The Alberg 30 Site

The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in sailing.
-- Anonymous

The Alberg 30 is a beautiful boat. Designed by Carl Alberg and built by Whitby Boatworks in Ontario, she is both graceful and sturdy. The first Alberg 30 was launched in the summer of 1962. Since then, over 700 have been built. Almost 200 are members of the Chesapeake Bay Alberg 30 Association. There is also the Great Lakes Alberg Association in Ontario. Don't underestimate the value of a strong class association.

"But," you say, "there are plenty of boat designs. Why would I want an Alberg 30?"

The Alberg 30 is well suited to both racing and cruising. Being a one-design, you don't have to race under handicapping rules. You can look at the other boats and know how you're doing. And, with a conservative class association, it won't cost an arm and a leg to race it. The older boats are just as (if not more) competitive as the new ones. And, while new sails are obviously an advantage, the class rules prohibit expensive high-tech designs that don't last as well as standard dacron. Sailing skill is more of an advantage than new sails. Many, many times, it's the clever competitor with the old sails who wins the race.

And, when you finish the race, you can enjoy yourself. Unlike smaller one-designs, the A30 is big enough to carry your family and gear for a weekend, a week or longer. And unlike many newer one-designs in its size range, it'll do so comfortably, with its seakindly sailing characteristics. You don't need a crew of deck-apes and rail-meat to make her behave.

In fact, when you finish that race, you may well find yourself already in the company of other Alberg 30s, waiting for you to join the raft. Many of the class races are point-to-point affairs, with a cruise scheduled to coincide. So, the racers join the cruisers at anchor.

Some of those cruisers may well have joined the racers on the way over. While there is a die-hard core of racers, there are also many who race for the fun of it, when they feel like it. Can you stand to be beaten by a double-handing couple dragging a dinghy?

P.S.

The best way to learn more about the Alberg 30, and the Association, is to join the mailing list.

Offshore Sailing by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so. The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks. Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking, boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more. Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his stuff. (Note: commissions earned from this link help defray the costs of this website)