Thought everyone might enjoy a little maritime art. I will give details later, but for now some detective work to be done. What can one deduce from this painting?
Canadian NS 30 visiting the USA.
Ward Woodruff
N33 #8 Margery
Niantic Bay, CT
Flying home from Phuket on Tuesday
Ah, but what about the Nonsuch in the background? US Customs newest flagship, a Nonsuch 26 based in Oswego, catching up to the 30 for a passport check?
I mean, we all know that the 26s can beat a 30 anyday. Right??
all idle dreaming, of course!
JohnS NS26C 046, frozen in Bath ON.
Pterosaur sized gulls targeting someone else’s deck for a change?
Joe Adams
N26c Lark
Winter sailing in Seattle
(attachments)
PastedGraphic-1.tiff (1.71 MB)
This is a class act. Well done and enjoyable to look at.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Butch
Butch Garren
Nonsuch 30 #196 “Whiskers II”
SIYC Slip 12
Solomons, MD
Excellent detective work so far, although the location is wrong. Hint: what is the structure on the left side of the picture. Another hint: it is pre-1992 so different (original) owners of Unicorn.
Finally, I can see this. At first, when Bruce sent it out, I couldn’t open the image. It took good old Butch Garren (doing something magical) to make it pop up. How about that, eh ??!!
What a lovely water colour. The boat in the back looks like sail # 43 (though I’m not certain what size). It doesn’t appear to have a masthead burgee. The one in front is definitely an RCYC boat. Likely, this is a Lake Ontario crossing from the Toronto area to the any of the American ports on the other side of the lake. But, it could also be any/most of the other Great Lakes. Looks like a pretty breezy day and in my former NS 22, I’d have one, maybe, two reefs in. Not these bigger boats. They’ll chug through like locomotives. The couple in # 21 are tough mudders - no jackets, short sleeve shirts and it doesn’t look like that warm a day. Brrrr … Clearly, artistic license.
The bouy/marker behind them just might be a position in the middle of the crossing from Canada to the USA where the border takes a 90 degree turn from east/west to north south and denotes the actual border. The last time I sailed past this point, from Canada into the USA, around 1998, there was a smaller bouy (possibly with a bell).
Maybe it was a bellboy !! I am not certain whether this point is still marked by a bouy.
Or, I’m all wet and it’s somewhere else. Regardless, it’s a great piece of work (and it’s fun to speculate).
Ernie A. in Toronto
At one point in my checkered career, I ran a government office where one of my people managed an R&D program to develop AI systems for guessing locations where pictures were taken. So, I find this an interesting exercise, although I lack the local knowledge (and facilities for obtaining it) that were available to the system developers we funded.
In addition to the cues that have already been suggested, here’s a couple of cues which those computer systems would likely have pursued:
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Sea conditions
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Weather patterns as indicated by the cloud formations (you don’t see cloud patterns like that in Los Angeles, that’s for sure)
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Relative wind direction as indicated by the angle of the boats’ sails
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Any disparities between the direction of the swells and the wind the direction
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Information about time and latitude potentially derivable from the angle of sunlight on the clouds
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Physical characteristics of the cockpit occupants, their clothing (indicative of both ambient temperature as well as date and possibly country), as well as further clues about sun position from shadows on their bodies
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Anything that could be concluded from the characteristics of the seabirds depicted (all seagulls are not the same)
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…
The body language of the cockpit occupants suggest that they’re happy, but that’s no surprise given that the boat’s a Nonsuch.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
Geeez, Bob -
That’s asking a lot for a painting !! This is an exercise where the artist can use their “license”. To me, living in Toronto, it looks like a chilly day given the cold-looking clouds. The Edwards were a strong couple - shirtsleeves, no less. Pounding along in a sprightly breeze and … here’s the best … not standing up straight in the cockpit but HEELING at the same angle as the boat. Maybe their shoes were bolted to the cockpit floor. (All of this detail made me chuckle.)
Still … it’s a darn nice painting and, heck, maybe Bob’s right. This couple does look happy. (But a few things did provoke a smile.)
Ernie A. in Toronto
For the record I can confirm that the Martha’s Vineyard Rendezvous was in1983 and Mascouche was there. She was first in her division of course racing skippered by Peter Pangman with wife Eve crewing. She sold her to me in 2006. Peter died in 2000. Meow was second and Fiddler 3rd.
John Newell
Mascouche 26C#1
I remember Peter. The racing in MV was terrific. All of the 30s raced together for the first couple of days before two divisions of about 25 were used.
Bruce Clark and and John Newell both own historic Nonsuches. Bruce has the original #1 N30 ordered by the fleet father Gordon Fisher who conceived of the boat which was to be designed by Mark Ellis and John has the first N26 which he sails at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto. Both will be at the July 2024 Rendezvous being hosted by the RCYC and Mimico Cruising Club. Bruce is arranging for boats from eastern ports to overnight at Whitby Yacht Club of which he is a member on Wednesday July 24th with other boats arriving to overnight at RCYC or Mimico on Thursday July 25th. Events will take place Friday 26th to Sunday 28th with boats fro distant ports able to overnight on the Sunday. I am one of the co-chairs with Will O’Hara from Mimico the other. If you want to help, let us know. One thing we would like answered is whether participants would like advice sessions from expert riggers, restorers and sailors or if they would prefer just to sail. We are planning a mix of racing and cruising and have historic trophies to award. All thoughts are welcome. Maybe Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, would like to host again in future years. It is certainly a wonderful spot. Bruce has a complete guide to sailing to Toronto from points east. It is on the INA website and he will send if you ask. How long would it take to sail to Toronto to Martha’s Vineyard? John Newell credits Peter Pangman corrrectly for his 1983 victory. John now has an unconventional gaff rig on his 26 which shouldn’t go fast, but with John at the helm, she does. If I may open a can of sea worms, we are wondering whether to race as one-designs per length or use PHRF ratings. I think that in 1983 and subsequent Rendezvous Nonsuches raced as one-designs but that was before John altered his rig and some sailors ordered slightly fuller sails.
Nicholas Hirst
Mirthin N30U 516
RCYC
Director Lake Ontario Nonsuch Association
You can reach me at nicholashirst@me.com
The thread is getting a little off the original topic, but i thought id chime in. My wife Sue and i plan to attend the 2024 Rendezvous, sailing in from PEYC in the Bay of Quinte at Picton. We are hoping to be able to race but we may have a couple modifications that would exclude us from one design, including the wish bone extension and a slightly oversized sail. We are installing a flicker on the topping lift to accommodate the large roach on the new sail. We have had the sail measured and do have a current PHRF rating, so i would assume if we are using PHRF would be be able to compete. We will likely be traveling with our friends Steve and Lynn Ellwood, owners of Duck Soup, Nonsuch 26 hull#14. They have a new square top sail and have not been rated yet, but im sure would like to compete also.
John & Sue Vincent
Salem N25C 108
PEYC, Picton, ON