My Journey towards full time liveaboard.

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Between fish nibbling the bottom , rigging , the groans , twangs , and vibration , boats talk, eventually your brain learns what’s normal and what’s not. Then you’ll sleep unworried but will wake instantly if there’s a unusual break in the pattern.

Or turn on the stereo, any good 80s music will do

That is the thing. I don't think this is normal, so it keeps me up when it is happening. The rest of the various noises just fade into the background

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by Hobby

The Ghost Rider noise you are hearing could be “vortex shedding”. Google it, it’s very interesting.
If your boat has a topping lift(a line from the aft end of the boom to the masthead), the topping lift could be generating the noise and sending it down through the mast to the bulkhead. Just take the main sheet and wrap it around the topping lift. If the noise stops, that was it.

That was a fascinating read, thank you!

Thing is, this noise only happens when there is no wind. It is caused by the boat rocking on waves beam to beam. It sounds like a metal connection slipping as it leans one way, then slipping back as it leans the other. Has to be a good angle to the tip as well, slight rolls will not cause it.

I am envisioning a connection plate where the bolts have loosened, and the tipping is putting sheer tension on them. The bolts are moving in the slop of the plate hole, and the nuts are dragging on the plate.

Or, it is a giant clam

[patagoniadave]

ahh, today was the first time I left the boat without my condo keys. Luckily, I have built an half hour into my commute in order to compensate for things like that. Was a good workout to speed paddle back to the boat to get them.

The other day I left the condo without my dinner (I am not cooking on the boat yet). I used it as an excuse to offload some unneeded items from the boat. Luckily, the wind and water has been calm for these extra trips.

Ghost Rider did not visit last night, the conditions were not optimal. I slept like a baby. Until the mosquitos found my boat.

[Oeanda]

I do recall my gf and I running from side to side in the boat at one point to get it rocking, so that we could replicate the odd sounds coming from the join of the forward bulkhead to the hull. We did replicate it and basically decided at that point that the tabbed-in bulkhead was behaving normally enough that we shouldn’t lose sleep over it.

My first thought from the audio was maybe sideways tension on the bow roller but it sounds like you’ve isolated the general area as being elsewhere, so -probably the clam.

[Rob19321]

So this is unlikely to be the same sound BUT our own "ghost noises" were more obvious than we thought.

We slept through clanging for 2 years then I tightened halyards and flag ropes and anything that was close to the mast. Still noises.

It was the wiring inside the mast... next season, $6 of pool noodles from Dollarama during a maintenance demasting (We pull the mast every year or sometimes 2 anyway) and we slept fine after that.

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by Oeanda

I do recall my gf and I running from side to side in the boat at one point to get it rocking, so that we could replicate the odd sounds coming from the join of the forward bulkhead to the hull. We did replicate it and basically decided at that point that the tabbed-in bulkhead was behaving normally enough that we shouldn’t lose sleep over it.

My first thought from the audio was maybe sideways tension on the bow roller but it sounds like you’ve isolated the general area as being elsewhere, so -probably the clam.

I mean, sound is tricky, it's quite possible that it is not coming from where my ears tell me it is. That being said, it's almost imperceptible outside, and reverberates in the head, which is like 3' from my head when I am sleeping in the Vberth.

I would love to not lose sleep over it anymore...

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by Rob19321

So this is unlikely to be the same sound BUT our own "ghost noises" were more obvious than we thought.

We slept through clanging for 2 years then I tightened halyards and flag ropes and anything that was close to the mast. Still noises.

It was the wiring inside the mast... next season, $6 of pool noodles from Dollarama during a maintenance demasting (We pull the mast every year or sometimes 2 anyway) and we slept fine after that.

There are definitely wires clanging in the mast during that rocking motion, but they are polite enough to clang quietly. I can only hear them if I really focus on it. Until the other noise drowns them out...

[patagoniadave]

Dear mosquitoes

I have so much blood, probably too much. You are as welcome to as much as you can carry. In return, all I ask is that you stop buzzing my ear, and maybe stop the itching.

Sincerely;

Fud

Ps, I hear that Area is delicious

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by slugsgomoo

--

You mention having a hard time getting the kayak on deck, are you manhandling it, or are you using the boat to lift it? I'm a big fan of mechanical advantage, if you can make that work for you

I am guessing this is what you were alluding to... I was paddling past a new neighbor on my commute home from work today. They have a dingy slung up on the side of the boat right about where my kayak rack is. I paddled closer, asked them about it. They are just using a spare halyard as a crane. Sigh.

Sometimes the really simple answers are too simple for me to grasp. Like when I spent a week trying to figure out what I could do to keep the kayak from bumping the boat when tied off behind it at anchor. "If only there was something I could put between them" turns out I had 4 something, I believe they are called dock fenders.

[desertsailor]

Dave, If you're still looking for an Irwin owners forum, there is one on Facebook, called Irwin Sailboats. Here is a possible link, https://www.facebook.com/groups/125214284225649/about


Good Luck with your adventure.

[patagoniadave]

Originally Posted by desertsailor

Dave, If you're still looking for an Irwin owners forum, there is one on Facebook, called Irwin Sailboats. Here is a possible link, https://www.facebook.com/groups/125214284225649/about


Good Luck with your adventure.

Cool! Thank you. I deleted Facebook from this phone, but I'll check it out on my computer tomorrow!

[patagoniadave]

It's Easter weekend, which is a big celebration here in Mexico. On top of that, my rigger lost his phone, so realistically it will be next week before I have the standing rigging tuned and start sailing lessons. Probably best to not be out in the water this weekend anyway, lots of jet skis and power boats and alcohol.

I have a long weekend in the boat, so am going to learn about polishing stainless steel, treating wood, and fiberglass.

Good news is that I may have found the ghost rider noise culprit. (Well, other people told me to look here). The bolt that connects the boom to the mast is slid all the way to one side, and has a lot of play. I can totally see it sliding back and forth causing the sound. Can't verify until the conditions replicate, but I am optimistic. It would mean it's not some mast structure failure.

[patagoniadave]

I survived holy week! It was an adventure, but all is well that ends well. Not sure what the story is with my Instructor, I will get my official lessons when I can. In the mean time, I have put the word out with local sailing groups that I am interested in learning either by crewing on their boat, or by going out in mine. The response has been positive, and I think I will be on the water on a regular basis from here on out.

To that end, someone took my out on my boat Yesterday. Very basic, we just raised the mainsail, went out on a close haul, did some tacks, and came back when the wind picked up. I am sure they were bored, but it was good for me to be out on the boat feeling wind.

By the time we returned to anchor, the wind had really picked up. Someone was telling my 35 knot gusts, could have been an exaggeration, maybe not. Took two tries to set anchor. The shackle had twisted on the first try, so we had to realign. Hard to communicate in the wind. The mainsail was difficult. We had dropped it in a leeward lull coming into the harbor, but did not cover it (mistake). Trying to get the cover on in high wind was like the proverbial monkey and football. One of my easy jack connections on the boom sheared off, and the sail is not really sitting well on the boom because of it. We finally were able to wrap it securely. Winds did not stop until the middle of the night, so I'll redo and rig the lazy jack this afternoon. It was almost too windy to kayak back, and we were soaked. I was worried about the fresh anchor set, so went back to the boat for a couple hours, before then kayaking out in worse wind o get the dogs. I am pleasantly exhausted today.

It was a good lesson. I intend to singlehand, and imagining dealing with the sail and sail cover alone made me jealous of the people with zipper lazy jack sail cover systems. I am going to research. That might be my next luxury item purchase, but I have no funds in the luxury item account, so. Hose clamp on the lazy jack, come back before the wind picks up for now.

I have read 4 how to sail books. Two ASA course books, the Complete Sailor, and Sailing for Dummies. (well, I skimmed the dummies one for information not covered in the other three. It was a fast skim.) There is nothing else I can learn about silting by reading, until I get some more hands on experience. My month is up anyway, so I am going to start reading my books about sailboat a diesel engine maintenance. Once I get some wheel time, there are more advanced sailing books I am goin to read, and some specifically geared towards cruising.

[patagoniadave]

Ahh, the little joys in life. My Coast Guard registration is finalized!

[desertsailor]

Glad to hear other sailors in the area are helping you learn about your boat and the finer art of sailing. Every time your on the water, is a learning experience.