2011 Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention
Sponsored by Good Old Boat Magazine
February 14 to 21, 2011
Lake Havasu
Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention 2011
by Larry Yake
Even the drifters were fun.
If you’re like me, you’ve wandered aimlessly among the displays and scanned the list of boring seminars at business conventions and thought, “Ugh! I’d rather be sailing!” Now imagine a convention where all the events and seminars are so interesting that you would voluntarily pass up sailing time to attend; a convention where more than 120 small sailboats from more past and present boat manufacturers than you could dream of are in attendance; a convention where you can meet fellow pocket cruiser sailors from all over the US and Canada, check out their boats, and sail beside them on a beautiful desert lake surrounded by jagged mountains; a convention scheduled during late winter just when you're starting to believe you will never be warm again and sailing season is still months away.
Hosts Sean and Jo Mulligan aboard their Montgomery 23 Dauntless
If that appeals to you, start making plans to attend next year’s Pocket Cruiser Convention in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in mid-February. The fourth annual Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention was held Feb. 14 to 21, 2011. It was planned, organized, and hosted by the enthusiastic Sean Mulligan with assistance from a core group of sponsors and supporters. Sean has built what started as a simple weekend gathering of friends into an amazing weeklong event that may be one of a kind in the sailing community, certainly in the pocketcruiser world.
Pocket cruiser sailors tend to be very independent. Almost loners. We have small boats not necessarily because that’s all we can afford, but rather because we enjoy the freedom they give us. We are not dependent on crews, marina slips, or professional repair services.
Gary Hyde, Montgomery 17 Hydeaway 2, Pullman, Wa
Rigging at the launch ramp.
Surpassing all these events is the Lake Havasu Pocket Cruiser Convention. Held at the convention center of the London Bridge Resort, there were displays and representatives from several sponsors -- J.O. Woodworks, Kelly-Hanson Sails, Interlux/Awlgrip Paints, Hyde Sails, and WaveFront Marine -- doing brisk business. The seminars covered Cruising Chutes, Boat Painting (they actually painted a dinghy on stage!), Man Overboard Procedures, Sailing Southern California, Outboard Motor Maintenance, Raymarine Electronics, Sailing Medicine for Dummies, The 4 Elements of Sail Trim, Sailing the Singlehanded Trans Pac in a Pocket Cruiser (from both the sailor's and his wife’s perspectives), Sailing Santa Cruz Island, the New Sage 17 Pocket Cruiser, and even a couple craft project seminars for those who were tired of all the boat stuff. All were excellent. The dilemma was in deciding which seminars to attend or skip in order to have extra time sailing!
Montgomery 17 Motu iti, Eldor and Dorothy Eisen.
Guess what state they're from?
Speaking of sailing, that’s what this event is all about and there was plenty of time to sail in the organized events or just go off exploring alone. I was concerned that it might get too crowded out on the water with more than 100 boats sailing around, but Lake Havasu has plenty of room to spread out and the lake never felt congested. The sight of all those sails was impressive. Everywhere you went around town people were talking about “all those sailboats! “ Joining in the races added even more to the fun.
Races were run with gentlemen’s rules, following basic rules of the road, and this philosophy actually worked! There were no protests or tempers flaring, everyone just had a good time. There was a long-distance race open to all boats and scored on a handicap system, a Pocket Cruiser Cup for all boats scored by order of finish, and class races sponsored by the manufacturers. Wind conditions varied daily from boisterous to drifters, allowing us to enjoy all types of sailing from reefed down to spinnakers. The Parade of Sail under the London Bridge was spectacular with dozens of sailboats coming down the channel in a long line. Several sailors were unable to bring their own boats, but there was no problem finding someone to sail with. Skippers were more than happy to show off their boats, most of which had been customized personally to suit their needs. My 1976 Montgomery 17, CornDog, stayed home buried in the snow, but I raced and daysailed on several boats, including some very rare models, like Sean’s 1979 Montgomery 23 (havasumontgomerys.piczo.com), Bill Barnhart’s 1962 Champion 21 (billsboat.webs.com), and the Sage 17 prototype (www.sagemarine.us).
Steamboat Cove. An impromptu BBQ gathering before the event.
Of course, all sailors like to party. The evenings were just as busy as the days with a Meet and Greet the first night, a rowdy North/South Grudge Match that tested the sailors' knot-tying skills and somehow ending up in a conga line, a fun Going Down With The Ship party featured some, um . . . creative costumes and live music, and an awards banquet where we were served a prime rib dinner, the race trophies were handed out, and a variety of sails and gear were auctioned off to raise funds for next year’s event.
Sean enjoying a rare chance to sail with the group he brought together.
Lake Havasu City was a great host for this event and they welcomed us with open arms. Many thanks to them and the sponsors (including Good Old Boat magazine) and vendors who helped make it all possible. Most of all thanks to Sean Mulligan. Without his vision and endless efforts this event would never happen. Check out the event webpage at www.sailhavasu.com.
