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I find myself doing a bit more sailboat work than usual this year. If you’re not down at the yacht club yourself tinkering away, you’ve at least started thinking about it. All this boat work reminded me of a great little resource I’ve had hidden in the depths of some old computer folders. If you’ve been wondering what the optimal set of tools is for working on your boat, I present you with…Mike Martin’s Toolbox!
Who the heck is Mike Martin and why should I care about his toolbox you ask?
Well, what a lot of Martin 242 sailors don’t realize is that we only sail in the second coolest one design boat in the world. Taking first place, of course, is the venerable International 5o5. For reference, here’s a photo of two anonymous sailors (who may or may not also be members of the M242 class) ripping in a 505:
Mike Martin is one of the undisputed legends of the 505 class. In a class replete with Olympians, world champions, and pro sailors taking time off to have some real fun; Mike has won 5 world championships, and is the only person to have won both as crew and as skipper. The 5o5 is also an impossibly rigged boat – surpassed in complexity perhaps only by a NASA shuttle – so it requires endless hours of tinkering. As a consequence, I don’t think you can really go wrong with the set of tools in this list (originally published in an old usa505.org article). I’ve taken the liberty of annotating which tools I think are required for working on your M242 and which are nice to have, and which I also carry permanently on board. Also added a few extras not on the original list but useful nonetheless. Enjoy!
Carolyn Costa has purchased hull #99, Red Alert, from Betsy Wareham and renamed it Gretzky. After sailing with Denise George on All In (#307) for several seasons in Marina Del Rey and with Ken Machtley on Treachery (#267) on Orcas Island, she's excited to be purchasing her first boat. Last registered in California in 1987, the boat is in vintage condition, including the sink! West Sound Marina (and Ken) will be completing the safety updates and various other projects. Carolyn is purchasing all new standing and running rigging through MG Marine. The boat comes with a great road trailer but for now will live on Orcas. The current aim is to have Gretzky in the water for summer regattas.
The Kitchen Sink!
Dates: Wednesdays - April 10th and April 17th
Location: Kits Yacht Club
Time: 7 to 9pm
The Martin 242 fleet is very privileged to have David Pyron, a World Sailing International Umpire, provide two sessions to our fleet on the racing rules of sailing with a focus on how they apply to our fleet in particular and a discussion on the style of racing we desire as a fleet.
The two sessions are at Kitsilano Yacht Club from 7 to 9 pm on Wednesday, April 10 and Wednesday, April 17. Wednesday evenings were chosen as these lead into the start of our Wednesday night racing on April 24, coming up soon!
The goal is to better understand our fleet knowledge of the rules and set our expectations to sail in accordance with the rules and enforce the rules. In the first session David will start with brief discussion of the style of racing in recent years and a few of the incidents occurring at marks. The first session will focus more on the fundamental rules, with discussions on sailing by the rules, avoiding contact, and safety. In the second session, David will delve into more advanced rules, in particular rules at marks, followed by protesting and most importantly, an open discussion on the style of racing we want as a fleet.
The cash bar will be open and we will have light snacks.
We are collecting donations for a recognition gift and will have a collection box at the event.
Please join us in person for a couple of engaging evenings to kick-off the racing season and re-engage with your fleet!
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