Mr. Strong,
This is a long overdue letter to tell you how much I appreciate the special considerations you made for us regarding the Tides Marine Strong Track. You may recall that your gift was arranged by Robert Quates, formally the Chief Engineer at Charleston Spars. As part of our 6 ½ year rebuild, we installed a 4-foot-taller mast based on a Spar-Craft S330 mast section in our highly modified Cape Dory 36, Far Reach. As the Far Reach is engine free the ability to raise and lower the mainsail instantly and without fanfare, regardless the wind conditions or point of sail, is critical. Following the simple directions included with the track we easily installed the Strong Track with the mast in the boat in June 2015 just before launching.
In December of 2015 we double-handed the Far Reach, via the offshore route from Cape Lookout NC to the British Virgin Islands. It was a demanding 1600 nm upwind passage with the last five days in 30-35 knot winds and 10-14 seas. I spent five glorious months sailing in the West Indies with my family. In Late May I single-handed the Far Reach 1340 nm back to NC from Sint Maarten. The passage home was all downwind and was just a wonderful trip. Please see the attached photo.
The Strong Track proved itself to be every bit as good as I had been led to believe based on the input of sail-makers, spar-builders, and the testimonies of numerous sailors. The Strong Track has worked flawlessly. It shows as new even though it was worked hard and spent every day in a harsh salt filled tropical environment. Regardless of the point of sail, the main is easy to raise, can be reefed easily even when it’s been reaching and running, and drops like a cannon-ball. Of the many modifications we made to the boat, the Strong Track remains one of the heroes of the trip–a fantastic piece of equipment.
I would be happy to speak to anyone that wants to know more about how the Strong Track performs in the real world.
Best Regards,
John Stone S/V Far Reach
