misc. rambling,rants,raves and short stories

[Chinook]

Our family spent a long weekend at a beachfront cabana in Ensenada in 1960 or thereabouts. If the wind was blowing the wrong direction, the smell of the sewer outfall which ran a short ways out in the ocean was awful. And yes, there were numerous seals, washed up on the beach, with big holes shot in them. Dad got his 1958 Plymouth station wagon, 9 passenger, completely reupholstered for $75.

[opie]

(This is a year old thread, but the title seemed to fit my ramblings...)

Here is a list of stuff I learned or thought about this summer sailing season on my Mac.

1. The foresails
Jib
My jib, over 10 years old, blew its leech seams while I was sailing in 10-15kts. It did not have a solar-protective cover along the leech and foot and I suppose the sun ultraviolet rays damaged that trailing edge that was exposed to the sun when furled. And I think I parked it on the trailer with the jib furled for a month or two instead of taking it down before trailering. Sure, I should replace it, but instead I took it home and sewed the seams with nylon thread and white "ripstock" fabric. Well see if that will get me another year or two. I patched a few tears in it before that have held ok. I patched it with a piece of new fabric on both sides of the ripped locations.

Genoa
On another day, with the jib busted, I used my genoa. Winds were up and being singlehanded, I left the genoa flap a few times as I edged into the wind. POP! The clew ring broke loose from the clew end. I was surprised at first but then realized that, just like popping a towel in the locker room, the end of a flapping towel or genoa, in this case, must be traveling at a very high speed and the genoa clew ring just broke the nylon straps that held it in. I took it home a sewed in back on. I will be very cautious of luffing or flapping my foresails from now on.

2. One sail.
Since my first days on the Mac about 4 years ago, I have been adverse to sailing the Mac without having a foresail up. I had a few bad experiences with just the main where I could not tack properly, or the boat would round-up uncontrollably. I figured that since I had the foresails (jib and genoa) why not avoid the problems and use them. The foresail sure made tacking easier it seemed to me. So, with my jib blown out I was thinking about putting the genoa up, but I was three miles out in the ocean and did not think it was wise to flap the genoa up the furler groove in that wind. So I kept sailing and learning to sail with just the main, seriously testing my skills for the first time of main-only sailing.

The first thing I found that in lesser wind, all seemed ok on a close reach, main pulled in, but in higher winds, the Mac would round up to the wind. I found I could lessen that impact by letting out sail. But it was not until I raised the centerboard halfway up (by the length of CB line) that I was able to sail efficiently. If I got up enough speed I could tack, but I had to get up speed, quickly make the turn, and then immediately let out sail to complete the turn. If I made the turn with the main sheeted in, the Mac would start the turn then be unable to complete the tack.

The next day, I continued using only the main, figuring that I needed the skill in my set of using the main to sail without relying on the foresail to pull me around in a tack procedure. I feel better about my boat and my skills after that lesson.

3. MOB
I had a favorite hat. A floppy hat that covered my ears and shaded my face while sailing. I had lost two baseball-type caps before while sailing. Each time they quickly sank away before I could turn and retrieve them. So, on my floppy hat, I sewed a plastic foam bright yellow float on the back. It looked a little funny when I wore it on dry land, but so what?

On this trip, in 10 to 15 kts, and two to three foot swells, with occasional bit of foam, the hat blew off behind me into the wash. My skills at man overboard drills was current, as on each previous sailing vacation I practiced throwing a cushion or clorox bottle overboard and executing the MOB sailing recovery just like I learned in ASA class and the textbooks recommend. (Going to broad reach for short spell, tacking, using jib if it is up, going on a broad reach again, trying to keep the MOB in sight, releasing jib before getting close so as to start slowing and then releasing the main as you approach MOB.) I was 90% successful on my first pass in my latest practices. I never used the motor, since I was on a sailboat wasn't I?

Well, this time the sun was at such an angle that it was hard to see the yellow float on the hat. I did the tack and was halfway back when I saw the hat. I was intent on navigating close and forgot to de-power the jib, and when I de-powered the main I breezed on by the target, my navigation was off by a foot or two. With my boat hook out, me leaning over the gunwale, I missed the hat by inches. No sweat, I thought, I'll make another pass, so I did the broad reach, tacked and came back, never to see the hat again.

Just a hat, right? Well, I immediately thought that if I could not find a bright yellow target, although small, what if it was a child with just the top of their head showing. With renewed interest, I was determined to find the MOB. I realized two additional mistakes right off. I did not press my MOB button on the Garmin chartplotter GPS that would have recorded the MOB initial location, and I did not throw additional stuff into the water like you are supposed to do, like type-IV seat cushions or 1/2 full (of water) clorox bottle, or a commercial MOB buoy (don't have one).

I started my engine, furled the jib, and motored back and forth. I realized that my tracking on the GPS would show me where I had been, and that the break in my straight run on the track would show me exactly where the hat flew off and I made my turn. I motored exactly to the spot I lost the hat and then allowed for drift and looked and looked down-current. No hat.

I was struck by the tragedy potential if that had been a passenger I had lost overboard. I then I was struck by the fact that if I had lowered the engine and started it and made an immediate turn (dealing with sails as well) I would have the hat. True, it is good to learn the sailing-only MOB maneuver, because you may be without the engine someday, but for heavens sake, if the engine in there on the Mac and working, I will immediately use it in the future to get a MOB and I will add that to my practice routines.

What stupidity it would be to lose a MOB of a precious passenger because you were trying out your salty sailor sailing skills in a real emergency! The engine is there and I will use it next time. (In a hybrid procedure, I could have done the sailing MOB recovery while also lowering the engine and starting it, and in that case when I was about to pass my target, I could have popped into reverse and corrected my speed and saved the day.)

4. Barnacles.
Green moss. Brown stains. Being on a long (2 week) sailing outing, I got all three. I found that my enjoyment of snorkeling and a wooden scrub brush gave me exercise as well as keeping the bottom clean. I had very little work to do at the car wash this time when I hauled out. I have a waxed bottom without bottom paint.

But, I read now that the new crop of bottom paints, especially the California approved ones, are recommended to be hand scraped monthly or semi-monthly. So, get out your brushes and snorkel..... And as for the water ballast, I put a healthy splash of Clorox in the ballast water before putting in the plug to keep barnacles out of that place.

5. I have written before about my steering issue of binding steering and cables when I tilt up my engine. With my latest try of routing the cables, I can only raise the engine 1/2 way out of the water. That is fine for trailering and works when I anchor in shallow water or get close to the beach and leave 15 inches of water underneath. But, I found out that keeping the bottom part of the motor under water for two weeks is bad for barnacle growth around the water intake.

I really need a solution for this problem. I know many suggestions have been made before, so I will go back and study them again.

6. Shower.
A 2 1/2 gallon garden sprayer with fresh water is a delight to have onboard.

7. Lashed Wheel.
A member added a bungee cord endorsement to the Mods section regarding using it to maintain course while sailing. I also have noticed that a balanced sail plan and good tuning allows for a lashed wheel to maintain course. I will edit my GPS tracks onto Google Earth and post a report on my latest trials. I was able to sail for 30 minutes or more several times without touching the wheel. I had enough confidence to enter the cabin for snacks for 60 seconds or so. Of course the famous sailor Joshua Slocum claimed that he sailed around the world and only had to have his hands on the tiller for a few hours the entire time. He lashed the tiller all the rest of the time and the boat went where it should, he wrote.

8. Hove to.
The "hove to" procedure is a real pleasure to use. I always used it before with the recommended backwinded foresail but as I wrote above, I was sailing without a foresail for a while. So, can you hove-to with just the main? The answer is maybe, yes. I did it and it was just as much fun. On one occasion, I hove-to with my main on a starboard tack and sailed for over an hour at 1.6 knots in 10 kts wind. So I really did not go anywhere fast, but the bow cut the waves at a great angle and I got under the bimini and read several chapters in my novel while looking up now and then to admire the sea and breeze and view. But, on the return port tack, the boat did not stay on track. I need more experimentation on this subject.

9. On mast raising.
I raised the mast by hand for 4 years. A couple of months ago I was in a strong wind and decided to use the mast raising system. It took a while to put up, especially as it was my first time using it. It worked like a charm. I took the opportunity to tune the rig for the first time since I got the boat. I got the shrouds tight and the forestay and backstay were tight. I realized that I would not be able to get that degree of tightness by hand any more.

On the next outing a few weeks later, there was no wind, and I decided to try to raise the mast by hand as I am basically lazy and did not want to put up the other baby stays and stuff. I knew I would not get it to work by hand as all the rigging was very tight.

And that was definitely true. I could not get the forestay even close to the pin. I decided to experiment again by loosening the rigging a hair-at-a-time until I could get the forestay pin installed. It took an hour of up-and-down and up-and-down but I finally got it up and fastened. To my surprise, the rigging, although not as tight as before, was still fairly tight and tighter than it had been for the whole four years previously. As long as my back holds out, I will raise the mast by hand.

(There is one point I think needs to be analyzed. And that is the angle that is attained by the mast-raising-system to the jib block up on the mast is much steeper than the hand-system angle of the halyard from the jib block to the front bolt on the bow pulpit. It seems to me that the lesser angle will produce less stress on the system components, especially the little clamp on the m-r-s that is help on the m-r-s pole with little metal screws.)

10. Screens.
I use velcro and screen material on the front hatch to keep out the bugs. On the rear hatch opening, I use a window screen that is shaped to fit the hatch. I made the screen corners by using the plastic corner screen inserts that Lowes and HD sell and heating them up a little before bending them in place. I had to loosen the hatch slide screws a turn or two to fit the width of the screen, but it is still secure. Being able to slide the screen in and out seems better to me than a loose screen material being velcroed in place for the hatch. But that is my opinion.

11. Cockpit cushions.
We put out cockpit cushions in storage for the next owner, if we ever sell the boat. For us, they were a pain in the butt all the time they were not being used to comfort the butt. By that I mean we hated finding a place to store them inside the boat. We did not like to step on them with sandy and dirty feet getting in and out. And we use type IV seat cushions in the cockpit to sit on and that serves the Coast Guard's purpose as well as for comfort. And we throw fresh or seawater on the cockpit as the need strikes us to clean out debris and dirt and sand without worrying about cushions.

12. Speed.
As we are pretty well loaded inside with stuff including a 10 foot kayak and two batteries and lots of water and fuel, we accept 12 to 14 kts as top speed for our MacX. And I have never taken the boat to WOT as that seems to be asking too much of the little Honda that treats us so well otherwise.

I should say that 12 to 14 kts is on glassy calm waters. It is commonly said that the Mac can get out of trouble in a hurry in case of an upcoming storm for example. Recently, I had sailed along the beach for two miles. I had planned to motor back rather than beat windward on return. So I left enough time to get back figuring 10 kts of speed. The sea was 2 ft with an occasional 3 footer. Well, each three footer caused the Mac to slam back onto the sea with a teeth rattling crash. So I had to motor carefully, going fast then slow, sometimes to almost a stop to get across the distance to the inlet. While traveling this way, trying different angles to the waves, a 30+ foot sailboat was in the distance, also going back to the inlet in the same general conditions. Instead of moving up the waves like me and then crashing downward, it would slice the 3 footers neatly and not hardly bobble at all. I suppose it was going 6 to 7 knots and as such it was winning the race back. Thousand of pounds of lead in its keel was good for something after all. Go figure.

13. Solar Heat.
Heat from direct sun is greatly reduced by use of an outside custom sailcloth stretched over the two large black Lexan windows up front toward the bow and tied to the lifelines. What an oven they are in direct sunlight without my cover, heating the boat unbearably! And we use paper inserts on the inside port and starboard windows. Less heat would get in if we did something on the outside instead of the inside of the side windows and I will give that some thought.

14. Anchors
A 5kg Bruce held tight in the cockpit and a 10 kg Bruce in the anchor well at the bow are our anchors. The anchor well door can not close, but I either bungee it partly closed or wrap some anchor chain up on it. It is a good feeling to know I can trust these anchors to hold if applied properly. I use 10 feet of chain and 130 feet of rode. More chain would be better but that is about all I want to lift back off the bottom.

15. Rust.
After having rusted out several transistor radios and tools, I keep all loose electronics in ziplock bags when not in use. Same with some tools and especially my laptop computer. With the regular sockets and screwdrivers, I keep them greasy. I coat my fishing and cooking knives with vaseline to keep the rust at bay. Even my so-called stainless parts seem to rust sometimes.

16. Reefing
I have adopted a cheap and easy reefing system from a sailing book at the library. I run a line from the mainsail aft reef eyelet down to a block attached to the mainsheet bail and then run it thru the vang bail and under the reefing metal horn and up to the mast cleat.

I also have a loop of line in the mainsail fore reef eyelet, that hooks under the reefing horn.

To reef, I hove to, then drop the main to a predetermined point, hook the fore reef eyelet and pull the line for the rear reef eyelet line taught and cleat it. I then raise the sail up to the new height and sail away for a short way to make sure all is ok, and then (if I want to look neat) I hove to again to tie the three reef tie-lines under the mainsail foot.

Reefing is a skill that you should learn and be able to do in 30 seconds or so, or at least 60 seconds. Try it and practice often. It could make your day more pleasant. Remember that one bad day for the admiral (leaning too much...) can be all-she-wrote for marital sailing harmony in the future. (Or could be an argument to trade-up someday to a more stable boat?)

17. Flags
I could use a lesson in sailing burgees and flag etiquette. For now, while at anchor, I fly a 3x5 USA flag up the mast, from an unused halyard.

18. Securing Engine while sailing
I have sailed with the engine disconnected from the steering arm and connected. I can not feel any difference from the wheel. I think I will keep it connected so that the engine is ready to go in an emergency where I may need better maneuvering ability than I would have with rudders only.

19. Lying A-Hull
Lying a-hull is described in a sailing book of mine as a "comfortable" method of riding out a storm or period of high winds. Ha.... The method is to drop all sails and let the boat find its natural position lying beam-to the wave trains. I did just that on a 15 to 20 kt day just for the practice. The Mac went into the a-hull position and I went below to read a book. It was ok sometimes, but often the boat got into a harmonic swing and did 4 or 5 dips to the port and starboard to at least 45 degrees. There seemed to be a lot of stress on the rigging and a lot of stress on me inside. I did not know any better, so I toughed up and tried to read and pretend this was necessary due to some imaginary problem I was having while sailing way out in the blue. Big mistake I guess because I got seasick for only the 4th time in my life. Ugh. While this method may work with a large, heavy leaded keel sailboat that would resist the violent swings, it sure did not work for my Mac. Too light to do this procedure, in my opinion.

20. Pleasure
Finally, I must say that 95% of the time I was in bliss on the water. What a great, useful, and fun boat to be out on in the water. As my t shirt says, "I would rather be on my boat with a drink on the rocks, than in the drink with my boat on the rocks."

[vizwhiz]

Awesome post - I've learned a lot from it!
Can't wait to put some of it into practice!!

[kitcat]

Yes indeed, many thanks for taking the time to share your learning experiences, I would say there is something of interest for all Macaddicts, regardless of experience, but especially for those of us who are at the lower end of the learning curve.

Great post.

Paul.

[Catigale]

(There is one point I think needs to be analyzed. And that is the angle that is attained by the mast-raising-system to the jib block up on the mast is much steeper than the hand-system angle of the halyard from the jib block to the front bolt on the bow pulpit. It seems to me that the lesser angle will produce less stress on the system components, especially the little clamp on the m-r-s that is help on the m-r-s pole with little metal screws.)

Thanks for that post Opie....lotsa good stuff..

On the MRS angle - I think the steeper angle of the MRS puts more stress on this than heaving the mast up from the bow pulpit - maybe Im not getting something here??

[opie]

I agree with what you wrote above.....