For that synthetic line as a backstay, I ended up tying a buntline hitch with half hitches to take up the tails. That knot will never be untied. I took her out into the gulf, and sailed along the coast for a few hours. The wind was coming straight at the shore, so I was able to sail on a reach the whole time out.
I went out with my wife, her dad, step mom, and 2 twenty something sisters. The wind was straight in our face on the way out to the jetties, but a smooth motor ride. The step dad says "I think I would like a sailboat" to the mom.
I put my old jib on, my new one had a tear from the spreader. It turns out it is a 110. I measured the foot of each sail and they were the same. But the 110 has a very high clew. I should have made some other measurements, but it was a pleasant suprise.
I rolled it out about 80% but there were still some gusts that put the rail in the water. Inlaws were a little scared so I had them roll it up and I motored sailed the rest of the way in with just the main. I wanted to reef the main and roll out some headsail, but everyone got sick from helping roll up the jib. I tried to make it fun and let everyone participate. That turned out to be a bad idea. Everyone was fine in the chop and rolling waves until they were looking at something in the cockpit for a few minutes. Then I had a boat full of sick people. It would have been easier to sail by myself, but with the cockpit full of people, I thought it would be best for them to help. Turns out I was the only one having fun at the midpoint of the trip.
Motoring back into the marina, there was a guy standing at the end of a dock waving almost frantically. Then he started doing the macarena, actually it was some kind or boat sign language I guess. As we motor past him he starts running down the dock to meet us at our slip. Before we got there I instructed my father in law how to grab the spring line with the hook. I have done this dozens of times by myself and others on my boat. I guess he underestimated how much force the wind was putting on the boat and how hard he had to hold the line. The boat got blown back out of the slip and we stopped against the pylons. I said it's no big deal we'll just pull the boat in by the pylons and the spring line. The macarena guy starts insulting me by asking who my insurance carrier is. Then he starts asking my slip neighbors about their deductible. After we got the boat in the slip macarena man slips on a bow line, then walks away.
I didn't want to be the typical napolean syndrome short guy in front of my inlaws, so I just said thank you to macarena man instead of throwing him in.
Then the doctor who has a 30' boat two slips down does the exact same manuver as we did. But no one went into crisis mode doing the macarena. I just tossed him a line and pulled him in.
The only saving grace was that my in laws got to see that it could happen to anyone and it's nothing out of the ordinary.
I don't think they will be aboard again except for cocktails at the dock.
It was sandfest this weekend so I included a couple of pics on the beach. I love having a slip at Port Aransas.
I went out with my wife, her dad, step mom, and 2 twenty something sisters. The wind was straight in our face on the way out to the jetties, but a smooth motor ride. The step dad says "I think I would like a sailboat" to the mom.
I put my old jib on, my new one had a tear from the spreader. It turns out it is a 110. I measured the foot of each sail and they were the same. But the 110 has a very high clew. I should have made some other measurements, but it was a pleasant suprise.
I rolled it out about 80% but there were still some gusts that put the rail in the water. Inlaws were a little scared so I had them roll it up and I motored sailed the rest of the way in with just the main. I wanted to reef the main and roll out some headsail, but everyone got sick from helping roll up the jib. I tried to make it fun and let everyone participate. That turned out to be a bad idea. Everyone was fine in the chop and rolling waves until they were looking at something in the cockpit for a few minutes. Then I had a boat full of sick people. It would have been easier to sail by myself, but with the cockpit full of people, I thought it would be best for them to help. Turns out I was the only one having fun at the midpoint of the trip.
Motoring back into the marina, there was a guy standing at the end of a dock waving almost frantically. Then he started doing the macarena, actually it was some kind or boat sign language I guess. As we motor past him he starts running down the dock to meet us at our slip. Before we got there I instructed my father in law how to grab the spring line with the hook. I have done this dozens of times by myself and others on my boat. I guess he underestimated how much force the wind was putting on the boat and how hard he had to hold the line. The boat got blown back out of the slip and we stopped against the pylons. I said it's no big deal we'll just pull the boat in by the pylons and the spring line. The macarena guy starts insulting me by asking who my insurance carrier is. Then he starts asking my slip neighbors about their deductible. After we got the boat in the slip macarena man slips on a bow line, then walks away.
I didn't want to be the typical napolean syndrome short guy in front of my inlaws, so I just said thank you to macarena man instead of throwing him in.
Then the doctor who has a 30' boat two slips down does the exact same manuver as we did. But no one went into crisis mode doing the macarena. I just tossed him a line and pulled him in.
The only saving grace was that my in laws got to see that it could happen to anyone and it's nothing out of the ordinary.
I don't think they will be aboard again except for cocktails at the dock.
It was sandfest this weekend so I included a couple of pics on the beach. I love having a slip at Port Aransas.
