
under the constant strain which made our windward progress even more irksome. We put in
longer tacks even though this put us out in a stronger tidal stream. It was very frustrating to
keep tacking like that and find you were barely creeping forward.In fact it took 2.5 hours to
cover the last 5 miles to the line. At the time I was not best pleased with our time of 10 hrs
41mins 57 secs. But upon reflection put up against other Vega winners it compares quite well.
I suppose we have all flown along the back of the island And then had the problem of carrying
the time gained home. But why oh why did the wind veer to a westerly. Sailing can be a bitch
sometimes.So with sunburnt faces and sore bottoms we joined the 150 boats at the declaration
barge to take delivery of the goodie bag. In there along with a rather smart tool kit was a tube
of sun block.
Till next year, and a few more Vega’s please The Trim family Vega Blue Bar
A YACHTI3G ADVE3TURE I3 HOLLA3D (Part I)
One day early in the year 2005 my son Roger Eduardo announced his intention to buy a
sailing boat, in other words a yacht, with mast, boom, sheets and sails, the lot! How was he to
find the time to visit the marinas and inspect potential candidates when his job was quite
time-consuming to say the least? Well, after all, we are in the computer age and what better
way to find a suitable candidate yacht than the Internet, sitting at one’s working desk, during
Company time! Abracadabra, the deed was done and in less time than it takes to tack across
the Solent my son had selected a yacht, contracted an inspection, received the Inspector’s
report and paid for the merchandise. Where was this spectacular purchase located? Not on the
Hampshire coast, mecca of the yachting fraternity, not in Devon, favourite haunt of those
seeking a more peaceful anchorage, nor even in East Anglia, whose shallow waters attract
many would-be sailors. It turned out that the object of my son’s desire was anchored in the
harbour of the small town of Medemblik in north Holland, some distance across the North
Sea. Of course, the vessel had to be sailed to blighty and what better person to help in this
activity than my son’s land-lubber father! By mid May a crew of four had been formed. My
son, with sailing courses in the Thames basin and estuary was to be captain, Jasmeet, his
fiancée was first mate, Paul, a seasoned yachtsman, was second mate (and indubitably general
consultant) and I, with barely one week’s yachting experience was to be the jack-of-all-trades.
We had arranged to travel from London to Amsterdam overnight by National Express coach
at the beginning of June, but had an inauspicious start to our enterprise, as the four of us
turned up at Victoria Coach Station with twelve pieces of luggage, including an inflatable
dingy, two anchors, twenty metres of chain, four sets of all-weather clothing, an emergency
kit, four five gallon jerry-cans for fuel plus all the other necessities for a green crew to spend
possibly several days in an unfamiliar vessel on the high seas. After some argument at
Check-In about the amount of baggage, we were finally allowed to lug all the gear to the
coach which finally left about two hours late. Dover ferry-port is Europe’s busiest for Channel
crossing and operated with its usual efficiency. An electronic billboard at the terminal showed
the previous day’s throughput to be 42,011 passengers, 7,679 cars, 357 buses and 7,123
lorries! We were aboard and sailed just before 1am. More time was lost in changing buses in
Ghent (accompanied by a long, complicated and unnecessary explanation of the need for our
original bus to be driven to south Germany!). We finally arrived at the Eurolines Amstel
Page 13 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Station bus terminal in Amsterdam at 8am, some two and a half hours behind schedule. A taxi
took us and luggage (barely!) across town to the main railway station from where we
entrained for Hoorn. By this time we were tiring of lugging, hoisting and dragging our
baggage across streets, up stairs, along platforms, and onto double-deck railway carriages and
on arrival finally collapsed for breakfast in the very clean and inviting railway platform
cafeteria on Hoorn station. Afterwards, with our spirits revived and energy levels back to
normal, we transferred our baggage to the nearby bus-station ready for the twenty minute
journey. to Medemblik. During the half-hour wait for the bus, Roger Eduardo and Jasmeet
shopped for food and found a kiosk selling raw herring, a great delicacy in northern Europe,
returning to the bus-station quite contented just as the bus arrived. The short trip to
Medemblik was enlivened when all our baggage, piled on a platform in the centre of the bus,
scattered across the floor, as the driver took a right-angle bend in the road in a somewhat
formula one style. The bus dropped us off about half a kilometre from the anchorage. Jasmeet
and I stayed with the baggage piled at the road-side, whilst Roger Eduardo and Paul walked to
the harbour in an effort to find transport for our unwieldy load. A vehicle was finally found
and just before noon we were at last in the office of the broker through whom the yacht had
been purchased.
The vessel, a Swedish-made 7 metre ASTRA, around thirty years old, was tied up alongside
several other yachts at the broker’s marina in Medemblik’s upper harbour. It was a smart-
looking boat, painted in dark blue and cream and christened “GRACE”. After inspection it
was obvious that the recommendations made on the Inspector’s report had not been satisfac-
torily carried out and the vessel was therefore not ready to sail. The two main jobs to be done
were to ensure that the depth-finder was operable and to reliably seal the forward hatch cover
and the engine cover under the duck board in the cockpit. After some discussion on Roger
Eduardo’s part the broker agreed to carry out these jobs while the four of us walked around
the small very attractive town of Medemblik and ate a succulent lunch at the broker’s
expense.
The “Grace” was finally ready at just after five in the afternoon. Two constraints forced us to
leave immediately. The first was that the lock and the bridge connecting the upper harbour to
the main harbour closed at 6pm and the second, more important, was that the tide was about
to turn and we had to reach Den Helder on the North Sea coast before low tide. We left the
small harbour under power from the two-cylinder in-board marine engine, cleared the lock
and the raised bridge before pulling in to the fuel station in the main harbour. It was closed,
even though it was not yet 6pm. What had happened to the Dutch punctuality? The only
recourse was to walk to the town’s only petrol station and fill up the jerry cans we had so
fortuitously taken along with us. It was almost in the evening by the time we finally cleared
the outer harbour and raised the sails for the first time. What a wonderful feeling! The weather
was ideal, blue skies and a warm force four breeze. I was invited to steer my son’s yacht while
he and Jasmeet trimmed the sails and Paul worked on the tide tables. We were sailing across
the north-west corner of the IJSSELMEER ( the old Zuiderzee), the huge inland sea reclaimed
by the Dutch from the North Sea. Navigation was easy – all we had to do was follow the coast
on the port side of the vessel until reaching the main lock at Den Oever. Roger Eduardo’s
yacht was steered not by a wheel but by a wooden rudder which was designed by some idiot
in such a way that to steer to the left the rudder had to be pulled over to the right and
Page 14 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
vice-versa. That was fine as long as one was concentrating on the job in hand or had already
fifty years of experience so that it had become second nature! Well, we were sailing along
about six knots and I was enjoying the ride and the scenery when a gust of wind pushed us
over to the right and I reacted automatically as any driver would by turning the rudder to the
right! Imagine my surprise (and the shouts of my sailing companions) when the boat keeled
over violently to the right, the sails started flapping (it’s called “luffing”, I’m told !) and we
began to sail in circles. I believe that we actually sailed about three complete circles before I
managed to learn how to correct the situation. After that, as they say, it was plain sailing. We
arrived at Den Oever around dusk at 10 pm the red lights of the lock, visible for about an hour
beforehand, serving as an excellent signal for our landfall. There was a very important task to
perform before entering the lock. We had discovered that Roger Eduardo’s boat had no
cooking utensils aboard and so we sailed into the small marina at Den Oever in an attempt to
beg, borrow, buy or steal at least a pot or pan in which we could brew coffee or tea during the
journey. After some time ashore Roger E. returned, having somehow managed to procure a
small metal saucepan. In the event, this item became one of the boat’s most important
possessions!
Around 11pm we were ready to move into the lock and were so thrilled that we motored in
before waiting for the lights to turn green, receiving a reprimand from the lock keeper. We
were the only vessel in this rather large lock and the currents within started to turn the boat
around. Roger Eduardo’s simultaneous efforts at the tiller and the engine control to try and
keep the vessel pointing towards the lock exit resulted in a series of circular movements
within the lock, which the lock-keeper must have looked down on with amazement! It was as
though the small boat was waltzing through the lock, which was about twice as wide as the
yacht’s length and hence at no time were we in dire danger of hitting the side or the lock gate.
Finally the vessel straightened up, the lock gates opened and we motored out into the
Amsteldiep, on the southern end of the Waddenzee. By this time it was quite dark but the
experts Roger E. and Paul had plotted our course, which zigzagged across the Amsteldiep, a
large area of sand.banks. The course was indicated by a series of red and green buoys which
at night looked like a set of fairy lights. It was a very confusing situation complicated by the
fact that the tide was rapidly receding, our compass had no illumination and the depth-finder
did not work. It was virtually impossible to avoid the sand-banks and sure enough around
11.30 pm our boat ran aground some thirty metres from the nearest green buoy. We were well
and truly stuck in the mud! As the tide went out the vessel began to keel over until it stabilized
at around 30° from the vertical. The four of us spent a very uncomfortable night trying to
sleep in the confines of the small cabin either on the floor or on the sofa.
Thank God for the north European tides and the short summer nights! By 5am it was light and
we were back on an even keel, motoring back to the lock through which we had passed only
six hours earlier. We didn’t catch the thoughts of the lock-keeper but they must have been
interesting! In view of the faulty depth-finder and the probable lack of sufficient fuel in an
emergency it was decided to return to Medemblik leaving the boat there for the offensive item
to be properly repaired and to pick up the vessel at a later date. The trip back across the inland
sea was uneventful, sailing conditions being almost ideal, although quite cloudy. We arrived
at the outer harbour at 8am, too early for the lock and bridge to be operating and spent an hour
walking round the Sunday-morning deserted town. An hour later we cleared the lock and the
Page 15 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
bridge, tied up at the jetty we had left less than twenty four hours previously and tidied up the
boat, locking it up and leaving a note to explain the reason for the return.As will happen with
most expeditions, there was a Plan B! This consisted in having bought return tickets
Amsterdam to London valid for the Sunday night. We returned to the Dutch capital early
Sunday afternoon, left our luggage in the train station lockers and spent some three hours
wandering round the old town centre, drinking beers in the “Grasshopper” pub and in the
“Bulldog” bar, looked at the ladies selling their wares in the windows and visited the very
interesting and impacting Press Photo 2005 exhibition, after which we travelled on trams to
the bus terminal. The Eurolines bus left on time to catch the 1.30am ferry from Calais. On the
cross-channel ferry I enjoyed a hearty English breakfast at 2.30 am, swilled down with a pint
of Guinness. I believe that I deserved it! There was one final event to this somewhat eventful
weekend. On our arrival at Dover on a very wet morning the whole bus-load of passengers
and luggage were subjected to very thorough inspections and interviews before being allowed
to continue about an hour later. We never discovered the reason for the exhaustive checks nor
whether the customs and excise people found whatever they were looking for.
At the end of this interesting weekend we finally arrived at Victoria Coach Station at around
5am and had to wait an hour or so until the commuter train services began. It had been a very
useful and entertaining experience, some of which would be repeated two weeks later.
Roger Eduardo’s Father Vega “Ocean Sunrise”
Hi Steve,
Almost 10.00am, I left Newtown creek about 15mins ago. Excellent meal in the pub last
night. Wind a gentle 6 knots and I am heading east. The auto helm is on, the mackerel board
is trailing astern and the sun is trying to peep through. Great sailing. I shall pop into Warsash
club for lunch. Then a bit of bass fishing before I head home tonight.
'Had to stop for a moment', first mackerel of the day has just come aboard. Must sign off as I
have a bit of filleting to do.
All the best, John.Trim - Vega “Bluebar” V1210
Vega velocity-part 2When Steve asked me to produce an article on tuning a Vega to get the best performance I
told him I really could no better than refer to the excellent article by Roger Evill ‘Vega
velocity’ which appeared in the December 1987 VAGB newsletter. This was produced after
his win in the ‘Round the Island race’ in 1987. And so 20 years on ‘Blue Bar’ has won her
class in the same race and is also very successful in club racing around the buoys. A well set
up ‘Vega’ is a pleasure to sail even if you never enter a race. If you do take to racing you will
find that the ‘Vega’ is often more than a match for many modern boats. Now I am no
technical expert, most of my knowledge has been gained by watching, listening and learning.
Keep a clean hull and set the rigging up correctly and you will enjoy sailing your ‘Vega’ even
more.
Page 16 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
The major points to consider with reference to boat speed are:-
1. A clean fair hull.
2. Boat weight and position of movable weight.
3. A well cut suit of sails produced by a reputable sail maker.
4. The rig correctly setup and tensioned.
5. Sailing expertise.
A clean fair hull. Remove all old anti foul paint back to the gel coat. Fill any dings or
scratches. Rub back with wet and dry to a smooth finish. Use a good quality self eroding anti
foul paint. This is applied the day before launching. This year we used Micron 66. Not only
has it stopped weed growth but it is also a barrier against sludge build up while the yacht is on
the mooring. So far it doe’s everything it say’s on the tin.
Boat weight and position of movable weight. The object is to make the boat as light as
possible within the legal racing limits. All loose essential heavy items, ‘beer’, should be
placed in the main saloon between the berths. In ‘Blue Bar’ we have fitted a Beta engine.
This represents a considerable weight saving when compared to the old Albin petrol engine
and the Volvo diesel. To balance the boat we never fill the forward water tank. The main
anchor and all the heavy chain remain ashore whilst racing. Don’t forget to tape up the hawse
pipe entrance with rubber weld to prevent any ingress of water. As our Vega is a series 1 the
fuel tank is in the less than ideal position up under the starboard side deck. When racing we
carry only enough fuel for emergencies but the ideal would be to place the tank under the
cockpit sole. In fact all unnecessary weight is removed, it is amazing how heavy half a dozen
mooring lines can weigh. With the boat on the water check that she is floating level and not
high on her marks. There is a dimple on the bow and the transom; these should not be above
the water line.
Sails. This is easy; my advice is to buy the best you can afford from a reputable sail maker. If
possible select a local company, easier if you need repairs.
Setting and tensioning the rig. For a lot of people this is a dark art. It must be the case
because during the spring months prior to launch day I must set up two dozen boats for club
members. Almost every yacht rig I have worked on for a member has been too slack. Mind
you some of the rigging was so stretched that I have run out of adjustment on the bottle screws
before the rig was any where near the correct tension. ‘Time to make a start I think’.
Tuning the Rigging. Start with all the shrouds and stays slack. Remove the boom. Hand
tighten the cap shroud bottle screws. By hand tight I mean the tightest you can get a well oiled
bottle screw with your bare hands. Hoist a wire to the masthead with the mainsail halliard.
Measure from the bow to a point opposite the mast on each side of the boat. This should be
somewhere close to the cap shroud chain plate. Make a mark. If you used the chain plate
fitting, it could be out of line with the other side.
Page 17 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Take the wire to the mark on the side coming and mark where it touches. Now swing the wire
across the boat and check if the mark on the wire corresponds with the mark on the coming on
the other side. If you are really lucky it may. More often than not it will mean taking a turn off
one side and taking a turn down on the other until you attain status quo. What we are trying to
achieve is the mast plumb athwartships. Do not tighten the cap shrouds at this point.
3ext job, the mast rake. Remove the wire from the mainsheet halliard and attach a heavy
weight, ‘at least 10lbs,’ this must swing free, just clear of the deck. Adjust the forestay and
backstay until the weight hangs clear aft of the gooseneck on the mast by 4”. Now that the
mast is properly straight athwartships and properly raked, it’s time to start the controlled
bends. First of all we tension the forward lowers. You will now need your pliers and metal
spike. We are going to put some pre bend in the mast. Once again we shall use the mainsail
halliard as a guide. Tie the halliard to a point aft of the mast with the halliard as close to the
sail track as possible. Now a turn at a time we tension both the forward lowers until the mast
is flexing forwards at the crosstrees about 4” or the width of the mast. You can now judge the
gap by standing to one side of the yacht and noting the distance from the halliard to the rear of
the mast at the crosstrees.
Now you can tighten the aft lowers but not so much that it takes out the pre bend in the mast.
The aft lowers are never as tight as the forward lowers. The forestay and backstay can now be
tensioned using equal turns on each. These should be very tight. Last of all the cap shrouds are
tensioned, once again equal turns until they are very tight. A rig tensioner is a very useful bit
of kit to get the tension just right? Once you are happy tighten the lock nuts and your boat
should perform much better. To further aid windward performance fit a backstay tensioner.
This helps flatten the mainsail and prevents the genoa falling off to windward.
Once afloat set all plain sail and check for weather/lee helm. This is best done with around 15
knots of wind. In these conditions ‘Blue Bar’ sails with just a touch of weather helm. If you
experience excessive weather or lee helm you must adjust the mast rake. Let it go forward to
reduce weather helm or take it aft to reduce lee helm. Always do these adjustments in
increments until you are satisfied you have attained the right balance.
Sailing expertise. Books have been written on this subject but I feel if you are serious about
racing you should sail with an accomplished yachtsman who knows their stuff. How to
manage a spinnaker, where to set the jib pulley blocks, why does the skipper yell when the
crew upset the trim of the boat in light winds and then what do those tell-tails do. The best
place to learn all this is beginning with a racing dinghy. Failing that a good book, then listen
and learn.
All the best.
John Trim Vega “Blue Bar V1210 (Hythe - Southampton)
Page 18 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Rudder Experiences
Sorry to hear about your mishap as I've been there and done that. Ran aground one night with
a fellow nicknamed Bear as crew and on the tiller. "Don't worry Walt, I'll get us off." as he
quickly worked the tiller back and forth with the rudder firmly planted in the muddy clay we
had run into.
I hauled out to fix the problem but it could be done in the water with help from a diver. You
have to remove the rudder assembly to do so. Steps are as follows::-
Remove the tiller with a couple of wrenchs.
Remove the tiller bracket with an allen wrench. You will also need a punch and a hammer to
drive out the tapered pin that is also in the bracket. Sorry, I can't remember which way the
taper goes.If it doesn't come out from one direction try the other.
After you have the bracket off you can drop the rudder by removing the bronze shoe from the
rear of the keel. Two bolts hold it on and if I recall it takes a 14mm socket.
Once you have the rudder off you have to split it. The blade is made from two halves that are
glassed together. Lyric is a Series 1 so what I have to say may not be true for later Vegas.I was
able to split mine by cutting the forward edge along the shaft. Then you can pry it apart. I
found mine to have a couple of surprisingly small tabs welded to the rudder. When these
fracutured the blade had nothing to bear on. On Lyric the shaft went about half way down the
blade. There was another short piece of stainless shaft at the foot for the shoe to attach to. I
think it's about 25mm.
The blade was filled filled with a resin and sand mix. I had to dig this out in order to put the
blade back together after the shaft had been re-welded with larger tabs.
Putting it back together wasn't difficult. I used epoxy thickened with cabosil to make a paste
and put the two halves around the shaft. I drilled a dozen or so holes through the blade and
through bolted it with 1/4 inch machine screw. After the epoxy had cured I removed the
screws and filled the holes with more epoxy.I put several layers of fibreglas tape over the
seam in front of the rudder. No problems since then and the repair was in the early 90s.
As an aside, I also drilled a 1/2" hole about 2/3 rds of the way down an inch or so in from the
trailing edge. If the tab should ever break again I can go over the side and put a 3/8" piece of
line through the hole and with overhand knots snugged up to the blade, steer it with the line.
Good luck with the repair. Walt S/V Lyric #120
Page 19 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
Kenneth Graham
V1758 Diamentia
Glasgow
Scotland
Graham Waite
V1404 Wild Oats
Hull
Humberside
Paul Evans
V1038 Sheba Wren
Walton on Naze
East Coast
Peter Squires
V621 Langtan
Emsworth
The Solent
Clare Coutts
V3011 Dumbea
Exeter
South Coast
Alan Haynes
V1731 Zora
Milford Haven
South Wales
David Wisdish
V3283 Ponteneur
Holy Loch
Scotland
Derek Reynolds
V3265 Folie a Deux
Portsmouth
The Solent
Noel Moore
V**** Torvega
Millport
Scotland
Isla Reynolds
V2977 Beowulf
Wareham
South Coast
Stan Snape
.V1362 Moon Bow
Chichester
The Solent
3ew Members since March 2007
IFR 2008
R.H.Y.C River Orwell
The IFR 2008 will be held at The Royal Harwich Yacht Club on the River Orwell adjacent to
Woolverstone Marina. This is an ideal location for both UK and our European cousins! We
have already made a few visits to the club and found the hospitality and keeness very
refreshing
A Preliminary Form has been sent to all members who have shown an interest. If you have not
received your’s then please contact me asap or download the form from the Association
Website www.albinvega.co.uk/ifr2008.html
Support your Association, if you are local to the East Coast and can help in any way then
please let us know. [email protected] or [email protected]
Page 20 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
IFR 2008 Preliminary Booking Form
I wish to attend the 2008 International Friendship Rally at The RoyalHarwich Yacht Club.
I will attend with my Vega Name: __________________Number: __________________
My Name ___________________Address Line 1 ___________________Address Line 2 ___________________Address Line 3 ___________________Address Line 4 ___________________Post/Zip Code ___________________ Country ___________________
Telephone Number ___________________Email Address ___________________
Number of adults attending __________Number of Children attending __________I wish to race in the Racing class __________I wish to race in the cruising or non-standard class __________I wish to race on another Vega __________I will attend without my Vega __________I would like details of accommodation ashore __________I would like to camp/park a camper van/caravan __________
Other comments
Please return to Mr Steve Birch8 Cockshot RoadMalvernWorcsWR14 2TTU.K
Email: [email protected]
Page 21 Vega Association of Great Britain Newsletter 44
VAGB 3ewsletter 44
Stamp IFR2008 - HARWICH - UK IFR2008 - HARWICH - UK IFR2008 - HARWICH - UK IFR2008 - HARWICH - UK
Printed Matter
Happy Christmas
and a Happy 3ew Year
to all
Vega Owners
across the GlobeDecember 2007