Executive:
Hon. Commodore: Don Rumble
Chairman: George Blanchard
Hon. Treasurer: Dr. Laurie Oxenham
Measurer: John Woolsey
Imm. Past Chairman: Jim Clelland
Secretary: Tom Johannsen, 253l Lakeshore Blvd W., Toronto 14, Ont.
Publicity: Al Schoenborn, 13 Ojibway, Toronto 2, Ont.

Fleet Representatives:
Kitchener: Peter Bassin, 38 Troy St., Kitchener, Ont.
North Bay: Dr. Don Paine, R.R. #3, North Bay, Ont.
Ottawa: Peter Jefferson, 175 Bronson Ave, #1110, Ottawa, Ont.
 

What me worry??!!

One of the fathers of our class has gone. Alec Lowenthal, who has become almost a legend among Wayfarers in the short time the class has existed, has moved to Vancouver, and has sold MIURA, W l5l.

When such men move on, I am left with the inescapable feeling that the organization has lost in quality, and that, despite growth in numbers among Wayfarers, which now exceeds the 1000 mark, there remains room for constructive worry about maintaining a level of growth, especially among the racing fraternity, which will lead to the lasting popularity of our Wayfarer in North America.

Right now, only about 50 of 400 listed Wayfarer owners in North America are active racers. While many of the others prefer to cruise or lack the facilities for racing, many boats just sit in some sailing club and take up space instead of being sailed regularly by an active enthusiastic member.  If encouraged warmly by the rest of us, these people could be brought into the group and add strength to the class by their very participation. Another possibility that could be mentioned to people who just can’t find the time to sail,  is the tremendous market for used Wayfarers brought about by the increas-ingly slow delivery and higher prices on new Wayfarers.

In the past two years these problems have discouraged numerous potential converts from entering our class. This is especially the case with the keen racers, who do not wish to wait the whole summer for a Wayfarer when an Albacore for instance, is available almost immediately at much less cost. This is the problem that must be of prime importance to all Wayfarer people who want the Wayfarer to achieve a lasting popularity. Right now, the thing that we can try to do, as boosters of our boat, is to make others see that the reward of owning one of these boats is worth the wait - and any other solutions would be appreciated by the Newsletter.

To the Editor:
Congratulations are in order to U.S. Fleet #1 for getting Bruce Kirby to take part in the North American Opening Regatta. (ed. note: Bruce Kirby is one of the best 14-foot Dinghy and Finn Class racers in Canada, and has recently joined the editorial staff of One Design Yachtsman.) This is an all-too-rare example of the kind of promotion that is needed if this class is to keep growing.  It is getting to be time that all of us con-sidered this hidden side of good racing - we need a good fleet and we need to keep growing!

This year alone, we at QCYC have lost Shelly Levy, Ed McCabe, George Wilson and Alec Lowenthal from the Wayfarer class. This blow is made worse by the fact that there are no new Wayfarers to take their place.

It seems that we will require some changes in the methods of supply to rectify this situation. The $l700, British-built, slow-in-arriving Wayfarers just can’t compete with cheaper, more easily obtainable boats in other classes. The time has come for action toward Canadian-built Wayfarers.

In the meantime, it will take only a little promotion from everybody to get us over this slight ebb. After all, we still have the finest centerboard boat available....

Bassins' Bash at Kitchener - June 12, 13
The Kitchener Wayfarer Fleet has invited all Wayfarers to come and join them in their 2nd Annual Pigsfeet Party which is being held in conjunction with the Annual Kitchener Fleet Wayfarer regatta on Conestoga Lake near Kitchener on the June 12th and 13th weekend.
Facilities for boats and camping space are abundant. With the amount of enthusiasm shown by our fellows in Kitchener, the event should be just as delightful as last year, when most of the top Canadian and American boats were wowed by the initial Kitchener Regatta plus pig’s feet dinner.

A full schedule of sailing, sing-songs and suppers is planned.  All the preparations have been made for a big unique event, June 12 and 13.  The only thing the regatta will need now, is you!  For it is still participation that makes a regatta a success.
 

(Al’s note: eeek! How could I be so wrong??!! Although, the way we sailed ‘em back then, there was more truth to this than it might first appear. If anyone wants to know, I’ll be glad to explain how things worked – over a beer! Please do not take all of this stuff as gospel!!!) 

There is no exact approved method of tuning the rigging in a Wayfarer.  I will simply attempt to outline the general boundaries within which the finer adjustments will lie.
The standing rigging of the Wayfarer is quite simple.  It consists of a mast which is in a fixed position at the deck level, and which is supported by a forestay and two shrouds (sidestays).

The Forestay
The forestay determines the rake (tilt in a fore - and aft plane) of your mast. The amount of rake depends on the length of the forestay which is adjusted by means of a turnbuckle at the deck. No definite degree of rake has as yet been established as being superior, however, it is generally agreed that it is preferable for the mast to be raked aft to some degree.  The designer himself, has recommended an aft rake of 8-10".  Just for fun, I raked my mast 30” aft (i.e. the top of the mast is 30”aft of its fixed position at deck level as determined by the plumb-bob) last year, and discovered little difference in performance.  Perhaps the one point that is most inportant to remember about aft rake is that it improves the performance of the boat to windward, so that if a boat will not point, it is advisable to try raking the mast further aft.

Sidestays
These two stays determine the sideways tilt of the mast.  It is generally agreed that, for best possible performance, the mast should be perpendicular to the deck in a sideways plane and that therefore the shrouds should be of equal length, which is again adjustable by means of the turnbuckles.

Tension of the Rigging
Should the rigging be tight or loose? Here again, the Wayfarer class is split, since no one as yet has proved one system to be better than another. As all three stays are directly interdependent, it is impossible to keep one slack and another tight.  In our class, the tension of the entire rigging has run the gamut from hanging loose to guitar-string taut.

The school of thought which favours loose rigging evidently thinks as follows:

1. The mast is left with more freedom to conform advantageously to the shape of the sails.
2. While going to windward, there will be a favorable aft rake in the mast because it is raked further aft by the action of the mainsheet.
3. On the downwind legs the pressure of the wind on the sails has the opposite effect, which is again favorable.
4. The disadvantage of having a loose forestay on the windward leg is also, at least partly, overcome by the tension exerted by the mainsheet.

There are two main reasons why I feel that tight rigging is advantageous:
1. The forestay is tight for windward work.
2. The sidestays keep the mast in a closer to vertical position, thus presenting the sail at its most favorable angle to the wind.

The Actual Tuning Process
Since results are still inconclusive, I feel that the actual tuning process can, at present, only be given in the following rather general steps:

1. Attach a plumb bob (or other small, heavy object) to the main halliard in order to determine rake and sideways tilt of the mast while the boat is on land. A level may be used to ensure that the boat is horizontal both in a fore and aft and in a sideways plane.

2. Adjust the forestay to obtain a reasonable aft rake in the mast.

3. Adjust the sidestays until they are reasonably tight and the plumb bob indicates that the mast is vertical and not leaning to either side.

4. A partial solution to the problem of tight or loose rigging is to be found in the necessity of tuning while the boat is under sail.  Any sideways curves in the mast under sail should be eliminated as far as possible.  Such bends may be found by looking up the aft part of the mast along the windward side of the sail while the boat is close-hauled.  If the mast is straight you are set, but if it is not, two categories of bends occur.  If the windward stay is too tight, the top of the mast will be off to windward, if the stay is too loose the top will be falling off to leeward.  The former case requires loosening of the stay, the latter tightening.  The procedure should be repeated on both tacks until the mast is as straight as possible.

Points to Remember 
All adjustments should be made while pressure is off the stays.  Once the tuning appears satisfactory, wire all turnbuckles in order to keep proper adjustment. Tape all cotter pins and other open wire ends.  It is not only safer but also prevents scratches on your crew’s skin.
 

Following a review of returns from the list of proposed changes and additions sent earlier to members of the C.W.O.A. and of a similar survey conducted by the U.S.W.A., the Canadian Wayfarer Executive proposes that the Class Rules be amended as set out in the following.  The additions to rules 12 and 25 have been made to conform with measure-ments made by the U.S.W.A., the remainder are based on the C.W.O.A. list of proposed changes.

The Canadian Wayfarer Executive would like each owner to return the following form with their comments and decision on each amendment. Please return before June 15th if possible.  Ballots that are not in by June 20 will not be counted. Make returns to:

E. John Woolsey, 
Chief Measurer, C.W.O.A., 
640 Roselawn Avenue, Apt. 404, 
Toronto 12, Ontario.