5.6 knots is about it

[cs]

Thought I would come over here and post this. I posted on the Wooden Boat forum and thought that maybe you guys would want to read it.

Learned a lot of new things today. One is I need to think of some different line routing schemes and another is I really need to work on line management.

Some of the more important stuff is stuff like the Weekender is real fun around 3 to 4 knots. Around 4.7 knots it gets a little hairy. If you hit 5.6 knots you could have an "incident".

Most of the day was good. I was averageing about 2 knots with stretches where I was running between 3 and 4 knots with ocasional bounces off of 4.7.

Now that we have some of the backround we can talk about 5.6 knots. Wind gust are tricky, at least to me. Imagine being on the backside of the bay running along at 2 knots. Luckly the GPS was in the Otter box at this time. All of sudden I find myself getting close to a lee shore and the window does it little gusty thing. At this time the GPS would later reveal that I had reached 5.6 knots. It was also at this time that I found out excatly where the point of no return on the Weekender is. BTW it is at the place where the water is halfway between the lee rail and the cockpit. Don't take much from there.

Another lesson learned today is to tie all your floaty stuff off to the boat somehow, especilly your bailing bucket.

But anyway, next thing I know is 92 degrees and greeen water. At this time I still had my sunglasses.

I've read some here on righting onself and I found out that I don't have enough behind to right a Weekender. In fact after about 15 or 20 minutes of trying it by myself a jet ski comes over and overs assitance. Between him pulling with the jet ski and me riding the keel we managed to right it, but it was short lived. The boat was completly submerged at this time with only the cabin top out of the water.

I talked him into pulling me closer to shore and than he left. Another jet ski guy came by and got in the water to lend a hand. We got her even closer to shore so that she was sitting on her keel and I was able to get the rails above water.

This is when I discovered that my collasable bailing bucket had gone bye bye. But I still had my small cooler.

After a lot of bailing I was as close to being dried out as I was going to get. BTW I've got some issues with the rig I will need to work out. But anyway she is floating on her lines and I'm still on a lee shore.

I try to raise the jib and sail off that way. I did mange to get off the shore only to be driven back on. After much sweat and cursing I do mangae to make it across a sluegh (or whatever it is called) to the other side, which is really an even worse situation as far as being on a lee shore.

The wind is picking up pretty good here and everytime I try and raise some sail I get pushed further into the shore. Eventually I give up on paddleing and trying to sail and walk the boat along the shore till I round the point.

At this time I raise the jib, as the wind dies off, and head toward the boat ramp. I eventually make it without any major problems.

Of course I get to the boat ramp and head toward the dock. As I approch the dock some kid in a bass boat is trolling toward the dock to pick up his Mom and Dad. At this time I'm almost at the dock and have released the sheets on the jib and prepare to fend of the dock. The kid keeps comeing for the same spot I am. He got a shot of my bowsprit across his bows and never said a word.

And of course to make a bad day worse I couldn't back the trailer straight, but I didn't really care what everyone else thought.

And BTW I will remember this for a few days at least. I forgot sunscreen and went shirtless, so by this time tommorow I should have blisters.

Sorry no photos or videos.

Chad

[kydocfrog]

This is a touch scary.

DocFrog

[cs]

Yeah, just a touch.

Chad

[Frank Hagan]

Wow, Chad, if its any consolation, most of us have been in similar situations, and it doesn't even begin to get better until you are out of the water and thinking back on it. At least then you can try and analyze what went wrong and what could improve the situation.

Gusty winds are always a challenge with a small boat, and I had the worst time trying to take the Weekender straight downwind on mountain lakes. I never had her swamped, but I did get water over the rail on a couple of gusts while on a beam reach ... probably the safest point of sail ... so I know it can happen to any of us.

On righting the boat, was it because of the main sail's tension with the water, or do you think it was just the amount of water in the hull that made it hard to right her?

[cs]

I think it was a combination of the sails full of water and the boat being completly swamped. When I did get it upright nothing but the cabin top was above the water. Had to push as far on shore as I could to the the rails above the water level before I could start bailing.

Chad

[Craig]

Chad these are not like hobies, you have to drop the sails to get them up. At least point the nose into the wind so if you can get some wind under the main it will help tp lift the boat. Sounds like quite a day. What is't apparent right now is how much you learned about handling the boat even with the sad capsize. Hang in there it ets better. 8)

[Mark Gudschinsky]

Chad,

Most reports of swamped Weekenders I thought were described as floating with the rails at the surface.

Were you caring extras weight? Battery, motor, etc.?

Do you have any floatation aboard?

Or were the conditions such that swamped was swamped and the level of swamped didn't really matter?

[PAR]

Clawing off a lee shore is about one of the more demanding sailing skills you should try to muster. Many boats don't offer a rig/hull shape that is well geared to this effort (Weekender being one with this limitation), making things even worse if you get pinned against a lee shore in a building breeze.

GPS accuracy for speeds under 10 knots, should be taken with a grain of salt. Though SA was turned off by the FCC, after considerable arm wrestling with the DOD, most receivers available to the general public, still have significant error and will not permit very accurate low speed predictions. It's a complicated subject and the public can buy software and additional equipment to help resolve these accuracy issues. In other words, speed, sail set and heading keeping chores are not best suited to most GPS receivers, particularly hand held units at low speed (under 10 knots).

I'm glad you're okay and the boat is no worse for wear. Don't let it get you, it happens to the best of us (I've made it a bit of specialty over the years, unfortunately). The first thing I do in a capsize is swim out to the end of the mast and tie on a PFD or two, to keep her from going turtle. Then I gather up what is still floating (beer sinks, which truly sucks) and toss them in the boat, while I release the sheets, halyards, lifts and untangle the mess. I put a halyard over the windward rail, down to the water so I can lever the boat over, using the halyard as additional leverage, to lean back against, as I pull. On a boat like Weekender you may have to climb up to the side planks, so you can increase your mechanical advantage, compared to standing on the keel (farther away from the centerline), grab a handful of halyard and lean back. Don't get to comfortable up there, if you do it right, you'll not be there very long and splash back in the water, but the boat will be upright. It's at this point I usually try to dive down and retrieve a few beers.

Wash out all your gear, sails, blocks, lines, everything. Even pond water can have nasty effects on equipment, salt is the worst though. Make sure hollow spars can drain and standing water is mopped up in the nooks and crannies. Good Luck and get back on the horse soon.

[JeffM]

As the real estate agents say, "Floatation, floatation, floatation!" (or something like that).

Last year I got myself grounded--on a lee shore--in a rising wind--on a falling tide--at the highest point of the tide. When I discovered the anchor was dragging, I thought I could rig to sail before it was too late. (Nope.) A fun 12 hour delay. But at least my boat was above water and dry. If you don't have a balanced set of sealed compartments fairly high up to float you more-or-less level and upright, try foam, or empty 2 or 3 liter bottles, or whatever.

[Bud_Wilson]

Chad You are a much better sailor now than last week. A wet a$$ and a big mess will help you remember what not to do. The advice about flotation on the top end of the mast is good advice (they will turtle if the water is deep enough) and I didn't read this in a book. Been there done that. This experiance brings home what you have heard about plan your next step, reef early, wear your PFD ect. You will be supprised how much this one afternoon will help your sailing and how well you remember it. I am still not a good sailor but I am head and sholders above where I was before my first a$$ wetting You will be also. Bud

[cs]

Some good stuff here. Gotta head out to work. I'll check in later.

Chad

[motscg]

Many years ago, I was solo sailing the "Blithe Spirit", my 16' Old Town canoe, in very light air in a Vermont lake while on a family camping trip. The sun was warm and I dozed off with the mainsheet in tight. Suddenly I awoke doing a swan dive as the canoe capsized in a gust. Being my first capsize I had the presence of mind to disconnect the mast from the boat and tie it off to a thwart to kept from floating away. I righted the canoe, climbed in, and with water up to the gunwales started to paddle into shore. Then my Polish brother-in-law rowed out to rescue me. I asked him to toss me a line so that he could tow me. Looking around, he found and threw to me the only line he had ... and the cement anchor landed right into my lap! I was sitting in the aft section of the canoe and in a split second I went under water while the Blithe Spirit did its best imitation of the Titanic taking its final plunge. After recovering from this espisode I climbed into the rowboat and resisted tossing my brother-in-law overboard (he meant well). I had a harder time than expected towing the canoe back and eventually got to shore. It was then that I realized that I dragged my own anchor from the canoe all the way in! :oops:

[Tim Diebert]

Just a quick reply for Chad.

Folks forget to consider the WE is basically an odd ball extra heavy dingy.....without the benefit of floatation (unless added by the owner).

In a case such as this when over powered when sailing off the wind, personally, I would (in Annie) round up and 'face the threat' ...so to speak.

It is easier to just sheet the jib in hard and play the puffs by a combination of rounding up and spilling / luffing the main....while keeping an eye on the gust directions. If it gets out of hand....heave to with lots of slack in the main. Wait it out and reef as soon as you can.

The ballast on Annie helps a lot in this kind of scenario. Much more stable.

Just my 2 pesos worth.

[MikeStevenson]

Sorry to hear you had a rough day of it. I second Tim's post: These are light-air, dinghy/dory-type boats and need to be sailed as such. I had a wake-up sail two weeks ago in the new Super SkipJack prototype: the wind went from a fun 9-15 knots to steady 22 with gusts (checked the local wind records later...) in about 30 min. Suddenly it was all I could do to keep ahead of it. By myself, no reef points, no room to tack, rail under, etc. I was running on jib mostly, with the main as spilled as needed, and very happy to slam back into the ramp area having stayed mostly dry.

A good lesson for setting my own rig up with a quick reefing arrangement if possible, and better sheet routing. Stay in light airs until you've accumulated some sailing time! I was too rusty to be trying that...and if you're new to this, work your way up in sailing conditions slowly.

I'll certainly be a little more respectful next time, especially with the extra sail (comparatively) that this new boat has.

Mike

[cs]

Mike did you get my e-mail?

Chad

[buck]

Capsizing any boat can be an alarming experience. However there is a simple way to avoid it: don't do it! I know this sounds stupid, but its basic technique.If you think about it a Weekender is extremely hard to capsize. First never let the boat heel beyond the gunwale, let go or ease the mainsail (in strong winds 20knots plus I have the mainsail flapping like a banshee but the jib taut and full of wind, In these winds the mainsail just becomes a steading sail and the jib drives the boat and not slowly! You'll still be hitting 5 or 6 knots) Secondly I always let the boat round up into the wind in a strong gust. Weekenders have a natural weatherhelm which makes it very safe. Finally when ever jibing (I always jibe in strong winds rather than tack - much easier) grab the boom as it comes over and hold it steady till the boat steadys herself then let it go. I learn't this from a very experienced Catboat sailer who would often hove too stern first holding the boom, if you think about it makes sense even if it feels completely unnatural. it keeps you in control.

I have never capsized my Weekender despite sailing in 25knot winds and 5-6' seas. It is an extremely safe boat. As a singlehander I do sail with a shortened main being 183lbs. I have been in a Weekender (Waynes) 3 up with a GPS reading 6.8 knots ( I believe he's seen over 7 knots down wind)

Really we have one of the safest 16 footers in the world. Just remember rule number 1: Don't capsize!

[MikeStevenson]

I agree with the Don't Capsize rule, but I'm not so sure about the "safest 16-footer's in the world" idea. They're safe boats when handled properly, but ANY boat without ballast is going to be risky if you don't watch the conditions and act accordingly. Even then there's no guarantee, but then that's true of life altogether.

Mike

[buck]

Yeah I suppose you are right, Calling a Weekender one of the safest 16 footers in the world is a strong claim as no doubt theres some very sold 16 foot keelers that could stand a hurricane, however my comparison is with production boats, trailer sailers and other non ballasted boats. Perhaps my claim is worde wrong. Maybe it should be Show me a more seaworthy 16 foot yacht! The Weekender is a very safe boat.

[MikeStevenson]

"...a very safe boat." And as with anything, it seems, the caveat: If used correctly. In my personal universe, that pretty much goes without saying, but it seems to require repetition nowadays.

Self-righting would be a great thing. When we designed these, the main target (and truly the scope of small, homebuilt boating for the most part) was the bay sailor (or protected waters.) Things have grown over the years in the scope of homebuilts (boats and planes

[buck]

I've been thinking about the Superskipjack. I think the thing to do would be to offer 2 rigs, for heavy weather cruising the Weekender would be too big. But as a racer, with crew of two it would be a little screamer! Having sailed Wayne's Weekender which is a very lightweight boat with a plywood keel. I've often wondered how a weekender racer would go, particulary in Classic races. Looking forward to the plans!

Mike did you ever get round to selling any of the old plans? We'd love to build a mini-indy!