Planning to learn all I can

[Kings Gambit]

Well, before quarantine and hopefully after, one finds “local” courses open to the public, often held at the local yacht clubs, to learn certain “mechanical” boat skills, including diesel engine, and outboard engine, maintenance & repair. You can teach yourself rope splicing and knot tying. Just need to practice often. Of course, this forum is rich with contributors who know how to do all manner of boat tasks. Not kidding. Dig in when things get back to “normal” and you should be fine after a while.

 

[sololadysailer]

Thank you, this is a great time for reading the books suggested, as well as reading posts on here. So far, I like the look of the Catalina and found a few not too far from me. Just looking but getting ideas of course. Who knows how long we'll be unable to venture out, I have a feeling it's going to be for a while yet, but I can use this time to prepare. It's nice to know I"ve found a pleasant, helpful group of experts!

 

[rgranger]

The Catalina 25 is a nice boat and they have a very active following... and parts are still available. the Catalina 25 is a swing keel so ... they are nice for gunkholing

Gunkholing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

But the keel does need some attention every decade or so. If you fall in love with a swing keel (I have one) be sure to post here before you buy it and ask how to inspect the keel and all of the mechanics that go with it. There are a lot of us who have repaired and done maintenance on swing keels. You could really buy a lemon if you are not careful. The ballast is the keel so they are heavier to haul than the water ballast boats I mentioned but if you have an F250 it would be no problem.

Another nice thing about a swing keel is they sit lower on the trailer. That does add to stability when hauling.

Regarding stepping the mast... I saw something this summer that kind of blew my mind. A guy at my marina has a Cal 27... These are not trailer sailboats. He launches and puts into his slip with the mast laying on deck. The marina I am currently staying is mostly pontoon and party boats with about 12 sailboats total... so... no crane or other means of stepping the mast. All of the sailboats are tucked into the end of A-Dock. So the next weekend, one of his neighboring sailboats ties off to the end of the pier, he pulls up beside and cleats his boat to the first, then a third sailboat pulls up beside the second and cleats off... then the two boats on the outside, tie their halyards to his mast and using the winches on the two outside boats, they raise his mast, he goes about securing everything and .... viola! I wish I had filmed it. It would be very cool to post that here.

Now a trailer sailboat has a mast that is a lot lighter so.... What I'm saying is that it would not be hard to find a few people at a marina willing to give a hand....You could learn to do it by yourself with proper gear and people here can post schematics but two or three people can just swing the mast up and into place... probably only cost you a six pack ... and maybe a burger and fries...

 

[sololadysailer]

Hi Rg, I think I'll stay away from boats that require assistance launching. I tend to not like to ask for help. Of course, there will be times
when I will have to, but I prefer being as independent as possible.
I see how I need to get up to speed with "boat lingo" pretty quick! Many terms you used I have no idea, but rather than be a pest on here
with question after question, I'll google them. Of course, all the books I've ordered will no doubt cover them as well. At my age, sixty-four, I"m thinking again, to focus on my target boat, learn on that, and not have the need to trade up. It just might be a great time to find a deal with all that's going on.
What a strange expression, gunkholing. Actually, that is important to know, as i want to spend most of my time at anchor. It's very rocky here in New England, with many islands I want to explore, and especially low tide presents new risks with rocks. I can see how this all isn't difficult, it's just a lot to know to be safe. Thanks!

 

[rgranger]

Sorry about the lingo bombing...

Speaking of large tidal flows...
They actually make sailboats that are designed for large tidal flows... they are collectively known as twin keel sailboats.

You might have an entire new set of boats to research...

happy hunting....

 

[sololadysailer]

No, go for it. No time like the present to try to learn all this stuff- Rocks, ledges and lobster buoys are common hazards here in New England, i remember as a kid my father pointing out the markers. Low tide especially. I guess even though I'm clueless about sailing, I have a sense of what to watch out for out there. I remember one night coming home, a heavy fog rolled in. That was scary, but then that was back in the sixties, way before all the technology. I had to stand on the bow and "watch for rocks." Couldn't see a thing. I guess along with learning how to sail, I'll have to learn about all the fancy gizmos onboard!

 

[jssailem]

I'll have to learn about all the fancy gizmos onboard!

Or learn the skills of the Ancient Mariner.

• Listen to the surf.
• Plot a safe course and follow it. No Short cuts.
• Learn to use a compass and sail/cruise a straight line
• Know the currents and tides for the area you are cruising.
• Learn the sailors skills of navigation.
• Become familiar with a chart as if it was a map of your home.
• Remember... The fancy electronic gadgets sometimes fail. There is no magic computer reset button - everything is fixed.

Knowing these sailor skills makes playing with the electronic gadgets child's play.

 

[sololadysailer]

I am absolutely right there with you on those, Js. Do you know by chance if there are any books (not online, but hard copies) of charts? Maybe that's not the way to put it. Are there any charts I can buy that I can study that reference all those ledges, I guess topology of the underneath, the rocks, markers, all that? I suppose there must be those "old fashioned" charts still out there somewhere.
I agree, too much technology makes us too dependent on it if the power goes out, it breaks, someone could be helpless. There's so much more than just sailing that i can learn before I even get out there. I would like to be as familiar as possible on the eastern seaboard as I can. Once I get down to Marblehead, I'm in familiar territory, even though it's been years. And, I'm smart enough to know, (hopefully!) to plan each trip ahead of time. I can hardly wait...

 

[jssailem]

I recently joined this group up in your neck of the woods.

Watch Quality Sailing Videos & Learn How to Build a Wooden Boat from the Pros

Our 1000+ quality boat videos cover boat handling, boat repairs, boat maintenance, how to build a wooden boat, legendary boats, and more.

www.offcenterharbor.com

they posted a series of videos with an excellent teacher on “intro to navigation” charts. the lady really knows her stuff and has excellent communication skills.

Buy a chart or go online to NOAA and explore the free charts. I’ll see if I can find a link when I get to my computer. Later.

 

[DArcy]

This is probably the link @jssailem is talking about for NOAA

Chart Locator

www.charts.noaa.gov

You have to click on the Paper Charts (RNC & PDF) tab above the map window, zoom into the region you want to look at then click on a chart in the window. For instance, click on the 13276 chart for the detail chart of Marbelhead. Then click on the PDF button to the right to download the chart. If you click on Buy there is a list of places that will print it for you.
Or, you can go here

Navionics ChartViewer

webapp.navionics.com

Then just pan around until you find what you want. It even has a routing feature.

 

[sololadysailer]

Thank you both- You are all such a wealth of information.