Learning to Sail

[Ken_Potts]

Oyster - If we have the same winds as last time we'll just get onto a broad reach and outrun 'em. 

Dawn - Make sure to take the motor off the boat before you do the capsize drill.

[paul_stewart]

Ken - Motor, what motor?   You mean the 11' oars?

Oyster - Just give us your GPS coordinates....

[Ken_Potts]

Paul - Dawn didn't tell you that she gave me the oars in exchange for my motor?  I guess it was supposed to be a surprise...

[Guest wwbaginski]

Hi Ken, do you have more photos with a satys'l over the yellow CS15 hull? Would you please post this  or another one in enlarged version?

wojtek

[paul_stewart]

Ken,

Here are a few more photos of your CS17 stays'l.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=danceswithsandybottom&target=ALBUM&id=5325922112046667265&authkey=Gv1sRgCKqqjfHN-NXarQE&invite=CP7svrgH&feat=email

--Paul

[Guest wwbaginski]

Great report, thanks a lot! Looks like the staysail shee comes to the mizzen sheet block instead to the mizzen sprit end. The same block, or another one, or a particular device has been used?

[Doug Cameron]

There's a second block there for the mizzen.

[Guest wwbaginski]

Doug, would you please draw a diagram and post here? or may be there's a photo focused on this system? Alan's photo s are great generally, but I still can't understand the connection.

[Ken_Potts]

The photos show the staysail as rigged on the first trial.  I tied the tack to a convenient piece of hardware on the deck and played around with placement for the sheet (it changed throughout the day).  I didn't have the halyard secured properly because I haven't installed the cleats yet.

What I'm trying to say is - Don't rig your boat they way you see mine rigged.  I'm still changing things.

It looks like I'm dragging the bow line in the water too  ;D

[ZendoDeb]

I want/need to get confident enough not only to sail while Paul sleeps, but to be able to pick him up if he falls overboard and I'm left alone on the boat

If you take a (decent) class, you should spend 1 whole day doing man overboard drills.  To do it yourself: Get a fender, extra life jacket, or other float, and drop it overboard.  (Don't throw it.)  Then practice going through the motions of getting the boat turned around, behind the float, pointed upwind and stopped next to the float.  Do this again and again and again and again until you can literally do in your sleep.  Then do it regularly.  The American Sailing Associations book on sailing has pretty clear instructions of doing MOB turn (figure 8 really) and stop.  Next best choice is to drop sails and motor over to them.  Can you see them well enough to not hit them?  If not, starting the motor may not be your best choice.

On the boats I usually sail - bigger boats - it is common to tie yourself to the boat with a harness and tether.  Especially if your other crew is asleep.  (What if you wake up and he is gone?  How do you work back down your course? Hint you need to know what compass course has been steered) I always have jacklines out, I know where my harness and tether are, and I usually tie myself down.  Of course I single hand a lot and no one is going to come back and get me. 

People never go overboard in calm seas on sunny days.  If they got hit with a boom - not an issue on the CS boats really - they are probably unconscious  at least and likely hurt. A boat hook can snag a harness or a belt.  You need some way to haul them aboard.  Best to say in the boat if possible.

[paul_stewart]

For man overboard practice on Jordan Lake we like to start with retrieving a giant inflatable floating head, and then work our way down to recovering smaller and smaller inflatable floating heads.     

Giant head, fender, other floats, ...., anyway you do it practicing overboard drills is an important part of learning to sail.

--Paul

[Ken_Potts]

You'll notice that's the novice giant head that's weighted to float sunglasses-up so the glint from the lenses will help the lookout keep track of it in the water.  The more advanced man-overboard kits include moveable ballast with the various sizes of inflatable heads so you can simulate the various types of drunken sailor you might have on board.  Rum drinkers tend to float sunglasses-down, wine drinkers tend to float sunglasses-up and beer drinkers tend to get arrested on the boat ramp before setting sail.

[ecgossett]

A couple water filled milk jugs tied together work well. To get people back on board my 25' C&C I had a divers ladder with the poll in the middle versus sides, worked good in waves. Most of the time we tied a piece of line in a big U over the side. Put a foot in it and pulled up, then the people on board give a yank if needed. Always worked.

[Ken_Potts]

It looks like summer's back - The forecast is for 90F Saturday and Sunday.  I volunteer to be the man overboard.

In the absence of a volunteer I like to treat the occasional piece of flotsam (or runaway boat cushion) as a surprise man-overboard drill.