New Owner 1976 Oday Day Sailer II

[captwhyknot]

Hello Everyone!
Very excited as of yesterday I am owning my first sailboat. I’ve dreamed of sailing most of my life, watched on YouTube for 10 years or better. The day is finally here. That being said, I welcome any advice, tips, tricks, mods, etc. I plan on taking her out on the lake in the coming weeks.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

A daysailer might be a bit big for this but the best lesson I ever got was capsizing drills. It took the fear out of sailing. I have no fear of heavy weather but I do still posses common sense

 

[captwhyknot]

@Project_Mayhem it is a 16.9ft boat. Hopefully I wont have too much trouble. Always enjoy a challenge and have always learned lessons the hard way haha. Thank you for the imput

 

[Sunbird22358]

I would devote time and learning to NOT capsize rather than how to recover from an unlikely capsize. Unlikely as long as you sail the Day Sailer like the centerboard boat she is. First rule is ALWAYS keep the mainsheet tail in hand while sailing! Use the cam cleat to hold the tension, but keep the sheet in hand, that way you can quickly release it if hit by a gust of wind, preventing capsize. Use a tiller extension so you can sit up on the side deck in higher winds, adds amazing amount of righting force! Use a boom-vang to flatten and depower the sail reducing heeling force. If wind is strong, sail without jib, just raise CB a bit to restore balance between sail and center of sideways resistance. Finally, have a sailmaker add reefpoints to your sail so you can reduce the area in higher winds.
Following these tips has allowed me to sail my DSIi for 30 years on windy Buzzards Bay near Cape Cod and never go over.
A Day Sailer CAN capsize, but is not doomed to do so as long as you follow simple precautions!

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I would devote time and learning to NOT capsize rather than how to recover from an unlikely capsize. Unlikely as long as you sail the Day Sailer like the centerboard boat she is. First rule is ALWAYS keep the mainsheet tail in hand while sailing! Use the cam cleat to hold the tension, but keep the sheet in hand, that way you can quickly release it if hit by a gust of wind, preventing capsize. Use a tiller extension so you can sit up on the side deck in higher winds, adds amazing amount of righting force! Use a boom-vang to flatten and depower the sail reducing heeling force. If wind is strong, sail without jib, just raise CB a bit to restore balance between sail and center of sideways resistance. Finally, have a sailmaker add reefpoints to your sail so you can reduce the area in higher winds.
Following these tips has allowed me to sail my DSIi for 30 years on windy Buzzards Bay near Cape Cod and never go over.
A Day Sailer CAN capsize, but is not doomed to do so as long as you follow simple precautions!

While I'm not sure if capsizing drills are appropriate for a DSII, but I think both capsizing, righting a boat and avoiding capsizing should all be practiced. Things aren't always smooth sailing. Panicking makes it much worse