Ask me about Taleisin...

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

A few years ago we saw Humphrey Bogart's boat Santana at the start of the TransPac. She had restored (at great expense) after years of neglect. Her history with Bogie and Bacall certainly added to her interest. The owners were quite proud of bringing her back. Now apparently they are investing much more to bring her to even higher standards.

http://www.newportri.com/newportdail...95665a8db.html

To my mind and I sure many cruisers, Taleisin is if greater historic interest. I'm glad she never was seriously neglected and that she found her way into hands that honor her history and original intent.


S/V B'Shert

We can't promise that we'll succeed though. We're going to give it our best shot though! We are fortunate that there's many friendly people around who are happy to give us a hand!

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Robin3

another congrats on the boat. we were priveledged to have coffee on board her with Lin in Poole, UK some years back when they were moored in our YC marina for a while

Thank you! I always love watching people's faces when the go down below for the first time. Taleisin is such a wonderful little boat!

The general consensus is that the longer you look at her the more you see.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Eben

I always say there's no substitute for experience. I'm a bit different to how most people learn, I need to have a wide base of knowledge to draw from at all times. The only way for me to acquire that is to read. Once I have the knowledge I find it much easier to get into the act of doing. Doing is VERY important though, it's the only way to actually know if you've got it all right. Another thing is that when I'm out "winging it" and I have nothing to draw on, it becomes very hard to come up with solutions to problems quickly.

Keep in mind though that the inner working of my own mind is rather strange...

Funny, reading used to be a normal way to learn. Now we watch youtube videos on our phones & book readers are strange. Personally, I've got a whole wall of boating books that I've learned a lot from. I recommend starting with the books written by Lin & Larry Pardey. You might have heard of them.

[Lokiyawl]

Eben,

Congratulations on your new purchase! We hope that Lin and Larry will be able to continue sailing, the news of them selling Taleisin caught me by surprise!

My suggestion would be to see if you can hire, beg or borrow Lin and Larry for a while to do some sailing with you…what an opportunity!

We owned a 35' Lion class teak sloop that didn't have an engine. We did have a small outboard for the dinghy which was sometimes used to get through the bridges but otherwise it was all sail. There is no doubt that the sailing experience is quite different when you don't have an engine aboard, I really enjoyed it. Wish you the best of luck however you decide to proceed.

James

Originally Posted by Eben

I'm creating this thread to avoid the Hi-jacking that's about to take place in another thread.

I might live to regret creating this thread, but you only live once right?

Ask me all your questions about Taleisin etc. I know there's quite a few people who wants to know more about us etc etc. I will do my best to answer questions as honestly as possible. Please keep it above the belt!

I'll start with the question posted in another thread:



Before we bought Taleisin Lin and Larry made it quite clear to us that Taleisin will be our boat and we can do with her as we please. We did have to promise that we will sail her and sail hard! It is entirely up to us if we want to put an engine in or not.

Having said all of that, me being the person I am, I don't want to make any changes to Taleisin that's not in the spirit of the boat. When I have ideas about doing things I always call Lin up and talk to her about it. We were going to have a custom bracket made for an outboard but after some experts looked at it, it was made clear that it's not really viable. We're in the process of learning how to do all the hard stuff under sail, I take it as a challenge and I'm bullheaded (or stupid) enough to keep at it. It's not easy, and doubly so since we're still green horns at that.

So to sum it up, we can put an engine in if we want to. Neither of us wants to as we feel it would destroy Taleisin.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by Eben

I'm creating this thread to avoid the Hi-jacking that's about to take place in another thread.

I might live to regret creating this thread, but you only live once right?

Ask me all your questions about Taleisin etc. I know there's quite a few people who wants to know more about us etc etc. I will do my best to answer questions as honestly as possible. Please keep it above the belt!

I'll start with the question posted in another thread:



Before we bought Taleisin Lin and Larry made it quite clear to us that Taleisin will be our boat and we can do with her as we please. We did have to promise that we will sail her and sail hard! It is entirely up to us if we want to put an engine in or not.

Having said all of that, me being the person I am, I don't want to make any changes to Taleisin that's not in the spirit of the boat. When I have ideas about doing things I always call Lin up and talk to her about it. We were going to have a custom bracket made for an outboard but after some experts looked at it, it was made clear that it's not really viable. We're in the process of learning how to do all the hard stuff under sail, I take it as a challenge and I'm bullheaded (or stupid) enough to keep at it. It's not easy, and doubly so since we're still green horns at that.

So to sum it up, we can put an engine in if we want to. Neither of us wants to as we feel it would destroy Taleisin.

It's now your property so you can do with her what you like. It's the law and one of the human race's oldest rights.

Just ignore all the bashers.

I personally am interested in your travels and experiences.

There is nothing so good as messing about in boats.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Lokiyawl

Eben,

Congratulations on your new purchase! We hope that Lin and Larry will be able to continue sailing, the news of them selling Taleisin caught me by surprise!

My suggestion would be to see if you can hire, beg or borrow Lin and Larry for a while to do some sailing with you…what an opportunity!

We owned a 35' Lion class teak sloop that didn't have an engine. We did have a small outboard for the dinghy which was sometimes used to get through the bridges but otherwise it was all sail. There is no doubt that the sailing experience is quite different when you don't have an engine aboard, I really enjoyed it. Wish you the best of luck however you decide to proceed.

James

Lin and Larry has been very supportive, unfortunately due to circumstances that I'm not going to discuss Larry is finding it challenging to get out on the water.

I have how ever been introduced to some very good sailors who are very capable sailing without an engine.

We're still in regular contact with Lin and Larry - our boat buying method and experience is probably well outside the norm!

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Funny, reading used to be a normal way to learn. Now we watch youtube videos on our phones & book readers are strange. Personally, I've got a whole wall of boating books that I've learned a lot from. I recommend starting with the books written by Lin & Larry Pardey. You might have heard of them.

I have read all of their books, apart from the adventure related ones. There was copies of quite a few books onboard! I've got quite a large number of books already =)

You have to realise that we're in our mid 30's, we are pretty much in the generation that doesn't read any more. I like books, they don't get affected by the marine environment like ipads does etc...

[roland stockham]

Well done and nice to know a fine boat has found an enthusiastic new home. As to learning to dock a traditional long keeler (with or without a motor) the 'traditional' method for tight spaces was to use warps and boats. A good outboard for the dingy is a godsend but also some long floating lines. To enter a finger you lay up in the fairway to the kedge and either throw a line to the admiring bystanders or row it ashore then pull her in. Much safer. It is a method I use on any boat in strong wind and saves much worry, temper and paint.

[Eben]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

It's now your property so you can do with her what you like. It's the law and one of the human race's oldest rights.

Just ignore all the bashers.

I personally am interested in your travels and experiences.

There is nothing so good as messing about in boats.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

This might be true, but that doesn't stop bashers....

The bottom line is that if I wanted to change Taleisin I wouldn't have bought her - seems like a pointless exercise... I could have bought a production boat instead...

You can follow what we're up to at The new adventures of Taleisin I'll be putting a few more things up there soon...

[Eben]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

Well done and nice to know a fine boat has found an enthusiastic new home. As to learning to dock a traditional long keeler (with or without a motor) the 'traditional' method for tight spaces was to use warps and boats. A good outboard for the dingy is a godsend but also some long floating lines. To enter a finger you lay up in the fairway to the kedge and either throw a line to the admiring bystanders or row it ashore then pull her in. Much safer. It is a method I use on any boat in strong wind and saves much worry, temper and paint.

If I can build enough confidence over the next few months, I might consider putting Taleisin back in the marina for winter (it's just easier to take care of her in the marina). I will certainly give this a go, just hope the fun police wont shut me down.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Eben

I have read all of their books, apart from the adventure related ones. There was copies of quite a few books onboard! I've got quite a large number of books already =)

You have to realise that we're in our mid 30's, we are pretty much in the generation that doesn't read any more. I like books, they don't get affected by the marine environment like ipads does etc...

If you're talking about signed first editions they might be worth a pretty penny! I know I'd be interested.

[buzzstar]

"She has feed many dreams including mine." quote from KaveigaMax

I join the crescendo of me too's, many unwritten. No reply needed, but congrats! Enjoy.

[dgz3]

Congrats! You have bought a first class education in the art of sail. Provided you show up for class and use your brain. Personally, I would change nothing. This is not a production boat designed to please the mass market at boat shows. And needing customization before use.
Your little ship is a specially designed sailing and living system, very carefully engineered by highly skilled and experienced people.
Rather than adjust the boat to suit your needs, consider adjusting your technique to suit the boat's characteristics.
For instance, getting into and out of a slip without engine. This boat wasn't built to live in a slip. Why would you put it in one? And do you really want to pay by-the-foot dockage for that bowsprit? So forget marinas! A whole host of maneuverability issues just disappear when you are anchored out as opposed to tied in a slip.
There were NO marinas when the Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, and English sailed huge square rigged ships drawing 12 feet and more across every ocean and into and out of every bay and river mouth in the Caribbean, the Americas, south Pacific and very other place in the world. Are you not as smart as those guys? You certainly have better charts and weather information! Not to mention the fact that your boat will actually sail to windward.
And... you have a complete and detailed set of manuals readily available in book and dvd form. Namely every book and video ever made by the Pardys. A complete set should be in your library. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just do it the way they did! In other words, use the boat the way it was designed to be used.
One concession I would make is in navigation and electronic communication. I would want a small but capable laptop, say 13 inch. Add an AGM motorcycle battery, a small solar panel (flexible or folding?), a handheld color GPS, a small portable shortwave receiver and a small long range wifi antenna and, with appropriate software and interconnect cables, you will have full navigation, chart, weather broadcast and fax, internet and email (in port) capability. And all of it will fit in a briefcase or backpack and require no installation or modification to the boat. Add a handheld VHF, a sat phone, and an Epirb and you'll be as up to date electronically as anyone.
One thing you'll need to do is learn how to work on it and collect the tools to do it. Those skills aren't found in most boatyards any more. And even if they are, you won't like paying for them!
Good luck and enjoy your piece of sailing history. Taleisin is the embodiment of old school seamanship and will make you a better sailor if you just learn to do it her way!

[Eben]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

If you're talking about signed first editions they might be worth a pretty penny! I know I'd be interested.

Nothing so extravagant! The boat is full of treasures though...

[Eben]

Originally Posted by dgz3

Congrats! You have bought a first class education in the art of sail. Provided you show up for class and use your brain. Personally, I would change nothing. This is not a production boat designed to please the mass market at boat shows. And needing customization before use.
Your little ship is a specially designed sailing and living system, very carefully engineered by highly skilled and experienced people.
Rather than adjust the boat to suit your needs, consider adjusting your technique to suit the boat's characteristics.
For instance, getting into and out of a slip without engine. This boat wasn't built to live in a slip. Why would you put it in one? And do you really want to pay by-the-foot dockage for that bowsprit? So forget marinas! A whole host of maneuverability issues just disappear when you are anchored out as opposed to tied in a slip.
There were NO marinas when the Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, and English sailed huge square rigged ships drawing 12 feet and more across every ocean and into and out of every bay and river mouth in the Caribbean, the Americas, south Pacific and very other place in the world. Are you not as smart as those guys? You certainly have better charts and weather information! Not to mention the fact that your boat will actually sail to windward.
And... you have a complete and detailed set of manuals readily available in book and dvd form. Namely every book and video ever made by the Pardys. A complete set should be in your library. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Just do it the way they did! In other words, use the boat the way it was designed to be used.
One concession I would make is in navigation and electronic communication. I would want a small but capable laptop, say 13 inch. Add an AGM motorcycle battery, a small solar panel (flexible or folding?), a handheld color GPS, a small portable shortwave receiver and a small long range wifi antenna and, with appropriate software and interconnect cables, you will have full navigation, chart, weather broadcast and fax, internet and email (in port) capability. And all of it will fit in a briefcase or backpack and require no installation or modification to the boat. Add a handheld VHF, a sat phone, and an Epirb and you'll be as up to date electronically as anyone.
One thing you'll need to do is learn how to work on it and collect the tools to do it. Those skills aren't found in most boatyards any more. And even if they are, you won't like paying for them!
Good luck and enjoy your piece of sailing history. Taleisin is the embodiment of old school seamanship and will make you a better sailor if you just learn to do it her way!

This is pretty much my approach! I do have 2 hand held VHF radios and 2 hand held GPS unit too. If you look at the blog you'll see I've figured out a way to add a ray marine dragonfly without the need to change anything on the boat (this is mostly seen a training wheels - a lead line will work fine once we don't have to learn everything else at the same time).

We were just out on the water sailing in cheeky - it was the first time we've sailed in cheeky. Was amazingly simple to rig (I just followed my nose on that one).

The only bummer was that I seem to have lost my car keys somewhere along the lines. Cost me $80 to get a tow truck out to open my car only to find I didn't lock they keys in the trunk. The upside was we met some friendly people along the way.

The tow truck driver was kind enough to drop us home so we could get the spare key and we had to get the kid from next door to come and climb up a ladder and into the open window to let us is.

Lin did say that Taleisin is an adventure machine - apparently cruising has no limits and neither does the adventure Taleisin provides.