ALBERG 37 INTERNATIONAL OWNERS ASSOCIATION Tom and Kaye Assenmacher

P.O. Box 32 Kinsale , VA 22488 a37ioa@sylvaninfonospam.com

(Please Remove 'nospam' Before Sending) www.alberg37.org

VOL XVIII, NO. 1 (WINTER – 2008-2009)                                                              4 JANUARY, 2009Shearwater Returns To Kinsale

We have 'scrubbed' our Bahamas Cruise for this Fall and Winter!  Won't belabor the point that we had mechanical problems the third day out in mid-October (in the Norfolk, VA area), and although we got the problem fixed (the transmission died), we have had 2 other similar failures in a relatively short time. The first failed at about 300 hours operating time; the second at about 600 hours operating time - on our way back from the Bahamas last year; and the last failure at about 250 hours operat-ing time. Therefore, we have about "0" confidence in this fix, and didn't want to chance another failure until we get the prob-lem sorted out. We think the failures stem from a 'too stiff' damper plate (too stiff- not enough 'shock absorber' to dampen out the firing im-pulses of the 37HP Kubota diesel which has a fairly light flywheel), and have installed a more 'resilient' damper plate. Guess time will tell if this cures the problem. We are of course, disappointed, but life goes on and we have a lot of 'stuff' to keep us busy this Winter.  Thanks for all the emails, phone calls etc.Sooooo...., we are back in the A-37 IOA business here in Kinsale instead of enjoying the gentle Bahamian breezes! We will however, spend February and March in a cottage rental on Man O War Cay in the Abacos - same place that we rented in February 2008. We'll of course be publishing a Spring Newsletter - so we'll be welcoming input.Tom and Kaye in Kinsale, VA

New MembersWelcome aboard to Derek Montgomery/Yvette Downing of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. They are the owners of the 1972 MK-II Yawl (Hull ID # 95) KULEANA III, which is berthed in Mahone Bay. (Ed. Note: It appears that this boat is another "Newly Discov-ered" Alberg 37, as we have no previous record of this Hull Number in our database.)

News From MembersTom McMaster and Rose Hansmeyer continue their adventures in the Caribbean aboard their 1985 MK-II Sloop SOJOURN: "Have done several dives so far since in Bonaire (Marine Park so paid $25US/year)  and has been wonderful -- reefs are a bit beat up do to last Christmas wind waves and this year's Hurricane Omar.   Lots of fish, eagle rays, colored sponges.  We saw the biggest lob-ster we have ever seen.   Tom says we should have put a saddle on it. Then we saw the tiny colorful frog fish and HUGE octopus.  Apparently the entire island (Kralendiyk where we are) has fireworks that go on for a long time for new years eve.  On Christmas Eve we had a social on BEAUTIFUL 66' ALERT (1948 classic Rhodes design, Dutch owners) - they raced in Antigua classic.   Then we had cruisers caroling us via dinghy and wouldn't leave till we gave them some "figgy pudding".... Lots of fun.  We gathered with cruisers for a Christmas day potluck at a closed restaurant in Harbor Village Marina.  The mooring field is getting full as we ap-proach the holidays.  Hopefully SEA CYCLE (another A37 - Mark and Debbie Crowe) will get here before we leave. We obtained new condensing unit for the fridge last Friday PM as Southern Cross came direct from Trinidad vs. stopping which surprised us.   So we have installed and had a refrig tech come yesterday to evacuate and add Freon.  We believe its working but just need to find the exact Freon level for thing to work efficiently (a bit different then if it came filled from Mfg.).   On the brighter side Tom could possi-bly fix refrigeration units after this learning experience as we have been dealing with this issue since May, 2008.  :-) We have been able to keep our frozen goods and some refrig goods in 2 other cruisers boats so just a bit inconvenient but blessed to have their as -sistance. Then we FEDEX'd the defective watermaker membrane last Thursday for warranty replacement but found out it got delayed so you know that issue.... But we definitely have more time than money so will be patient. Last thing that happened after I had bike locked up by small marina.  First night it was there it got stolen.  I guess I should have asked about the crime here, but thought that with all these bikes here, why someone would want a small 20" folding bike.   But apparently this island is big on stealing bikes! I have locked this bike in so many islands without a problem.  So my reward posters and police report is out and hope to take a bus to add more signs in next village.  Oh well -- this is the third incident this month, so I think we should be done.  So now, cruisers have been taking them back to their boat each night. We are enjoying watching the large Christmas star turn green/red.. (actually the planet Venus) show up 45 min after sunset and smaller planet Jupiter twinkle to remind us of the mystery of life.   Speaking of which we had a green flash last night.  I will see about volunteering here since I think we will be here for awhile -- dependent upon whether immigration gives us an extension. So around May we hope to move onto Cartagena, Columbia and then between to San Blas for a couple years. Peace and Health during 2009!Rose & Tomhttp://sojourn-a37.spaces.live.com/Gord Martin of Mississauga, ON wrote the following notes in November of his "Going South" aboard his 1975 MK-II Sloop MAGGY FIELDS IV: 11/14/08 - Hi Folks, As I prepared for my trip, I promised many people news as I went along. This sounds

1

easy in theory, not so easy in practice. Usually after an 8hr day of sailing or motoring, I'm cold, wet and tired. Then I clean up myself and the boat, prepare some food, fix the days broken stuff, flip on the computer to find out there is no WIFI, or they want $11.95/day for a service which is free many places. For the first month the computer simply did not work. That's a story for another day; "What switch?" In short, I hate computers and they hate me. I left Aug 25, as planned, with many uncompleted projects aboard in kit form. After a heartwarming send off by family and friends at EYC, I had a great beam reach to Whitby, and another great beam reach to Cobourg the next day. Perfect winds two days in a row rarely happen. My crew Klaus and Jean Schaefer, came to Cobourg by train af -ter working the full week. We left at 0400 in order to get into Oswego, NY in daylight. The crossing started with very light air down -wind, so we motor sailed part of the way. I was really worried about crossing shipping lanes in the dark, but we saw nothing except a few pleasure boats near Oswego. The mast was pulled in Oswego, and we headed down the canal; scenery was wonderful, weather was really hot, and it was great to have crew helping in the locks. We had one 20 minute grounding in mid channel, and a shifter link-age failure just entering lock 5. We got towed out of 5 and then warped through lock 4 with the help of a great lockmaster. This was a Fri. afternoon and I disassembled the shifter while Klaus found a welding shop, which was able to do it on Sat. There was also a tug -boat festival at Waterford; got some great shots of restored old tugboats. We finished locks 3,2,1 on Sunday, and headed down the Hudson river. At Catskill, NY the mast went up again; great to be on a proper sailboat again. At this point Klaus and Jean left to catch Amtrak back home to work, and I carried on by myself, learning about tides and currents as I went along. The traffic through NYC is amazing; pusher tugs, towing tugs, high speed ferries, container ships, and all us amateurs dodging everywhere and you should hear the nasty comments on VHF about powerboat wakes. I spent a few days at Great Kills harbour on Staten Isl., catching up on boat work, and working up my nerve to tackle the Atlantic. I left Sandy Hook, NJ on Sept 21; with a forecast for northwest wind in the evening. During the day the wind was 10-15kts out of the south, so I tacked all day, and then motor tacked overnight. The wind didn't swing around to north west til about 5:00 am, and then it got rough. Heavy swells, going straight downwind make for hard steering; my Autohelm could not handle it, so I was stuck to the wheel from 5:00 am to about 2:30 pm when I got into Cape May. Total was 27 Hrs. I sure slept well that night! The forecast was calling for steadily worse weather, so I headed up Delaware Bay in 30-35kts on the beam, doing hull speed with about 1/3 mainsail and 1/3 genoa. After a rotten night at anchor near the top of Delaware Bay I went part way through the C&D canal and stopped at Summit North Marina to wait out some bad weather. While there I got the news that my new grandson was on the way, so I rented a car and went home to meet William Robert Wylie. Cute kid, and everyone are healthy and happy. I got back to Summit North and better weather and proceeded into the Chesapeake Bay. Wow, the north end of the bay is shal-low everywhere. After a few nights at anchor I was near Annapolis in time for the boat show. I was nervous of crowded anchorages, so I stayed at Magothy Marina north of town, finding it was a $20 cab ride to the show. Ouch! The Annapolis boat show is 'Mecca' for sailors. Met a few friends there. I sailed across the bay to St Michaels, a very historic town with a great marine museum. Friends from north of Baltimore joined me there for lunch. Next stop after some very heavy sailing was Tilghman Island. I was 30 ft. from a perfect docking when the shifter failed again; I spun around, killed the engine, ran forward, dropped the anchor and slowly drifted back to an -other pier. A British gentleman complimented me on the maneuver, thinking that I had planned it all in advance. They later invited me for dinner and we had a lovely evening. I had the shifter fixed quickly and moved to a better dock, but had to plow mud to get in. The high winds had dropped the water level 2 ft. and I was stuck there for 2 days. When the wind died down there was 8ft at the dock. From Tilghman Isl I went back to the west side, and got into an exposed anchorage just before dark in Mobjack Bay. I was stuck for two days with 30 to 50 kt winds and cold, really cold. I finally pulled anchor and sailed into York River Yacht Haven to catch up on sleep, warmth, and repairs. I had been fighting a losing battle with Autohelm repairs for several weeks, I'd fix one thing and the next weak link would go. I simply did not want to spend $1250.00 for a new unit. At York River I found out that I could get just the wheel part from Raymarine for $480.00, and it is perfectly compatible with the Autohelm control head. I also replaced 2 house batteries which were long past useful life, picked up propane, grocery shopping etc. On to Hampton Roads and Norfolk, the biggest Naval yard in the world. It sure is great to have reliable steering again. This is the start of the ICW, route to Fl, mostly rivers and canals. I sailed across Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound and am now waiting out some bad weather in Beaufort, NC. Paul and Cheryl Shard are here, and friends Richard and Margaret who bought my Alberg 30. That's it for today; hopefully the next installment won't take quite so long. Best regards, Gord11/27/08"Hi folks, Cold weather has caught up to me and I have decided to stop for the winter. I had an 18 hr overnight Atlantic pas -sage in the low 30 degree F range and it was not pleasant!!! I'm in Southport, NC; a lovely southern town with good cookin' and a new marina with good rates. I will be keeping the boat in water for the winter. It is far enough south that they don't need much winterizing on boats. After a bit of tidying up on the boat, I will fly home next week, and resume the adventure (northbound) next spring. By for now, Gord"Mark and Debbie Crowe also continue their adventures in Venezuela board their 1973 MK-II Yawl SEA CYCLE: "Hi Everyone, we wish you all a Merry Xmas and a happy New Year. We are presently in Venezuela on the hard at the eastern end of the Golfo Car -riaco in the yard at Madregal. We are just finishing up work on SEACYCLE'S hull including a paint job. We have been delayed a bit by a lot of unseasonal rain and are just waiting for the ground in the yard to dry up a bit so the lift can move about again without sink -ing us on dry land. We will not be sending out any more email logs but instead have put them along with the pictures on our blog site at www.seacycle.blogspot.com  Just click on the link here for access. The pictures are located in the links to the side marked Picassa. We are hoping to have the site totally up to date by the time we leave here and will send out update notices. Please pass the site on to anybody who might be interested. We would welcome your comments. Cheers Mark and Deb"Lois Jacob and Merle Galbraith, owners of the 1982 MK-II Yawl INTERLUDE, recently sent Christmas Greetings: "We're in Chicago and brought in the first day of winter with 6 inches of snow and 0 F degrees, (-30 F with wind chill).   Our Canadian buddies are probably even COLDER! Lois and Merle." INTERLUDE is currently in Trinidad where she has been for several years. (Ed. Note: Lois and Merle probably wish they were back in Trinidad!!!)

2

Jay Zittrer, of Seabrook, TX, recently sold his 1987 MK-II Yawl SHARED WATCH and purchased an Alden Caravelle. Ashley and Stephanie Walker of Kemah, TX wrote the following in late November: " Tom and Kaye, We just returned from a trip to the Abaco's with a group from Lakewood Yacht Club, chartering 12 boats from the Moorings in Marsh Harbour.  We enjoyed a 43' Cat with 3 other couples and sailed from Marsh Harbour to Orchid Bay, visiting Nippers and Grabbers, on to Green Turtle Cay where we stayed two nights visiting the Green Turtle Club and New Plymouth, returning around Whale Cay through exciting Atlantic swells to Bakers Bay, then finishing with two nights in Hopetown.  Though we missed Man O War, several boats did visit there and enjoyed their stay.  Snorkeling outside of Hopetown was fun but cold for us Texans.I see why you enjoy the Bahamas as the scenery was beautiful, the people friendly and welcoming, and the sailing easy and fun.   I'd highly recommend such a trip for any other boaters and hope you can manage to get Shearwater back down there.  Maybe we'll come visit as I'd certainly like to see it again and maybe go further South next time.  I personally could eat grouper sandwiches every day.GOOD NEWS is undergoing repairs after having its bow pulpit lifted out of the deck from another "visiting" boat during Hurricane Ike.  I was surprised there were no backing plates under the deck but saying that,  there probably would have been more deck damage instead of the bolts and nuts just pulling throughHope all is well with you both and you enjoy the holidays.  It's getting cold in Texas with a front passing through last night lowering the temps to a frosty 50 or so. Don't know how ya'll do it up there. Stay well, Ashley and Stephanie Walker, s/v GOOD NEWS #144"Bram and Elsie Smith, the owners of the 1975 MK-II ALICIA III, recently wrote from Doha, Qatar: "We have been working in the middle east since August 2007. We have a three year contract so ALICIA III forlornly sits on the hard at the Dobson Yacht Club in Sydney, Nova Scotia.I have big plans for an engine refit and other upgrades in the future. Presently I have a Volvo Penta 2003 that has been giving me trou-ble since day one. I had an expensive rebuild done, but that didn't improve matters much--still hard to start-so I have decided to go for a new engine. The easy way out would be to install a Volvo D1-30, this would not involve a lot of modifications and I could do it in relatively short time. Although I would like to increase to 35 hp all my research has shown that this would take me to 4 cylinders and a longer engine (hence major changes). I get some time off in the summers and fly back to Canada so I am thinking about taking out the old motor next summer and doing some tidying up in the engine room, Also on my list is a new headsail and maybe a light downwind gennaker or whatever they are called nowadays. Cheers, Bram".

BRANDELARA II Receives A New Hard DodgerPat and Wayne Jobb, of Garden Bay, BC recently have added a "Hard" Dodger to their 1970 MK-I Sloop, BRANDELARA II. The dodger was built by TARTAROOGA Hard Dodgers, (http://www.tartarooga.com/) of Sidney, Vancouver Island, B.C. Pat and Wayne will provide further information regarding their new dodger at a later time.

The top of the dodger is the only "Hard" part - and makes for a sturdy and stable platform for mounting solar panels, etc.(Ed. Note: We believe that BRANDELARA II - Hull # 66 - is the LAST MK-I built.)

RA Rudder Rebuild ProjectBy Kurt Osterhoff

Kurt Osterhoff continues his work of restoring the rudder on his 1961 MK-I Sloop RA. The following photos demonstrate the work accomplished thus far:

3

4

(Ed. Note: A more detailed explanation of this work will soon be posted in the "Projects" section of the A-37 web site.)

5

A-37s For Sale(Please check the Alberg 37 web site (A37's For Sale/Wanted) for the latest postings.) (Ed. Note: Several Alberg 37s have re-cently changed hands – so there are people out there looking for these great boats.)Current offerings include:FOR SALE - GYPSY, 1968 Alberg 37 Mark I Sloop #32,  USCG 514649 Nearly completely rebuilt from top to bottom with all new systems: electrical, plumbing, rigging, engine.   Perkins 4-108 Diesel, 90 gallons water, 55 gallons fuel, propane stove, diesel/kero heater, radar and much more.  All top quality materials and work.  She's ready to circumnavigate, but my first mate is ready to move back to land!  US$49,000.  Located in Galena, MD.  email: gypsyship@g-mail.com or call 610-761-8928 for info or to arrange inspection. FOR SALE - MARIGOT, ALBERG SLOOP $65,000 Cdn.1968 Alberg 37 Mark 1 Sloop, Sail Number 26, Canadian Registry # 817942, located in St. Catharines, Ontario.MARIGOT (ex BRIGHTLINGSEA II) has spent the last eight years in freshwater Lake Ontario following a two year cruise south by her previous owners. She has had many updates over the years and could soon be ready to go cruising again. Complete specifica -tions and inventory available. Please contact Susan Payette at susanpayette@hotmail.com or Dan Oswald at dcroswald@hotmail.com for additional information about this wonderful classic.FOR SALE - ISLANDTIME - 1971 Alberg 37 MK-II Yawl, currently sailing as a sloop, but available as a yawl (yawl rig included).  New engine installed in 2007; Radar with Questus Mount; Windvane; Roller Furling; MAC PAC; Auto Pilot; GPS; Spinnaker; Hard dinghy with outboard (New); Refrigeration.  Located in Maine.  $49,000 USD. Contact Scott at: 207.326.9498 - Cell 978.549.0507FOR SALE – STORNOWAY- After 20 years of owning her, John Volk is offering  "STORNOWAY"  for sale. She is a MK-II, Hull #182, built in 1979.  Originally built as a sloop, she was professionally converted to a yawl.   Details can be found at http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/volc/S1/Stornoway.html . Boat located in Halifax, NS. Price is $65,000 CDN.FOR SALE - TAWANI is a well maintained 1979 Alberg 37 Yawl (Hull #197) and features NC 42 Profurl roller furling, Monitor Windvane and a Dickson propane cabin heater. She has undergone numerous upgrades since 2000 including: new Awlgrip paint on the deck and topsides, new Lewmar hatches, new Lewmar windlass, new ground tackle, a newer genoa, updated electrical including new batteries (installed in 2008), and new thru-hulls. Built in 1979, her classic looks and yawl rig are noticed where ever she goes. She's offshore ready and a delight to sail in the bay on a Sunday afternoon.   TAWANI is located in Victoria, BC, and the price, $48,000.00 is in Canadian dollars.For more information and pictures please contact Faye Wolse at: 250 995 2959FOR SALE: GLOBITOU, Alberg 37, MK-II, cutter-rig, built in 1975 ( Hull # 151). Her current owners have lovingly cared for her and she has undergone numerous upgrades. She is currently sailing in the Med, slowly completing a wonderful circumnavigation, hav-ing left her homeport in the 1000 Islands in 2002. Her ETA back home in Ontario is June 2009. For info and pictures, please go to http://www.reliance44.com/globitou/ . On the bottom of the website, you will find our contact e-mail addresses.

Gear For SaleMK-I Interior Cushions - "As a result of re-jigging the interior of my 1967 MK-I (# 18) VECTIS, I had to have a whole new set of interior cushions made. Bad planning as I had only replaced the covers on the existing cushions, 2 years prior. So I have a complete set of cushions for sale which are like new, 2 years old in Sunbrella, a blue and white stripe. The new cushions cost me $3500! so I figure the older ones have got to be worth $1000. Any offers? VECTIS is a Mark I and the cushions are for the original MK-I config-uration (although I believe configurations varied slightly). Buyer will need to pick them up in CT.Contact Ian Dunn Email: iandunn@optonline.netFor sale - Zodiac, 4 man offshore valise liferaft. Never deployed, purchased new in 2000. Always stored inside and is in great con-dition.. Buyer responsible for shipping and repackaging, however if it cannot be repackaged for any reason send back and we will re-fund the purchase price (shipping not included). Asking $800 USD.  Contact Bill and Debbie Horne: serenade2ATsbcglobal.net  (re-place AT with @). For photos of the liferaft, go to http://www.alberg37.org/gear4sale.htmDodger Frame For Sale,Geoff Cunliffe of Mississauga, Ontario, the former owner of the 1979 MK-II Sloop, THE EVERDEN, now cruises aboard a Lagoon 410 Catamaran, PARTY OF TWO. As part of his re-outfitting PARTY OF TWO, Geoff had a new hard dodger built for his boat. He has a very heavy duty dodger frame for sale, which could be adapted to a large catamaran, or a wide beam monohull. The frame is built of 1-1/4” heavy wall Stainless Steel. The Frame is approximately 12’ wide. Good for use 'as is' OR could be parted out for davits, or other uses. Geoff is asking $200 (USD) for the unit. Check the Gear For Sale/Gear Wanted page on the Website for pho-tos. The frame is located in Kinsale, VA Contact Tom Assenmacher at: a37ioa@sylvaninfoNoSpam.com (remove 'NoSpam').

6

MISCHIEF (ex-TEVAKE) Refurbishing ProjectKip and Linda Newbould, of Coles Point, VA continue the refurbishing of their 1970 MK-I Yawl MISCHIEF. Recent events in-cluded launching, rigging, and MISCHIEF's first sail. Progress of this project will be posted under the "Projects" section of the Website.

Launch Of MISCHIEF 11/21/2008

Linda and Kip - It Was COLD On Launch Day!

Stepping MISCHIEF's Mast 12/15/2008

7

Just About Ready To Sail!Kip and Linda now have the boat just about completely rigged, and have taken the boat out for a couple of short sales. The refurbish -ing/rebuild continues with emphasis on electrical, and other internal systems - TO BE CONTINUED!

Web Sites of InterestMaritime and Coastguard Agency (http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home) A wealth of medical and safety information

by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Knots: How to Tie Knots (http://www.2020site.org/knots/index.html) This website contains descriptions and illustrations on tying over 35 knots, including: bowline knots, half hitch knot, overhand knot, hitch knot and many more!

SpindriftBy the Editor

We are always looking for articles (cruising, racing, maintenance, etc.) and photos of your boat for inclusion on the website and newsletter. Send the articles via email attachment in MS WORD and the photos in .JPG format if possible. We are still on a ‘Dial Up Modem” here on Virginia’s Northern Neck – if at all possible, please don’t send large files, especially high reso-lution photos. Photos should be 100 kilobytes or smaller if at all possible. We’ve had some emails with attachments which take HOURS to download. We hope to be getting high speed Internet Service in our area (we aren’t holding our breath!) – we’ll let you know if/when this happens.Although Kaye and I will be in the Abacos during February and March, we will have Internet service available, and will wel -come any correspondence that you may wish to forward to us (via our regular email service). You can send 'snail mail' to us at our Kinsale address, although we won't read such correspondence until we return to Kinsale in early April.The Alberg 37 Web Site will remain “ON LINE” during the period of our absence, and we will endeavor to periodically post items of interest as they occur.The A-37 IOA participates as a cooperating group with BOAT U.S., and members receive BOAT U.S. membership for half price ($12.50 vice $25.00). Just mention you are a member of the Alberg 37 Owners Group and include the Cooperating Group number GA 83253 S when you join Boat U.S. or send in your annual renewal of membership.

Have a great Alberg 37 WINTER!Tom and Kaye Assenmacher

8