Hmmmm...this should be interesting

[BobM]

My Wife and I are having 6 aboard for the 4th of July. Typically this is a long day involving a cash bar / cookout with a band on the clubs docks...a 2-3 hour sail...and then patiently waiting for the fireworks to start around 9pm. Everyone is going home after the fireworks.

Passengers will be my Sister-in-law, her Husband, three of their kids (8, 11 and 14) and an Aunt...plus us.

Weather is looking like low to mid 80's with a 30% chance of a thunderstorm. Wind is going to be about 13 knots, but I am sure that will change. I am not planning to sail with the decks awash with passengers. I am thinking more of a harbor tour under power. I have sailed with 6 total aboard before. I sent some into the cabin until I could get the main up. I could put some forward and just sail under the main I guess.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Mark Maulden]

Perhaps jib alone and maybe even partially furled depending on conditions. Keeps everyone back towards the cockpit and no issues with the boom etc. (I see a furler on ur pic). It can be rolled up a lot quicker than dousing a main. Real time call with current conditions. Whadda ya think??

 

[BobM]

Thanks Mark. That might be the better idea. Unfortunately I haven't had much experience sailing under just genoa alone. It certainly would be a lot easier to deploy and I could roll it up in a heartbeat if it doesn't work out. My last boat was a real pig with just the main. Couldn't tack to save it's life without the headsail.

 

[jrowan]

Man, every 4th of July we go out & something happens - this year some power boaters anchor line swung under our boat & the smoker came in right for us. I had to push off his big bow roller before he took out our rigging! He did manage to bang up on our stanchion before I got em off of us. Pig made no effort to help or reverse his swinging. At 11:00 pm I wasn't going to get into a shouting match with a drunk, but we both had a lot of scope & rode set, apparently. You could walk across the boats out on the York River across from Yorktown, Va. You can imagine how big the firework display is where Cornwallis surrendered for the British.

 

[jrowan]

ps. A few years back on the 4th while out with family on our S 2 all the power boaters wakes were rolling us so hard that it sturred up all the crud in the bottom of our fuel tank & killed the engine on the way back. We sailed most of the way home, but had to call for a tow to get usinto the marina through our narrow channel. Fun for all.

 

[BobM]

Update on the 4th

Wind was clearly only about 5 knots, so I decided everyone could go. Tried sailing but there was quite a bit of chop in the Harbor with all the boats running around. Decided to roll up the genoa, keep the main up and motor sail. Without the wind I made the executive decision to take in the tall ships from the water. The CG did a nice job of directing traffic in a large circle past the Eagle, Constitution, Wasp Carrier and many other vessels tied up all over the inner harbor. A good time was had by all.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Bob, have you had any reservations about even bothering with your main instead of your jib since?

 

[BobM]

To be frank Stu...

Bob, have you had any reservations about even bothering with your main instead of your jib since?

...I really haven't ever sailed under the jib alone. I understand that it is probably preferable than sailing under the main alone for some boats and that the main alone is often tough for tacking. I just haven't had the case come up. In this case the wind was so light I ran both, but the wind was too light for the choppy conditions so I furled the genoa to gain visibility in what I knew was going to be a high traffic area and left the main up more because it was easier to do so than to go through the effort of dropping it with a cockpit full of passengers.

I wouldn't say I have reservations about it except that I really prefer to fly all my laundry and have the rail in the water when it is just me and it usually is.