Spring 1999

were written on it. All the time I was in Mexico, MOTU was the smallest cruising boat in the fleet, a distinction that I was quite proud of, I might add. We got so much attention everywhere we went because the Flicka is such a respected design among those that know this little ship. Seeing another Flicka would have been great! Now there is the name of another Flicka on the walls at Philomena’s restaurant.

Sailing south from Puerto Vallarta aboard MOTU (Nor’Star Flicka), my girlfriend and I were exploring the “Gold Coast” of Mexico. While drinking margaritas with friends in a cruiser restaurant/hangout at Melaque, in the tradition, we were all writing our boat names on the wall with crayons supplied by the restaurant owner. My girlfriend came over and said “Come here, you got to check this out!” I walked over and saw a swim fin nailed up to a beam overhead. The words “s/v CORSAIR, Flicka 20”

4:00 p.m.to 5:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.to 6:00 p.m. 02:00 to 03:00 or 9:00 p.m.to 10:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.to 11:00 p.m. 21:00 to 22:00

Congratulations to Flicka Home Page WebCaptain Rod Bruckdorfer. You can find the Flicka Home Page at: http://home.att.net/~seagypsy/index.html

The suggested Internet Rendezvous times are:

review of the Flicka in the November issue. Karen Larson is looking for photos of people's boats, interiors, line drawings, etc. Deadline for submitting photos, drawings, information, etc. to Good Old Boat is September 1, 1999. You can contact the magazine or Karen directly at : Good Old Boat Magazine 7340 Niagara Lane North Maple Grove, MN 55311-2655 E-Mail: karen@goodoldboat.com Phone: 612-420-8923 Fax : 612-420-8921

The hull number of my Pacific Seacraft Flicka is # 79. Flicka is, of course, the name of the class of boats, but the name seemed so appropriate that I adopted it, personalizing it as FLICKA of ST. CROIX. Tuesday, March 9 This was our first trip to the British Virgin Islands in a number of years. We left the Salt River Marina in St. Croix at 1100 on March 9, 1999. On board with me, to do all the hard work, was my son Phil. We cleared the green entrance buoy at 1120. I am glad the buoy is there. It is privately maintained and it sank recently. It marks a narrow pass through a surf covered reef. We were under sail with the motor off when we cleared the buoy. It was sunny with the wind East at fifteen knots. We were close hauled. During the afternoon, the wind veered about ten degrees. With two tacks offshore of about one half hour each, we were able to reach the dock at Buck Island which is off the east coast of St. Croix. We dropped anchor and Phil went swimming. He was the first to use the new boarding ladder, just installed. He said the water was cold but he stayed in. Meantime, the wind had gone down. The hand-held anemometer read eight to twelve, but the built-in anemometer still said fifteen....I’m afraid it is stuck. After all, it has been on duty for ten years.

We upped sail rounding Ram Head at 0930. The wind in the anchorage was five to six knots, outside it was Southeast right to ten knots. We suffered two knock-downs as we rounded the end of Great Thatch, then the wind became six to eight knots. We reached the main harbor on Jost Vandyke at 1230 and the anchorage at 1255. We went ashore to clear in, since the British Virgin Islands is a foreign country. I had forgotten to bring my passport and expected they would give me a hard time, but no, they accepted my drivers license. I had a feeling that they were more interested in my money than my citizenship. Surprisingly, the currency used is American. They charged me $18.00. I thought that a bit steep, but felt better when immigration only charged me twenty cents for the paper. One the way back to the boat, we stopped to get ice at a meticulous place with ice making machine but nobody there. Another customer said you help yourself and then go up to the house to pay for it. Phil went up. There, he met an old lady in a rocker. She pointed to a wallet on the table and told him to make change himself. This could only happen on a small island with less than two hundred residents.

Wednesday, March 10 We were off the Buck Island Reef under full sail by 0900. The wind was Northeast at ten to twelve, sunny. We were heading for St. John, thirty-one miles distant. At 1300, the wind back so we could just make Ram Head. We put into Salt Pond Bay and picked up a National Parks mooring at 1600. Thirty-one miles in seven hours, the speed between the four and five knots that we usually average.

We went ashore to Foxy’s for dinner. It’s the thing to do on Jost Vandyke. I had shrimp, big and lots of them, jazzed up with spices. Phil had chicken poli. The bill with the tip was $69.00. Years ago, Foxy only served hamburgers at a reasonable price, but times have changed. The atmosphere was not as lively as it used to be and we left at 2000. They now have a new maitre d’, a function Foxy used to perform himself and a dock for his customers which didn’t exist before. Phil counted sixty-seven sailboats and two powerboats anchored in the harbor, a cruise ship catamaran, two cruise ships and two four-masted schooners outside.

We were off under power at 0905. The wind was light, South by East, sunny. We passed through Thatch Island Cut at 1015. Sails up by 1130 with the wind Southeast at ten to thirteen knots. The wind dropped at 1600 as we rounded the end of Beef Island under power and picked up a private mooring whose owner, we were assured, was away. This was a bonanza as the moorings for rent were $20.00 a night. We were now at Marina Cay, almost a microscopic island. Ashore, we bought drinking water for $3.75 a gallon. A cold shower for two and a half minutes cost $1.00. Saturday March 13 We took on 17 gallons of water in the water tanks for $2.38. We were off by 0940. The wind was light. The course to Baths on Virgin Gorda was 090 degrees. We tried to get a weather forecast from V. I. radio in St. Thomas, but apparently the distance was too great. We picked up a mooring at the Baths at 1050. There was too much surf to land a dinghy on the beach, so Phil swam in. He followed the trail through the house-sized boulders that make up the Baths. The wind dropped at 1350, so we motored ten minutes until it came up Northeast. At 1440, we put the motor on to negotiate the shallow passage into Gorda Sound. We anchored at the Bitter End at 1545. there was a time when the Bitter End Yacht Club was the most important place there. Now it seemed the least significant. We went ashore to buy some groceries and then back to the boat for dinner. Sunday, March 14 We took our departure under power at 0900. We were through the pass and sail up at 0955. The wind was Northeast ten to twelve knots. We passed a large cruise ship. Continued on Page Five Continued from Page Four Aboard FLICKA of ST. CROIX In the past we didn’t see any cruise ships around here, but now we see many. The wind backed and increased as we rounded the end of Peter Island. We anchored off the Bill Bones concession on Norman Island at 1405. The Bight seems to be the most protected in the British Virgin Islands. The place was really loaded with sailboats just like Jost Vandyke. In the evening their masthead lights made you feel you were looking at the lights of a city. Monday, March 15 Back to St. Croix. We started on a course to avoid Monica Rock. We were under sail at 0700 with the wind Northeast at ten to twelve. By 1000 the wind was up to sixteen, gusting to eighteen. The distance to St. Croix was forty-one miles. On the way, we passed a school of flying fish. We were back in Salt River at 1420.

Forty-one miles in seven hours was faster than the trip over. Conclusions - The Boat We have had our Flicka since 1984 when we brought her here from Slydell, Louisiana. We have been out in her in all kinds of weather and she has never let us down. If you are willing to travel at four to six knots, she will always get you there. Phil claims that she will never capsize. I won’t go that far, but I claim it is very unlikely. Cruising for two is ideal and day sailing for five is comfortable. The Weather The weather could not have been any better. It was never too hot or too cold. The sun shown all day every day. The Wind

The wind never exceeded nineteen knots and never completely deserted us. The only time we had to beat was from Salt River to Buck Island. The thirty mile passage from Jost Vandyke to Virgin Gorda usually requires a series of tacks in the wind, taking several days. We could have made it on one tack in one day. The Location The British Virgin Islands is a very popular cruising area. It is almost an enclosed body of water. The first time we cruised there on a charter boat, one of our crew kept us from going to Jost Vandyke because it was out in the “open ocean.” There are many snug anchorages, mostly deep water up to the shore and plenty of exploring to do.

On Friday September 4, 1998, a six month old female Peregrine Falcon was released from Sandy Hook, New Jersey after its broken wing healed. That same day, my wife, son, daughter and I were sailing somewhere beyond Sandy Hook when my daughter suddenly exclaimed, “Oh my God! There’s a huge bird coming down on you, Dad!” I felt the flutter of wings on my back as I held on to the tiller of my small sailboat GAMINE, our Pacific Seacraft Flicka. Turning, I saw a wild looking bird with a three-foot wingspan, one talon hooked onto a backstay, the other on the transom. beak wide open showing a bloody tongue, its eyes fixed intently on me - but not a sound coming from it. After the initial shock, my family only too willingly cleared the cockpit, and I edged as far forward as I could, still maintaining

my grip on the tiller while keeping an eye on our guest. Eventually, she perched both feet on the transom, her wings folded and her beak closed. My son suggested we sail toward land so she might have a closer place to fly to, as it become apparent that she landed on our boat out of desperate fatigue rather than our companionship. As we continued to stare at each other, I started for the Earle Naval Weapons Station. After about twenty minutes of sailing, she gathered herself and flew off, circling low over the water until we lost sight of her. I don’t know if she made it back to land. The next day, my son told me that “our bird” was featured in the Asbury Park Press. The injured bird, rescued from the street in New York City, had been turned over to the Raptor Trust, a New Jersey based group that provided free help to injured, sick, or orphaned wild birds. The

healing process took about a month and a half, after which she would either settle at the Hook or find her way back to New York and her family, residing at the 40 story Bank of New York building on Wall Street. We called the Raptor Trust and told them our story. They were skeptical at first, but the time of the incident and our description of double banding on the bird’s legs all but ruled out coincidence. They were upset about this unexpected chapter in the falcon’s release, but agreed it was probably the same bird. They were pleased to hear that we had not threatened or harmed her in any way. We are all hoping that this young member of an endangered species made her way safely back to shore.

Last spring, I received an e-mail from Jill Geary saying that she sold her Pacific Seacraft Flicka. Since she wrote a number of articles for Southern California sailing magazines and newspapers, many people still connect this Flicka with her. Since the photo of ESPERANZA in the last issue of Flicka Friends was also credited to her, I’d like to set the record straight. The new owners of ESPERANZA are Phil and Trudy Cunningham. Hopefully, they will be correctly hailed when aboard their new Flicka. I understand they are busy with a few improvements, including replacing the 12 year old brown canvas with brand new dark green sunbrella. ESPERANZA (Pacific Seacraft Flicka # 338) anchored near Dana Point, California.

I really hate lifeline covers. They come in three basic types; 1)

Rubber foam which cracks, chunks off and mildews. or

Soft canvas or acrilan/sunbrella over the ubiquitous foam which abrades, puckers or stays wet and also mildews. or

3) Plastic pipe type tubes which get sticky, mildew and curl or split or both.

Early last spring I was in a Chicago cab and noticed the wooden bead seat cushions the driver sat on. He said that the seat was cool, let air circulate, and even gave him a massage. On my return I went to the craft supply outlet and bought 110 one inch wood macrame beads. Took them home and strung them on a length of clothesline and gave them 4 coats of cetol. The holes in the middle slip right over the lifelines. Absolutely comfortable to lean against and very soothing. Gives a very “shippy” appearance, too. Reminiscent of parrel beads. Try this!

Boat Names By Tom Davison The boat names on the opposite page have been gathered over the last couple of years. The list includes current as well as former boat names. With more than 400 Flickas running around, this list of 200 boat names represents nearly half of the them. If you know of any other Flicka names or would like to correct any mistakes in the list, please let me know. E-mail works the best. windigo@imt.net

ABRAXAS ADVENTURE ALACRITY AFRICAN MOON AFRICAN QUEEN ALBION ALSVID A’ME AMERICAN PIE ARIEL AUSTRA of NEWPORT AWOL AZURE MIST BABY GRAND BALLO LISCIO BECKY ANN BEN MAIN BETTY JANE BLISS BROAD MARGINS BURNING DAYLIGHT CADENZA CARAWAY CELEIDH CHARIS CHESAPEAKE NOMAD CHLOE CIO CIO SAN COCOA CORSAIR CYGNET DANCES WITH WIND DART DAWN DEBBIE D DEE DESTINY DREAM CATCHER DRUMMER DULCINEA DUVAN EIRE ELEA EMILY ENYA ERIKA ERIKA JANE ERENDIL ESCARGOT ESPERANZA EVENTIDE EYLIS FELICITY FINMARA FIRST BORN FLEA FLICKA FLICKA of ST. CROIX

FLICKER FLIGHT FOOT LOOSE GALADRIEL GAMINE GINA II GINNY BEAR GITANE NOIR GOLDEN CROWN GOLDFINCH GUNGA DIN GYPSY GYPSY ROVER HAJIME HALCY ANN HEIDI LYNN IRISH MIST IMP 2 JENNY LIGHT JESSE ANN JOELLEN JULIE ANNE KAHLUA KALIA KARI ANN KATRINA KAWABUNGA KEIKI KIALOA KIRI KOKA KOKOPELLI KRISTA ANN KYTE LA JOYA LARFUS LEA LISA MARIE LITTLE DRAGON LITTLE EM’LY LITTLE PRINCESS LITTLE POOT LOBOS LOKI II LONE STAR LOUSCOONE LUCKY LADY LYRA MABEL MADDIE BEAN MAGGIE MAE MAGIC MOMENTS MALTA MARIS MARISOL MARITIME MARY ANN

McFLICKA MIKONOS MINUET MOONSHADOWS MORGAN LE FAY MORNING STAR MOTU MRS. ANDY MY FRIEND MYTH NESSIE NIVA NOD OPTIMISTIC ORANGE BLOSSOM OTTER PAPILLON PASSAGES PINGOUIN PINIPED POPPET PRINCE OF WHALES PRUDENCE PUFF PUFFIN PURR QE III QE Too QED QUEST RACHEL RAINBOW RANGER RAPPORT REALITY ROBIKA ROCINANTE ROVER SABRINA SALAR SALTY’s SAMUEL GAY SAN SOUCI SEA CASTLE SEA FEVER SEA GYPSY SEA HEN SERENITY SIERRA ROSE SELECTED RISKS SERENITY SHANNON SHAYNA SILKIE SIRIENIAN SLOW DANCING SOLITUDE

SOLSTICE SOMEWHERE II B SPARROW SPIRIT SPIRITUS SANCTUS STAR STAR VOYAGER SWEET PEA SYABRITE SYNTHESIS TALIA MARIE TAN BARQUE TANSTAFL TARDE ENCANTADA THALASSA TIKAROA TOFF’s LADY TONDELYO TORTUGA TORTUGA AZUL TOXA MIKA TUESDAY’S CHILD TURTLE VAHEVALA VALENTINE VARUA VISIONS VIVIANA WENZEL T WHISPER WHITE CAP WILD GOOSE WIND DRIFTER WINDBOURNE WINDHOVER WINDMILL WINDSHIFT II WINDSOME WINDWALKER II WINDWARD PILGRIM WINNE MAE VISIONS WOOLY BULLY YARNS ZAPATITO Please add my name to the Flicka Friends and those who are interested in the Bruce P. Bingham design - Flicka. Your name will not be given to any other publication at any time. This publication is not for profit. Any fees collected will be used to produce and distribute the newsletter. To start a subscription, make a $10.00 check payable to Flicka Friends or Dennis Pratt and send to the address on the bottom of this page. The date after your name on the label is the expiration date of your current subscription. Thank you all very much. NAME

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“Flicka Friends” © 1999 by Dennis Pratt. All rights reserved, except for information that may have a prior copyright used here by permission.

Dennis Pratt Flicka Friends 3775 Gregory Drive