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Halyard?


BrianM83

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I'm getting close to finishing my Spindrift 10N and now trying to figure out how to sail. I've never sailed before but regardless I built this dinghy and picked up a laser sail for it. Now I just need to learn. I'm concerned what to do when I'm sailing along and want to stop. I figured with a halyard i could just drop the sail, but with the sail and rigging I am planning on, there is no halyard. Am I missing something here? How would I stop? Sorry for the stupid question.

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Hi Brian,

Your question seems far more prudent than stupid to me ;)

The normal way to stop is to let the sheet go and turn the boat so it faces into the wind.

If you're in Perth Australia (unlikely) I'll be happy to take you for a sail - Otherwise, there might be another member of the forum who's close to you and happy to get together.

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I'd also recommend picking up a book or two on the subject just to get an understanding if the fundamentals. Then just go for it (assuming safe conditions, of course). As they say, learning how to sail comes quickly. Mastering the craft can take a lifetime.

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Brian:

 

If your sail is of the type that has a luff sleeve that slides over the mast, and is tensioned by only a downhaul, then short of pulling the stick (dropping the mast), about the only way for you to stop the boat is to let off all tension on your mainsheet and let the sail luff (read let it flog in the wind). Depending on the strength of the wind and for how long you do that, it can either be no problem at all to semi dicey and damaging to the sail with the potential for a capsize thrown in for good measure. The only way you can ever get the sail down, whatever the case, is to pull the stick. This is easy enough to do on land, but not so easy to do if on the water when the wind is up. Your best bet when starting out is to plan on rigging from land, and returning to land to un-rig, and until you get some experience, I'd suggest you do this on a day with relatively light winds. Not dead calm......more like in the range of 5 to no more than 10 knots. If you are the adventurous type and don't mind getting wet and having a miserable time, do it someday when the wind is up and blowing whitecaps. Each of those strings that are a part of the rigging have a purpose. On a day with light winds, you can screw up miserably and it won't make much difference. A good time and way to learn. Heavy weather is a different story.

 

But also keep in mind, this is not rocket surgery. Many people less skilled that you have done it, so provided you start out slow, there is nothing to be afraid of. (other than the very real possibility that once you figure out how to trick the wind into taking you and your boat anywhere you want to go, this might become a lifelong obsession).

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Take someone that can sail out with you, on the "first date". Spend an hour and pay attention. You'll be fine after this, assuming you don't try to tackle SCA's right out of the gate. When in doubt, just let the sheet go and you'll come up and luff. This isn't something you should get in the habit of, as steering is always preferred, but as a novice, trying not to capsize in their first attempts, not bad advise.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The beauty of the unstayed mast designs that so many small boats feature is that to stop you can just let go of the mainsheet and let the sail luff as has been said. After that there's a range of things you can do to get home depending on the situation. You can pull the mast as has been said, which isn't easy in a rough sea, or if you can, reef the sail, but that's not any easier with many sail designs. If you have a hoisted sail you can drop the sail and row home, once again depending on the situation.

 

The best bet is to check the weather thoroughly every time you go out, and learn the basics in fairly calm conditions. These days weather services provide very accurate and detailed weather forecasts most of the time, so you can hone your skills gradually over a period of time without getting caught unexpectedly (mostly). If you can tackle stronger conditions in safer waters or with others around to assist that's a good way to learn your boat's and your limits. In light conditions you can get away with anything, but in heavy conditions the margin for error reduces enormously.

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So all of those answers will stop you from sailing,  but they won't stop you from moving.  The wind and current will still carry you at their whim.  Keeping an anchor handy (it doesn't have to be a monster with a little boat like this) and developing the confidence to deploy and retrieve it quickly will completely change your stress levels on the water.  I found that luffing the sail and dropping the lunch hook does wonders for the novice's nerves, frayed by the unfamiliar sensations of wind and waves. 

 

Lifelong sailors sometimes forget how completely alien and mentally exhausting the water can be for those of us who took to it later in life.  That little anchor has really helped me settle down when I needed it.  Keep it in a bucket close at hand.

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So all of those answers will stop you from sailing,  but they won't stop you from moving..............................Lifelong sailors sometimes forget how completely alien and mentally exhausting the water can be for those of us who took to it later in life.  That little anchor has really helped me settle down when I needed it.  Keep it in a bucket close at hand.

Yeah, there is no "stopping"  Experienced sailors for the most part don't care, figuring out what to do next is a big part of the fun of sailing.  But as Scott has pointed out, it can be exhausting when it isn't second nature.  Bring your anchor, paddle/oars, check the weather and learn in doses that you find fun.  Power boaters want to get there, sailors want to experience the getting there, where there is not important often.  When my guests ask me where we are going on a day trip I usually give them a smart ass reply like:  "Back here" or ":sailing", and that it has little to nothing to do with the fun we will have.

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Brian,

I really admire your guts in building a sailboat and not knowing how to sail. 

 

Get some books on sailing. They sure helped me back in 1970 when I moved to FL and had never sailed before.  I went to the library and got all the books that they had on learning how to sail.  Then I just got on the water and learned capsize recovery very fast.  However, my "boat" was a Styrofoam 11 foot boat.  A great learning experience boat.

Please just approach each outing as a learning experience and have fun.  You will be fine.

Dale

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Hi Brian,

 

I have a Spindrift 12 with a laser sail so I can't just drop the sail or reef. So therefore I must choose if the wind conditions are suitable for my setup on the day. Very rarely would I be turned off by wind conditions though. This little boat is so forgiving. I am amazed that I have never capsized this boat regardless of the conditions. Not once has it even felt like capsizing even when I have had water pouring in over the side. I am sure that the 10ft version will behave similar, so try not to panic. I love this boat because it is so lively. I spoke to a sail maker to see if he could re-cut my sail so I could slid it up a track that I would rivet to my mast, he said no problem. So you may go down that path at a later date. Enjoy.

post-3160-0-76102300-1396727143_thumb.jpg

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Hi Brian,

 

I have a Spindrift 12 with a laser sail so I can't just drop the sail or reef. So therefore I must choose if the wind conditions are suitable for my setup on the day. Very rarely would I be turned off by wind conditions though. This little boat is so forgiving. I am amazed that I have never capsized this boat regardless of the conditions. Not once has it even felt like capsizing even when I have had water pouring in over the side. I am sure that the 10ft version will behave similar, so try not to panic. I love this boat because it is so lively. I spoke to a sail maker to see if he could re-cut my sail so I could slid it up a track that I would rivet to my mast, he said no problem. So you may go down that path at a later date. Enjoy.

That is a pretty rig.

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I also have the reefing sail and that does calm things down. But back to the original question, how to stop the boat? Not just slow it down, but stop it. Scott's comment about having an anchor on board is a good one. That is really your only true "parking brake". I read somewhere that back in the days of "sail", before engines, the rule of thumb was that no halfway sane skipper would even think of leaving port without at least three working anchors on board. They were pretty careful to stay out of trouble, but somethings things happen. An anchor might be all that kept them off a lee shore who knows what after that.

 

For a Spindrift, an anchor would not have to be large........most grapple hooks would probably do it. But it might not hurt for a guy starting out to have one on board........just in case. (and don't let the first time you need it be the first time you try to use it.......practice it a few times to get the hang of it)

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A grappling hook will hold better, but having one on board a dinghy scares me.  I can hurt myself enough with just round things. I like a mushroom for a dinghy.  I am not spending the night at anchor.  I keep 2 complete anchor systems on my Renegade.  A Danforth with 20' of 3/8" chain and 150' of half inch 3 strand nylon as my main. Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy.  But in the day of sail they used anchors to kedge out of the harbor and off sand bars, I use my auxiliary outboard for that.

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