Spring 2000

Thomas Murphy waving good-bye aboard his Flicka s/v FIRST BORN in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey on his way into the Atlantic Ocean and a passage to Bermuda By Thomas A. Murphy During the winter of 1996-1997 I gathered books and videos from the library about Bermuda and traveling the Atlantic. I even found some stories and information on the Internet. When spring came, I was anxious to get started but don’t consider myself a lucky sailor. So I planned two trips; one to Bermuda and the other to New England. If it looked like Bermuda was out of the question (storms or something seriously wrong with my boat), I would do a short

passage to Cape Cod and cruise the coast of New England. Otherwise, Bermuda — here I come. I had saved around a $1,000.00 to cover all the costs of the trip. FIRST BORN, a 1985 Pacific Seacraft Flicka came out of storage in very good shape. I knew there was a leak in the fresh water tank and hull valve for the sink drain leaked, but all other equipment and hardware was in sea shape. I decided not to spend money on correcting these minor problems but to listen to my wife and paint the hull. After two years “on the hard” in Florida, the

dark blue hull turned to a powder blue that made the boat look old and unkempt. It took a month of sanding, cleaning and painting but the result surprised even me. She was now ready to launch. A week before leaving, I took FIRST BORN out for a shake down cruise on Barnegat Bay. It was a good day for breezes and trying the motor. I shook out all the sails that I would need and ran the motor for over two hours. No Problems. I set Wednesday June 25th for my departure. (Continued on page 4)

Beginning Our Fifth Year (Finally!) Flicka Friends is a newsletter published about the Flicka, a 20 foot sailing vessel designed by Bruce P. Bingham. It has been produced in various materials by amateurs and professionals from the early 1970’s until the present day. This includes Flickas constructed from plans that were obtained directly from Bruce Bingham. About 400 sets of plans were sold. According to Bruce, many Flickas can be found in New Zealand Australia and Sweden.

Thanks For Your Patience! By Tom Davison Obviously, we are behind again on the issues. Dennis and I will be putting together a number of issues this spring and summer. The goal is to get Flicka Friends back on track and to stay there this time. It will take a some effort and a little help as well. If you can send something, that is great!

A number of hulls were built by Norstar and several more hulls were completed by Westerly Marine. Pacific Seacraft Corporation built 435 Flickas beginning in 1977. The Flicka was in production until 1999. Flicka Friends is published on a quarterly basis, with issues being completed in March, June, September and December. Articles, letters, comments and photos relating to the Flicka are welcomed and encouraged. The cost of a subscription is $10.00 US and can be mailed directly to the Publisher.

Recently, Dennis and I discussed Flicka Friends and its future. We also talked about our roles as Editor and Guest Editor. We agreed to share the tasks associated with Flicka Friends production. Dennis will be the Publisher and Treasurer. Please forward anything that you would like to have published to Dennis in Chicago. Since I usually have more “spare” time

Over the last year or so, I’ve been working on an article about Flicka sail selection. The information has increased from a simple article to an entire issue. There are a number of articles relating to wind, sail performance and sails arrangments a Flicka. A number of tables have been created to compare many differnet sail combinations.

Tom Davison Editor Flicka Friends P.O. Box 462 Empire, MI 49630-0462 (231) 326-5599 windigo@traverse.net

than Dennis, my role will be creating Flicka Friends with the information that arrives for publication. I’ll do the editing and produce the final draft of each issue. Dennis will review the final draft, make any corrections needed. This should eliminate typographical errors and formatting mistakes. The final draft will be printed and mailed from Michigan. We hope to maintain the expected printing schedule.

Publisher Flicka Friends 3775 Gregory Northbrook, IL 60062(847) 299-5744 dennis1492@aol.com

Several Flicka Friends have already stepped forward and promised to send articles. They include some of the people who always seem to help out when the newsletter is on the thin side. I know that many of you have wondered about Flicka Friends and about the next issue. Once again, thanks for your patience.

What I need to complete the issue are Flicka photos to illustrate the article. The photos that I would like to include would show Flickas sailing in as many Beaufort Wind Speeds as possible. I’d like to show everything from a spinnaker and a full main down to a storm jib and storm

trys’l. Even photos of a Flicka under bare poles would be great if anyone has managed to photograph sailing in these dangerous weather conditions. Most of the Flicka Sail Issue has been created in the computer and is waiting for the photos. Since each page’s format has already been set, the available space r photos is a horizontal area that is three and one-half inch by five inch layout. It may not be possible to gather all of these photos, but the issue would really turn out great if they were available. If you would like to include your sailboat in this issue, please let us know. I’m looking forward to adding a number of images to the Flicka Sail Issue.

The construction of a box for our hatch-boards resulted from the frustration of constantly having to move them from one place to another. They were either in the way or sliding out of place. It became a headache deciding where to put them so they would be out of the way and still accessible. These photos show our solution to this problem. The first photograph (Fig. One) shows the box we made from copper sheeting. It was riveted to a stainless steel backing. We chose the copper for the salty look.

In the next photograph (Fig. Two), you can see the two hooks we installed on the outer wall of the enclosed head. They are just inside the hatchway. The hatch board box will hang there. Note that the fire extinguisher had to be relocated. Figure Three The following photo (Fig. Three) shows the box hanging in place. There are small plastic covers on the bottom corners to protect the teak and fiberglass of the cabin. The final photograph (Fig. Four) shows all the hatchboards stowed neatly in place. Secured out of the way, they are still within easy reach. When engine maintenance is required, just swing the hatch-board box up and off the hooks to remove it from the wall. Now you are ready to work on your engine. My wife Melva and I sail TURTLE, our Pacific Seacraft Flicka (# 413) out of Monroe, Michigan. If you have any questions, you can contact me at: (734) 854-5121

Figure Four Bermuda Passage - Part One (Continued from page 1)

Panic, anxiousness and doubt filled my last days of preparation. I learned from former passages to have the boat fully loaded and equipped well before departure. It’s extremely comforting to pack a few goodies and just walk onto your boat and begin “THE JOURNEY.” I changed my mind a dozen times during these days about buying an E.P.I.R.B., a G.P.S, Autohelm, special clothes, and other small items. I did end up buying most of the items and depleting my budget. DAY ONE My last born son drove me to FIRST BORN on a beautiful day, sunny with a light wind. After helping me with the rigging, he gave his “crazy” dad a giant hug and then left. I was thrilled to learn that high tide was at Noon so I left the marina before 11:00 a.m.. By 1:30 p.m., I was clearing Barnegat Light and trying to calm myself.

Completing my final preparations before my son gives his “crazy” dad a hug good-bye.

The report was wrong! I pushed had against an incoming tide all the way out of the inlet. Under my staysail on the jib and a full main, the boat took off a 170 degrees true. It’s nice to leave in the middle of the week where there are fewer boats to dodge around and through to get into the ocean. I put up my radar reflector on the staysail. The winds kicked up to 15 - 20 knots with waves increasing to four feet later in the afternoon. It was ideal sailing with this sail combination that had her self-steering. Two problems came up. My compass was off by 30 degrees. I think it’s the anchor I have in the locker under it. The other was the smell of diesel fuel. I’ll check for a leak before dark. I also had my first injury. A rouge wave hit the starboard side and knocked me down into the opposite bench. I took a hard hit with on left thigh and lay in the cockpit for awhile until the pain stopped. There will be swelling for many days. I plan to take my position at

Dressed in foul weather gear while waiting out an Atlantic storm. Bermuda Passage - Part One haste to lower and stow the sails. By 11:00 p.m., I was in the cabin — tired, sore, wet and feeling a total failure. What made me think I could take on a North Atlantic storm? DAY THREE The storm was over by midnight. On my watches during the night, the winds died and the waves settled. I awoke to water on the cabin sole. All the water from my fresh water tank spilled out during the storm. I pumped the bilge, and found more water than I thought should have been there. I am worried so I checked all the fitting for leaks but everything looked OK. I can only guess that the rolling and rocking of the boat with waves crashing over the cabin and decks had water find it way into the he bilge.

NO WIND! The flapping sails do me no good, so I finally decide to lower and tie them off. Noon each day. It looks like a great night to sail. DAY TWO My first night at sea was uneventful. When I tried to rest, my thigh only permitted me to lay on my right side. Other than that, it was a lonely night with only the passing lights of one ship off my stern. The wind all night was 10-15 knots, during the morning they decreased to 5-10 knots. My noon fix had us covering 75 miles for the first day. In the afternoon, the wind increased a little, the waves stayed about two feet. I hope to make 70 miles today. I found a cap leaking on my five gallon fuel tank. As you roll, the fuel splashes and some gets out. I’ll have to watch it until I load it into the boat’s tank. I tried to dry the clothes that got wet in the run yesterday. I’ll need to watch how I dress to reduce having so many clothes get soaked.

Birds still visit me as well as those pesky flies. I have been surrounded by fog all day. Visibility is about two miles, eerie!

I raised the main and jib and found an easterly course in the light Northeast wind. My noon fix showed we had traveled 60 miles. Not as good as I planned. The light breeze continued all day and through the evening.

As the evening approached, the wind died. By sundown, around 9:00 p.m., I saw dark storm clouds moving in from the southwest. I double-reefed the main to be ready for any storm.

DAY FOUR The breeze I had during the night and some of the evening died around 11:00 a. m. The sun was out for vengeance and the ocean turned to a glass sheet. My noon fix showed I only traveled 50 miles. The day went by without any wind and me down in the cabin, hiding from the sun.

As I finished tying the main, it hit off my stern. It was not easy holding the a fine line between running, jibbing and reaching. The wind came in strong blows of 30+ knots and then dropped to less than 20 knots. Mother Nature’s marvel, those long jagged streaks of white hot light, were all around.

After 18 hours without any breeze, I lowered and tied up the sails to lessen the wear and tear from flapping against the mast. The boredom brings on my first case of loneliness.

I caught sight of some white lights to the north. Could it be a trawler? I hate trawlers. It moved off over the horizon. After an hour of fighting the storm, I surrendered. In my exhausted state, I fouled up the jib lines and wrapped the main’s halyard around the mast in my

As night closed in, I watched the movement of the fog from the northeast. It was amazing, puffs of fog sprang up here and there, dancing around the boat, but never coming too close. I watched for an hour before succumbing to sleep. Contined in the next issue... Please add my name to the Flicka Friends and those who are interested in the Flicka, a Bruce P. Bingham design. Your name will not be given to any other publication at any time. This newsletter 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! NAME

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“Flicka Friends” © 2000 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 Northbrook, IL 60062-7103