Posted: 06 Mar 2009 at 6:51pm
Hi All
I know that a Dolphin may not be the ideal cruising boat but they do have their advantages, and we do cruise. Maybe we just don't like to talk about it - hunched over its hard to keep the log, take the pictures, use the galley, etc.

We have had only one post in this section, June, 2007, from Aaron, Flite # 183, and this stresses your webmaster. I know we can do better. I promise at least one cruise report, Maine again if the Admiral approves, or the Islands off Cape Cod - Cuttyhunk, Martha's Vineyard, maybe Nautucket, or on the Cape to checkout Waquoit Bay where Tillicum is homeported. Anyway, there will be an emphasis on getting into the those special places that Dolphins go.
Ron
Marionette, #12


Posted: 09 Mar 2009 at 1:06am
We'll be spending some serious cruising time in Robin Lee this summer, I assure you Ron. Just finishing up on some basic maintenance and outfitting. We'll want a stove, and probably a holding tank for the head.

We've been talking about a West Coast Dolphin rendezvous in at Catalina Island this summer. That's a weekend destination, 26 miles offshore from Los Angeles. I'm in for sure!

Erik Evens
Los Angeles, CA
"Robin Lee", Yankee Dolphin #118


Posted: 11 Mar 2009 at 12:45am
Eric,
count me in! I may not have the bright work done, but Grand Finale will be in the water this summer! E-mail me with specifics.

Beautiful boats and fair winds!
Sailinmike
Dolphin #300
Grande Finale


Posted: 27 Mar 2011 at 10:39pm
I owned Yankee Dolphin hull # 141 which I bought in King Harbor, Redondo Beach, CA in the mid 80's. I gutted the main cabin with a sawzall and built a nice teak interior. I built a propane locker in the forward end of the cockpit footwell with a teak lid which reduced the size of the footwell for offshore sailing. I mounted a Navik self-steering vane on it and got an Autohelm 1000. I added a small solar panel also and rebuilt the entire rig. The mainsail and working jib were original and I added a 155 genoa, a 120 reefable genoa, a storm jib, and a cruising spinnaker. I also added a set of self-tailing lewmar winches on the coamings and moved the original winches aft a bit as secondary winches. In November of 1987 I set sail from Mission Bay on a five year cruise thru Central America, the Canal and into the Caribbean. What a great boat! On a trip from Newport Beach to Mission Bay (bouy to bouy) the boat averaged 6.6 knots on a broad reach in light to medium air. In a winter storm off of Isla Guadalupe, Baja California, running under a storm jib alone, the boat took three knockdowns in one night but popped right back up and just kept on going. That was early on in my cruise and really solidified my faith in the construction and design of the boat. I can't think of a better pocket cruiser for the money. . . attractive design, good speed for her waterline, tough. I'm amazed that Old Boat Magazine hasn't featured the Yankee Dolphin or Pacific Dolphin. I named her after my mom as a promise to her before she died of cancer... Barbara Joyce. She was ultimately destroyed by an arsonist in Cartagena, Colombia.

john barbara joyce


Posted: 30 Mar 2011 at 10:31am
Forum readers will be pleased to know that Yankee #141 Barbara Joyce may no longer be with us but she is memorialized on the website Roster and has her own page.
Ron Breault
webmaster