I'm in love

[hugosalt]

Welcome aboard Moonpie!
Noticed on your pics, your lazy jacks are tight as they should be when lowering mainsail...you should be able to slack them off
while underway and attach to mast/boom to keep them from
chafing main.
Also learn/practice reefing in benign conditions and then when
wind pipes up a little more. You will be happy you did the first
time you need to reef for real, real fast!

[cortezsailor]

Addictive is right! Enjoy!

[GrowleyMonster]

Great first boat. Yes your naval experience will be a big help and it sounds like you are going about things in a reasonable manner. Make sure you understand the Rules Of The Road as they apply to you. That is one thing experience in the Navy or <ahem!> REAL ships doesn't really teach you.

It is good to take lessons but it is also a great motivator to just get out on the water and choke some ropes, too. Sounds like you got both covered.

I spent part of my childhood in the Merrit Island / Titusville area and my family had an old mahogany rum-runner type cabin cruiser that drew less than two feet. We spent a lot of time on the Banana River and Indian River, and chopped our way through some pretty skinny water. I bet we killed a thousand horseshoe crabs with our prop and rudder LOL! That area is VERY shallow for a medium size keel boat, and depending on how well moderated your sense of adventure is, you will probably run her hard aground sooner or later. If you plan to do a lot of inland sailing, you might look into pre-paid towing from TowboatUS or SeaTow for the first year. I think it is only a couple hundred bucks or something like that. But they sock it to ya if you call them cold, stuck on a mud bank after trying all day to kedge off.

Good luck with your new-to-you boat, and keep us updated on your progress. Got any questions as you go along, ask them here. You might not always get the correct answer, but you will usually get an entertaining one, anyhow.

[Moonpie]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Welcome aboard Moonpie!
Noticed on your pics, your lazy jacks are tight as they should be when lowering mainsail...you should be able to slack them off
while underway and attach to mast/boom to keep them from
chafing main.
Also learn/practice reefing in benign conditions and then when
wind pipes up a little more. You will be happy you did the first
time you need to reef for real, real fast!

Thanks for the tip about the lazy jack lines. I noticed them today and loosened them up

[Moonpie]

GrowleyMonster: Thanks for your tips. Yes, the Banana River is SO sketchy. I can't imagine having much deeper draft than I do (3'11""). On our maiden voyage we ran hard aground and I had to get my powerboat to pull her off. I was NOT at the helm, FYI :P Today I drifted about 4ft out of the channel and rubbed...

And believe it or not, the Rules of the Road were part of my job in the Navy. Now if only I could remember them. Used to know everything there was to know - lights, dayshapes, signal flags...now I think I remember red right returning, and red over red, the captain is dead I'm sure it'll all come back quickly

[In2TheBlue]

Brilliant!! good for you...and enjoy

[Cheechako]

a man of action! no over anal-yzing for you!

[fjwiley1]

Moonpie you'll enjoy being "back at sea again" just remember when the "pipe blows"
" shift colors, underway" .....good times a comin again....sounds like you might have been a QM perhaps.....


"enjoy the winds for they are free"

[Moonpie]

Originally Posted by fjwiley1

Moonpie you'll enjoy being "back at sea again" just remember when the "pipe blows"
" shift colors, underway" .....good times a comin again....sounds like you might have been a QM perhaps.....

"enjoy the winds for they are free"

Heh. Thanks. Actually I was an Operations Specialist. We did a bit of everything. Navigation, rules of the road, sub hunting, radars, comms etc.

Splice the main brace!

[Capt Phil]

Relax, Saucy... they say that's the first to go! Welcome aboard, Moonpie... you'll find that CF is a great source of all those unanswered questions you might have despite what the moderator says! Just remember that the advice is worth exactly what you pay for it. Cheers and enjoy, Phil

[rgscpat]

Welcome!

[Moonpie]

Some times love hurts. Got my ass handed to me today out on the river. Hands are tore up. Can't wait to go to sailing school and get some proper lessons rather than trying to figure it out alone.

Love hurts.

[Moonpie]

Originally Posted by Moonpie

Some times love hurts. Got my ass handed to me today out on the river. Hands are tore up. Can't wait to go to sailing school and get some proper lessons rather than trying to figure it out alone.

Love hurts.

Winds were a little too strong for me @15-20 kts

[rgscpat]

Gee, you must have opened the extra-large can of sail air. Be safe, or at least safe enough that the lessons don't hurt too much. Besides lessons from the big bucks sailing schools there are some cheaper options that might combine to be worth your time -- crewing for people, taking cheap courses from a local boating group, etc.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Moonpie

Some times love hurts. Got my ass handed to me today out on the river. Hands are tore up. Can't wait to go to sailing school and get some proper lessons rather than trying to figure it out alone.

Love hurts.

Get yourself some good sailing gloves.. the ones with no finger tips and a good set of comfortable sports knee pads...
you'll find yourself hauling sheets quite a lot.. while the back takes the strain the knee's and hands take the abuse...
look after them or you'll be hobbling and unable to pick your nose before your 60.
If its real hard to haul that sheet in... reef... you won't go that much slower.. and you'll be that bit straighter