I have a H23.5 and am considering a long distance cruise next fall. Cincinnati to Mobile. Has anyone taken a similar cruise on a 23.5? I will either single hand or possibly have one crew. I just replaced the 2 stroke 5 hp outboard with a new Mercury 6hp four stroke/external fuel tank. I've done quite a bit of cruising on larger boats, but have never taken an extended trip on my 23.5. Any advice, suggestions would be appreciated. Bill Jones Wind Dancer
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Frank
Are you rigged and ready?
I found that I had to do a lot of things to make my 23.5 easier to handle. If you want the list of things I've done you can email me at Ladd333@aol.com.
I found that I had to do a lot of things to make my 23.5 easier to handle. If you want the list of things I've done you can email me at Ladd333@aol.com.
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Rick Webb
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Rick Webb
I Envy Your Trip
Let me know when you get down here and I'll buy you a beer. I have thought of doing a similar trip from Montgomery, Alabama back down here to Biloxi but have not found any one else who wanted to do it with me.
Let me know when you get down here and I'll buy you a beer. I have thought of doing a similar trip from Montgomery, Alabama back down here to Biloxi but have not found any one else who wanted to do it with me.
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marv otto
Rick Webb, maybe me...
You mentioned a trip from Montgomery, AL to Biloxi and no one willing to go with you. I've thought about a trip on the Tom/Bigmy (?) waterway. I plan to retire at the end of May next year and after a long vacation in June I will have a certain amount of freedom. I live in Kenner, LA (New Orleans) and sail a h26 on Lake Pontchartrain -- bought the boat in Gulf Port and have sailed there a few times.
You mentioned a trip from Montgomery, AL to Biloxi and no one willing to go with you. I've thought about a trip on the Tom/Bigmy (?) waterway. I plan to retire at the end of May next year and after a long vacation in June I will have a certain amount of freedom. I live in Kenner, LA (New Orleans) and sail a h26 on Lake Pontchartrain -- bought the boat in Gulf Port and have sailed there a few times.
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Rick Webb
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Frank
Ok Rick. Here is what I did.
To make my boat easier to sail I had to do the following: 1) one inch block under clam cleats for halyards and new ronstan clam cleats fixed the halyards from popping out of there cleats at inappropriate times. cost about $25-30 2) Jib down haul. One block at bottom of forstay and another to lead it back to cockpit. used 1/4 inch line. $25-30 3) improve reefing by adding a small loop on the front cringle that just barely allows me to reach the hook without fussing with the slide stop. Now reefing time has gone from almost twenty minutes to less than two minutes.it took lots of practise and a little line. Don't forget to mark the halyards with a magic marker so you know how far to let them down. 4) winchers - I know you either love or hate em. I love em. $24-40 5) 1 and 1/2 inch pvc pipe 18" long with female coupling on one end and tee on the other end. This makes an excellent tiller lock for anchoring and ttrailering and I got the idea from someone on this site. It will also hold the tiller straight so you can steer with the sails or the centerboard. $3-5 6) Self steering rig. Basically a snatch block, some 1/4 inch line,two regular blocks and a bungee cord. All fits in a small bag and can be set up to self steer almost any boat that has decent balance. $30-50 7) Stern anchor: this important safety item is hooked on the stern rail and allows setting and anchor as quick as I can undo the two lashings that hold it there. For this light anchot I just used an eyeplice and a shackle and no chain with 100ft of 3/8 line. My eyeslpice was ugly but it works fine. $35-50 8) club footed self tacking jib. Often I only need a small jib anyway the self tacking jib is sheeted with one sheet that goes through a block attached to the front center of the mast step and is lead to the cockpit. I self tending jib cannot overlap the mast so it is slower in light weather, but it makes working up narrow channels and sailing in tight places easy. $45-60 plus the cost of a small used jib or get your working jib cut down to fit the club. 9)Really long hiking stick/tiller extension so I can steer from the cabin or the bridge deck. $5-25 So far I like all of these and use them all regularly except for the self steering rig which is only worth setting up for long runs.
To make my boat easier to sail I had to do the following: 1) one inch block under clam cleats for halyards and new ronstan clam cleats fixed the halyards from popping out of there cleats at inappropriate times. cost about $25-30 2) Jib down haul. One block at bottom of forstay and another to lead it back to cockpit. used 1/4 inch line. $25-30 3) improve reefing by adding a small loop on the front cringle that just barely allows me to reach the hook without fussing with the slide stop. Now reefing time has gone from almost twenty minutes to less than two minutes.it took lots of practise and a little line. Don't forget to mark the halyards with a magic marker so you know how far to let them down. 4) winchers - I know you either love or hate em. I love em. $24-40 5) 1 and 1/2 inch pvc pipe 18" long with female coupling on one end and tee on the other end. This makes an excellent tiller lock for anchoring and ttrailering and I got the idea from someone on this site. It will also hold the tiller straight so you can steer with the sails or the centerboard. $3-5 6) Self steering rig. Basically a snatch block, some 1/4 inch line,two regular blocks and a bungee cord. All fits in a small bag and can be set up to self steer almost any boat that has decent balance. $30-50 7) Stern anchor: this important safety item is hooked on the stern rail and allows setting and anchor as quick as I can undo the two lashings that hold it there. For this light anchot I just used an eyeplice and a shackle and no chain with 100ft of 3/8 line. My eyeslpice was ugly but it works fine. $35-50 8) club footed self tacking jib. Often I only need a small jib anyway the self tacking jib is sheeted with one sheet that goes through a block attached to the front center of the mast step and is lead to the cockpit. I self tending jib cannot overlap the mast so it is slower in light weather, but it makes working up narrow channels and sailing in tight places easy. $45-60 plus the cost of a small used jib or get your working jib cut down to fit the club. 9)Really long hiking stick/tiller extension so I can steer from the cabin or the bridge deck. $5-25 So far I like all of these and use them all regularly except for the self steering rig which is only worth setting up for long runs.
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Mark Major
Long distance fresh water management
I have single handed my H23 with on-board time of up to 8 days, up and down the Gulf of Mexico including the Everglades. These conditions are hot, primitive, and without ready replenishment. Fresh water management is important. ICE: if you freeze your pint water bottles, 36 of them will keep you in water and ice for up to a week, properly managed. If immerse them in water and freeze the entire cooler they will last even longer, but can be difficult to remove from the ice mass, so lay the bottom layer of bottles on their side and immerse only that. Melted ice can be used for washing, but often is tainted by food runoff. BATHING / CLOTHES WASHING: I ration a luxurious 1-1/2 gallons for daily bathing from a shower bag. I pre-wash clothing in salt water, rinse as needed in salt and then finish rinse in fresh (and then pour that over my head). I don't know about river water these days, but imagine it should work better. COOKING: Food that needs boiling is wasteful of water that must be disposed of. SEWAGE: I don't know how you will manage your porta-potty needs, but 3 days is about as long as I've gone without dumping, and since I'm in the Gulf I take it offshore to legal dumping distance. I supose you will need a marina. I imagine river sailing will be more accomodating, and you will be able to replenish more readily. I hope this has been helpful. If you have any other questions you think I may be able to help with, write me at memajor@mpinet.net.
I have single handed my H23 with on-board time of up to 8 days, up and down the Gulf of Mexico including the Everglades. These conditions are hot, primitive, and without ready replenishment. Fresh water management is important. ICE: if you freeze your pint water bottles, 36 of them will keep you in water and ice for up to a week, properly managed. If immerse them in water and freeze the entire cooler they will last even longer, but can be difficult to remove from the ice mass, so lay the bottom layer of bottles on their side and immerse only that. Melted ice can be used for washing, but often is tainted by food runoff. BATHING / CLOTHES WASHING: I ration a luxurious 1-1/2 gallons for daily bathing from a shower bag. I pre-wash clothing in salt water, rinse as needed in salt and then finish rinse in fresh (and then pour that over my head). I don't know about river water these days, but imagine it should work better. COOKING: Food that needs boiling is wasteful of water that must be disposed of. SEWAGE: I don't know how you will manage your porta-potty needs, but 3 days is about as long as I've gone without dumping, and since I'm in the Gulf I take it offshore to legal dumping distance. I supose you will need a marina. I imagine river sailing will be more accomodating, and you will be able to replenish more readily. I hope this has been helpful. If you have any other questions you think I may be able to help with, write me at memajor@mpinet.net.
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Sean Coerse
Norfolk to DC on H240
Two years ago I did a 4 day trip from Norfolk to DC. Was a blast got hammered on day two with 20 knots right on the nose. Motored that day in some preaty large bay waves. Only made 35 miles that day. Great trip. Cooked on boat 3 nights with 1 dinner at a favorite crab house on the Potomac. Give your self enough time for the trip to sit out any days you dont want to sail in and enjoy it. I'm looking forward to a similar cruise this spring.
Two years ago I did a 4 day trip from Norfolk to DC. Was a blast got hammered on day two with 20 knots right on the nose. Motored that day in some preaty large bay waves. Only made 35 miles that day. Great trip. Cooked on boat 3 nights with 1 dinner at a favorite crab house on the Potomac. Give your self enough time for the trip to sit out any days you dont want to sail in and enjoy it. I'm looking forward to a similar cruise this spring.
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marv otto
Rick, yes, I bought my boat from Govert
Rick, I see you posts often on this site and I would like to meet you. My E-mail is marleneotto@aol.com. Perhaps we can meet this winter and get acquainted and talk about some possibilities.
Rick, I see you posts often on this site and I would like to meet you. My E-mail is marleneotto@aol.com. Perhaps we can meet this winter and get acquainted and talk about some possibilities.
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Rick Webb
Good Idea
Maybe a bunch of other folks along the coast here would like to do that. Maybe we could all get together and head out to one of the islands or something. Let's put out a couple of posts and see what we get.
Maybe a bunch of other folks along the coast here would like to do that. Maybe we could all get together and head out to one of the islands or something. Let's put out a couple of posts and see what we get.
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Steve Wright
200 Mi on the Arkansas River
In 1996 my wife and I sailed our H-26 from Muskogee, OK to Russelvelle, AR 200 mi in four days. Two of the nights we stayed in marinas so we dumped the potty. Would love to do it again, and go further. Be sure to get good books about the area you will be traveling some of best times were when we went ashore and visited historic sights.
In 1996 my wife and I sailed our H-26 from Muskogee, OK to Russelvelle, AR 200 mi in four days. Two of the nights we stayed in marinas so we dumped the potty. Would love to do it again, and go further. Be sure to get good books about the area you will be traveling some of best times were when we went ashore and visited historic sights.
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BART FORD
when do we leave
Sounds great. You should take a look at www.greatloop.com. the book they wrote is a dream come true. Have fun.
Sounds great. You should take a look at www.greatloop.com. the book they wrote is a dream come true. Have fun.
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Bob Johnstone
Cinci to mobile
Being just up the river, I am interested in your proposed adventure. With you coming out of the Deltaville area I must ask what inspired a trip down the river and was there a reason you chose Cinci to Pgh? Bob Johnstone Memory
Being just up the river, I am interested in your proposed adventure. With you coming out of the Deltaville area I must ask what inspired a trip down the river and was there a reason you chose Cinci to Pgh? Bob Johnstone Memory
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Bob Johnstone
Cinci to mobile
Being just up the river, I am interested in your proposed adventure. With you coming out of the Deltaville area I must ask what inspired a trip down the river and was there a reason you chose Cinci to Pgh? Bob Johnstone Memory
Being just up the river, I am interested in your proposed adventure. With you coming out of the Deltaville area I must ask what inspired a trip down the river and was there a reason you chose Cinci to Pgh? Bob Johnstone Memory
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