Some tried to talk me out of it...

[Catigale]

Doupirate ...how does your feline friend do on board...does s/he content to stay below?

[Doupirate]

Yeah I've watched Macgregor's video of the 40 kts and 18' seas but this is the real deal.

http://www.macgregor26.com/index/gale_2_min.htm

First part of the video:

At the beginning of the video, they show the gale warning -not actual- flags. The non-stormy sea, the small non-breaking waves (about 6 feet), the main being up, some jib also, I estimate the wind to 15 to 25 knots. With 40 knots wind, even the 60 footer would not have left the port, for it could not manoeuver safely at low speed leaving the dock.

One should also notice the boat beating the water in the non-formed sea. If you were aboard, you would feel and ear it banging. This is when you have to slow down, for fear of damaging the boat. This is peculiar to a light boat. The bow would not rise so much with a heavier boat.

Last part of the video:

The jib is completly taken out, the sea is about 6 to 9 feet, it starts breaking. Hard to say, but to me it still is less than 25 knots wind. Notice the skipper is keeping the boat bow and aft away from waves, sailing parallel to them. This might not be possible if he had to reach a shelter in deteriorating weather conditions. Say, he was showing the aft, to the waves:

1- The wave coming from behind would lift the boat starting with the aft.

2- The boat would pitch downward and accelerate down the wave as the wave finds it way under the hull. This is called surfing.

3- At the summit of the wave, there is much less water for the rudders at the aft. They get out of the water for the larger part, becoming quite inefficients. Then, you will often loose control with a light boat. You broach.

4- The boat turns starboard or port as she pitches upward, trying to escalate the fleeing wave. You are then parallel to the wave, banking a lot, the propeller comes out of the water, but you have one rudder in the water. You thus can regain control, steer the boat again, and resume your course.

This video illustrates this process with fishing boats at sea:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/ByGSMmenPDM?rel=0

[Doupirate]

Congratulations Doupirate. What a great achievement
I second Sumner's request. Please tell us more about the voyage.

O.K.

One thing I learned about the sea, is you really need your centerboard completly deployed while sailing, even if you sail downind or crosswind, or even motoring in the waves. The reason is you need the boat being at rest if you want to deploy the board. The wind picking-up, under sails, in 6 to 9 feet waves, coming to rest is easier said than done. The board slows the rolling of the boat quite a lot. So if you start, say downwind and the wind becomes stronger to the point you want to take the main down and continue with the genoa alone ( the boat does not heel as much) you will have a real hard time taking the main down as the boat will roll like creazy as you try to point into the wind. The first time it happened to me I had to crawl on the bridge, holding to my dear life as the boat was rocking thirty degrees on each side. I worked on it for 45 minutes, swearing in English .The main would come down for the first half, but I would have to pull on it by hand for the upper and lighter half.

From then on, I kept the board out all the time.

This summer was peculiar, I give you that, but neveertheless it is noticeable I had to wait for winds 14 days out of 30 on my way out to Etang du Nord. The motor runned for about 30% of the time. For 70% of the time,I was sailing. (or sleeping at sea, drifting as the winds were calm) So, do not get too ambitious when planning a trip. My 1 000 miles trip took me 2 full months, even if I came back at night under motor almost all the way. Do not neglect the current. On my way back I was against the Saint-Lawrence current almost all the time. When the tide was going out, there was a time where my GPS speed was zero and my loch speed, 4 knots.

You have to keep records of your engine time. Remember you have to change oil every 100 hours. So, plan maintenance in the water at some point. You will find somebody for that in every fishermen harbour, though you must expect he will charge you the very total...

Make sure your electrical system is really up to standards. In salt water, everything rusts, even stainless steel. Actually SS 316 will not, but bolts and screws will, since for mechanical reasons, they are made out of SS 304.

In rough weather, salt water comes inside the boat from behind, due to the steering system. Merely hours from Etang du Nord, I noticed salt water in the bunks in the middle of the boat. I was in rough waters and the boat had been banging quite a bit. I tried worrily to find where it was coming from, but I couldn't as the queen size bed compartment was packed with spare parts, paper maps water tight containers, luggages, and stuff for Doupette. After one hour, the level had not increased. It reassured me, but it is only later I found out what had happened. So make sure you have access to de middle as well as both sides of the hull under the bed, at the ladder location. You will remove 1 quart of water at most per day, but do not let it accumulate.

If you sail solo (which a recommend strongly for that type of voyage), bring along some morphine tablets, in case you hurt yourself at sea.

Have a spare GPS and a spare headlight. At some point, you will be content you have.

[Doupirate]

Doupirate ...how does your feline friend do on board...does s/he content to stay below?

A cat is very adaptative, you know. When the weather was rough, she would find refuge among the luggages at the back, along the central axis of the boat, where there is no translation due to the boat rolling.

She would not lose appetite, which is a good sign of adaptation to her new home and situation.

At Etang du Nord, the storm caught-up with us the night after our arrival. The next day I took her out on the peer. She got scared at the wind, ran for her life and jumped inside the boat seeking refuge in the cabin!

But I must confess she prefers the marinas and her real home to a sailing boat in rough weather, which is hardly surprising.

On calm sea at daytime, I would take her in her little personnal home on the roof. She would stay for a while, and she would let me know this was enough. I would then take her in. At anchor, shoulder and at the marina, she is free to come and go. When the boat is moving, she is either in her luggage bag, or inside the closed cabin.

[Québec 1]

Beau voyage,
I would bet that you have a lot of experience boating,, and make money on it. What a great description of your trip. I usually sail east from Quebec City and can appreciate the winds, and currents, and twirling water holes of Le Fleuve. Here you can see Le Zephyr just arrived from a sail at Riviere du Loup. As you can see there was a bit of wind and the swells were pretty impressive, but no matter what I always felt safe on my 26M.... but some of my passengers were a wee bit green and pale I got a bunch of charts of the NorthHumberland straights and plan on hopping around PEI next summer but I don't think I will try Newfounland yet.
Q1



http://s263.photobucket.com/albums/ii12 ... G_3147.mp4

[Doupirate]

Beau voyage,
I would bet that you have a lot of experience boating,, and make money on it. What a great description of your trip.

Quite and impressive picture taken of your Zephir coming back from Riviere-du-Loup!

Tibato is my first boat. I had it in 2008, worked on it all summer, but could only try it on the lake twice, that year. This year, 3 seasons later, was my first trip with her. It was my first time in salt water and so was it for Tibato. I am no professionnal sailor. Not a all!

To be completly honest, I must nevertheless confess I was a professionnal flying instructor as a summer job when I was a student. Sailing at sea or flying, brings about the same type of decisions and appreciation real time of a situation, in stressful environments. This is to me, the most important aspect of sailing at sea. Actually, the technical aspect of cruisinng is quite simple and do not take long to acquire. For me, the hardest technical part and by much, is berthing solo without assistance when the wind pushes Tibato away from de peer.... especially with the board and rudders up when I try to put in on the !"/$%?&* trailor

[Doupirate]

Do you have any more pictures?

Sum

You will understand I could not take picture at sea, unless the sea was very calm.

First night out, early June. Baie Éternité, a beautiful mooring on the Saguenay river.



Same place:




Shouldering a fishing boat at Mont-Louis:

[Doupirate]

We waited wind - there was absolutely none- at Anse-a-Beaufils, for 5 days, then had headwinds predictionns for 3 days. Then, finally, the weather service predicted good winds, we left, but encountered 180 degres winds on our 150 degres route, 15 to 25 knots at first, then10 to 20 knots, both of which we sailed . For the last 40 miles, we were motoring, fleeing a storm predicted for the next day, in very rough conditions.

Doupette was very happy at Anse-a-Beaufils:





Here is my favourite:

[Doupirate]

Defending our Pirate ship against invadors:



Now on, on the way back:

The Percé Rock along with the first two of the Three Sisters clifs in the fog:



I learned later the police had stopped the oversize trafic on the roads that day:

[Doupirate]

Departing Ste-Anne-des-Monts at sunset:

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[Doupirate]

Leaving salt water, back on the Saguenay river:



Almost there. Feeling at home again:

[Oskar 26M]

Many thanks for the detailed post and photographs Doupirate.
What an amazing voyage!
Doupette is also amazing and is a very brave cat .
Although the dog likes sailing, I have never dared to take my cat on board the . When I take her in the car she is very unhappy and cries continuously so I think if I tried her on the boat she would panic and jump overboard.

[Doupirate]

lol!

Dogs hate boats. Cats adapt.

I am not stupid. You are, maybe...

The customerr will learn about you badly, but about your boats second hand favouraby.

You are what you are...

[Doupirate]

Many thanks for the detailed post and photographs Doupirate.
What an amazing voyage!
Doupette is also amazing and is a very brave cat .
Although the dog likes sailing, I have never dared to take my cat on board the . When I take her in the car she is very unhappy and cries continuously so I think if I tried her on the boat she would panic and jump overboard.

Happy to meet you internetcrooks. We'll be seeing one another quite often!

[Doupirate]

Many thanks for the detailed post and photographs Doupirate.
What an amazing voyage!
Doupette is also amazing and is a very brave cat .
Although the dog likes sailing, I have never dared to take my cat on board the . When I take her in the car she is very unhappy and cries continuously so I think if I tried her on the boat she would panic and jump overboard.

Happy to meet you internetcrooks. We'll be seeing one another quite often!

You will go to jail! Trust me!