You know you've become a sailor when...

[NoTies]

The iron beast chokes & loses revs half way though the marina. Disregarding years of experience as a marine engineer I automatically hauled out the headsail & carried on. (those that know Bayswater will know how easy this is in a SW). Just had to have a brag about this as it seemed to me to be a turning point in my attitude to my chosen lifestyle. It does beg the question though, how many sailboats have foundered on a lee shore while the skipper was up to his elbows in grease instead of canvas?
Wrong forum? Fell free to shift it.

[TaoJones]

I salute you for your Carry On, Regardless spirit! I think you're right that some sailors have foundered on a lee shore, when they had a 5000 year old "engine" (their sails) neatly furled as they frantically tried to restart the auxiliary.

I was told long ago that furling the sails just because the engine is running and safe harbor is in sight is a mistake - you never know when the engine will pack it in (though we all know it will happen at the worst possible time!)

TaoJones

[cooper]

Having an engine that is guarenteed NOT to get you out of trouble is a great way to learn to trust your sails. We somtimes dont even bother starting it. (This saves the can of "start you bastard" for when you really need it, like charging the battery so you can listen to music !) l still get " a little tight" when sailing up to a jetty, and always try to avoid jettys with other boats especially those big shiney ones with lots of expensive people on board. But given an empty jetty or mooring, or even dropping the anchor, l have found that it is a heap of fun. My rules are 1. go as slow as possible (little speed means little bumps) 2. if at first you dont succede, (see rule 1.) then go around and have another go. 3. if you need a bit of extra confidence, then try it with foresail only (you can blow out the sheet anytime you want) and engine running and in neautral. 4. try wagging the rudder hard from side to side to slow down you may be suprised how well this can wash off speed. 5. Have your lines ready to go. A line amidships so that you can step straight off and put on the brakes can make docking easy. Dont worry about the bow or stern moving out. If you run these lines "outside of every thing " and back to the cockpit, then you can (after tying off your mid line)((not really a springer)) grab which ever end is moving out and haul it back in. 6.. if the wind is coming straight off of your prefered jetty try sailing bow up to it, luffing the sails the whole time to keep your sppeed to a crawl. Have a long loop ready to go so that you can toss it over somthing when you get there. Remember, once the boat is tied on to somthing, you can straighten your epelets and captains hat and then bring the boat around with the most impressive quantity of strings and fancy knots. My favourite is the "truckies hitch". This gives me heaps of extra purchase and also leaves jetty crawlers filled with wonder, and true sailors filled with disgust ! 7. Doing it all by myself robs me of the joy of yelling at someone.

cheers.

[NoTies]

Originally Posted by cooper

Have a long loop ready to go so that you can toss it over somthing when you get there.
cheers.

I don't know about marinas outside NZ but I bemoan the fact that very few here actually provide cleats or bollards to drop a line over. They all seem to be rings where you have to get off the boat and reeve a line to secure your boat. Obviously the desigenrs/accountants don't know much about manouvering a boat.

[dana-tenacity]

Good point, lubberly SOB's

[cooper]

Thats a pity, it does make a big difference. A steel loop also creates far more wear because of the tight radius. It also means that you have to tie off on the boat, which is problematic if you are solo when it come time to leave. You cant just untie throw aboard and shove on the shrouds. A clove hitch on the bite, with a half hitch for security around a bollard makes it possible to untie three lines in about 45 seconds.......and your ropes go with the boat, not get left on the jetty as plenty of boats have had to do when leaving in a hurry. Bloody bean counters..........AND....another thing ....snort rant.......how the hell do you take a turn around a steel ring to temporarily hold fast while moving the boat at the jetty (to make more room for some one else etc)...............

[Alan Wheeler]

I am not sure if there could be a more scary site. Me with 26ton of concrete coming into my birth under sail. Yikes!

[cooper]

No problem.....it just adds a little more weight to your advice when you yell out........"GET OUT OF THE BLOODY WAY...." ; )

[senormechanico]

Speaking of jetties, this is my normal way of coming to my dock.
I'm glad I only displace 5200 lbs.
There's about 3 feet of clearance to the rocks on each side in the pix. Note the wake. I was doing about 8 knots on a close reach.

I don't do it to impress the neighbors, it's just easier to drop sail in the lagoon, as the water's glass flat, the wind drops closer to the bluff etc.

Steve B.

[NoTies]

That's extreme!!! Can you do it with the kite up??

[Capct]

What you are saying is you know you have become a sailor when you lose power ....and actually have to unfurl the thing in a marina.
You obviously are lucky to have had the proper wind.

There are a couple of my buddies around here that could do it ...but way more people that I know who couldn't.... and would be in a pickle in a hurry.

I know a few guys who also have smaller kickers that would sure help in a pinch ....not a bad idea really

[NoTies]

Most marinas actually ban sailing within the marina confines but they forgave me in this case.

[SkiprJohn]

Way to go!!
Whenever entering a new port or into any marina under power I have the main ready to hoist in a moments notice. My friends and I were powering in the Puget Sound headed for Bremerton one day when my 4-107 sucked a tank dry. The Bremerton Ferry had just rounded the point and was headed our way. Talk about a scramble!!! A--holes and elbows!!! We were sailing in very light winds within seconds and only then did I duck down to switch tanks, change filters, bleed the system and start it again.
Regards,
JohnL

[Lancerbye]

Way to get that adrenolin going. If I came in under sail in my marina I am sure I would be asked to leave. My only problem would be backing in to my slip. I would really like to try however. I saw a real sailor do this once at another marina and it was very impressive. Backing into a slip under sail.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by pwederell

That's extreme!!! Can you do it with the kite up??

I sail thru the jetty singlehanded all the time, but to try it with the chute would necessitate a very light westerly. Only problem is when we get one it usually goes from nothing to 25 knots pretty quickly.
Bottom line? Not around here!

Steve B.