Tim Diebert

.....well I'll be damned. I do have a huge hassle with the lift getting hung up on the gaff when hoisting...but have gotten used to it. I automatically look skyward when hoisting to make sure I clear the lift. Moving it aft is one of those, "DOAH!!....why didn't I think of that?". So simple and yet will make life so much easier. Thanks Dave. Good one. ...just thinking....it might not be quite as solid when trying to keep the furled sail/gaff/boom in place whilst motoring as what I have now....but it costs nothing to experiment. Cool. Thanks.

If you can hang in there for a few days, I can measure mine up for you. It is my sencond main sail and my second set of reef points and I have found the measuremnets I am using to have worked out very well. I just had the mast up this mornign to take pix for Florins clew outhaul...but it is all buttoned up right now and the cover is one the boat. I will measure sometime by the weekend....if you still need it. I have gotta get to work...

I posted this link on Florins thread, but figured I would chuck it up here for anyone who might find it handy. http://www.timtone.com/tt/ttphotos/PhotosSailingClewOuthaul.htm

Here you go Florin. http://www.timtone.com/tt/ttphotos/PhotosSailingClewOuthaul.htm

Great info Dave. Thanks. If you read about me in the paper, bear in mind I died having a great time. Pretty hard to predict such an event around here. When and if I see (hear) this stuff coming it is a great idea (I guess) to get off the water...but, I know myself well enough that if the wind came up at the same time.....I would keep sailing. BUT....if the sailboat just down lake from me just vapourized, I would be dropping that mast as fast as I could.

.....what I am wondering is.....does anybody know...really know....if a small wood sailboat is susceptible to lightning strike? I recon anything is. BUT, how often does it happen...? Is there something that can be done on a small boat without a hollow mast to run wires down to a grounding plate? Plenty of lightning around here again this year. In fact, it is lighting up our province...again. This is the worst fire season on record. 350 fires burning right now. Most caused by 'dry lightning' strikes. Just went through a long weekend with a major high firmly fixed in place. Not a lot of wind. Just a couple of hours sailing (95 F temps) each afternoon. Today a bit of a low has moved in and they are calling for some pretty wicked wind...cooler temps. And here my wife is taking off for three days on a solo camping trip...and taking the tow vehicle with her. I am going to have to find a someone with a car and hitch I can borrow

Other than pure one design race boats, any sailboat should have reef points. Hell, it just makes sense....and it helps a person to relax a bit as well. It is a fun thing to be able to stay out when some of the other little sailboats are heading in. It's all fine and dandy to say "I ain't sailing in any conditions that require reefed main"...but we don't always have a choice. Dropping sail and using the motor is not a choice IMHO. I sewed mine in myself and it was a big job. Put two sets in 20% reduction on each. I have been double reefed once this year. Makes life good.

Go with a loose footed version Florin. I have tried both. No comparison. You get much better light air performance.....and flatten it out when the wind kicks up. I get a very sexy foil out of mine. You will just need to devise a clew outhaul. I have a simple version on mine and can send you pix if you need them.

...and still in time for Christina Lake....been some awesome sailing out here this year. Today was 36 C, a nice 5 knot breeze for a coupla hours and swimming when the breeze died.

Excellent stuff there. Wow.

Nice shots. Looks great Scott.

Great story and pix. Thanks. Funny thing about sailing eh? You get the bejeepers scared out of you one day and the next day you have some new limits. I love it. More pix! Great shot of the water.

Great story Russ. Thanks for that. I was thinking I might respond to this thread when I read Knuts post. I was just going to add the same as what he had to offer. I sail in a very deep lake as well. There are almost no places to drop a hook....although I carry two. A sea anchor is a grand plan in some cases. If you don't have a proper sea anchor....a 'warp' might work....a long length of line paid out with the two ends secured on the stern, or I have heard of folks tying a bucket to a line. I have never, so far, had to do any of that. I have found my boat to be wonderfully mannered, for anything from a beam reach down, under stock jib alone...when it get really hairy. It is actually downright relaxing. I have had these same squalls come down on me....maybe not like yours, but what I guess would be similar. Initially I tend (if I did not have time to reduce sail) head up to windward to meet it (rather than a reach of any kind) and deflect the gusts by rounding up or spilling the main. Heave to if it gets weird. Then scramble to get the main down....once the main is in the boat will fall off and run nice on the jib. (Getting main all gathered up is the tough part...I still have my main halyards cleated off at the base of the mast) Personally, I have had more people than I can count critsize me for two sets of reef points...each a 20% reduction in total main. They have said, "you won't be sailing that boat in storms!" I always say, "not on purpose that's for sure." But, I am not the one in control of the weather, as it happens. Why not be ready to deal with a crap situation? Maybe even enjoy it? This last past Sunday was a great test for my new mods on my WE. We set out in conditions much like you....knowing there was weather around, but taking a chance it would not be too bad. intermitant rain, black clouds etc. I sail a mountain lake where you really can't see past the mountains that suround the lake....so you don't get much warning. I have gotten some warning when it goes from glassy to squall, as you can actually see the line of white water approaching. On Sunday though, it was already windy (measured 6-10 knots) perfect sailing conditions for having my wife out for the third time in three years. She had been (in her words) a 'wind jinx'....we got skunked the two preveous trips. Not Sunday...she got a years worth in one afternoon. Going to windward for most of the day trying for an area in the far south of the lake. We were sailing in the largest expanse of the lake when the wind basically doubled in speed and was gusting up from there. It was awesome. Busting through waves, both of us up on the rail. Daphne was hooting and hollering....and very wet (a hot day). Spray over the bow pretty constantly...enough to slide the hatch shut and consider putting the hatch boards in. When it got even heavier I changed tack and beam reached (spilling wind off the main as well) into a semi sheltered area and reefed down one. Back out. What a difference. You can go out in quite windy rough conditions and relax a bit more. After getting back out there, I figure it would have been OK to have gone two deep. We played with different points of sail, but decided to gibe homeward on a broad reach. The boat was very well behaved and quartered the short steep three foot waves nicely. Lakes actually seem to have worse seas than...well, the sea. The waves are really close together and will break easily when they are only 3- feet high....but the stern always rose to meet the wave. I love the busy tiller action on that point of sail in big wind. Didn't spill a drop of beer....my new gimballed holders work great. BUT...if my Weekender was stock with the overweight spars and unbalasted, I would not have been out there....or I would have been knocked over. At the very least it would have been scary as hell. Instead, we had a great (but exciting) sail. Daphne told me today (2 days later) that she still has sore muscles. Sorry for the long post....I got carried away. Thanks for the story Russ, good one. Glad to see you, your wife and your boat are fine....and had a grand story to tell.

Thanks for the link. VERY nice. I really love John's designs.

The Nav and the Pathfinder are SERIOUS designs. Very able boats. Anything designed by John will be fast, solid and stable. He is very helpful to folks building his designs. JMHO. I quite like Sweet Pea.....though I would build it slightly different.

Congrats for sure. The colors would have been right at home at the Grateful Dead concert I was at during the weekend. I have never seen so many bright colors in all my life. Excellent choices. Great shots. Have yourself an awesome summer. You are quite lucky to have some friends to sail with. Fintans launch pix next......

Fantastic! Great comparo of a WE and a VAC. I don't HEAR anything...is there supposed to be audio? Could just be my software.... Thanks for going to the trouble John. Next time it would be great if there was a good stiff breeze.

I see...the Irish spell colour the canadian way....and here I thought we spelled it that way because of the french side of canadian-ness. ...did you find a new trailer maker yet Fintan? My wife and I love Irish movies...or at least movies made in Ireland. So I hear feckin awl da time eh.

A little over three hours for me....more like four or even five. It has been a coupla years since I have been down there. No direct route from here really. Nice drive though...usually very HOT. Omak through Winatchee. Survival techniques for the concert...spray bottles and lots of h2o ...oh, I just noticed your wink wink nudge nudge there Capn. A seven eight hour trek from here over the Cascades? I ain't rich enough for that...plus I would have to register my boat to get it across the line. (I checked recently) I am as opposed to any level of burocracy as someone can get. If I register my boat...then the provincial government wants to collect tax on the boat...on top of the taxes I have already paid for the materials etc. They will have to come and get me...or put a round or two across my bow before I will do that. Your messabout western style is a great idea, but I doubt I can make it. I suggest a Canadian diversion....maybe if it was on the Gulf Islands or Vancouver Island......then you'd be talkin. Otherwise you are invited to the Christina Lake Drunken Sailing Days...takes place every weekend from April throught to October. Baring any good concerts and sick Grammas.

Right enough Dave. When my two boys were small...and at home...seemed to be all I took images of as well. fortunatly for me how I make my living now and in the past has always required image making. So it keeps me in the loop. Recent acquisition of an digital slr has given me renewed interest in my oldest hobby. I am in love with the digital realm. (My second digicam) my film camera is a very old Nikormat. I actually keep a lot of images on a webpage I put together. I was meant for pointing family and such to it...but it would be cool if you would like to have a look at some of my collection. http://www.timtone.com/tt/ttphotos/PhotosRandom.html Fintan...get a new trailer maker. That cat is obviously not interested in your money. It is also some kind of sin against humankind if a person prevents another person from launching his newly made sailboat...I would report him to the nearest church. Florin. Bring it on Dude. Anytime you are ready to make the trip. My advice is to stay away from factory beer (though if you are drinking that kind of brew, Kokanee is a good one...) and drink the great micro brewery stuff we have around here. Life is to short for anything less than the best....ah, beer. Spare no expense. I was just over in your neck of the woods last weekend...Brooks. I take the southern route. Hwy 3 to Taber and straight north on 36. Interesting drive. I did 8 hitch hikers on that trip....that might be a record for me. Next weekend I drive due South into the land of Bush for a concert at the Gorge....The Dead and The Allman Brothers Band. Life is good.

Dave R1 is the winner. You sound like you take some pix yourself lad. Good one. I love the whole painting with light style. I have done it with flashes and flash lights. Fun way to get some interesting effects. I have one I really like from 20 years ago. I needed to take a big image of a large spiral staircase I made in home. The natural lighting was not good enough...so I went in at night...camera on tripod...ND filter.....real long exposure....bulb I think....then walked around the room setting off a week flash where I wanted light. Then I sat on the edge of the couch next to a china cabinet with a small light on in it. I sat just long enough to get a fairly clear image of me....but see-through...like a ghost. It turned out great and I've always figured it was a fortunate fluke. Looks good in my portfolio.

Right Mike...lots of great Northern Lakes. The only down side being that the season can be quite a bit shorter than our southern cousins. Looks plenty warm up your way, judging by the pics I saw. I like the quiet and the lack of people and stuff. But, a person sails where the water is closest and it is all good if you are messing about.

I though you'all might like to see some images of a little trip a buddy and I did the weekend before last. My boat is working perfectly now that I have sorted out a few bugs. My main deal was getting the off center dagger board case to stop splashing when on a port tack. A rubber 'flap' did the trick. It is perfect now. Have a look... http://www.timtone.com/tt/ttphotos/PhotosSailing3.htm

That would be interesting. I have only ever been to one other guitar shop (Tom Anderson in LA) and picked up several little ideas just scoping out the shop while guys were working. It was fun. That GPS thing is real Fred and Barney Beak. It is gas powered and has a sun dial. The owner will be sailing with me in a coupla weeks, I'll get him to sort it out for me.

I think Canada is one of the highest taxed countries in the world. We commonly pay taxes on taxes. For what is essentially a socialist country we pay higher and higher taxes for less and less social services. But I would still not move to any other country. Music. About two years ago I had a client that turned me on to live ....'real' live audience recorded music. Free. Now I belong to a 'list' and I trade them on the net. I have about 100 shows. All kinds of different bands...but they have to be be bands that allow taping and trading of their stuff. I rarely listen to anything else now. Imagine. One of my favorite bands did a concert in New Orleans three weeks ago...last week I had a digital copy of the show. Great stuff. I won't be able to sail in Puget Sound......once I am within 50 miles of the chuck my boat will start dripping rust. A lot of my fittings are bright steel. It would be a sight to see several of these boats all in one place though. Not likly I could afford the trip down anyway. I have another vehicle that gets better gas mileage and is about to be fitted with a hitch. Sherman may be retired by the end of the month. Even so, I would be more likly to head off to a big lake for a week of cruising than a mess about. I am not much of a 'people' person...or even socable really. I rarely get a whole week off (this year I won't at all) and if I did I would head off by myself if given the chance. There are three really huge lakes within 2.5 hours of me. Not including my own home lake which is great fun with lots of great boat access only camping. Hang out with the bears. Went out today. It was blowing hard when I got there and blowing harder once I left. High wind all damn day. The only thing that would have been better would to have had crew. Makes it easier when it is blowing hard and makes it more relaxing as well.....I spilled my beer twice. :cry: Also, I have always found it tough to reef this boat in windy (duh, why else would I be reefing...) conditions as the boat does not keep it's head into the wind unaided or set to a handy angle when hove to. If I have crew, it is easy...but then I would likly leave the main full. I would have liked a break today and reefed the main. I am glad I got that anemometer(sp?)....it is good to have solid numbers to go with conditions. Now I KNOW. Hey...Ray, you can relate to the whole needing numbers thing eh? Rarely went below 10 knots today, sustained gusts of 15-18k. Spray over the bow, white caps. Good fun but a hand full. Tiring for an old fart.