With wind comfortably aft the beam, the boat gently rolling downwind, we fell into the trance that takes hold – an unreasonable expectation it could go on like this forever. Kolohe is for sale. A family of dolphins surround the boat. When we entered the 4-mile wide, 22-mile long Alligator River, the wind increased and shifted on the nose. We gybed to alter course and kept a close eye on the rest of the erratic fleet. Yes, this old girl sails surprisingly well when set up properly. The eye of the storm passed about 30 miles offshore with hurricane force winds hitting us from NE backing to NW as it passed. During it's long production run, the Alberg 30 was fitted with a number of different engines for auxilary power inluding (in approximate order):Gray Marine Gas 22hpUniversal Atomic 4 Gas 30hpBukh (single cyl) Diesel 12hpVolvo Penta MD7A DieselVolvo 2002 DieselEarlier versions of the ALBERG 30 have a laminated wood mast brace and no liner. 1968 Alberg Atomic Four This very pretty Alberg 30, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Whitby Boat Works in Canada, is a very popular cruising boat. Forty years later, I remain convinced that my Alberg 30 is the perfect boat: powerful and seaworthy enough to sail in the Southern Ocean and sail around Cape Horn, but small enough to be hauled over land to whatever body of water I want to sail. But this storm, it turned out, had a large, healthy wind-field and tracked exactly the wrong way so that the strongest wind sector of sustained 40 knot southerlies gusting to 60 passed directly over us. At dawn he announced a ship on a collision course some three miles off the bow. I told him how my boat's name Atom is from the Greek meaning "small and unbreakable". It was a quiet little spot formed by two long breakwaters extending either side of a tiny island a half-mile offshore. Aboard with me were the paperbacks: The Waters in Between, by Kevin Patterson, and the lushly written deep reflections of Passage to Juneau, by Jonathon Raban. It worked out well so we kept timing our tacks to the change of watch. Incoming mail was addressed to me at an ever-changing string of Post Offices using "Poste Restante." Boat maintenance is never truly finished. A molded fiberglass pan forms the cabin sole and the support for the furniture. The rain dogged us all day and most of the following day. The Alberg 30 has been described as a forgiving boat to sail. Underway again the next morning, we caught an unexpected fair wind from the northwest. Somehow that soothed the woman. In 1962, six folkboat racers from Toronto's National Yacht Club decided that they wanted a bigger boat. I've had several of these aboard, Past the sailor's community of Oriental, NC, on the final few miles to Beaufort, the land became slightly higher and less swampy. Even on that dirty night of wind and rain he cheerfully stood his midnight to 06:00 watch. Here we waited until daylight and a fair tide to navigate the tricky Plum Island Gut. Dutch Wharf occupied a section of a winding narrow river near the old town of Branford, itself restored and looking neat and orderly and stuck in time like the New England town in the movie Groundhog Day. We rocketed through the cut at a combined sailing and current speed of 9 knots. The next day, the winds had dropped to an easy 15 knots as we flew along downwind still controlled perfectly by the Norvane self-steering windvane. But there were times here of slow progress that my planned 9-10 day delivery trip seemed to have no end in sight. © 2003 - 2021 sailboatdata.com All rights reserved. One minute after Sergei's head hit the pillow his throat emitted a deep rattling, rasping noise as I've heard nowhere else in nature. Using this device, people can follow your journey through automated position reports on a webpage. All common experiences for a sailor and reason enough to make a short voyage. I felt a touch of the same stirring emotions re-entering society at Norfolk as I had after an isolated pilgrimage of 43 days at sea in the Pacific. ", With Sergei's permission I've inserted his comments below:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------. Two days before the hurricane arrived, we moved, http://www.atomvoyages.com/books/92-across-islands-and-oceans/221-table-of-passages.html, http://www.atomvoyages.com/cys/366-for-sale-1972-alberg-30-voyager-edition.html. Through the headphones of my MP3 player I absorb the soothing lyrics of Cold Play: "I wanna fly, never come down.". "Not too bad," I lied. Gleaming varnish and polished bronze were all around us. Seems to be a worthwhile device to carry if you need to communicate with anyone. Back aboard, Sergei took to his bunk for that blissful post-passage deep sleep every sailor needs. Like my Triton, they don't at all like to be overpowered. I watched first time 30-footer can move itself with 6 horse power outboard and 2-reef main together against 15 knots of headwind and steep chopped seas! Before heading for my bunk I point out our course, the barely perceived true wind direction deduced from our speed and the apparent wind. We piled our gear haphazardly into the boat that first night and sunk into our bunks. Fifty miles off New York Harbor we passed through fishing grounds where six trawlers in were in sight at once as they zig-zagged around dragging nets. They are solid boats. Nowadays, a 30 foot boat is considered small, but when I purchased it, 40 years ago, was a big boat. I'm happy to report that both boats sustained no damage. Southern Chesapeake Bay. A Teaching Passage Down the East Coast. A brown-backed sea turtle 2-foot in diameter plods by on the surface with head cocked towards me. Cypress and other hardy trees stood with their trunks underwater along the swampy edge of the canals. We discussed his selection of a new name for his boat and he asked for ideas. Of course, you need some time for shakedown passages to get yourself and boat prepared. February 22, 2008 Crusing Column – July 2007. I delighted in catching the top edge of a salmon-colored full moon creeping over the horizon as I handed Sergei a bowl of vegetables and noodles cooked in a single pot and spiced heavily with black pepper. To promote and maintain Carl Alberg designed sailboats (Pearson Triton, Ariel, Alberg, etc.) For one thing, you need good visibility because occasionally the GPS plotter does not agree with the navigational markers. Over the next few days as I taught Sergei everything I could think of related to keeping him and the boat safe and moving in the right direction, I was reminded that it is no easy task for beginners to learn in one trip the myriad skills and habits gained from decades of offshore sailing. We anchored that night off Buck Island, itself less than one square mile of bush-covered swampy ground. But a sailor needs to believe the opposite and I made some effort to break him of this particular foible. These four days we sometimes crawled into stiff headwinds, motored in calms, or careened along through canals, rivers, and lake-like sounds under silent sail, pencil marks ticking off on the chart the countless buoys and marker posts. There was a too long silence as I considered tacking away. )Basic dimensions from builders brochure (circa 1967.). I stupidly shared my confidence with a neighboring boat owner and said "I'm not too worried because all these weaker hurricanes that cross over from the Gulf lose much of their strength before they get here." Please consent to allowing cookies and accept our, https://forum.sailboatdata.com/tags/alberg-30. clunk, clunk. "In Greek," Sergei said, "Larisa means seagull. Recently I managed to fit a 9.8HP motor into another Alberg 30 and it has about as much power as a typical inboard engine without the hassles of wasted space, oily bilges, a large metal mass throwing off unwanted heat and noise into the cabin, and the need to either become a diesel mechanic or bring one to your boat from time to time. I imagined the captain thinking, "Little sailboat, if you don't get out of my way I will crush you to pieces under my bow and then take my breakfast." I needed to be ready to go within a couple days. In the dark we collided with some floating debris. For years I sailed without any communications equipment beyond a postcard ready to drop at the next island. While there have been four circumnavigations (all single-handed) and numerous blue-water cruises on Alberg 30s, most of the cruising in the Chesapeake Bay Alberg 30 One-Design Association is on the home-waters of the Chesapeake. The Alberg 30 is an adaptation of a 30-footer Alberg designed for San Francisco Bay and was first built in response to a request by some Toronto sailors for a cruising auxiliary that could be fleet raced. The Alberg 30 is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. Our neighbor boats at the marina comprised all sorts of classic craft, from a pristine varnished teak Hans Christian 43 to old Alberg "classic plastics" to restored wooden sailboats. The yard took such pride in their work that even all the dock handrails were kept brightly varnished. the woman finally asked, as if that explains white people with foreign accents using non-functioning credit cards in her shop. I do notice and am inspired by their free-roaming example. Once up, we hoisted sail for a silent exit. It was a similar scene all up the east coast. Due too neurological issues making my balance unstable its time too sell Kolohe and move ashore. We are excited to welcome Wendy Clarke, sailor and contributor to Cruising World magazine, to speak. I had broken Sergei of the habit of waking me for every ship spotted on the horizon. Sergei asked each time we approached a narrow river entrance or canal with a fresh breeze in our sails. The electric autopilot arm gripped the tiller as we occasionally inputted one or two degree course adjustments in the straight canal cuts. Using the Eldridge tide table book onboard, we timed our transit of the narrow cut during the late morning ebb tide. Alberg 30 Cruising Friday, January 27, 2012. "Don't fear the sails", I said, "they must be used whenever possible." We opened three more bridges that day, then the river widened to 3 miles at Currituck Sound, yet carried only 5-6-foot depths throughout. http://www.atomvoyages.com/gallery/video-gallery/383-alberg-30-shakedown.html, Unfortunately, personal issues prevented Sergei from making the longer voyage he had hoped for. During the next couple days he completely gained his sea legs. One in particular eyes me from alongside and slaps his tail against the lightly ripped surface as if to say, "We are here. The meeting is scheduled from 1 pm - 4 pm. Our bellies seemed to believe the heavy food was a welcome change from my simple, light, mostly one-pot dinners. Sergei appears on deck for his midnight watch, headlamp at the ready and safety harness on. Over the years I have installed extra-long shaft 6HP motors on four Alberg 30s and I made the owners aware of its limitations. We’ve got some great cruises planned for the 2012 season. All night Sergei diligently trimmed sails and adjusted course to the changing wind. All common experiences for a sailor and reason enough to make a short voyage. Alberg 30 Offshore Shakedown. "Are you from Canada?" Million dollar waterfront homes lined the canal. I was thankful we carried new, reeefable sails. Beyond testing out my design modifications on an actual voyage, my brief return to the sea from a harried, too busy life ashore these past several years is something I desperately needed. I interrupted and said "Yes, he's from Canada and the zip code is a different type." Once we got closer to Canada in New England, it backfired when the man holding Sergei's card said "He don't sound like he's from Canada and whaddaya mean they have no zip code in Canada?" Besides the ever expanding home-building and new marinas, many of the low bridges have been replaced by high fixed bridges. I confirmed it with compass bearings and then the AIS alarm added its confirmation and listed the offending ship by name. A two year circumnavigation is fairly easy - three years even easier.”. I told him how my boat's name, An abbreviated satellite text message from my wife comes in: "Everything is fine here. By Towney Townshend. I watched through the cabin windows as he passed uncomfortably close, towing a massive bundle of water pipes hundreds of feet long. He roared so loudly I felt the vibrations run right through me. Finally the radio crackled with a thick German accent, "OK, I will change course to starboard." In my bunk I looked up from my book surprised to see the GPS speed indicating 6.2 knots. Crisis averted. Motorsailing again, we crossed the very rough Pamlico River. Hello and welcome to our home, Maya! Here is what I would like to put into our Alberg 30, a Beta 14 Diesel. Cruising under jib alone at hull speed just off the Scarborough Bluffs We carried so much gear with us that the car was filled to capacity. No real harm done and I was relieved to know I had fit watertight bulkheads forward and aft. And Mei says I too snore sometimes, just not at those decibels. A weekend in Bermuda. On day one he accepted my requirement for attaching his harness at all times when on deck offshore. Happy 2012! We could have gone in to Virginia Beach and sat there waiting maybe five days for a weather window. It's really what's important to you View of St George's from of the St George Boatyard. Sergei needed to learn how to move low and slow from one hand-hold to the next as we reefed and unreefed the main and furling genoa to the changing winds, set the preventer and whisker pole, managed course changes, set the AIS ship proximity alarm, cooked our meals, plotted and updated our course on the paper charts as well as the GPS plotter, and all the other common tasks involved in navigating a boat at sea. The Next Distant Sea, The 28-foot Sailboat Atom Continues Her Second Circumnavigation, is now available on Amazon as paperback, ebook or audiobook. Although he reads the language well, he has had few chances to practice speaking it, which is a whole different challenge. Motoring into the wind to reef sails, for example, is dangerous and unnecessary – you'll likely foul a sheet in your prop one day. The card didn't use a zip code but some other identification number that the American machines had trouble deciphering. In the calmer seas and steady winds with only 50 miles to go, "Thank you, James," Sergei said in his heartfelt way after we tied. Wilderness tamed by 5 bars of 4G! A shooting star drops off the bow and I take to my bunk. Over and again we bounced and bashed our way into the steep chop in the wide rivers and sounds and then felt the blessed respite of following the river as it turned downwind where we could ease the sheets and reduce the heeling. Alberg 30 Cruising Well once again September, October and November have gone, and in the Chesapeake area that means three months of moderate temperatures, generally good winds, and plenty of sailing. The lifting was made easy by its enormous overhead counterbalancing concrete weights hanging above each end that road traffic normally passed under. This was potentially a big problem that would prevent our departure until fixed. We also dealt with assorted jobs such as a sticking sliding hatch, sewing additional attachment lines to the bunk lee cloths, securing the deck chain pipe whose hook was missing, and priming the composting toilet with dried coconut choir that we first softened in water. We also were dealing with tropical storm Hermine that passed near Brunswick after crossing over Florida from the Gulf a few days before departure. Sergei inquired with his soft Buddha-like smile. Summer 2012. They both repeated their same questions in a verbal stand-off. Going to sea has always been a reverent event for me. The manufacturer had made the clearances a couple millimeters too wide and it had just barely stayed in place these past two years. Or I should say I love it on light air days or days like these going downwind in a fresh breeze. There were worrying emotions when I was close to let the boat be aground at the entry to river after Norfolk navy base. Two days before the hurricane arrived, we moved Atom and Lora from the exposed docks at Frederica Yacht Club to the well-protected Brunswick Landing Marina located six miles inland from the beaches. It either goes on continuously or is neglected for a time and then you're back to it again.