We have been very fortunate to be surrounded by some wonderful folks who have contributed to making the boat work, and who have helped in any number of ways from sails, to hardware, to various services or simply for being there when things don’t go so well. All of the folks here are outstanding in what they do and we want to recognize them here and hopefully help them out a bit, as well as helping others who might have needs for the products or services that they offer.
We are proud to introduce these folks to our readers, and hope that you will take the time to check out their websites or pay them a visit. Tell them Happy Puppy sent you!
Denise Bienvenu and Bill Layton of Evolution Sails Quebec have been good friends now for over 30 years, and have provided sails, campaign management, technical advice and moral support for all of my boats. Denise also provides invaluable campaign management services to the team, providing a huge depth of knowledge and experience. Bill is an important technical advisor, having spent years in boat-building and diesel engine mechanics. Service is top notch, as are the products. In addition to supporting Happy Puppy for our major events, Denise and Bill race Laser 28’s, and Denise runs the campaign of a Farr 42 out of the East Coast.
Dave and Janice Wilby and the gang at Pride Marine are newer to the Happy Puppy team, but have also become great friends and supporters. Their Kingston based chandlery and rigging shop (just freshly renovated and enlarged!) is as complete as you will find in Canada, with surprisingly good pricing and a helpful, knowledgable staff. Dave and Janice have raced a series of boats over the past years, but are presently campaigning a beautifully restored and updated modified Olson 40 when we can’t get them sailing on Happy Puppy
Dave Bradley and the gang at CCI have been super helpful in getting the steering for the boat working as it should. They are the Canadian reps for Jefa steering systems, and helped with the procurement and the re-engineering of the bearing mounting to fit the boat properly. We are also discussing a fixed carbon prod for the A-sails and which will hopefully find its way onto the boat for the 2012 season, as well as a carbon boom and spreaders as a next-year project. Great guys and great service.