Month: May 2016

Welcome is an Alerion Express  33 owned by Ms. Donna Turley, and much like every Alerion, it has its own history and legacy. “Welcome is a family name,” Donna says, “It’s the fourth one in my family. My dad owned a Stonehorse back in the 70s and that was the very first Welcome.”

Like all Alerion owners, Donna takes great pride in sailing Welcome.  Every Saturday you can find her Alerion over at the Provincetown Yacht Club. “I sail a lot by myself,  but I’ve also sailed with as many as five people on my boat before.” When you own an Alerion 33, however, racing it once a week is not nearly enough. “I always sail her at least once a week and if I’m on vacation I sail her as often as I can. For races I typically sail her at the Provincetown Yacht Club, but I’ve been back and forth to Newport and Buzzards Bay. I sail her mostly in New England waters.” Along with being an incredible boat to race, the Alerion is a wonderful boat for pleasure cruising. “I live near the beach and when I’m not racing her I love to sail her over to the beaches around my area. We anchor off shore and then swim off the boat at the beach.”

Along with the great memories and the great adventures on the Alerion 33, owners also appreciate the great craftsmanship. “It’s a beautiful boat,” says Donna. “The upwind ability, the ability to sail close to windward, the electric winches and the fact the person sailing her can do almost everything from their position is so nice. I love the shrouds…they are made of stainless steel, and having no backstay is really great. The swim ladder is definitely a bonus and the refrigerator barely takes any electricity.  It’s the first refrigerator I’ve had on a boat that I could keep on all the time! The workmanship, even in hidden places is top notch. Overall, the boat is super pretty.

“I bought this boat so I could sail it by myself, but sailing is just much more fun with friends.” says Donna.  “It’s a beautiful boat that handles really well. It’s a pleasure to single hand and a delight to have guest on board. To summarize in one sentence: It’s a fast, easy boat.”

See photos of Welcome racing here (sail no. 40)

The Hoyt Jib Boom is one of the most popular sail-handling systems offered by Alerion Yachts. Making it even better is our “light-air extender” – a handy feature that holds the jib boom out when sailing downwind on light-air days. The system utilizes a small gas spring cylinder under the deck to push, and hold, the jib boom – and the jib clew – out when running.
Here’s how the light-air extender works. The Hoyt Jib Boom looks like it’s deck-mounted, but it actually passes through a deck-mounted upper bearing and extends down to rest on a second bearing mounted on the hull structure. A collar with a small arm is attached to the lower part of the jib boom, just under the deck. A gas spring cylinder (much like you find under your hatch covers or holding up the rear door of your SUV) is also mounted under the deck, with its forward end attached to the arm. The cylinder has swivels on both ends.
When the jib boom is on centerline, the gas cylinder is fully compressed. When the jib sheet is eased, the cylinder extends and pushes against the arm and the jib boom rotates. Ease the sheet completely, and the cylinder continues to push against the arm, holding the jib boom out, away from the boat.
Downwind, the jib boom becomes a self-tacking whisker pole and makes sailing wing-on-wing a snap. There’s no need to go forward; trim is adjusted from the cockpit using the jib outhaul and sheet. To jibe, just trim the jib sheet until the boom is centered; then snap the jib sheet (or head up/down a little, as the case may be), ease the sheet, and the extender system will push the sail/boom on the other side. Each Alerion has a cylinder with the appropriate push force for the size of the boat.
With the Hoyt Jib Boom, even wing-on-wing, you maintain proper jib leech tension. And in light air, the boom is pushed forward for maximum efficiency. The light-air extender is included with every jib boom.