An "Exciting" Weekend!

[wkearney99]

heh, we once had an end slip too. I begged them to move us, and they did, because I said I didn't want my dockings to become a problem for everyone ELSE along the way to the slip. They got the point and moved us much farther out toward the end of the fairway. Much less stressful on days with a lot of wind.

[Goodkat]

Originally Posted by Sir_Crabs_A_Lot

Welcome Goodkat,
I may be showing my age, but when I was a newbie sailor 35 years ago I was shown how to sail by a friendly sailor on my dock, and HE recommended a book to me, and if it's still in print you should have a look at it; "Chapman Piloting, Seamanship, and Small Boat Handling." by Elbert S. Maloney. It covers everything.

Found it for a massive $4 online! I'll give it a good read, thank you for the recommendation

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Goodkat

All of those are good points. I should mention however that this is our last trip in this slip. The marina was kinda enough to let us take over a different and more convenient spot that doesn't back up into the pier. Our current slip only has about 6ft of extra space to move around in, ...…………….

Glad you have been moved as the original space sounds like a nightmare even for an experienced sailor. I have a similar problem when the wind is from the east. As I am normally on my own and have no possibility of an approach from downwind to get into the berth, I have developed two strategies:

1. Call assistance from the marina, and have ropes already looped over the guardrails so that they can attach to cleats quickly.

2. Alternatively fender up and rest on the pier on other side of the berth (like your old one except I can access my normal berth from the pier). Then take ropes across to my berth and winch myself across. - Haven't needed to do this yet because the marina has always provided personnel.

[JPA Cate]

The really important thing is to have everything set up, ready to go, before you enter the marina:

Fenders out (fender board if need be)

Lines on cleats, fed out over the lifelines so that they will pull off free, but not blow into the water

People stationed with the lines ready to step off if you get the boat close enough. No jumping down onto docks.

Ann

[Goodkat]

Originally Posted by Talbot

Glad you have been moved as the original space sounds like a nightmare even for an experienced sailor. I have a similar problem when the wind is from the east. As I am normally on my own and have no possibility of an approach from downwind to get into the berth, I have developed two strategies:

1. Call assistance from the marina, and have ropes already looped over the guardrails so that they can attach to cleats quickly.

2. Alternatively fender up and rest on the pier on other side of the berth (like your old one except I can access my normal berth from the pier). Then take ropes across to my berth and winch myself across. - Haven't needed to do this yet because the marina has always provided personnel.

I like #2. Hopefully won't need to in the new berth

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

The really important thing is to have everything set up, ready to go, before you enter the marina:

Fenders out (fender board if need be)

Lines on cleats, fed out over the lifelines so that they will pull off free, but not blow into the water

People stationed with the lines ready to step off if you get the boat close enough. No jumping down onto docks.

Ann

This is something I remembered after my first single handed docking. A friend of mine recommended making what he called "elephant ears" over the lifelines with the docking lines, and I've been doing so ever since. I did forget to throw fenders out last time (of course). Lots of habits that still need forming, that's for sure

[Boatsie]

I think the windows on sails are to view tails.
Too visual check flow on the pressure systems.
Internet wouldn't allow me past page 1. If previously said.. +1 to tails.

Tail.. Blows , dangles, upwinds, tells conditions of sail pressure flow and use..

[Boatsie]

Hi Goodkat,
I read your thread earlier whilst on lunch break at work. I'd like to gift you a clew.
Reads like you blew out a window of the main. Having a red and a green streamer attached to such a window to share fulcrum central helps heaps. Usually windows are there to look through. View rigging, headsail, streamers on stays. Just easier to look through then around.
Three main torques of boat are keel (turn), heel(wind spillage) and mast(propulsion).
Most people might think of mast as sail boat hence let's start there!

Lightning storm. Hanging chains from stays into water will greatly reduce the chance of a hole in the hull. At mooring.. If able to run chain from backstay into water via mooring then head sail won't catch fire.. Anyway.. Better than a hole in the boat.
Thunder.. The sounds stays make when confussion of torque is unstable. Hence moving towards a clew.
Reads like during blow you inefficiently used too much power; reef down; reduce power. Higher efficiency of less power is more power.
The clew. Sail boats can be very expensive to maintain or serve long time between maintenance requirements. Accelerate slow and build momentum.
The main traveller was mentioned. Leave that to the leeward side. Learn to flow tails from a reduced torque. Only if in absence of wind, move the traveller windward. The main sail has a boom. (Boom Vang pulleys that down). The boom is like a long clew. In very light winds, by advancing the traveller windward and easing the sheet to suit; the heeling torque of the main will move high thus heeling the boat easier. The heel of the boat would help the sail use gravity; it's own weight, to halt it flapping around and make it a more efficient mast torque shape, hence propulsion. If sail is of enough wind to shape I would strongly recommend leaving the traveller down(Lee side). This will allow the Hull torque to be nearer the water level. It is of an extremely good habit to tack into a traveller Lee and then accelerate. Less stress.
The clew is similar. Some boats don't have a headsail pulley, some boats have twin headsail travellers, some boats sheet hard to near winch.
If you have a pulley that tensions the headsail sheet toward the centre of the vessel. This is what I refer. Learn to tune a headsail, play the main later.
When tacking. Similar to traveller. Down is out. Tension sheet. Sailing. Play with them. Maintain a heading and play with them to achieve flowing tails. Tensioning the sheet via the pulley will flow torque higher on mast. I'm not the best advice giver. I've never learnt to sail. I've only learnt how to learn to sail. But from my recollection, the clew is a vital fulcrum of a headsail(another load of torque). Sail boats, especially keel boats, produce massive amounts of torque and can break really big things really easily.
Your boat reads awesome. I prefer less sail and every streamer streaming such that 1 is concentrated with helm and main and the other is concentrated with foresail. Learning properly becomes quicker quicker because response ability will develop and you'll probably beat me to both being on helm with 1 sail each
I wish you the best

[Boatsie]

She's gorgeous. I don't know furlers and assume they give the same cloth to be available as a big Genoa or a tiny storm jib or any size in between. If true that's a massive advantage regarding keel torque(rudder weight on helm) because balance is quay.
I had used a lighter weight 24 footer as a cruising boat, I was knot skipper, a low budget understanding (eg don't break things) and a 4 sail inventory; main, Genoa, jib and spinnaker.
One of the first and very few of upgrades was a thick needle and a palm strike armour to push the needle. Soon after the opposite hand scored armour too. (Even small sails are heavy).
That lead to the best upgrade she received; a third reef of main and a reef of jib. We couldn't tune sails well and by reducing main and increasing forestay sizes we could tune keel better without extensive knowledge of individual tunes. With only 1 remembered breach of practice, we would preferred to sail short of wind torque and take preference to keel balance; eg agility and ease to use swells.
The breach of practice was fun though.. Fool sail; the 3 big ones in gale with favoured swell and tide. Lasted a while until 1 of the tensions snapped and the weight of sail under the water disabled us from righting. A knife sliced a sheet.
Hence. I think she's gorgeous. Furling; you beauty.
Some swells liked 3rd reef main, some swells liked reefed jib. Most times a bit of both. Having combinations help suit vessel to conditions.
Reefings are worth the holy loss during calm.
BTW. welcome.. And I still haven't a clew to that of tuning sails.

[Boatsie]

I found this. Might be useful.
Be careful jibbing with twin rear stays. We added 1 reef to main making main 3 sizes. Temptation to go 3 was there but by then winds are so strong that a teeny weeny foresail would propel us well when underway sail.
My friend owns a twin rear stay fractional rig and his biggest scares include controlling a jibe.
(Note: my language might be wrong written).
Bon voyage

[Goodkat]

Originally Posted by Boatsie

I found this. Might be useful.
Be careful jibbing with twin rear stays. We added 1 reef to main making main 3 sizes. Temptation to go 3 was there but by then winds are so strong that a teeny weeny foresail would propel us well when underway sail.
My friend owns a twin rear stay fractional rig and his biggest scares include controlling a jibe.
(Note: my language might be wrong written).
Bon voyage

Hey Boatsie,

My apologies on the delayed reply here, thanks for all your comments.

I've discovered that it's an old Mylar sail, and the fabric is separating from the coating. I found a jib in storage with the exact same composition, and there were notes on it's construction in the bag. The windows you refer to are still perfectly intact etc!

I'm VERY happy with our new slip. I've single handed in and out a few times in varying wind conditions, and attempting to utilize as many of the tips/tricks I've been provided with here. So far, a couple springlines when departing the slip combined with the outboard unlocked (tiller locked) has made leaving easy, and coming back in I lock the outboard and use the tiller (much prefer the feel when going forwards). Last two solo dockings have gone off without a hitch (knock on wood). The new slip also has less foot traffic, so I get to have 2-3 random people watch me dock instead of the entire boardwalk.

Regarding the main, we've ordered a new main from Precision a few weeks back. The cost was quite reasonable, and it should be ready in early April. The old sail is literally falling apart, but I've still been using it every day I can while I learn. I spent approx $30-40 converting the luff to a hank on, makes raising and lowering infinitely easier while single handed. It seems weird spending money on something I am going to toss soon, but that 30-40 has made single handed sailing multitudes easier. Our new sail will be hank on with a loose foot, vs the current setup.

In the past couple weeks, I've also replaced most of the running rigging (jib/genoa sheets, mainsheet, track, and dock lines). The issue with the mainsheet falling out of the cleat was solved by installing a new Harken cam cleat and changing the thick (12mm!!) mainsheet to a 3/8. I don't miss the thicker line, and I certainly don't miss the main occasionally coming loose and leading to a flying boom.

Our solar install also went well, getting about 130-140watts and 6-9 amps continuous. Cutting the aluminum crossbars to mount the panels to the rails was "fun", but could have been worse. I've set it up for an easy removal and no drilling, so we can quickly move it to our eventual new boat a year or two down the road.

I installed an inclinometer and tablet mount so the wifey can feel a bit more comfortable knowing exactly how far we are heeling. She's been far more content knowing that we are only 15 degrees when the boat can take 35+ without issue.

Thanks everyone, again, for the advice. So far we've been able to do most everything ourselves, and the tips/tricks/hints/info/links/etc have been most informative.

Next up: reseal/bed portholes, install new mainsail, install recently restored old AH800 auto tiller (testing via space car battery in home office currently, needed quite a bit of wire replacement), replace cockpit drain piping, new battery box for larger group 31 battery (previously had two 27's, 95AH), gelcoat chip fixes, new backstay rope (stainless steel lines are fine, but adjustable ropes are beat), inline fuel filter replacement for OB, hull cleaning, seizing wire on shackles, first practice of anchoring with danforth, replace boat stripes (cosmetics, yay). And a few other things. Always something to do!

[Goodkat]

Couple pics of the changes thus far!

[chris mac]

Looking nice goodkat. Out of curiosity, how much was the new main?

[Jim Cate]

I'm a bit confused by the idea of a 'hank-on mainsail". What do you mean by this? Hanks are usually connected to a stay, not a mast.

Jim

[Boatsie]

She looks gorgeous.
An old man taught this old man 1 knot.
It's really useful to secure a deckcover with.

I think it's named a double turn clove hitch.

Here's how it performs.. (Photo) Knot will slide away from handle and knot prevent loosening if tension (ie wind on cover or (photo) bundle of rope))
Many well wishes Goodkat.

Nathan

[Boatsie]

BTW.
thanx Goodkat, thanx all.
You guys, girls helped me realize why's to flow the back of sail. Dances her foot clew; mistakes are made, strength of winds kick at step is much preferred than half way up a snapped spur.
She looks gorgeous.

Happy days