Genuine Sailing Question

[Benny17441]

Rick, that is excellent to sustain such an effort

over an eight day period. The right weather can make it happen. We most recently hit 135 nm for the first 24 hrs on an overnight sail to Key West. It takes us 5 hours to get out of Tampa Bay and we get a boost by planning our departure to ride the outgoing tide for those first hours. The wind forecast was 10-15 from the southwest but we had 15 to 20 all day and all night long. Before night fall we put one reef in with no loss of speed. Not everytime is Xmas and 140 days don't come every day but that is our target. The point is that if we did not plan ahead for boat speed our chances of hitting the mark would be nill. Fair winds.

 

[dancing bear]

3 kinds of days

On the mellow days, I want to relax.
On the windy days, when the Lake is calm, I am always trying for a new personal best.
On windy days where the waves are big, it all about the slam on the way out, and the surf on the way back. I don't worry about sail trim, as much as hanging on, and these days are often the very best.

 

[RussT1950]

sailing

Phil,
I have been with you and know what your about, I'm also more interested in enjoying the day.

 

[Ctskip]

I am so glad that I found this forum

I was wondering what all those lines messing up my deck were for. And those lines just hanging off my boom are always in the way. Aren't there special scissors for trimming the sails? I sail to relax. Sometime I look for the edge and when it affords itself I will ride the edge with all I know (which technically isn't much). As for trimming the sails? Why should I trim them, once raised, they tend to trim themselves..... Don't they? I've had many sailboats come up on me from behind and they always wave. I didn't think for a moment they were racing me. Had I known that, I would of worn my streamlined bike helmet, and put on my speedos. Not a pretty site, but it helps for less drag... I think?

Keep it up,
Ctskip

 

[biorapper]

You could shave your legs too!

brings me back to the bike racing days...

For most of us, racing or no; it's all about fun, play and exploration. My best sailing play is with my hobie 16...sailed that baby for about 500 yards once with a hull flying!!! I have had the urge one day to empty out my logistics and hit a local race....read up on the rules some but never tried it.

I'm not always focused on every detail of sail trim and tiller handling(there are so many to observe), but ususally when I see another boat my brain perks up for a bit of a challenge.

It would be an interesting thread to see what % of sailors start to fine tune for speed when another boat is near. My [totally speculative] guess would be at least 75 %.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Maybe you guys need a carbon fiber Campy tiller

Hard to keep centered though

 

[Capt. Kermie]

How do you define relaxing?

I go sailing for an escape from life’s’ daily drudgery, there is nothing that can remove me further from life’s realities than sailing can. Once I am out there it is a whole different world. Funny thing is, I can only relax for so long, and then I get antsy, and need to find something to occupy myself with. This is when I start playing with the lines and sails. I am not in any race nor do I have any desire to ever be in one, but I do get a sense of satisfaction when I can improve the boats’ performance. I enjoy tweaking the various components to see what effect they have on speed and performance and whether or not that little mod I installed actually accomplished anything worth while. Certainly the addition of an Auto helm, roller furler , lazy jacks, lines aft, etc add to the ease of sailing but also add enjoyment to having a hobby cruiser.
Sailing for me is a lifestyle, a hobby that I enjoy, and a lifetime educational experience where learning never ends. For some people their passion is golf for others it can be antique cars or some other pursuit, for me during the season, it is boating. I spend an inordinate amount of time reading books, looking at catalogues and surfing sailing sites on the internet and feel I have amassed a fair amount of personal knowledge to continue my hobby with. I have done most of the mods to the boat myself and enjoy spending my time and money on my boat. I have added a few extra lines here and there which do add to the spaghetti mix a bit, but they all have a function even if it is only to gain purchase power on other components. I am out there to have fun and fun happens to include playing the rigging to some degree. Fun is also the sense of adventure one experiences while destination cruising so I also invest time in studying basic navigation stuff and playing with the electronics. If I am not playing with the rigging then I am playing with the electronics, but I can only idle for so long then I need to be in gear. I find it relaxing to be focused on something I enjoy!

 

[GuyT]

I Relax..

Until someone is on the same tack as me up ahead.

Then its every trick in the book to catch up and pass!

 

[Nik]

Given the location....

sailing South Lake Michigan. We have two destinations, out on the lake and back to port safely, several hours later. I've raced in the past; several Mac's, Tri-States and other... Now, though, My / Our philosophy is to take us where the wind blows and we can make it back. Sails are trimmed for shape, heading is varient and there is no need for a voice to come over normal (it disturbs the sound of the wind and the boat in the water). Time on the water "PRICELESS". As we lazily sail and enjoy the day, let others pass us and we will give them a wave. Life is short, it moves to fast, slow down and make the moment last...

Nik