October 10, 2011. Nene Wolfe checked in today as the new owner of Moonshadow. We never did get a picture of her from prior owner Len Feldman but we are hopeful that Nene will remedy this problem. We'll reserve a space for it here. Nene's email follows: Webmaster Note: some technical issues in early Moonshadow days - some day will resolve.......

Here she is

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October 11, 2011. Nene sent in the following pictures:

Will be polished...	Maybe a little varnish work needed? but nice..

New owner	Former owner

Moonshadow sailing down the Lynn Canal - that's snow and glaciers on the horizon...

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March 30, 2012. Over the past weeks we have had an exchange of emails with Nene about propulsion - oar propulsion. With the help of a couple of Dolphin owners (Acamer and Monika) Nene has come up with a system for Moonshadow. Last month we started a page in the Technical Section/Propulsion Systems/Sculling and Rowing and this contribution will be added to that page. Here is the last email and some pictures

Hi Ron,

Greetings to you, hope you are out in Marionette  sailing (6 more weeks! We live in Connecticut not temperate Alaska!) - OK -  update with oars, pics to follow  in another email.

I bought  10 ft   break-apart  Carlisle  oars from  NRS.  I used nylon webbing wrapped around the stanchions in prussic style with a piece of parachute cord tied to the top of the stanchion to keep the webbing from slipping down to the base. Webbing worked way better than rope.  This setup allows for easy rowing without getting the oars hung up or allowing them to slip or slide out and fall into the drink.

Moonshadow doesn't have a second winch in the cockpit like some other Dolphins seem to have. If it had a second one I think it would have been in a better position to rig up a hold for the oars.   Hence the last stanchion use;  it’s a smidgeon too aft  but works OK.   Have to sit on the lasarette to row. Not Sure what the torque is going to do to the stanchion in the long run .

It takes some strength (and a good friend!) to row Moonshadow but it works - its not a fast way to move but quite maneuverable  just the same.  I am happy to have this setup. Thanks for contacting  Acamar and Monika for their experiences, very much appreciated !

Ne2
in Juneau, AK

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July 14, 2012. There are still a few cool places left on the planet. Here's one from Nene.

Light winds near Juneau AK, July 10th 2012

Hi Ron

Hope you are having a fantastic summer. Constant rain and coolness here. Yesterday AM it was 38 F on July 11th !!! Ykes - while the rest of the US is burning up.

best to you

Ne2

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May 1, 2013. Moonshadow is getting new standing rigging. We set up a page for this interesting project in our Technical Section - click here to go there.

November 4, 2015. We got the following update and photo from Nene (Ne2)

Hi Ron,

 Nene  Wolfe here,  its snowing at last !   Hey  I am sending you this pic  that was recently sent to me; it’s a great shot of a Yankee Dolphin  in profile !   Also  we moved up to Haines, just N of Juneau, where Moonshadow had been residing  before I bought her !

  All is well in the Dolphin world here.   Happy Fall,  and thanks again for maintaining such a fun web page.

  Ne2

Click here for a bit larger image

June 4, 2017. Ne2 sent in the following photo and has some questions re her new Harken roller furling jib (minor edit)

Hi Ron !

Big Hi, and Hope the Spring sailing is going well for you.

Question for you: I put a Harken Roller Furler & new jib on Moonshadow last summer at the end of the season . I only was out a couple of times trying it out then; but now I have been out really checking it out and find that I am having more trouble steering especially tacking. Seems like suddenly my rudder is not big enough.

Have others noticed that putting a roller furler changes the balance of the boat & hence steering some? I'm a little frustrated - wondering if I made a big mistake here. Could be that the new Jib, which was made specifically for Moonshadow's set up, has too different a shape so has changed things?

I had my original jib modified to fit the furler, maybe I should put that one on & see how Moonshadow responds. I had professional riggers & sailmakers up who installed it & measured out the new jib. They were visiting Juneau at the time.

Cheers

Ne2

Your webmaster replies

Hi Nene

I have no personal experience with roller furling jibs - while as a single hander I can appreciate the benefits they offer, my reservations are based on perhaps hearsay concerns over performance, and a couple of scary stories about breakdowns in windy conditions with crew unable to furl or drop the jib. There are some comments in the Technical Section http://dolphin24.org/jib_furlers.html and http://dolphin24.org/sail_comments.html

But here's my 2 cents regarding your specific questions - maybe others can chime in and add to this dialogue.

> I would definitely contact Harken and whoever made the new jib and get their imput

> Is the new furling jib the same size as your old jib? Are you able to point as high as you did with your old set up? My impression is that roller furling jibs do not point as high, which means when tacking you are coming off a very close reach and it will take longer to go through/complete the tack.

> "trouble steering' versus your old set up is a particlarly interesting problem - the 'pros' at Harken/your sailmaker need to respond. Its hard to believe the new furling jib has much difference in power, but when pointing in a bit of breeze it probably have a different 'shape' that will probably affect your rig balance - resulting in a different traveller position, 'weather helm", etc.

I will be very interested in what the 'pros' say. We'll add this and future reader comments to our Technical Section as soon as we get a little more info.

Ron

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June 8, 2017. DFI Joe Sharpe (Yanqui) commented below - we have added these to our jib furling page in our Technical Section - click here to go there

I've had a Harken furler on Yanqui for the past five years or so. It has a 130% (or thereabouts) genoa made for her. Never had a problem with it, including balance.

I wonder if she's experiencing the combination of an old, less powerful mainsail and a new, big headsail creating lee helm. Maybe get used to loosing the headsail before tacking? Or furl it up partway and see if that makes a difference? The only thing I can think of is that the sail is too powerful somehow. Maybe change the jib leads and tension the halyard more to flatten it?

Joe

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June 21, 2018. News from Alaska - Ne2 has declined taking Moonshadow 'over the top' (Artic Route) to compete in the Dolphin 24 New England Championships in Camden, Maine, July 26-28 (http://dolphin24.org/ccc2018.html), but has responded to a Facebook sighting of her namesake boat on San Francisco Bay (see email exchange below). And, Moonshadow has a new dodger.....See below and Technical Section/Dodgers

Daughter Nicole races on a J-105 in San Francisco - that fleet has a boat with an interesting name - here's a photo that appeared on Facebook your webmaster had to share with you....(at right)   Moonshadow has a new dodger , that is what is new this year - see pics below) She hasn’t been sailed much cuz her owner commercial fishes all summer ... Ne2

Ha ha ha ! Perfect name !! Wonder what they were thinking .....

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September 23, 2019. Responding to a webmaster plea we got the following update from Ne2.

Happy first day of fall ! Some new small amount of snow on Mountain tops here ...

Moonshadow was quiet this sumner cuz her owner was gone all summer commercial fishing. But she is getting out now enjoying the fall colors.

Her sister ship in Skagway however was very busy sailing all around Northern SouthEast AK. You should query Jackson about his trips !

Ne2

Webmaster Note: Ne2 is referring to Matthew Jackson, Yankee #155 http://www.dolphin24.org/155Tern.html. We need an update from him, but we know he has been busy.

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November 18, 2022 - update from a Dolphin24 Facebook post about Moonshadow's past

March 18, 2023 - update from Ne2

Hi Ron !!

Well, yes Iditarod is over however Moonshadow remains tied to the dock all tarped up but under several feet of snow !
She does get brushed off though … sigh. March came in like a Lion.

Hope you are well & Marionette is safe in her boat garage. Webmaster Note: Farewell to Marionette http://www.dolphin24.org/restorations_marionette.html

Cheers
Ne2

 

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Here, we step back into the past. Len Feldman and his Moonshadow checked in to the Forum nearly four years ago. His October 16, 2007 post is copied here. We awaited a picture of her. Alas....

Greetings,

I am the happy owner of Moonshadow, Yankee Dolphin #173. We live and sail out of Haines, Alaska. The boat has been in Haines for at least 10 years, but not used very much. previously it was owned by the Boy Scouts in Juneau, Alaska, but also not used much. Prior history I don't know.

I bought her in spring, 2006, and have sailed her quite a bit locally. Her main and drifter appear to be original--now 37 years old, and holding up quite well.

She sits fairly low on her lines, though the bilge is quite dry. Low enough that i painted over her boot-top with bottom paint to keep the slime down. I suspect that the hull has absorbed water over the years. (Webmaster note - I also have bottom painted Marionette's boot stripe - which now sits on top of the old scribed boot top line - One day, I am going to check the water content of the glass to be sure about possible water absorbtion - many thought that the Dolphin sailed better with more ballast .... see November 1968 S&S internal memo by clicking here) The hull seems to be in very nice condition--I cleaned her up on the tide grid here last year.

I often find myself tying a single reef and using the working jib, and sailing in our common 15-20 knot southeast winds quite comfortably. The boat sails like a witch. I usually sail singlehand, and find that the center board down helps her to weather cock into the wind while I'm fooling around on the foredeck.

I have not yet taken the mast down. I expect at some point I might want to replace the standing rigging and rewire. Any suggestions along those lines would be apppreciated.

Len Feldman