Stéphane Joubert Refurbishes an Older 2.4mR

Peter Wood, July 2023

Last summer I decided to put a 1997 Riverside Marine-built 2.4mR on the market. I purchased it a number of years ago as a second boat for sailors in our club who expressed an interest in the class but were not ready to make the commitment to buy their own. I used the boat during COVID when my boat and trailer were stuck in Florida. The boat has ISAF sticker # 48. It is an early Norlin Mark 3.

The purchaser was Stéphane Joubert, a skilled craftsman who had rebuilt a few sail boats in the past. Stéphane had contacted the class through our website and drove down from Mirabel QC to check out the boat and go for a sail at Nepean Sailing Club. It was love at first sight and he purchased the boat and towed it home immediately.

This summer Stéphane brought his boat back to Nepean Sailing Club for a “give it a try” Saturday. I was impressed with the repairs and upgrades that he did himself over the past twelve months. Stéphane provided me with some pictures of the significant things that he did. Stéphane is a recreational sailor and not a racer and usually sails independently, so some of his adaptations are not suitable for competitive sailors.

Cockpit before & after
ISAF #48 Cockpit before & after

The first picture shows the original with both tiller steering and foot pedals, a manual pump on the steering post and a very disorganized dashboard. The tiller steering has been removed, the manual pump has been replaced with a pump in the floor board and the dash board has been replaced with a clear acrylic dashboard. The cleats have been mounted in a more organized layout. Stéphane made a  new splash board and a collar for the mast opening. Small Harken turning blocks and cleats for the pole hoist and main sail cunningham  are mounted on the deck. The cockpit was sprayed with epoxy paint and the seat was rebuilt. The hull was buffed and polished.

2.4 Deck
ISAF #48 Deck fitting

The original Riverside Marine 2.4mR had two small through deck bushings for adjustable forestay and jib Cunningham. The ropes chaffed through the fittings and the bushings allowed water into the bow compartment. Newer boats replaced this with a small stainless steel channel. Stéphane made his own fitting from an aluminum channel and added a small strap to protect the bow from dock collisions. He re-sealed the inspection port to give access to the bow area.

2.4 battery box
ISAF #48 Battery case

The battery for the original electric bilge pump was located on a tray behind the seat instead of in the bilge (as the newer boats are configured). Stéphane replaced the tray with a watertight container that he mounted behind the seat. All the plugs are water resistant.

Stéphane has also installed netting between the dashboard and the front bulk head to store personal items he takes with him while sailing.

I have discussed with Stéphane some additional things to optimize his boat. He has 165 Kilos of ballast in his lead keel weights. The next step will be to weigh the boat in accordance to class rules to see if he can add additional ballast to get the all up boat weight closer to 254 Kilograms and the keel ballast weight closer to 181 kilograms. 

Finally we are encouraging Stéphane to try racing with our fleet. He now has a great looking boat which is worth a lot more than his initial outlay.

Peter Wood

President’s Report May 2023

Canadian News

Spring has arrived and as I write this the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it through to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  It is also the time when we bring our boats down to our respective clubs and get ready for both our club racing programs and travelling to out of town regattas. I know I will be making a few changes to my control line management after snooping around other boats at the CanAm Winter series.

On the return trip from Florida I had the opportunity to drop my boat and trailer at the Tred Avon YC in Oxford MD for their Spring regatta. The Tred Avon Yacht Club is a relatively small club located on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay about one hour southeast of Annapolis MD.  It hosted the Star Worlds in 2018. Andrew Parish, Vice Commodore of the club, is working hard to establish a 2.4mR fleet at Tred Avon and he has provided storage for boats migrating north from Florida on their way to their
summer home clubs.

BTW the Spring Regatta was great fun. Although we were blown off the river on the Friday we had seven short course races in very shifty winds over the Saturday and Sunday. I definitely plan to attend the 2024 version of this event.

Jackie Gay of the Victoria Fleet has registered for the 2.4mR 2023 World Championship in Tampere,  Finland July 31 – August 5. At this time 47 competitors have registered with the eventual fleet expected to reach about 90 entries before entries close on June 30. We will be cheering Jackie on as the regatta commences.

Sail Canada has reserved one entry for the 2023 World Para Sailing Championships in The Hague, Netherlands starting August 10. At this point the sailor representing Canada has not been confirmed.

Upcoming Events:
May 20 – 21    Ice Breaker Regatta, Etobicoke Yacht Club, Toronto
June 3 – 4    Fleet Championships, Royal Victoria YC, Victoria
June 11     Kickoff Regatta, National Yacht Club, Toronto

Please see more information at www.canada24mr.com.

Hope to see you on the water soon.

Peter Wood, Class President

Tred Avon YC Spring Invitational 2023

Peter Wood and Peter Eagar raced in the annual Spring Invitational at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford, MD, and it sounds like the rest of us missed a fun regatta!  Andrew Parish summed up the weekend on the US 2.4 Meter Sailing FB page:

Great turnout, a little rain, some light/heavy winds, just a few little lead changes, lots of laughter, mixed with chile,  pizza and beer.  We are holding 7 boats locally,  looking to build a fleet.  Many thanks to the Race Committee, 2.4mR class officers, TAYC/SSPP volunteers, and Clagett Sailing, followed by a gentleman-like game of Regatta, that made the weekend a great success!  Please come join us next year!

Congratulations on your 1st place finish Peter Wood!  Results here

Used 2.4mR Sailboats Wanted

Not using your 2.4mR? The Canadian 2.4mR class has received inquiries from motivated buyers looking for good used 2.4mR sailboats.

If you have a boat to sell please send the following details to the class e-mail address: [at][dot].

Builder
Year built
ISAF Hull #
Boat Location
Asking Price
Contact information

Peter Wood
Canadian 2.4mR Class Association

Canadian 2.4mR Sailors At Fall/Winter Regattas

In November 2022, 13 Canadian sailors attended the 2.4mR Open World Championships at Davis Island in Tampa, Florida. The competition was heavily impacted by Hurricane Nicole with only six races completed over two of the four scheduled days.  Bruce Millar from Royal Victoria Yacht Club was the top Canadian finisher.  Worlds results are here.

Between January and March, Canadians travelled to Charlotte Harbor Yacht Club (CHYC), Florida, to race in the five-regatta CanAm series hosted by the US 2.4mR US Class Association.  CHYC has been the winter home for 2.4mR sailors for 10 years.

The hospitable club’s top notch regatta management and weather attracted competitors from Victoria, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa along with racers from the US and Puerto Rico. A steady temperature of 27C and good winds ensured close racing.  Again Bruce Millar was the top Canadian.  CanAm results here.  CanAm photos by Fran Burstein  are posted below.

CanAm 2023 Photos by Fran Burstein

CanAm #4, #5

(03/2023)                 https://photos.app.goo.gl/5e2YaipLANhWtJ5T9

CanAm #3

(02/2023)               https://photos.app.goo.gl/aEpX4wHHFwgpW9qQ8 

CanAm #1, #2

 (1/23/2023)           https://photos.app.goo.gl/Mq8TZ8NvdjPPpnAb7                                                                                                

  (1/26/2023)             https://photos.app.goo.gl/vnjJVMGTjWSqzrJS6                    

  (1/28/2023             https://photos.app.goo.gl/rFci2b4L2xnckyGT8