So what's your process to launch your boat?
- Thread starter Slartibartfass
- Start date
A little off subject, but since this will be your first season with the boat.
Be real careful if you take your wife/girlfriend out for a sail unless you are sure the winds will be light, or that you really know how to sail the boat should the wind pipe up. Best way to learn how to really sail, is to race. If you get caught in a condition that you are marginally qualified for, they will see it in your eyes and never go out with your again. A few years back a new member brought up their boat which they recently purchased. The boat name. "She Hates it" Boat has since been renamed
Are you planning on leaving your boat at a dock or on a mooring? Make sure every fitting that is supposed to be safety wired -- is safety wired. Make sure you have sufficient, gas and your motor is reliable.
A simple saying we teach at our Adult Sailing Course is -- "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.". Weather it is picking up a mooring, coming into a dock, raising a sail. Have your plan already in place. Do not "wing it". All lines should be ready. Tell you crew in advance of your plan / maneuver.
Yes, life jackets and throw cushions should be readily available. Sailing single handed, put that jacket on.
VHF do not leave shore without it.
Hershey
Be real careful if you take your wife/girlfriend out for a sail unless you are sure the winds will be light, or that you really know how to sail the boat should the wind pipe up. Best way to learn how to really sail, is to race. If you get caught in a condition that you are marginally qualified for, they will see it in your eyes and never go out with your again. A few years back a new member brought up their boat which they recently purchased. The boat name. "She Hates it" Boat has since been renamed
Are you planning on leaving your boat at a dock or on a mooring? Make sure every fitting that is supposed to be safety wired -- is safety wired. Make sure you have sufficient, gas and your motor is reliable.
A simple saying we teach at our Adult Sailing Course is -- "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.". Weather it is picking up a mooring, coming into a dock, raising a sail. Have your plan already in place. Do not "wing it". All lines should be ready. Tell you crew in advance of your plan / maneuver.
Yes, life jackets and throw cushions should be readily available. Sailing single handed, put that jacket on.
VHF do not leave shore without it.
Hershey
Thx for the advice. In fact I was planning on hiring my sailing instructor a few times to take the boat out before I bring the Admiral and crew on board. Never used a furler on the boat I trained (Sonar). Same for Spinnaker (plan on using the ATN sock and furler hank on mechanism instead of the spinnaker pole included in the racing package with the boat).
Even got a Trisail and gale sail (goes over the furler) which I need to practice.
Also need to practice anchoring.....
I hope I get a docking space so I can do stuff myself more easily. Otherwise the boat will sit at a mooring....
I switched to an electric outboard (Torqueedo) and have a back-up battery as well as a solar panel to recharge....
Exciting stuff.
If anyone sees a Capri 22 on Long Island Sound with the sail number 1139 that's me.....
Even got a Trisail and gale sail (goes over the furler) which I need to practice.
Also need to practice anchoring.....
I hope I get a docking space so I can do stuff myself more easily. Otherwise the boat will sit at a mooring....
I switched to an electric outboard (Torqueedo) and have a back-up battery as well as a solar panel to recharge....
Exciting stuff.
If anyone sees a Capri 22 on Long Island Sound with the sail number 1139 that's me.....
Unlike last year, I plan to have Ophelia in the water before Memorial Day weekend. Last year even after making sure everything was "right", a cold spring delayed her seasonal launch. My friend and I planned on being at the launch ramp closer to noon, but didn't get her launched until just before the time for our "Moon Chase" pursuit start.
The tide was still going out when she hit a shoal less than 50 feet from the launch ramp. The water was still cold and quite mucky so I didn't really want to hop in waist high to push her off until the tide went out too much. Next time I will be more willing to get wet sooner especially since I did have a complete change of clothes on board...
Stuff happens no matter what you plan but you are better off to plan for most things. Hershey's advice is good. Safety wire all pins. Quick-pins come out easily when you least expect them to.
When I am with my wife, her anxiety can be contagious is I have any subtle self doubts. Gaining your own confidence in your boat before taking others is a very good idea. That confidence is perceived by your passengers. Practice and repeat the practices in lighter, then repeat in heavier air. A well maintained boat is more capable than the majority of people sailing them. That knowledge is good to internalize.
The best place to practice your skills is in the local races. Only a few are hard-core competitive types. Most people enjoy the friendly competition with another boat that seems to sail as "fast" as they do. The racing challenges people to do the best they can to get their boat around a course without resorting to starting the auxiliary motor. At the end of our first Beer Can racing season we noticed that we could sail faster than many of the larger sailboats operating in the daysailing mode. We definitely had learned and honed those fundamentals.
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I try to pre-optimize any rigging while in my driveway. The driveway has a flat area protected from most winds so I can raise each of the sails as needed. If I do it right, I should be able to launch with a minimal amount of "ramp prep time" — should!
Now this year, I intend to have my "Ophelia" pre-setup on her trailer before her seasonal launch. I can set her level on the trailer close to her trim (very close to the boot stripe indicator) while I pre-set the mast tuning. This year I am adding an asymmetrical spinnaker with a Selden GX-7.5 furler. I still need to make the final positioning for the bowsprit. It will stick out about 2 feet but I am not obsessed with any PHRF ratings. This year I am anxious to sail with a spinnaker that I can control from the cockpit.
Once I get to the ramp, I use my whisker pole with a bridle as a gin-pole and mainsheet block for the mechanical advantage to get the mast up safely. I practice this in the driveway several times while adjusting the rigging. Once at the ramp, everything is there to make the raising go fast. If I don't preset everything, the ramp time goes from 30 minutes to hours. My wife brings a book and I secretly enjoy the rigging time.
And yes I also use a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 and use only a 115 watt solar panel array to charge the batteries while on a mooring.
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It's getting closer to April when the chance for a snowstorm is very low. It won't be much longer until I can start raising the mast in the driveway...
The tide was still going out when she hit a shoal less than 50 feet from the launch ramp. The water was still cold and quite mucky so I didn't really want to hop in waist high to push her off until the tide went out too much. Next time I will be more willing to get wet sooner especially since I did have a complete change of clothes on board...
Stuff happens no matter what you plan but you are better off to plan for most things. Hershey's advice is good. Safety wire all pins. Quick-pins come out easily when you least expect them to.
When I am with my wife, her anxiety can be contagious is I have any subtle self doubts. Gaining your own confidence in your boat before taking others is a very good idea. That confidence is perceived by your passengers. Practice and repeat the practices in lighter, then repeat in heavier air. A well maintained boat is more capable than the majority of people sailing them. That knowledge is good to internalize.
The best place to practice your skills is in the local races. Only a few are hard-core competitive types. Most people enjoy the friendly competition with another boat that seems to sail as "fast" as they do. The racing challenges people to do the best they can to get their boat around a course without resorting to starting the auxiliary motor. At the end of our first Beer Can racing season we noticed that we could sail faster than many of the larger sailboats operating in the daysailing mode. We definitely had learned and honed those fundamentals.
--
I try to pre-optimize any rigging while in my driveway. The driveway has a flat area protected from most winds so I can raise each of the sails as needed. If I do it right, I should be able to launch with a minimal amount of "ramp prep time" — should!
Now this year, I intend to have my "Ophelia" pre-setup on her trailer before her seasonal launch. I can set her level on the trailer close to her trim (very close to the boot stripe indicator) while I pre-set the mast tuning. This year I am adding an asymmetrical spinnaker with a Selden GX-7.5 furler. I still need to make the final positioning for the bowsprit. It will stick out about 2 feet but I am not obsessed with any PHRF ratings. This year I am anxious to sail with a spinnaker that I can control from the cockpit.
Once I get to the ramp, I use my whisker pole with a bridle as a gin-pole and mainsheet block for the mechanical advantage to get the mast up safely. I practice this in the driveway several times while adjusting the rigging. Once at the ramp, everything is there to make the raising go fast. If I don't preset everything, the ramp time goes from 30 minutes to hours. My wife brings a book and I secretly enjoy the rigging time.
And yes I also use a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 and use only a 115 watt solar panel array to charge the batteries while on a mooring.
---
It's getting closer to April when the chance for a snowstorm is very low. It won't be much longer until I can start raising the mast in the driveway...