Joe Anderson

Ouch ! this could hurt. That is tough love.

Nice job on your assignment and good documentation. Also very nice launch video with good camera work.

I did a search on the web. I did not realize how much information there was on the advantages of sailing by the lee in a cat rigged dinghy. That is sailing on a run with the boom on the windward or 'wrong' side of the boat on the verge of a gybe. About the only time I sail my Spindrift by the lee is when I am maneuvering around something and I don't want to gybe and than gybe right back when I resume course. For me sailing by the lee takes a lot of focus. I would not feel comfortable sailing by the lee in winds much above 10 knots. I use the technique that Dave suggested of varying my TWA to find something that feels comfortable with the wind speed and waves I am dealing with. Thanks for bringing this up. I am looking forward to experimenting with this technique.

Alek I think you have raised a valid point. When the wind is up I have always felt more comfortable sailing close to the wind, you do have the waves crashing and the spray but as Amos said you can just head a few degrees up into the wind, feather a little until a gust has past, or heave to and reef. Downwind is another story. when the wind is light no problem, when the wind builds I feel a little panicky because you have to commit yourself and the safety of pointing up into the wind seems a long way away. Daves advice is sound but a little from the perspective of a racer. He has a point though. If you want to improve your sailing and push the limits at some point you have to embrace the chaos and go for it. Many times I have found the boat to be much more capable than I thought. I am not following you here. My understanding of sailing by the lee is to have your sail on the windward side of the boat when you are running before the wind. In a cat ketch putting the mainsail by the lee keeps both sails in clear air and gives you more power. Letting the sail out forward of the mast is not sailing by the lee. On my Spindrift the gooseneck will not allow the sail to move forward of the mast. It is good if there is someone to have your back. Or you can reduce sail. Thanks for bringing up some interesting points. Let us know how it goes.

If your boom is set up for reefing there is a cheekblock about a foot from the end of the boom that the reefing line runs through. This helps keep the reefing clew close to the boom. If your outhaul is coming from the end of the boom you would want an extra line tying the reefing clew down close to the boom. Its sounds like you have a very interesting area to sail in.

Oh that is interesting. I guess when Graham said self righting he meant self righting. Somehow I thought the SR meant the boat would not turtle, but you are saying the SR is not stable with the sails laying out on the water. She will come back upright. That might make it very difficult to lay it over in the first place. Your diagram has VCG and LCB and they are offset. That is I presume what gives the boat it's righting moment. CG is center of gravity not sure what the V is CB is center of buoyancy not sure what the L is I think this baby needs to attend capsize camp. Since the first task at camp is to capsize. She might flunk out.

Nice work Jay. Keep the photos coming. It is exciting to see your progress.

If I had to raise and lower the Spindrift sail while on the water on a regular basis I think I might be forced to carry a small anchor. That would keep you head to wind and out of trouble and you could take your time.

You might try some McLube Sailkote on the zipper. I replaced the clevis pin on the gooseneck with a quick release pin, which I hope does not release while I am sailing. I eased the outhaul if it has a lot of tension it makes installing the gooseneck difficult. I am not sure I am the one to assist with that

I tried rowing my Spindrift with the sail and boom up over my head and I was not comfortable with the stability in any wind. I felt much better getting the sail down and out of the way. being able to easily remove the boom at the gooseneck was key. I acknowledge that it ain't pretty but for the few times I may want to lower the sail on the water it works for me. I can work my legs to the forward side of the thwart and from there reach the zipper luff. I believe I am keeping my weight far enough aft that the boat still feels stable. One of Pete's ideas for making it easier to lower the sail while remaining aft would make it easier, but this works well enough for me as I am usually sailing to shallow water and just stepping our prior to lowering the sail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nm9YuTBeWY

I know Pete McCrary addresses some of these same issues in his Seabiscuit thread. I have a Spindrift 10 and the discussions about how to lower and stow the sail while on the water has led me to explore an issue that I had not given much thought to. I do want to keep the rig as simple as possible. Sometimes solutions bring their own problems. My other boat is an EC22. I have sailed this boat for eight years with only oars and a paddle as auxiliary power. A boat the size of a Spindrift you can use oars to pull yourself out of a tight spot, but a boat the size of a EC22 not so much. On my EC22 the oars are there to move the boat when there is no wind and the paddle is there for the last couple of feet at the dock or the first couple of feet away from the dock. If I get myself and the boat into trouble neither the oars or paddle are going to be able to save me. I have to keep that in mind all the time I am sailing and especially when approaching shore. I have to work out a way to put my boat in a position where I can anchor or dock or negotiate a channel by sail alone. I have carried that approach to sailing my Spindrift. So while I am thinking about some ideas to make the transition from sail to oar or paddle easier. I do not want those modifications to significantly detract from the joy of sailing the boat. Trusting to sail alone is risky, but relying too heavily on an auxiliary can also be risky. There is no correct answer for everyone. It depends on your boat, your skill, how much risk or inconvenience you want to deal with and the area and conditions you sail in. I am looking forward to getting my Spindrift out on the water and trying some ideas out and to following your thread.

I believe the it may refer to the Spindrift 10. Weezer does your boat have a proper name? Also a miner point of etiquette if you must refer to your boat in the third person it should be I am still working on getting her painted, or she still needs to be painted.

Thank you Alan and Paul for keeping us updated on the progress of this epic adventure. I see Graham is in the Bay River with a nice SW breeze.

If you have not had the opportunity to read Alan's story of his experience competing in the North Carolina Challenge do yourself a favor and go to this link. Alan's adventure in the 2021 NCC This was posted on the Watertribe Facebook page. Alan gives a detailed and humorous report of the race, including the reasoning behind deciding to spend 30 hours squeezed into a kayak and the stresses that places on a sailor. Also don't forget to keep up with Graham who is in the middle of his epic adventure sailing around the Delmarva peninsula.

I recently used a little of the Awlgrip 545 primer and I found it much easier to apply than the Devoe primer. I was applying with a roller. How did you apply the primer and how are you planning on applying the top coat. You have such a good eye for colors and proportions. I am looking forward to seeing Flinders in something other than battle grey. Not that there is anything wrong with battle grey I am sure it has its place. Best of luck!