First sail of the year (video version)

Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
First sail of the year is always a treat. We try and make a crew-mostly deal, but this year none of our regular crew could make the Sunday dock time. So we grabbed a scow-sailing friend and headed out. A perfect 12-16 knots met us as we tacked up the lake. Then we turned and popped the spinnaker, a bit tricky because our friend was no real help. But in the fresh breese we flew back down the lake... ave speed of the downwind was 7.4 knots with a sustained max of 8.1. Not shabby for a 24 foot cruiser. Good times!

Anyone else with shots/vids from their first sail?

 
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pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Looks like too much fun. Spent the weekend working on mine instead of sailing. Maybe next weekend.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
I only got to go driveway sailing Sunday (hadda work Saturday.)

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Still, I had a chance to sort out rigging, and work on my bat'leth spar carriers by adding carpet to the areas that rest on gelcoat. I also waxed the spars, so they don't look so shabby. I'm glad I have some new control line on order, I don't care for the ones that came with the boat.

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I think they will work fine for travel. I thought about getting a foam carrier, or a spar bag that can be lashed to the car's roof rack, and I may still get the spar bag later.

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Looks like a nice boat burrito. Dang it, I should probably get a hull cover too... Meh, it's not like I'll be racing.

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RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,732
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
Great little vid Jackdaw. everybody likes seeing the wild and wooly sailing at times (me too I guess), but to me that's the perfect way to sail and just have a great day on the water. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Great little vid Jackdaw. everybody likes seeing the wild and wooly sailing at times (me too I guess), but to me that's the perfect way to sail and just have a great day on the water. :thumbup: :thumbup:
LOL and I cut out the round-up! Except for 45 seconds the whole sail was pretty tame. Regarding round-ups, I try and teach people of the feel of a boat the moment before you loose the ability to turn down in the puff. Round ups are fine.... lots of noise and shaking sails, but you collect the boat, turn the nose down, and off you go again! I guess practice makes perfect.
 
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RussC

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Sep 11, 2015
1,732
Merit 22- Oregon lakes
chuckle chuckle. I guess I didn't word that very well. what I meant was that many (me to) do like seeing the wild and wooly, but the way you sailed on that day was more like what many of us really like to sail in.
I did notice the cut section and wondered about that. ;)
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
chuckle chuckle. I guess I didn't word that very well. what I meant was that many (me to) do like seeing the wild and wooly, but the way you sailed on that day was more like what many of us really like to sail in.
I did notice the cut section and wondered about that. ;)
We get our whole sails on GoPro... I cut 2 hours of video down to 9 snips of action resulting in 5 minutes of fun.
 

weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
LOL and I cut out the round-up! Except for 45 seconds the whole sail was pretty tame. Regarding round-ups, I try and teach people of the feel of a boat the moment before you loose the ability to turn down in the puff. Round ups are fine.... lots of noise and shaking sails, but you collect the boat, turn the nose down, and off you go again! I guess practice makes perfect.
Picture of said roundup::biggrin:
 

weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
Yeah, I noticed the spin pole after I posted. ;)
This came from Charleston Raceweek apparently.
More details on SA homepage.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Back-story:

We are spin reaching in 14 knots, sailing as high as we can to clear a point in front of us just to leeward. At about the 8 second mark the breeze starts to build to about 20, and with everything powered-up the driver HAS to turn down before they loose rudder authority. Pia waits too long, then starts screaming in my ear that she can't steer. Well I KNOW THAT, and calmly wait for the sails to depower and then boat stands back up. I tell her to do what she knows she should have done, TURN THE BOAT DOWN. The violent camera shaking is caused by the GoPro mounted to the backstay.

 
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Oct 3, 2014
261
Marlow-Hunter MH37 Lake City, MN
That first video gets me excited to get out on our new (to us) boat soon! And the second video does too, actually. This promises to be an exciting summer, as we're first time sailboat owners...
 
Feb 2, 2010
373
Island Packet 37 Hull #2 Harpswell Me
Great video, another 2 weeks and i hope to splash. I don't have a spinnaker on my present boat but how do you round up while sailing down wind? that doesn't make sense to me.
 
Oct 9, 2008
1,742
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
With 17-21 knots behind a spinnaker, you could make a floating dock go 7.4 knots. That's not "fast". Time to get over that one. What's the PHRF rating?
(Not being ornery, this is a private joke:))
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
With 17-21 knots behind a spinnaker, you could make a floating dock go 7.4 knots. That's not "fast". Time to get over that one. What's the PHRF rating?
(Not being ornery, this is a private joke:))
;^)

Good one! PHRF is about what your floating dock rates.... only she's FIVE FEET SHORTER. Go figure.

Anyway 7.4 knots is a knot above her hull speed, not a bad sustained speed for a bunch of dummies out for a fun sail. The 8+ stuff is genuinely quick for a 24 foot racy cruiser. Its like me trying to compare our First 36.7 (34.9 LOA) to your Bristol. Length (among other things) really matter. Same 5 foot delta... but the 36.7 is 109 seconds faster. ;^)
 
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Great video, another 2 weeks and i hope to splash. I don't have a spinnaker on my present boat but how do you round up while sailing down wind? that doesn't make sense to me.
Not really downwind, as I noted we were reaching very high to clear a point. The apparent was on the beam and we were totally powered up. As the breeze built we should have turned down in the pressure, even if it meant not making the point with the kite up. As it was, we ended up dropping it and sailing main+jib to the buoy before hosting it again. If we had an extra hand on the vang that might of saved us, but I doubt it. Turning down is the key when spin reaching.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
Not really downwind, as I noted we were reaching very high to clear a point. The apparent was on the beam and we were totally powered up. As the breeze built we should have turned down in the pressure, even if it meant not making the point with the kite up. As it was, we ended up dropping it and sailing main+jib to the buoy before hosting it again. If we had an extra hand on the vang that might of saved us, but I doubt it. Turning down is the key when spin reaching.
Thanks for that explanation, Jackdaw. I was wondering about that too. In the puff, being downwind more would just have accelerated you, rather than heeled you enough to lose rudder grip and round up, correct? Also, I suppose if you turned down, but didn't trim the guy, then that might de-power the chute some? Or do you mean turn down and trim in the guy as well?
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Thanks for that explanation, Jackdaw. I was wondering about that too. In the puff, being downwind more would just have accelerated you, rather than heeled you enough to lose rudder grip and round up, correct? Also, I suppose if you turned down, but didn't trim the guy, then that might de-power the chute some? Or do you mean turn down and trim in the guy as well?
Yea that's it. Tight spin reaching is really all about the driver keeping the boat on its feet. When a puff hits (even more so when that puff has a direction change) the driver must react so the sailplan does not overpower the rudders and cause a wipeout. And yes, as always you'd have to adjust the guy. Then the sheet. Then retrim the main....
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,432
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Lake sailing with those bothersome points of land jutting out into your path and disrupting the wind ... bah, I'm happy for our move to get some relief from those circumstances! Now, we just have to make sure we don't get our keel stuck in the sand! I can't wait for my first opportunity to call Sea Tow, with Sue chirping in my ear about how I'm not a real sailor! :confused: She'll be ready to jump ship to the nearest floating boat.