News from Our Voyagers (updated on February 2, 2010))
February 3, 2010 Lester, Just a short note to thank you for your wishes and let you know Dolphin Spirit is now at
her new home in Hobart, Tasmania, on the south island of Australia. After an uneventful trip, which covered 1200
nautical miles, arrived in Hobart after 8 days at sea. Regards, Rod Mathews (s/v Dolphin Spirit) new owner.
[Ed. Note: Dolphin Spirit is a Mark I Corbin which has successfully crossed an ocean and sailed many bluewater
miles.]
February 2, 2010 Lester I am not hibernating in the snow. In fact I just returned home from Palacios, Texas where
Bodacious ll has been for the past 3 years. I am planning to sail with a crew of 3 to Marathon, Florida in mid April,
straight across the Gulf, docking in northern Florida for a few months then on to Summerside, P.E.I., Canada. I will
keep you posted. Murray Fallaise (s/vBodacious II)
January 28, 2010 Dear Lester, I hope you enjoyed the Christmas holidays. For the coming year, good health and
enjoyment!Thank you for keeping the website allive. You reached me in the Cabo Verde Islands. ESCAPADE will
stay here for a month before I cross over to Brazil. I have been sailing alone from Agua Dulce, Spain via Gibraltar,
Santo Porto, Madeira, La Gracciosa, Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. All very fast and enjoyable except for the last voyage
to Mindelo, Sao Vincente, when I had decent wind for three days followed by almost four days of no wind and
additional three days of wind exactly on the nose. I sailed almost 1400 NM for actual 800 NM distance in 15 days.
Best regards, Peter Voges, (s/v Escapade)
[Ed.Note: Escapade is a Mark I Corbin, which has successfully crossed an ocean and sailed many bluewater miles.]
March 12, 2009 Lester, After three years in Turkey I left in 2007 and went through the Corinth Canal to the Ionic
Isles, enjoyed the Croatian coast and wintered in Venice, which was spectacular. Last year I left the Adriatic Sea and
sailed via the Strait of Messina to Sardinia, where Escapade in on the hard at Sant'Antioco. My thanks to you for
creating and maintaining the very informative Corbin website! Peter Voges, (s/v Escapade)
Dec 22, 2008 Good day Lester, I am two and a half months into my first cruise on Tangaroa. I Left lake Champlain
on the 9th of October, down the Hudson, and then through the intracoastal and a few Atlantic passages I have reached
Cocoa FL. I am spending Xmas in Cocoa Florida. I should reach my destination, the Bahamas, in mid January. Guy
Viger, (s/v Tangaroa V)Nov 6, 2008 Lester, Sorry we have never used a cradle, we had Bright Eyes on jack stands
while doing the bottom. She is almost done and ready to go around the world with a few things left to do. We get new
our new sails tomorrow $13,000+ but it's only money, so far the complete refit has cost us $60,000 and almost a year
of full time work, but we see the light...... just hope the light isn't a train running us down. LOL. John and Anita, (s/v
Bright Eyes)
April 15, 2008 Hi Lester, We are getting the major refit done, but sometimes it feels like it goes on forever. LOL.
We have replaced the fuel tanks (added another fuel tank for a total of three, 140 gal), all new fresh water system, salt
water system, new engine and drive train, 4 bilge pumps, new septic system, 275 ft anchor chain, rebuilt anchor
windless, all new lights below decks, and have ground the hull down to fiberglass and added 5 barrier coats with 2
coats of antifouling. We have yet to remove the teak deck and work on the standing and running rigging. John and
Anita, (s/v Bright Eyes)
March 10, 2008 Lester, America's Great Loop was a 5200 NM trip around the Eastern half of the US. We had to
step and unstep the mast 3 times. We started in FL and sailed up the east coast to NY City, up the Hudson to the Erie
Canal across the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes, than sailed to Chicago down the rivers/canals systems to Mobile AL
than to the west coast of FL, around to the FL Keys than up FL, back to where we started in Jacksonville FL. We
stayed on our Hunter for a full year and only slept on land once while we were in NY City, while doing the "Loop". I
figure that if the wife and I are still talking to each other after a year on a 26 ft boat the Corbin should be a breeze, LOL
This was a great trip and what a blast. John and Anita Baumgartner, (s/v Bright Eyes)
December 23, 2007 Hi Lester, She started life as Cap Oceane. We bought her in Quebec as Cap au Sud. We have
pretty much rebuilt everything ; this being the 4th winter out of the water. We figure this entitles us to select a new name
which we are still working on ! We expect to be in St. Andrews harbor this spring which is on Passamaquody Bay
which is the Maine/USA salt water border. We hope to spend the summer there in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine
and by the fall of 09 head very South. In the rebuild process, you sure get an appreciation of the sturdiness of the
original construction. Galene is really amazing. And we thought we did a rebuild !! Thanks, Ray Sullivan, (s/v Cap au
Sud).
April 8, 2007 Lester, The check for Balmacara came yesterday afternoon. The sale is complete. It is hard to say
good by to a good friend but I think that she is going to some good new owners. They are going to take her across the
Atlantic. A Corbin should be out there crossing oceans. Your web site has provided us with lots of good information.
The new owners became aware of Balmacara on the Corbin website. Good job Lester. Richard Bacon, former owner
of s/v Balmacara.
[Ed. Note: Balmacara is a Mark I Corbin which has successfully circumnavigated the world!]
March 5, 2007 Hi Lester, It was not that I cut you and the club off. What happened was that my sailmail started
receiving 200 spam messages a day and i could not even delete them before sailmail cut me off for abusing the 10
minutes of air time allowed per day. After I got a new sailmail address the spam went away. Sailmail stated that I got
on a mailing list from someone that had my email address on their computer probably when they were on line.
Therefore I only gave my new address to family members. Now that I am back in the States (the first time in 5 years) I
set up this Gmail account which I can access while I am on shore. This is quite recent (about 2 weeks), so now I can
keep in touch with friends when in port, and maintain the sailmail for family and weather, and navigation etc.Thank you
for looking me up. It is nice to know that someone cares. Yours Truly Henry McAlarney (s/v 2Extreme)....
[Lester Note: Henry's Corbin is in Egypt.]
February 26, 2007 Hi Lester, Many thanks for relaying this message.....”would you be so kind as to give Mr Frank
Perry my email address.....”...I am presently without crew....long story......in Morgan's Bluff harbour , Nicholl's Town,
Andros, Bahamas. I have a safe dock in the small commercial harbour.....and I am hoping to find more crew on the
internet...kindly provided by a sportfisher.....who leaves his modem on !! I had crew when we left Beaufort NC on Dec
13th 2006...we intended to go directly to the BVI's but weather beat us in at Charleston SC...did the ICW thing ...and
hopped across to here from Biscayne Bay....via Great harbour in the Berry Islands. My crew ran out of time so i will
remain here ......till I find someone else to sail with. Hope all is well with you.....[PS even here I cannot escape other
Corbin 39's....last week I was visited by Voyager XIV with John and Judy Flint on board ] .cheers, Jeremy Parrett (s/v
Two Pelicans)
January 30, 2007 Hi Lester, We are leaving for the Azores in May. Boat will probably be in Europe several years.
We will keep you posted. Thanks, Brian Hall (s/v Necessity)
December 19, 2006 Hi Lester, Merry Christmas and all the best to you and yours for 2007. We are in the
Netherlands, visiting family, while Octopus I is being catered to on the hard in Marmaris. This year we went from
Tunisia, where we spent the previous winter, via Malta and Italy to Greece and Turkey. We intend to participate in the
Eastern Med Yacht Rally next spring. Thanks for your web-efforts, all the best. Gerry and Brigitte Stuurop (s/v
Octopus I) (See OctopusI website)
[Ed.Note: Octopus I is a Mark I Corbin, which has successfully crossed an ocean and sailed many bluewater miles.]
December 19, 2006 Merry Christmas Lester from Two Pelicans .We are in Charleston SC resting up after coming
offshore from Beaufort NC...Leaving tomorrow for Jacksonville Fl.......a 2 day offshore hop...So far there has been
precious little wind...flat calm seas, wondefully sunny days and amazing starry nights.....All the best from Jeremy and
crew Peter.(s/v Two Pelicans)
December 17, 2006 Thanks again for the help Lester. Our adventures with the Dockwise shipping company went
well. They are very professional. Our trip up the Intercoastal waterway has not gone as well. Our transmission failed so
we will be spending X-mas in a Motel 6. The transmission had been rebuilt in Thailand three ago. I am not going to
take chances this time so I am working with Borg Warner to get a transmission from them. The next owner of
Balmacara is going to get a boat with all new running gear. Our destination is Indiantown FL, We are about 30 miles
from there. Thanks Richard Bacon (s/v Balmacara)
December 8, 2006 Lester, We are back in the U.S. and will unload Balmacara from Dockwise on the 9th of
December and take her to IndianTown, Florida where she will be placed with a broker. Could you please post the
attached spec sheet with the new info. Thanks for your help Richard Bacon, (s/v Balmacara)
August 28, 2006 Lester, I hope everyone appreciates all you have done in setting up and running the website I know
I have found it a very enjoyable and useful addition to our boating activities. We have just returned from a 5 day trip
down to NY State, finishing up at Henderson Harbor, not far from Watertown. We went in company with friends on a
Nicholson 39 ketch and returned to our own harbour with a Rhodes 38 joining us. The owner keeps her in Henderson
and he is a friend of our son. He does a lot of singlehanded sailing, often up to our area. On the return trip we had
broad reaching winds up to 20 knots and all the boats kept fairly well together. We had one reef in the main and one in
the yankee most of the time, with the staysail stay parked on the rail. The Corbin was the faster boat! See Corbin
racing. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)
August 22, 2006 Lester, Took a cruise to Lake Erie & Ontario this summer, July 12 to August 16. Visited with Jack
Veheyden, Kathrian (127) at Collins Bay Marina. He is in the latter stages of rebuilding the interior. Dave and Eileen
Salter dropped by for a visit. The following day we went to Bath and spent the night at their dock. Dave Shaw (s/v
Saw-Whet)
August 2, 2006 Lester, We met Saw-Whet, with Dave Shaw & Ed, his crew, at Collins Bay Marina, just west of
Kingston on July 30. They had more or less kept to their rigorous schedule across Lake Erie & Lake Ontario. Jack
Verheyden, off Kathrian, was also there and he now keeps his boat at the same marina, just along the same dock. Saw-
Whet came to our dock in Bath on Aug 1 and we had a very good boat visit, chat and dinner together. A Saw-Whet is
a type of owl! They left this morning. A couple of photos are attached. Dave Shaw is the one on the left. Dave and Ed
Although the boat is registered in Detroit, Dave keeps her at Leamington, Ontario. Dave & Ed live near Toledo, Ohio.
Dave said he will get some digital photos of the boat to you some time! The boat is very well finished inside and the
deck has been beautifully refinished. Regards, David Salter (s/v Opportunity)
March 13, 2006 Dear Lester, I’m still working my way back from Katrina. My mast was destroyed. The new one
should be here soon. Thanks for your help with my hull number. A. David Marshall. (s/v Estrellita) Dog River, Mobile
Alabama
December 27, 2005 Hi Lester. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The boat made it on wheels to Beaufort
NC and is safely stored at Bock Marine on the ICW. I will be returning there next month to build in 4 new golfcart
batteries under the floor in the P/H; install the Ham radio ; fit another Autoprop (ours was too large for the Yanmar 3
GM 30 F); fit the Hydrovane steering system we picked up on eBay and a million other things . Ruth will join me in
February. We have been contacted by Paul and Christine Melanson on s/v Quintana.......they are wintering in
Annapolis .As they intend crossing to the Med. in May in the company of some other yachts we have decided to tag
along instead of joining the ARC 2006...thus some cash for much needed gear. I am still looking for a life raft or
flotation bags, a Parachute anchor, solar panels, and a spinnaker pole. That staysail boom and its pedestal are sitting in
my garage in Mississauga ,Ontario ! We will keep you posted .......also on http://www.twopelicans.blogspot.com/.
Cheers, Ruth and Jeremy (s/v Pelican)
December 5, 2005 Dear Lester: We noticed that we are on your mailing list, but I'm not sure how much you know
about us, or if we are actually members. I bought my Corbin 39 in 1995 (actually, the first one ever made, according to
Marius), in Ft. Lauderdale, and sailed it throughout the Caribbean and Central America before meeting my partner,
Mike, in 2002. Then, we sailed our boat (Dolphin Spirit) from Pt. Vallarta, Mexico, to New Zealand. We ran into
several other Corbins on the way, too! Although we are currently in the Virgin Islands working on a yacht , our boat is
in Fiji, awaiting our return. Thanks for the updates, and we look forward to meeting more Corbin owners along the
way! Marianne Gardner (s/v Dolphin Spirit)
November 6, 2005 Things have moved fast here.....I am now married to a charming "young" thing named Ruth, who
wants to cross oceans with me! ..the boat is in process of being renamed Two Pelicans !! Hey,one pelican gets lonely
eh? In three weeks or so two pelicans will be unloaded in Beaufort NC, where Ruth and I will get her ready, rig her
and launch her before heading back here to Mississauga for the holidays. I will be back in Beaufort early January to get
ready to depart for the Bahamas with Ruth. Our plan is to join the ARC 2006 and spend a few years cruising the
Mediterranean. All the best, jeremy and Ruth. (s/v Pelican 1)
October 11, 2005 Lester, After initially exchanging emails with Collin Harty in 2002 we finally managed to arrange a
visit. On our return from the Annapolis Boat Show last week we made a 100 mile detour into N. Connecticut and met
up with Collin and Galene! The countryside is beautiful there but the very heavy rain made driving tedious. Collin has an
amazing setup and his naval architectural drawings are very professional. The complexity of his work is mind boggling
but the interior of the boat is taking shape and his glass work is impeccable. We chatted for about 2 hours and passed
on some ideas from our project. I think he still has a few years to go! Regards, David (s/v Opportunity)
August 7, 2005 I met with Doug Koger and Jane Alexander (from Wappinger Falls, NY) aboard their “Hanna” in
Marmaris, Turkey. Best regards, Peter Voges (s/v Escapade)
June 26, 2005 Hi, Greetings from"Hanna", also in Turkey. We just came back to her after 10 months of working in
NC. There is another Corbin, "Escapade" here in Marmaris, but the owners are not on board. I don't know if they are
on your list or not. The pirate incident related has been reported first hand in at least 3 places, if anyone wants more
detail from the two yachts involved. We first saw it on Jimmy Cornell's website Also in a recent SSCA bulletin,
probably April and in a recent issue of Cruising World or Sail magazine. Again, April or May issue. Wishing Fair
Winds to all. Jan & Doug (s/v Hanna)
June 24, 2005 Balmacara is in Turkey. It took us five long months to get across the Indian Ocean and up the Red
Sea. What a trip! We are currently located in the US, visiting family. We’ll be here for some time. Balmacara will sit in
Turkey, drying out her bottom Richard & Kathy Bacon (s/v Balmacara)
February 19, 2005 Hi, We are currently sailing in the shallow (less than thirty feet) milky green waters of Phang Nga
Bay. While the Bay is not terribly big, it has many shear-sided mountains that rise vertically out of the water. These
limestone mountains are small in their diameter as compared to their height. Most of the islands in the bay are
uninhabited, offering secluded anchorages under soaring cliffs fringed with jungle. Many of the islands have caves in
which we take Therapy into, in order to explore. Most of the caves open up to a small lake with shear sided walls,
which are opened to the blue sky. Sometimes the cave is long, giving one an aerie feeling as he paddles his way, using a
flashlight whose beacon is eaten up quickly by the cool blackness. Watch your head as the stalactites reach down from
the ceiling and touch you. Do not worry about the moaning of the water as your wake laps the limestone walls and the
quiet talking you hear is from the bats that you disturb along your way. 2 Extreme is going to spend the year sailing
between Thailand and north Malaysia. During the year, we will haul the boat, when I would like to change her
propeller. Currently, we are using a three-bladed fixed propeller that is powered by a Perkins 4-108 and a Hurth
gearbox. I would like to know what the proper pitch, diameter, and number of blades should be for the most
economical operation. I would appreciate the information. Can someone in the club help me out? Thank You Henry
and Mattie (S/V 2 Extreme)
January 10, 2005 Hi Lester, Happy new year and all the best to you in the upcoming year. We just returned from a (
cheap ) holiday to Luperon D.R., we chose Luperon mainly to check out the bay and the local " rather large" cruising
community, as we hope to stop by there on our way south and one of our friends from our marina winters there (
without a boat ). The bay is very large, VERY well protected as they say and during the last hurricaine that went
directly by, only 2 or 3 boats got loose. I'm told that they were unattended and not prepared. They had substantial
wind but no real wave action. The living is VERY CHEAP, little or nothing to do with the government. Stay as long as
you want, some have been there 6 yrs. others more, others less. Hanging out at the local watering holes we met:
Wheelers / Dealers, defrocked priests, deposed dictators, scammers & scammed etc. with a good measure of local
ladies of ill repute trolling for business. There were approx. 100 boats there ( no Corbins ) with 3 Canadian boats that
came in Thurs. AM from the Turks. I had my handheld VHF and we watched the guided entry into the bay from our "
resort " ??? balcony, it was neat. We got a sense of Political / Social higharchy structure there with what appears to be
Bruce Van Sant ( Gentleman's Guide to Passages South ) ( we bought his autographed book ) ( GOOD read ) at the
top with Mike Donovan ( a de facto Harbour Master ) next, then down the food chain. Everyone seems to watch who
talks and hangs out with whom....I guess once you got a community like this it eventually evolves this way, anywhere....
No real facilities to speak of, virtually no parts locally, and shipping is VERY expensive and only to Santo Domingo so
a lot of the boats have fallen into disrepair some looked like total derelicts. The water does NOT move much, if any,
it's brown, and with all the discharge going on swimming off your boat is out of the question. I just thought I share " my
" view and our experiences with you. Best regards, Frank Bryant, (s/v Visitant)
December 20, 2004 Hi Lester. We are about to depart Thailand for the Med. We will be making stops in Sri Lanka,
Maldives, and Oman. We will join up with other boats in Oman to travel through the Pirate waters in rout to the Red
sea. We will go up the west shore of the Red Sea while making stops in Eritrea, Sudan, and Egypt. We hope to pass
through the Suez Canal in late April and head for Turkey. We will make a decision on what's next when we complete
our 5400 mile journey to Turkey. I have been working hard to get Balmacara in top shape for this leg of our travels.
She has a rebuilt transmition and a new main sail. I will keep you posted. Richard Bacon, (s/v Balmacara)
December 18, 2004 Hi friends, After having left Corail in Trinidad and spent the summer in Quebec, we have been
visiting Venezuela, since October. We are presently in Los Roques offshore of Caracas. This is a huge marine park, 28
x 50 km. Indeed this is a humongous lagoon of coral reefs, small islands and deserted beeches. It is a paradise for
diving snorkeling and swimming in shallow and warm (30C) waters. We are not sure about our future plans anymore. If
we keep liking it here, we may stay a whole year in Venez. and the ABC islands which are also offshore of this country.
There are also many other options... Hoping that you are all well and wishing to see you soon; take care, best wishes,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Carmen & Claude (s/v Corail IV in South America)
November 27, 2004 Hi Lester, I just sailed across the Atlantic this year on my boat. Jack Iron is in Lisbon and I am
getting ready to head into the Med and then back to the Caribbean. Currently the boat is on the hard and I plan to fly
back in June. My new address for your records is 124 Greenlawn Drive, Lebanon, Tennessee 37087 Thanks, KENT
DUDLEY (s/v Jack Iron)
October 11, 2004 Hi Lester, Just saying hello from Peniche, Portugal. As proof that Corbins are not slow, I'm
sending a picture of Jakatar in its first regatta. See Regatta I crossed the starting line last but soon overtook everyone
except a Beneteau First. A new bottom job didn't hurt either. Cheers, Horatio (s/v Jakatar)
October 10, 2004 JEREMY, SEE BELOW. Lester Helmus for the Corbin 39 Owners Group [Original Message] >
From: The Limey's "<TheLimeys@gmail.com> > To: Lester Helmus "<corbin39@earthlink.net> >
Date: 10/10/2004 9:38:47 AMSubject: Update
Hi Lester. How are you? I'M AS FINE AS A 75 YEAR-OLD CAN BE. Good summer? I have been busy refinishing
the exterior > woodwork. I have had to replace an old manual charger.We now have a Heart 1000 Inverter/charger...
the old house batteries will be replaced this winter with 4 6volt golf cart batteries in a new storage box under the
pilothouse floor. The mast will be refitted this winter and rewired with tinned wire. I dont have time to rewire the entire
boat before our planned departure next summer.I intend to seal all terminals in junction boxes.....if anyone has any
advice it would be appreciated. NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN. I LIKE THE NEW 6 OR 12 JUNCTION
"BOXES" FROM THAT MAJOR COMPANY, IN GLASS FUSES OR AUTO FUSES. ARE CLOSED, BUT
NOT WATERTIGHT, WITH LABELS FOR EACH CIRCUIT.I have to install a water tank under the saloon floor...
quite a task...the previous owner used flexible tanks under the settee berths! I have to haul in the spring to install a V
strut (existing single leg strut isnt strong enough for the autoprop) I will replace some hull valves at this time too.. A
debate is raging over whether to move the Radar from its pole aft to a mounting on the mast above the spreaders. Any
suggestions? PROS: HIGHER UP WITH FARTHER VISIBILITY. NEATER ARRANGEMENT THAN ON A
POLE. CONS: JIB WILL CHAFE ON RADAR. NO INCLINATION FEATURE. (I HAVE A GARHAUER
POLE WHICH HAS A DECK-MOUNTED INCLINATION FEATURE. EXCELLENT COMPANY.) ALSO,
MAST BLOCKS RADAR FROM GETTING 360 VIEW.I am concerned about the rudder after reading about the
incident last year. Any info on a fix would be welcome...if it is necessary. I WOULD RUN A WIRE INSIDE BOAT
FROM RUDDER SHAFT TO BOLT ON WIND VANE, THENCE TO A ZINC IN THE WATER . I have
considered removing all the glass; building a web frame, as in a wing section and plating it with stainless steel. Lastly, I
have to install Windvane self steering. Which units seem to be the best for our stern configuration? If you have any
suggestions I would appreciate them. A. LOOK AT WWW.BUILDING GALENE.COM (ALSO A LINK ON
OUR WEBSITE'S HOMEPAGE) FOR ONE IDEA. B. I HAVE A MONITOR. C. IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN
EMERGENCY TILLER SETUP, THEN GO WITH AN AUXILLIARY RUDDER. D. STAY AWAY FROM
"HYDROVANE", WHICH REQUIRES A PERFECTLY BALANCED BOAT AT ALL TIMES!Next summer we
plan to cross the Atlantic by way of Bermuda and the Azores,which frankly has my a little nervous as my ocean
experience is limited to my days in the British Submarine Service !! BERMUDA CROSSING IS TOO FAR
SOUTH!!!! CONTACT CLAUDE GAGNON FOR ADVICE. ALSO READ MY "NEWS FROM THE
VOYAGERS" PAGE. SEVERAL OF OUR CLUB MEMBERS HAVE MADE THE TRIP. jeremy (s/v Pelican)
September 13, 2004 Hi. We left Lovina Beach, Bali (Lat 08 09 Lon 115 01) and its thousand and one Hindu
Temples at nine thirty yesterday morning and are on our way to Kalimantan (Borneo)(Lat 02 44 Lon 111 43) to play
with the Crocodiles, Gibbons, Black faced monkeys, and Orangutan's. We pulled into a calm anchorage at four AM
this morning for a rest, and we will set sail at ten PM tonight heading 170 miles to the next anchorage. Henry and
Mattie (S/V 2Extreme)September 11, 2004 Hi Lester, Just a short note to let you know we're underway. We sailed
from Puerto de Santa Maria via Gibraltar along the spanish coast to the Balearics and are presently in Menorca
(Mahon) where we plan to spend the winter after exploring the Islands some more. Best regards. Gerry and Brigitte,
(s/v Octopus 1)
March 16, 2004 Hi Lester, Romana's back home.We had a great trip from Nova Scotia, along the eastern US to
spend the winter in the Bahamas. We've been back at work since last June. I still love your site! You can post my email
address if you like. ( lundins@ns.sympatico.ca ) Romana suffered some damage when hurricane Juan hit our area. We
will be painting her this spring. I am wondering if you could post a question for me. I am thinking of painting the
topsides white with a dark blue stripe. Have people had problems with dark stripes causing cracks due to some kind of
temperature effects? In looking at the photos, I see that quite a few boats have dark stripes. Take care, Dave Lundin,
(s/v Romana)
[Editor's Note: Cracking within the "cove stripe" occurs when the boat is in a slip and one side always faces South. The
direct rays of the sun heats the dark band of color to the cracking point.]
March 16, 2004 Hi Les, I just sent you an email by mistake. My email address is corbin39sailor@Hotmail.com and I
wanted to see if my account is working again. We've taken Moonshadow to the Abacos and are having a great winter.
Currently the boat is in Marsh Harbour, but my wife and I came back to New Jersey on family business. We've been
living full time on Moonshadow since September and she is performing great. We hope to be back in the Bahamas next
week. Hope you are doing well, Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)
January 21, 2004 Hi Lester, We are travelling now. All the family is aboard our Vééliserdi. And we appreciate this
wonderful boat. We expect to travel for about three or more years. Now, we are heading Venezuela. But, with this
travel, we can not verify our Hotmail mailbox very often. It is getting full very fast and we are scare to loose mail. I
would like to ask you to pause for a while of sending us E-mail. Sometime we don't verify our Hotmail for a month. So
the box is full. I always appreciate your web site and I will send you information if I can. It is always interesting to know
the move and the news of the Corbin's community.Sorry for that request, I hope you understand. I will promptly advise
you for receiving your news as soon as we will be back home. Thank you, Serge Charbonneau and Diane Messier
happy owner of the hull 150 (s/v Véliserdi)
January 6, 2004 We left Vancouver in Sept 1999 and are presently in Bundaberg Australia. Ian and Liz Stokie, (s/v
Merida)
December 26, 2003 Hi Lester, Yes, we are perfectly OK and have arrived in Barbados after a 16 days crossing
from Cape Verde. It was a wonderful and easy crossing, the kind you dream of and read about in the story books. I
must limit my message size to 15K because of the slow speed of HF transmission but normally I am advised of a
returned message.... Having a wonderful time here relearning to live lavishly again! Have a great Holiday period and
best regards, Claude,(s/v Corail IV )
December 13, 2003 Hi friends, Tomorrow, Sunday, we will be in Bridgetown, Barbados, having completed our
2100 nautical miles crossing from Cape Verde. For us , this will be a very different Holiday period with no shopping,
no family parties, no Santa Claus, no snow and no decorations. We will be with Marie-Claude, our daughter, to enjoy
the sun, to snorkel, dive & swim in 30C water and to visit the Island. We wish we could have you with us to enjoy it
all! We also wish you a very Merry Christmas, a great Holiday period and an Excellent and Happy 2004 with the good
health and all & all. Carmen & Claude Gagnon En route Cape Verde to Barbados Aboard Corail IV
December 4, 2003 Hi, Our crossing, only the two of us, has been underway since 28 Nov. and, tomorrow already,
we will be half way there. If we maintain current speed, which is not likely, we will have completed it in 14 1/2 days.
Will settle for 16, as hoped. we should be in Bridgetown, Barbados, in plenty of time (17 dec.) to host our daughter
who offered us the nice gift of joining us for Christmas. But, nature will decide as quite a few things can happen during
10 days offshore as we have well seen in the spring. Things are going very well except that the skipper no longer allows
me to fish. Have been generally lucky of late, but 3 days ago we got a 20-25 lbs tuna! Needless to say what we been
having 2-3 time/day... and she said " enough is enough!" Tough life! Take care & best regards, Carmen & Claude
(Aboard Corail IV) half way between Africa and the Americas
November 24, 2003 I am the second Owner. Sue and I bought Whaleback in June 2000 and have sailed her
extensively in the Northeast and lived aboard her on and off since the purchase. Whaleback's home is in Marina Bay,
Quincy (Boston). Tentative plans now is to head out next Fall toward the Bahamas, and points South.Tim O'Neil (s/v
Whaleback)
November 23, 2003 I have tried to contact you both on 4417 Khz, USB, at 1145 universal time. But I guess we
have been all very busy. We are presently in Praia de Santiago to complete the paperwork to leave the country. Will be
sailing tomorrow night to Brava Island where we will do the final preparations to undertake our crossing to Barbados,
probably Friday, 28 Nov.. Will go to Trinidad/Tobago a bit later as we hope our daughters will be able to join us in
Barbados for the Christmas period. Once offshore, will try to contact you at the same time, but on 13 970 USB. Take
care and fair winds, Carmen & Claude (s/v Corail IV )
November 2, 2003 Hi. We have arrived in Australia after a ten day passage from Vanuatu. The trip was very
pleasant, light winds for the first few days, gale force winds for a night, finally settling down to a good beam reach.
Henry and Mattie (S/V 2Extreme)
October 18, 2003 The ship is presently at Rock Hall, MD. We will leave Montrééal begining of November and
travel from MD to Florida on ICW. Our intention is to stay in Florida until March 2004 and afterwards cross the
Atlantic to Acores and Portugal in may/june 2004. Philippe is from Canada and Bruno from Switzerland. We will live
on the boat for the next two years. We shall not fail to give you further information as we travel. (s/v Coochi)
October 16, 2003 Hi Lester. We sailed across from Nova Scotia to southern Spain this past summer. Best regards,
Gerry Stuurop (s/v Octopus I)
October 13, 2003 My son is living aboard Rhum Punch and working in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia at the
moment while I take care of my business in Toronto, Canada. We spent a couple of weeks sailing together out on the
Great Barrier Reef last March and the plan is to sail/explore around the north coast of Australia in 2004. I would be
happy to help anyone looking for advice regarding Panama and South Pacific cruising. A couple who crewed for me
from Panama to Tahiti kept a log and have it online at members.aol.com/JerodiSys/paklog05.htm Also my son posted a
MSN Communities page on the voyage which can be found at http://groups.msn.com/pacificvoyages/travelnotes.msnw
I will get some photos together to send to you for posting. I see there are not many Center Cockpits represented at the
moment so we can help fix that. I will be back with answers to some of the posted questions. Thank you once again -
this is a great service to Corbin owners and I for one certainly appreciate it. Regards, Alan Hand. (s/v Rhum Punch)
October 7, 2003 Hi, Lester. This is what we are up to. Balmacara is in Singapore. We departed Brisbane, Australia
in early May. Our destination is Phuket Thailand where we will hang out for about a year. We stayed inside the Great
Barrier Reef as we traveled up the east coast of OZ. Many long day trips. If I had to do it again I would go outside the
Reef and make a stop in the Louisiade Islands of Papua, New Guinea and then go to the Torres Straits. Our trip across
the Gulf of Carpentaria to Darwin was a wild one. They should call Carpentaria the gulf of maytag. After some land
travel in Northern Australia we headed out on a motor boat ride for Indonesia. We made landfall in Kupang on the
Island of Timor. Stops where made on about 12 islands as we traveled through Indonesia to Singapore. We were very
apprehensive about traveling through Indonesia from a personal safety standpoint but we can now report that all of our
contacts with local Indonesians were very positive. Indonesia is a fascinating part of the world. You have to be on your
toes when traveling at night. There are many unlighted fishing boats and local shipping vessels that had light
configurations that we had never seen before. There were times when we were dealing with 40 to 50 boats an hour.
We had three major near misses that we will remember for a long time. That's it for now. Richard Bacon (s/v
Balmacara)
October 3, 2003 Hi, Hope you are all well. Please keep sending some news; we will always have plenty of energy to
receive your messages. After sailing the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary islands, we are now on our way to the Cape
Verde Islands. We are now in our seventh day of sailing from La Palma, Canary. We should arrive in Sal, Cape Verde,
in 3-4 days. The Azores are great; we like them the best. We certainly hope to be back there some day. But we have
no choice now; we have to go by the Caribbean first to get there; tough luck! Nature calls. Madeira islands are so so.
This is a beautiful place, but sailors are not really welcome there. We have shortened our stay as people are not
friendly, at least towards us bluewater cruisers. The Canaries are Europe with all its luxuries and European tourists.
They are beautiful islands and are inhabited by wonderful friendly people. They are islands of great contrasts, people
wise and nature wise. All at the same time - desertic, volcanic and tropical with exotic fruits and rare plants. Too bad
we do not speak Spanish. The present crossing is certainly the best so far. All is going well, we are feeling great, even
Carmen is getting to like it. I must say that conditions have been so far ideal. As an example, present sailing conditions
are: T'ure: 28 C (was 26 last night); Sky: not a cloud on the horizon; Water T'ure: 27.2 ( yes, we are offshore!); Wind:
15 knots NNE ; Sails: Running wing to wing; Bearing: 205 deg ; Speed: 5.8 knots ; Sea: Waves 1-2 meters but long at
around 10 seconds . This is the best part. As you can see, this is just like in the children story books... We are now
looking forward to discovering Cape Verde. Will keep you posted, Best regards, Carmen & Claude (s/v Corail IV )
Sept. 15, 2003 We're heading the boat south to Florida and the Bahamas mid September and will keep you posted.
Thanks, Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)
September 13, 2003 Hi, Here is Corail standing well covered and protected in Santa Cruz de La Palma. With the
newly completed African Queen, thanks to you Gary, its 3 anchors and a line to the shore (also used for the dinghy
dock) , we should be able to spent plenty of time ashore without worrying too much! La Palma is renowned for its
beauty and superb hiking trails. Unfortunately it is also known for its lack of facility for cruisers; thus the complex setup.
We plan to stay for at least 2 weeks. Carmen & Claude (s/v Corail IV)
July 21, 2003 We are anchored in 25 feet of water on the north side of naviti island in fiji. it is a gray, rainy, brisk,
new england type of day. mattie is baking oatmeal cookies and i just returned from snorkeling on one of the most
beautiful reefs that i have ever seen. the colors of the coral were magnificent. i swam into a school of squid. we know
them as bait fish, but their coloring is very different when they are alive - very bright and iridescent. the villages on these
reef encrusted outer islands are small and quaint. the houses are made of palm leaves woven in a fashion with thatched
roofs. basically they are one large room with very little furniture. the natives sleep and eat on the floor. cooking is done
on open fires outside the dwelling. the outhouse is in the back. there is running water from a hose pipe located in a few
places throughout the village. that is where the washing of dishes, clothing, etc is done. some of the villages have a small
generator which the natives can plug into with an extension cord if they need electricity and if there is fuel to put into the
generator. no, i have not seen any refrigeration on the islands. no stores either. there are breadfruit, banana, mango, and
lemon trees. the natives here are black and very friendly. however, it was a little unnerving to be awoken at five in the
morning to the sounds of a beating drum from within the tree line on shore. yes, the natives send their information
through the air by the use of a six foot hollowed-out log on which they beat out the message. even church was
announced with the drum. the church service was long with lovely singing from the choir and fire and brimstone from the
preacher who wore a jacket, tie, and a skirt. yes, many of the native men wear skirts. henry and mattie (s/v 2 extreme)
July 5, 2003 hi, 2 extreme is back on the go after three weeks on the hard. we had to replace the old rudder which
broke it's 1 7/8 shaft just as it left the top of the rudder and entered the boat. upon inspection the shaft had been
sleeved before and the break was due to electrolysis. i would like to thank my father and my brother-in law richy for
putting me in touch with lester and the corbin family. lester put me in touch with many other corbin owners who
forwarded me information about the rudder design. eileen and david salter faxed me the drawings of the steel work of a
corbin rudder. harry and jane of s/v cormorant brought me line drawings of the corbin profile. i can not say too much
about the help we received in a time of need that we got from the family and new friends. the new rudder is made from
316 s.s. frame with 3/4 marine plywood bolted on. it was then filled and covered with west epoxies, and roving
fiberglass. i bolted a zinc to the bottom of the rudder shoe; however, i could not figure a good way to put a zinc on the
rudder shaft itself. with a new bottom job we splashed back in the water last monday. we left vunda point on friday and
motored to musket cove, where we are presently. we are planning on threading our way north up the yasawa islands
into the outback of fiji in the next few weeks before heading to vanuatu. thanks again. henry and mattie mcalarney (s/v 2
extreme)
July 2, 2003 Hi, We have now successfully completed our first Atlantic crossing and are "trying" to rest in the
Azores. The crossing was somewhat eventful as during the 15 days, we got hit by 7 lows including 4 of them which
actually did beat us around a little bit. So we had a "Fiesta de D?pressions". But, we came out all right with nobody
sick or hurt badly; just a few bruises to us and the boat. We have gained some interesting lessons and experience like
running for a short while under "bare poles" in 48-50 knots wind and 25-30' seas. We also saw the boomed staysail
break away from the inner stay and fly up around the radar at the first spreader level! In this case I was on watch and
did make a few stupid mistakes... It was again blowing over 42 kn. We have now been in the Azores for 2 weeks; one
in Flores, a magnificent island with extraordinary people. This is a must stop for anyone coming this way. The last week
was spent in Horta where sailors from all over the world constantly converge and leave from. It is quite special to be
sitting in an overloaded 300 boats marina, knowing that each and every one of these boats has achieved at least one
major crossing and that the crew has not only something to tell but also to teach us. We are now resting in a small
secluded port in Pico and, as we are the only sailboat around, giving our liver a break! Best regards, Carmen & Claude
Gagnon (s/v Corail IV)
June 7, 2003 HI. JUST A LINE TO STATE THAT 2 EXTREME HAS ARRIVED SAFELY IN FIJI. IT IS VERY
NICE TO BE SECURELY ANCHORED IN FLAT WATER AFTER A 1,000 MILE PASSAGE. IT IS TIME TO
REST BEFORE WE HAUL THE BOAT AND START MAKING A NEW RUDDER. I HOPE THAT ALL IS
WELL WITH YOU AND YOURS. THANKS HENRY AND MATTIE MCALARNEY (S/V 2 EXTREME)
June 4, 2003 LESTER. FOR STEERING NOW WE ARE USING THE WIND VANE UNIT. THE WIND
VANE UNIT WILL ONLY WORK ON A REACH WITH THE WIND FROM 60 TO 130 DEGREES. THE
VANE UNIT LET GO LAST NIGHT AND THE BOAT MAINTAINED ITS HEADING ON A BEAM REACH
OF 90 DEG WITH A 3 REEFED MAIN AND THE STAYSAIL IN 25 KNOTS OF WIND AND 7 FOOT SEAS.
WE HAVE 130 MILES TO THE OUTER REEF IN FIJI. I HOPE THAT WE CAN MOTOR THROUGH THE
REEF'S USING THE WIND VANE. I HAVE RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION FROM DAVID SALTER
ON HOW TO CONSTRUCT A REPLACEMENT RUDDER. I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR YOUR HELP.
HENRY AND MATTIE (s/v 2 Extreme)
June 4, 2003 at 8:43 PM Henry, You should prepare some alternate methods of steering. 1. A drogue, even a line
tied to a bucket may help to steer while sailing. 2. A rudder, fashioned from a whisker pole attached to a board from
under a bunk, could steer while motoring. Tie the pole to the base of a stern stanchion. Good luck Lester
June 4, 2003 at 6:35 AM Henry, I will get right on this. Hang in. Good luck. Lester
June 3, 2003 at 5:18 PM LESTER, MY NAME IS HENRY McALARNEY AND I AM SAILING AROUND
THE WORLD IN MY CORBIN 39, HULL # 18. WE ARE CURRENTLY ON PASSAGE FROM NEW
ZEALAND TO FIJI. WE ARE TWO DAYS OUT OF THE REEF ON THE ISLAND OF VITI LEVU. OUR
RUDDER FAILED THREE DAYS AGO. THE RUDDER SHAFT, 1 3/4 DIA, TURNS. HOWEVER, THE
RUDDER DOES NOT RESPOND. I AM HIGHLY INTERESTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION DETAILS OF
THE SKEG AND RUDDER. I AM IN NEED OF A NEW RUDDER IF AVAILABLE; IF NOT, I WILL MAKE
A RUDDER WHEN WE ARRIVE IN FIJI. THANK YOU, HENRY AND MATTIE (S/V 2 EXTREME)
June 2, 2003 Hi, We left Rhode Island this morning for our crossing to the Azores. A great first day; just like the
dream... Carmen & Claude (s/v Corail IV )
April 15, 2003 The boat will be launched in July and we will test sail her for the month, then it's off to the US,
Bahamas, Cuba this year. After that, we're off to Europe.Paul Melanson (s/v Quintana in PEI, Canada)
March 6, 2003 hi Lester, You guessed right! We are leaving end of May for our first transat. Azores, Madeira,
Canary Islands, Cape Verde etc... We will take the next 2 years to complete the tour of the North Atlantic Islands and
experience the real cruising life aboard. Thanks for inquiring about our daughter. She is not doing so well, but we are
doing everything we can and being close will not help any more... We hope for the best. As for meeting you and
Insouciance in California we will talk about it when we complete this tour. All the best and thanks for the offer, Claude
Gagnon (s/v Corail IV in Rhode Island)December 27, 2002 The Corbin website is great. A fellow stopped by our
boat in Mooloolaba Australia with a request to see our boat. He has been shopping for a Corbin but had never seen
one up close. He told me about the Corbin web site. Where have I been? As a Corbin advocate its fun to find some
folks with similar interests. We have been in the Pacific for about six years. We started with a trip to Alaska and then
Mexico. We have visited many island groups in the Pacific. We were in New Zealand for about eighteen months and
are doing the same in Australia now. The next leg of our trip will start in March when we will head for Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Thailand. The next leg presents a lot of concerns but many of the boats that will be going that way are
talking to each other about potential problems. Most of us will be traveling in the company with other boats. There is
comfort in knowing we are travelling in a Corbin. Richard Bacon, (on s/v Balmacara in Australia)
[Ed. Note: Balmacara is a Mark I Corbin which has successfully circumnavigated the world.]
October 2, 2002 I departed from Port Dover, Lake Erie, to Buffalo and through the Erie Barge Canal. (See Pics) 1 ]
Then we motored down the Hudson, stepped the mast at a do-it-youself hand-crank crane at the first marina past the
last low bridge. The trip along the canal was magnificent. We went through 42 locks and actually crossed a mountain
with a valley view. It took 11 days to get to New York. I now think of all the motorboaters sitting at the marina all
summer drinking beer and wonder why nobody goes cruising through the canals. The Welland canal goes all the way
up to Montreal, Quebec city and the Atlantic. That alone would be a hell of a trip.All they have to do is turn the ignition
key and go. I probably wouldn't have thought of it either or perhaps the fuel bill is somewhat of a daunting prospect. I
completed the Atlantic crossing [eastward] on August 5. Jakatar lived up to the Corbin reputation. We got hit with 25
foot waves, luckily going in our direction. We ran with it and the boat handled it beautifully with just the staysail. The
crew down below always thought the storm had let up - it was almost peaceful down there - until they stuck their heads
out of the companionway and saw the walls of water. Amazingly we hardly got splashed. In the second smaller storm
(more like a real hard blow) near the Portuguese shore, an unsually large wave broke into Jakatar's port side. It hit us
like a freight train and rammed the boat at almost 90ºº. It cracked one of the small windows along the hull (I never
though that could be possible), snapped the staysail boom in half and filled the cockpit with water. Luckily I was
harnessed. But the boat sprang back up without a complaint. We promptly ditched the idea of heading for the Tagus
estuary and headed out to sea where it's safe. Now I look at boats with large pilothouse windows and think...don't go
offshore. On the negative side, at 23,000 lbs +, a hefty load, Jakatar sputtered in light winds where lighter boats would
probably make good speed. I'm now based in Peniche, Portugal. Best regards, Horatio Marteleira (s/v Jakatar)
[Ed. Note: Jakatar is a Mark I Corbin which has successfully made an ocean crossing.]
August 13, 2002 The update should be coming soon. Cormorant is undergoing work in New Zealand and will soon
be sailing. (See article) and (See Cormorant website).
July 24, 2002 "Thanks for the introduction. Here's a quick rundown on what's in our plans. We have just returned
from the Caribbean, where we spent 2 years cruising the Islands on a Hughes 35. We wanted to go farther and more
comfortably so we started looking for a heavier and bigger boat. We looked at steel boats mostly, for their strength and
comfort, and also two fiberglass boats, the Valiant 40 and the Corbin 39. And as you all know, we bought a Corbin.
'Quintana Grande', our Corbin (named in honor of our Hughes 35 'Quintana'), is in need of much work. We plan on
fixing it up and leaving for a Caribbean shakedown cruise next year. Then after the shakedown we'll do whatever we
find lacking and head out for our circumnavigation via the 5 great capes. That's our story. Glad to see there is a wealth
of information out there and a fine support group for this vessel." Paul Melanson (s/v Quintana Grande in PEI, Canada)
June 16, 2002 "Hi. I am Claude, owner of Corail IV, sailing in the COLD Gulf of Saint Lawrence waters. I think I
have sent pictures of my boat to the website webmaster. If you are interested, maybe you could get some from him as I
do not have internet access on board. Best regards and good luck." Claude Gagnon (s/v Corail IV)
[Ed. Note: See Claude's photo album at Fotki]
May 26, 2002 "Hi Lester. Sorry about taking so long to give you the serial number. I live in Portugal and my boat is
in Canada. I had Jakatar surveyed for insurance purposes for the crossing. The boat is almost fully equipped now and
we'll be leaving for the Erie Canal, New York, Azores and Portugal some time in late May / early June. I'll send
pictures then, one of the crew has a digital camera. Best regards." Horacio Marteleira (s/v Jakatar)
Feb 2, 2002 Our plan this year is to spend the summer in the Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick coasts), the
fall, down the New England coast and to finally winter in the Cheasapeake Bay. Next year, we will probably cross the
Atalntic to spend at least a year in the Mediterranean. We will then complete our North Atlantic tour by crossing again
from the African coast towards South America and back home. Claude Gagnon (s/v Corail IV)
