In my experience with boats that size, 10-15 seconds for that sail to rotate under water or dump that water that's on top.... or possibly never if, as some posters mentioned, your main sheet is cleated or hanging up on something. You need to ensure lines are clear before trying to right it. That helps you right it and also recover and sail once you're back in the boat. That boat should be a lot of fun. Have fun!When you say it takes time..about how long are we talking? 2-3 min or less?
I have a small rope attached to the dagger board now. It may not stay put, but at least I won't have to worry about losing it.In my experience with boats that size, 10-15 seconds for that sail to rotate under water or dump that water that's on top.... or possibly never if, as some posters mentioned, your main sheet is cleated or hanging up on something. You need to ensure lines are clear before trying to right it. That helps you right it and also recover and sail once you're back in the boat. That boat should be a lot of fun. Have fun!
Be careful that you don't have the main over trimmed. If it is it will stall and pull the boat sideways rather than forward. I grew up sailing keel boats, and the first time I was on a dinghy I was surprised by how suddenly the boat would shift from forward to sideways if the main was in too far on a close reach. Made me realize how much more you can learn about sail trim on something so responsive.the only thing I noticed of concern was when I was first going upwind, the boat was sliding sideways . Pretty sure it did the same thing last weekend when I had to walk in.
I am getting better, though I had another incident today. My GF thinks I shouldn't sail on SaturdaysSee, you now are onto the second stage of sailing, making it preform in light winds, congrats!
I suspect you are over trimmed, the boat is heeling too much for the conditions and the dagger board can't resist the sails lateral force. in light winds the ability to point simply goes away because of that darn apparent wind direction coming forward as the boat picks up speed. if the wind speed is 5 knots from abeam and the boat is going 5 knots through the water the apparent wind is at 45 degrees from the bow not 90 like you might suspect, go faster and it moves forward even more (<45 degrees from the bow). so the faster you go the worse your pointing ability.
Sorry I am real. You have to start somewhere and sorry if I don't know the lingo. Take a look at the pic, does this look like rough water to you? It's not, except for the very center of the bridge where the current was strong (can't see the center from this angle). I was further away than the boat in the center of the pic when it sucked me in. Away from the bridge to the right where the unseen islands are located it was very calm other than some boat traffic.You know I'm starting to think this is all a put on and we responders are being played for entertainment as this poster sounds like he's making up stories of incompetence.
Zig zag??????
Running into a bridge?
Come on, anyone with an ounce of common sense would at least look for protected waters to experimenting, have some idea that zig zagging is called tacking. I'm just not buying it anymore.
If you really are a serious novice go get some damn lesions before you hurt yourself of worse someone else, especially those people who are trying to rescue you.
And if your playing games go find another hobby.
Thanks.getting easier now. Bad luck or whatever you call it, just makes me try harder....That 'zig-zagging' you're doing is called tacking.
Keep trying dude. Stay away from hard things. There is no such thing as luck, that is another superstition like witchcraft or something. Try it again on Saturday to defy such things in your mind.
You're getting it. Don't give up!
Sorry I am real. You have to start somewhere and sorry if I don't know the lingo. Take a look at the pic, does this look like rough water to you? It's not, except for the very center of the bridge where the current was strong (can't see the center from this angle). I was further away than the boat in the center of the pic when it sucked me in. Away from the bridge to the right where the unseen islands are located it was very calm other than some boat traffic.
Any idea of the cost?Sunfish, It doesn't matter which day of the week you are sailing. If you are sailing in coastal bays, you gotta check the tidal range and time, especially if you are sailing on a boat without a motor. Please do yourself a favor and get some lessons. I see that you are hailing from coastal Alabama. You should contact Lanier Sailing in Pensacola. Their sailing school is top notch and affordable. I know all of the instructors personally. They have been teaching for about 20 years and not only know how to sail, they know how to teach. Hate to see you put yourself and others in danger. Believe me, I started out just as you did, a total disaster wainting for a place to happen. Finally went to sailing school and it drastically altered the learning curve for the better.
I just need a safer place to sail until I get better at it. The river I was at Fri evening is such a place but it's hard to launch there.You will get the hang of it. I have capsized many a boat in my years of sailing. Sunfish and Lazers are easy to re-right. Took a Hobie 16 out with a friend in some big swell when I was a teenager. The winds were kicking, and we were having a blast wave jumping the boat. Hit a landing wrong, and pitch poled the boat about a mile offshore. An upside down catamaran is much harder to turn back over even for two teenagers, LOL, still a great day of sailing.
The technique of sailing a board style dingy like the Sunfish includes never cleating the mainsheet. You learn to work the tiller and sheet together to keep the boat flat. If you're sailing along with the wind on your starboard beam (90 deg from the right side) you would sit on the windward side, with the tiller in left hand and the sheet in the other. You would therefore have your back to the wind, feet are hooked under the "hiking" straps "foot straps in cockpit" so you can lean out (Hiking out) with the goal to keep the boat perfectly flat. You would have the dagger board in the down position to keep the boat from side slipping. When a gust hits ... the apparent wind direction (wind direction that's affected by the boat's speed) will move aft a bit... this will cause the boat to heel (lean) over because the wind is now pushing sideways rather than flowing evenly over the sail. So.....There are three things you can do to keep the boat flat.... 1, hike outboard to counteract the force on the mainsail. 2. Ease the sheet out to adjust for the change in apparent wind direction. 3. Turn the boat towards the wind (head up) to maintain the same apparent wind direction.I just need a safer place to sail until I get better at it. The river I was at Fri evening is such a place but it's hard to launch there.
My aunt had one of those Hobie's and it was a nice boat, but a little bit too big for me (tiny car, tiny storage ).
How did you get it turned back over? I bet that was a pain.
But I have found a slighter larger boat I am going to check out tomorrow or thursday. The sunfish is all I need, but GF needs a little more room. It's still too small for rough weather, but still a small upgrade for our needs.
Thanks.... I hope it was simple enough for our new guy to grasp. Bless his heart. I couldn't find any inexpensive sailing programs in Mobile Bay for our friend.... so perhaps others will take him under their wing... maybe someone lives in the area that could give him some hands on pointers.Joe i like the way you articulate your sailing instructions and information good job