Author: Peter Johnstone

If you enjoy racing your Alerion, there are many terrific eevents where you can enjoy the company of other Alerions! Here are two popular regattas on the East Coast.

Vineyard Cup Regatta, July 12-15

The Vineyard Haven Alerion Express 28 fleet (Vineyard Haven, MA) invites you to participate in the Vineyard Cup Regatta. This event is the principal fundraiser of Sail Martha’s Vineyard, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and perpetuating our Island’s maritime heritage, culture, skills and the sea that surrounds us. The Vineyard Cup attracts about 100 boats each year and an average of 10 Alerions including the seven 28s in our Vineyard Haven fleet. More information and registration here.

The 49th Round Gardiner’s Island Race, Aug. 25th.

The Devon YC Alerion Express 28 Fleet (Amagansett, NY) invites you to enter the Round Gardiner’s Island Race. On Friday, Aug 24th at 5:30pm there is a skipper’s meeting and cocktail party, and racing begins at 10:05 on Saturday. The event is sponsored by Gosling’s and there is a BBQ and awards after the race for all participants. The race is about 24 miles around Gardiner’s Island and ends in front of the club. There should be 10 or more Alerion 28 racing, and they will be scored in both Cruising Canvas and A28 one design. Larger Alerions need a PHRF-ELI certificate to race. Registration and Notice of Race can be found here.

We’re often asked about lifelines on Alerion Yachts; you’ll notice that many of the Alerions featured on this website do not have them. Every Alerion Yacht is offered with lifelines as an option.
Alerion Yachts are designed with a deep cockpit that facilitates comfortable onboard movement. With a clean cabintop and non-overlapping jib, you have excellent visibility from the helm while seated. And Alerion Yachts are incredibly stable – there’s no need to sit up on the side decks or hang over the side for ballast. All sailing systems are led either to the helm station or to the cabinhouse at the forward end of the cockpit, so there’s no need to leave the cockpit while sailing. For these reasons, many owners are perfectly comfortable sailing (and racing!) without lifelines.
Owners with small children or who sail in open waters feel more comfortable with lifelines, and we’re happy to install them. The choice is strictly personal; we’re here to talk with you about your sailing style to make the decision that’s right for you. And we can always retrofit your Alerion with lifelines if you decide to add them later.

Everyone who sails short- or single-handed should have a plan for getting back on the boat in case you find yourself unexpectedly in the water. At Alerion Yachts, we feel so strongly about this safety feature that we include a built-in reboarding ladder as standard equipment on all models 28 feet and up.

The type of ladder we use varies by boat model; here we’re showing the Garlelick EEz-In used on the Alerion Express 28. We like it because the faceplate sits flush with the transom when not in use, and it is designed to deploy with one hand by pulling a release pin. The fold-down steps are very sturdy, and it’s easy to fold up and slide back into the transom after use.

We highly recommend practicing with the ladder after going in the water on purpose, so you’re fully prepared if you find yourself there by surprise.

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.

Alerion owners love their boats. Our newest owners, David and Melody Niemiec, recently visited the USWatercraft factory to see their Alerion Express 33 under construction. “I’d like to be familiar with all of the systems,” said David on the way out to the production floor. At the time of their visit, the deck was not installed on the hull, so all of the systems, from engine to plumbing, were easily visible. Customer service representative Tiberio Borges and company president Randy Borges walked the Niemiecs through everything, from bow to stern. The hull and deck are now joined and in a few short weeks Senta will be on its mooring in Newport, RI, and ready for great season of sailing.

On the West Coast, Cinde Lou Delmas has already kicked off the racing season aboard her Alerion Express 38 Another Girl. Cinde Lou took delivery of Another Girl on St. Patrick’s Day in 2011 and has a ball sailing and racing on San Francisco Bay, most recently in Richmond YC’s Big Daddy Regatta. She recently added a square top main and an electric traveler. “We pump it like she’s and Etchells,” writes Cinde Lou, “fast is fun!” Sailing in 20+ knots, she reports a top upwind speed of 9.8.

Be sure to visit our Facebook page for more of Cinde Lou’s adventures, and for stories and photos from other owners and from the factory.