How Did You Get Into Sailing?

[fox islander]

My dad had a Santana 21, but if the wind got over 5 knts he'd yank down the sails and start up the motor...same with his Catalina 27 a few years later. My first boat was a Catalina 22...we used it like a camper. Second boat was a Hunter 23...it was on that boat that we learned to love sailing...currently in a Catalina 30...but you know...always looking.

 

[red_dolphin]

Taroona,

I have learned to respect sailors from 'Down Under'.
As your history indicates, you folks just seem to have learned to sail as part of growing up.

I am in a sailing club and race chartered boats.
By coincidence I'm racing a Beneteau 323 around the buoys in Marina del Ray [California] on June 11th.

OK, a boat's a boat -- you just sail them.
That said: Do you have any tips on how to sail a Ben 323?
Most likely we will be sailing in light airs.

TIA

RED

 

[rivettw]

Had a Sunfish that I sailed on the lakes at LSU when I was 15. 18 years old in 1971 while on R&R in Vietnam , I met a little girl whose dad was working for PA&E. He was French and had married a local lady. They had a little cafe in NaTrang and an old 1930ish wooden 50' sloop. Sailed with them for 2 weeks in the South China Sea. 'Course a lot of my time was spent in the bilge on an old hand bilge pump. Most peaceful 2 weeks of my life in a year of chaos. 38 years and just sporatic sailing trips with friends and of dreaming of doing it again. Was "day"dreaming while at work one night looking through the Iboat ads, had put in the specs of 38' to 45' but this one boat kept showing up and was just 37'. 1979 Hunter Cherubini Cutter. Being at work at 1am I was going to leave a recording on the agents phone to see the boat the next morning but she answered her office phone and talked to me about it for 1/2 an hour. Loaded with teak but needed a lot of work. Being good with my hands and into woodwork I was up for the challenge. "Where can I see this boat" I asked? She says," #### RIVET Lane. 90 miles from home. I go the next day, love the boat and throw out a stupid low number that I just know the guy will laugh at but he doesn't. I buy the boat. Been working, learning and sailing on it in the Ponchartrain ever since. K A R M A don't you know....my last name is RIVETT.

 

[Taroona]

Taroona,

I have learned to respect sailors from 'Down Under'.
As your history indicates, you folks just seem to have learned to sail as part of growing up.

I am in a sailing club and race chartered boats.
By coincidence I'm racing a Beneteau 323 around the buoys in Marina del Ray [California] on June 11th.

OK, a boat's a boat -- you just sail them.
That said: Do you have any tips on how to sail a Ben 323?
Most likely we will be sailing in light airs.

TIA

RED

I have only had the 323 since January this year so still learning, but what we do in light winds here in Brisbane is what we did as teenagers on the Rainbow, sit on the leeward side to stop the main from flogging as we go thru wash and any swell, now that we can, we also have a beer. Also have the traveller up high so that the boom is in the centre. Arn't travellers good. We also raise the boom slightly. Our main is also a new (Rolly Tasker in Thailand) full length battened. Usually in 5 to 10 knots of wind we manage about 2.5 to 5 Knots.

Beating to windward 2 weeks ago in 20 knots+ one reef in the main, full jib we did 7.4 knots. but the trick we have found is to try to keep the 323 flat and not to heel too much.

These days the only racing I do is social racing (white sails only). Last race over 11Nm we took 1 hour 52 minutes. Avg of nearly 6 Knots

But I am no expert at trimming.

Les