Engineless anyone?

[Sauntress]

Revealing those photos (Tres hombres entering Brixham - that is a seriously large ship). There is a point which may be being missed here, which is this. Under sail, in tight corners SLOWLY is the key. Jimmy Laurence taught me that. Show a glimmer of foresail just enough to get way on. Or conversely reduce sail drastically when coming alongside to reduce speed. Now contrast the effect of the engine only "rules" and the behaviour of a good many modern yachtsmen, who charge in, flat out into said marinas, totally unprerpared, lines thrown, not attached to the vessel, etc, to the despair of all. I know I have watched fascinated this Grand Prix approach to so called sailing (in Ribadeo, NW Spain). Voila. Thanks for Cambria. I used to share the head of Toosey creek with Edme.

[leboyd]

One of, if not the funniest, engineless videos ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxg30c6z00E

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

An engineless square-rigger still in operation:

Tres Hombres | Fairtransport.eu

I think they mostly use tugs in harbor, however.

Seeing that ship reminded me of the Joseph Conrad story "The Secret Sharer."

Here it is:
http://archive.org/stream/thesecrets...220gut/220.txt

If you have ever tried to tack with no wind in a tight anchorage you'll appreciate it even more! (but that is not specifically what the story is about)

[OldBawley]

http://s1155.photobucket.com/user/OldBawley/media/P1060399%20-%20Kopie_zpsseogiqsj.jpg.html][/URL]




Rowing one side. Long keel, the autopilot keeps the boat on track.


Had two oars, cut one up and burned it in our wood stove. Made oarlocks that fit into the top of the winches. Can only keep our 8 ton boat going for half an hour, then I am exhausted and have blisters on my hands.


Upwind impossible. No wind is ok or help with very light wind to tack.


Have now two new sails, a giant genakker from the top of the bowsprit extension and a Lug yawl sail double the size of the old yawl. A lot less rowing. Now the boat keeps moving in very light air.

[Don C L]

For those who would like to post photos at the Engineless social group, first join the group and then perhaps these photos with directions will help:

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Dogma is offensive and ineffective regardless of what position it is used to support.. . . .

That kind of an attitude is itself a dogma. Should I be offended at that?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Don C L

For those who would like to post photos at the Engineless social group, first join the group and then perhaps these photos with directions will help:

I tried to join the Engineless group about a week ago and it didn't work. Any suggestions?

Edit: Apparently I was wrong, I am part of Engineless but every time I tried to join it gave me an error message. Oh well.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Adelie

That kind of an attitude is itself a dogma. Should I be offended at that?

No, just embrace your chosen dogma and be happy. 😆

[Sauntress]

Well yes we are engineless and have been since about 1993/4. Sauntress, the yacht is 28' x 8' beam by 4'10" draught and a classic gaff cutter of her period (pre 1st World War) when she would almost certainly not have had an auxiliary. Bear in mind that up to the 2nd World War and a bit beyond engines were by no means the norm. Which is why I took the engine out of Sauntress so as to sail her as she was built to be sailed. Notwithstanding marinas, busy shipping lanes and so on. The photographs, which I hope you can see are of the mooring we had for 3 years in SW Ireland which, to my mind is pretty close to paradise. Sauntress normal base for many years was on the East Coast of England (the Essex rivers) where there are umpteen possible anchorages, thus no need for marinas (particularly as the needs of the yacht on a cruise are water, food and parafin for the lamps and nothing else), with a foray up north to Norway (1996) and then later across Biscay to her present base in NW Spain. Garinish was made possible only by Tom and Pat Downey who took us and the boat under their wing (eggs, lettuces, etc on the deck in the morning), laid the mooring, looked after her, which to me, the friendships, is what makes it all worth while.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Seeing that ship reminded me of the Joseph Conrad story "The Secret Sharer."

Here it is:
Full text of "The Secret Sharer"

If you have ever tried to tack with no wind in a tight anchorage you'll appreciate it even more! (but that is not specifically what the story is about)

Speaking of Josef Conrad I thought this was a pretty good article.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/o...nrad.html?_r=0

[VirtualVagabond]

We lost our transmission sailing from Namibia (Africa) to St Helena and almost ended up on the rocks while grabbing a mooring there. We stayed there for a few months hoping to find a solution, but eventually decided to sail engineless to Trinidad. I figured we could do it in 5 weeks, but it took 7.
The toughest part was between the current and wind systems of the southern and northern hemispheres. Most sailors motorsail or just motor for a few days through the windless stretch until they pick up the northeasterlies. We didn't have that option so had 4 sails up (ketch) to catch any passing puff. The hard part was, they come from different directions. And then the almost daily squalls! 3 knots to 30 knots in seconds, the worst was 50+, with all that sail up.
We're probably better sailors for it, but I'd rather have just read about it.

[stone0302]

My 18,000 cutter has no inboard engine. Sailed to and from the eastern Caribbean, 2015-2016 about 3500 miles over six months without an engine. Have a 14’6” sculling oar. Sculled in and out of ports and shifted mooring in flat calm with the sculling oar. Sculled along the shoreline on an ink black dead calm night with just a sculling oar. Sailed up through mooring fields in a 35 kt squall and anchored under double reefed main and stays’l. Made it into and out of numerous places people say can’t be done without an engine.

But it’s not easy. It takes a lot of skill, determination, and impeccable judgment...and a little luck helps.

Last trip to Eastern Caribbean 2018-2019 we took our small outboard to move the boat on a few ocassions. Used about 2 gallons of fuel over six months.

Still don’t have an inboard engine. I think about it now an again. Considering it now. But reluctant.

There is no doubt you have less options without an engine. Sure you can go almost anywhere without an engine but like I said it is hard. You have to be patient and you can get in a sh#t sandwich as fast as you can blink your eye. You can fail to make port and find yourself embayed in shoal water with high winds and steep seas and be absolutely miserable. Done that too.

I know BenZ. He is highly skilled and accomplished. He knows exactly what he is talking about.

I could write a tome about why I like sailing without an engine but I still don’t know why I do it.

www.farreachvoyages.net
www.farreachvoyages.com

[Mike OReilly]

I would love to go engineless. I have thought about building a sculling oar. I just don't know if it is doable with my 15 ton boat. And the fact is, I'm just not that good a sailor.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by stone0302

My 18,000 cutter has no inboard engine. Sailed to and from the eastern Caribbean, 2015-2016 about 3500 miles over six months without an engine. Have a 14’6” sculling oar. Sculled in and out of ports and shifted mooring in flat calm with the sculling oar. Sculled along the shoreline on an ink black dead calm night with just a sculling oar. Sailed up through mooring fields in a 35 kt squall and anchored under double reefed main and stays’l. Made it into and out of numerous places people say can’t be done without an engine.

But it’s not easy. It takes a lot of skill, determination, and impeccable judgment...and a little luck helps.

Last trip to Eastern Caribbean 2018-2019 we took our small outboard to move the boat on a few ocassions. Used about 2 gallons of fuel over six months.

Still don’t have an inboard engine. I think about it now an again. Considering it now. But reluctant.

There is no doubt you have less options without an engine. Sure you can go almost anywhere without an engine but like I said it is hard. You have to be patient and you can get in a sh#t sandwich as fast as you can blink your eye. You can fail to make port and find yourself embayed in shoal water with high winds and steep seas and be absolutely miserable. Done that too.

I know BenZ. He is highly skilled and accomplished. He knows exactly what he is talking about.

I could write a tome about why I like sailing without an engine but I still don’t know why I do it.

www.farreachvoyages.net
Far Reach Voyages Home Page

Got any photos of your sculling oar set-up?

[AndyEss]

Having a skulling oar setup to me sounds dandy - as a backup and/or exercise/skill/stubborness option.
Being on open waters with anything much bigger than a Hobie16 cat seems irresponsible to me. Your own safety is your responsibility, but negative effects on other boaters and possibly using first responders when an engine would have assured no problem, is highly egotistical