JeffM Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 Got the opportunity to sail solo for a couple of days last weekend. Winds forecast brisk from the ne on Saturday changing to sw on Sunday would make possible a leisurely sail of the whole length of Narragansett Bay. This would also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 More photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 A few more. Then you can have a break until I get the second roll developed, then I'll post Part 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Doug (WA) Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 Great! Thanks! Does anyone else have as much fun in their boat as you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyow Posted October 13, 2006 Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 Thanks for the description of your trip and the pics. How your dodger is connected to the deck of your boat? Thanks, John CS17#102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2006 John, back when I was going to make a proper heavy cordura nylon dodger and roof, I began by installing snaps in the outside of the coaming. I've since given up on the high-quality roof, but I made holes in the tarp edge to match those in the coaming, and then simply snap the snap tops over the tarp to keep it in place. In other words, the snaps hold the tarp, but are not attached to it. I then keep tension on the tarp with bungees from the corners to eyestraps on the middle of the coaming. To tell the truth, though, I might chuck the dodger idea all together, except maybe as a camping roof. I find it makes it perilous to get back and forth between cockpit and foredeck. I fell on that trip while trying to move an anchor and rode. I'm just lucky I landed in the boat and didn't break my head or any bones. I'm still looking for a better way to keep spray out of the cockpit; maybe something that temporarily extends the coaming 8 or 10 inches higher. But then there's the issue of windage... I wish I could get my bow spray rail to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 Looks like you had a great trip. Narraganset Bay is such a great place to sail. Many have proclaimed it the best small boat sailing on the east coast. Does anyone else have as much fun in their boat as you do? I work in a boatyard and we have very few customers who could compete with Jeff in a fun/season contest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oyster Posted October 14, 2006 Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 You have gotten plenty of use out of your boat. Thats one thing for sure. My biggest problem is deciding which boat to take out. :wink: That probably consumes more time than the hours that most folks use their boats after the first year of ownership. Hirilond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2006 It has been a good season, looking back on it. The big thing I discovered is how much ground I can cover by trailering to different ramps. This season I've sailed every part of Narragansett Bay--which would have been impossible on (mostly) day sails if I'd always sailed from the same ramp. For me, sailing is mainly about adventure, so I know I'll probably never own a boat that would have to be "tied" to a mooring. Next season, the se coast of Massachusetts, maybe the islands, or even a cruise around Cape Cod... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 Went apple-picking with the family, giving me an opportunity to use up the rest of the roll of film: hurray! (But the apple-picking was fun, too.) So here is the rest of the story: Light winds were forecast for most of Sunday, so I shook out the reefs and readied the mizzen staysl. I ghosted out of Dutch Harbor past hundreds of moored yachts (Dutch Harbor is big) and s towards Beavertail for several hours, as the wind slowly came to life. Winds had already shifted south, but I decided to risk delaying my return home for the sake of reaching my goal: the mouth of the Bay. By 1pm I had rounded Beavertail at the end of Jamestown, the edge of the blue water, and had the staysl up as I headed ne towards Newport on a broad reach. Winds stayed light for most of the afternoon as I cruised along at about 2kt, stretched full length on the seat with my head propped up on the aft deck, drink in hand and chart in lap. This part of the Bay has many big, deep-water yachts that never get much farther up. I passed Newport (if I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2006 A couple more. I have no pictures closer to home than Newport because, once I started flying along in 10+kts, I became too busy to take any more pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John155 Posted October 17, 2006 Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 Thanks for the photos & descriptions. I followed your trip, first on Yahoo maps and then ( because i have dial-up) in my S.F. road atlas; and that gave meaning to the places you cruised to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted October 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2006 John, another cool resource for tracing trips is Google Earth. My 11-year-old first showed it to me, and now I'm learning how to use it. It's basically a photomosaic of the whole world in high-resolution satellite images. Wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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