Ok, so no actual Moore 24s will be at the boat show, and instead you’ll have to settle for boats that the Moore could blast past (and probably fit inside).

However, rumor has it that Ronnie Simpson, new owner of US 101, will be making an appearance at the Seattle Boat Show to talk on behalf of Hope for the Warriors & Quantum Sails, the sponsors of his 2012 Single-handed Transpac bid. Check it out:

http://www.openbluehorizon.com/index.php/ships-log/14-january-20-2012-huge-update.html

Local Moore available!

Hey all, there’s a great local (Seattle) Moore 24 available for sale now! If you have been interested in joining the fun, now is definitely the time!

Check out the listing at:

http://moore24.org/node/2109

Get on it quick, #114 is not going to sit around long at that price!

Thanks to all who made it out for the Moore 24 NW Christmas party. A good time was had by all, and in between hefting sloopers, we managed to decide on the official NW Trek 2012 Schedule (click here). These are only a small sampling of the great events coming up this year, and if you are planning on taking your boat in other events let the fleet know and see if you can get together a few more Moores!

More Cowbell #124 received a well earned trophy for their win of the 2011 NW Trek. Although the trophy seemed to grow heavier as the evening went along, they lovingly lugged carried it home, and found that it offers the unexpected ability to pacify large animals.

Moore 24 sponsor Kam Gear also supplied some awesome embroidered limited edition Moore 24 Northwest hats for the event. Moore sailors are suckers for things with Moore logos on them, and these hats sold out quickly, providing a great support to some future fleet building activities. Thanks to Kam Gear, local made in Ballard, check em out!!

Click on any of the photos for the full size version.

Today’s an exciting day, and not just because it’s Friday! (although that helps).

No, today is exciting because today represents the revival, resuscitation, and release of the newest Moore 24 NW Fleet Newsletter!!

Read all about the Braden’s epic David v. Goliath battle at Round the County. Get a moment of Moore 24 zen from outgoing fleet captain Doug Archbald, and learn just who this new fleet overlord, erh captain, is who took Doug’s place.

What are you waiting for? Go get all that newsletter goodness, as well as all the back-issues by clicking the newsletter link above!

Thanks to everyone who contributed (and if you didn’t you are next) and also a big thanks to our generous sponsors Kam Gear and Ballard Sails. We hope to get some print copies of this floating around soon.

Congrats to Ben & Jen Braden on Moore Uff Da for a great job at this year’s Round the County Race!

Team Moore Uff Da took second place in division III, behind only the schooner Martha…a boat 60 feet longer than a Moore.

No doubt this sixth place overall finish was done in style with some ribs grilling on the BBQ making the competition jealous. Hopefully we’ll get a full account of the race soon, but in the meantime nice job Uff Da!

PSSC marked the final race on the NW Trek calendar and also our Fleet Championships.  Sailed off of Shilshole in light air in a 6 boat fleet #124 More Cowbell dominated the weekend and took home the Perpetual Championship Trophy for the second time in 4 years.  With this win they also come out on top of the NW Trek standings taking 1st by 1 point over #26 More Uff Da.  With no boats doing all 6 races, only 2 boats raced 5 of them, it came down to having the best throw-outs for this 2 throw-series.  Check out the result totals above for all the placings.

Here is a little message from our outgoing fleet Captain, Doug Archbald

I am delighted to write this email in advance of the PSSC weekend and announce that Julia Wenegrat has agreed to take over as the NW Fleet Captain. I am sure most of you know Julia by now. She and her husband Jacob are the proud new owners of #60 (Moorosaurus), and if you have had the pleasure of meeting Julia you know her smile and her enthusiasm. I think Julia is going to make a terrific fleet captain! Be sure to take a moment to thank her this weekend for taking the job. It is truly a service to us all to have someone like Julia representing the fleet and organizing the sport and the boats we love!

As for my time as the fleet captain, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has participated in events, given feedback, written articles, or done all the things that many of you do to support the fleet and its captain. I appreciated all the help and the involvement. I hope that participation will grow in the coming years. I truly value racing in the NW fleet, and it has been great to see us all get better as sailors as we race together. I look forward to many years of great racing in the future.

My final thought relative to passing the NW Fleet torch; the single most important, simple thing that everyone can do to support the fleet captain is to engage in the conversation of the day. Even if all you have to say is that you aren’t coming to an event, take just a moment to jump on the email and let the fleet know that. It lets the fleet captain know that they are working for something that people appreciate, and it builds our identity as a group.

While the tough NW Moore persons challenged the Gorge, Jake Kennedy and I sailed south to Gig Harbor in the Sloop Tavern YC “Down the Sound” event (summer version of the Race to the Straits). Well, we sailed about 3/4ths of the time – we drifted the rest. Drifted and waited, and hoped, and cursed and watch our fortunes rise and fall in the fickle, cruel tides and winds. Actually, the first half of each day was pretty nice with Sputnik right up there with the leading boats (that means we watched and followed Mark Brink aboard the amazing Ladybug) until we ran out of air and into a ebbing tide as we tried to cross the halfway mark on the north end of Vashon island. We didn’t make it – only a few boats did – those with BIG spinnakers (which I once again realized RULE in very light air). So we, and some 40 others, turned motors for a long grind south to Gig Harbor arriving about 8:00 for a nice moorage and really FINE catered dinner. Up Sunday morning looking for OB gas, anticipating another drifter north through the strange tidal currents of Clovos Passage.

Happily, we had a favorable southerly for the start and by playing the east side beach, we were right up there with the lead boats (in a constant tete a tete with the Express 27 Ultimate Reality) with all of us following Lady Bug who began to do another horizon job. We were about the 4th boat to cross the mid-point and exit Clovos Passage. We then had to commit to passing Blake Island one way or the other – the Express went west and we went east into what seemed a building southeasterly breeze. But it slowly died and died and died. The next 3 hours were spent broiling in the sun with collapsed spinnaker watching boats take various drift routes north. Some sailed deep into the Seattle harbor before moving along the Magnolia bluff. That seemed smart – for a while. . . Our spinnaker seldom filled but the boat did move north – or was it just the ebb tide.

The cut off time was 7:00. At 4:30 we were in mid channel opposite West Point. Ladybug was between us and the Point, constantly changing from kite to jib, kite to jib. The Magnolia bunch were static. Three GIANT cruise ships went between us and Ladybug. It was nearing 5:00. We’d been rolling and slating for some four hours in the sun.

So, I invoked my age and suggested to Jake “F… this” and turned on the outboard. Of course, half way back to Shilshole, a northerly began to fill in – although not at first for the fleet camped out back at West Point. As we hoisted the boat out at Shilshole we did hear someone get the finishing horn. (at this writing, the results still have not been posted)! I had conflicting feelings about quitting. However some 17 hours of sitting on the Moore over 2 days, no more beer, dehydrated, frustrated by slop, tides, wind and no wind, it was good to quit. After all, it was just a sailboat race. . .

Steve Bunnell, Jake Kennedy, Moore 24 Sputnik

With only 2 races left to get one design Moore 24 racing in the Pacific Northwest it’s time to come together as a fleet and show up with strong numbers! First up is the Port Madison Yacht Clubs Round Bainbridge Island Race on September 25th and 26th. This one is a blast! Boats start off the NE end of Bainbridge Island at Pt. Monroe. They then head south around the southern end of the island and through the strong running Rich Passage to Bremerton where they spend the night. Potluck side dish dinner with a YC sponsored BBQ followed by stories on the dock until the wee hours. Sunday morning the fleet races from Bremerton North up the West side of Bainbridge Island, through Agate Pass to the finish off of Hidden Cove.



So far our fleet captain, Doug Archbald, is planning on bringing his Moore (#111) up from Oregon and #26 is planning on being out. Both of these boats will be going double handed, which we recommend for sleeping on the boat but if you want to bring 3 go right ahead – we’d rather have more boats out than have someone not come because they aren’t comfortable racing with only 2. If you have any questions please email them to benjaminbraden@aol.com, or at moore24nw@yahoogroups.com.

Following this race #111 will be looking for a spot to leave their Moore for the time up until CYC Seattle’s PSSC which is also our fleet Championships this year. If you have a spot they can park it please let us know it’s available at moore24nw@yahoogroups.com. The Puget Sound Sailing Championship is buoy racing held off of Shilshole Bay Marina on October 8th and 9th. Some fun challenging buoy racing to finish the year for the PNW Moore fleet. Please chime in that you are coming so we can let CYC know we will have a fleet. Email your RSVP to moore24nw@yahoogroups.com and let us know if you are coming. With 5 boats in the dry yard, #26 and #111 we should have a strong start with 7 boats. If you have space for travelers at your house offer it up and help get people involved!



Ok, it’s been awhile but some fun and crazy stuff has been happening this summer with the fleet boats. We havn’t been sailing together much, but boats are still active and about. How far back to go?

Three Moore’s entered the new STYC Three Buoy Fiasco this past spring. What a blast that was. More Uff Da took 3rd in Class, More Cowbell took 4th and Sputnik took 6th on this fun sunny windy day.

More Uff Da and Morjito traveled down to Whiskey Town California for the Whiskey Town Lake regatta, on the Roadmaster list. It was an amazing weekend of camping, Moore Friends and Lake sailing with even enough wind at times to plane down the lake! Team MUD took 3rd for the weekend and MorJito took 8th out of 12 boats, some fun and challenging lake sailing for the two PNW Boats.

Then a frightening thing happened, a PNW Moore came up for sale! But thankfully it was quickly picked up by the fun loving couple, Julia and Jacob. The two quickly fixed some deck problems on the boat and then in true Moore fashion they hosted the PNW fleet to a BBQ and Beer on the docks near the dry yard. #60 was renamed Morosaurus and we look forward to seeing them out on the course this fall.

Things then dried up for awhile and boats competed in their own YC’s evening stuff until the Anacortes Yacht Clubs Windermere regatta attended by #43 Amore taking 10th out of 12 in the PHRF fleet up in Anacortes.

Then summer really crept in and was time for the fleet to split between an Southern regatta and Northern Regatta. 4 boats travelled south to Cascade Locks Oregon to join three Oregon boats and had 3 day’s of Moore 24 one design racing for the 2011 Nationals. What a weekend it was with sun, wind and amazing racing. Morphine was doing well but lost their mast on Saturday so in the end after 11 races Bruzer took 1st, More Uff Da took 7th, More Cowbell took 11th, Morpine took 13th, Electric Mayhem took 15th, Morjito took 16th and FreckleMadtom took 18th.

Meanwhile up in the Great White North Pendragon and Peptide took part in the Cowichan Bay Regatta in a very tough PHRF fleet. After 4 races Peptide took 3rd and Pendragon took 5th out of 15 boats for the two day regatta. Always fun racing Cow Bay, maybe we’ll get One Design there again sometime soon if it doesn’t conflict with a Roadmaster.

Then just one week later was the always crazy Double Damned race. 5 PNW Boats made an effort this year and Bruzer took the day again with a 1st place finish. More Cowbell followed with a Second, then Morjito with 7th, More Uff Da with 8th and Electric Mayhem with a 10th out 10. This is the real deal downwind hang on get your ass kicked Moore ride. Wow.

There are some cool races coming up – I’ll write some more about them shortly. We’d love to hear more about what your doing, photo’s/Write-ups are welcome!