Stupid or is it just me?

Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
I saw this at the marina yesterday, it was blowing about 15-17 kts at the time. Is this a stupid thing to do or is it just me?

He put the headsail on yesterday too.
 

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weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
Um, you weren't supposed to see that.

Catalina was testing their new Land Yacht 310. What you saw was an experimental prototype. I've heard rumors that they are planning to market it to the public in 2018. It is being funded by the Obama administration's green energy initiative with the final goal of replacing all fossil fuel vehicles with wind driven ones.
 
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Feb 26, 2004
23,348
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
It would make a hilarious video if it started a domino effect.
It wouldn't be funny to the people whose boats were damaged.

ITWMB, I'd have gone over and casually mentioned the potential for harm to his neighbors. That skipper was clueless.
 
May 31, 2014
24
Macgregor 25 Livingston
Yikes! I've had my Coronado 23 heel over on it's trailer-trailer and all. Let the sheets go before it got away though. This could have been bad.
 

capejt

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May 17, 2004
276
Hunter 33_77-83 New London, CT
Maybe it's on a cradle, and maybe the cradle has wheels. Land sailing at it's best!
 
Feb 6, 2013
437
Hunter 31 Deale, MD
My marina, probably other too, has a no canvas on the hard policy. I haven't been doing this long enough to say whether it's stupid, but I've doing this long enough to know better.
 
Jan 14, 2014
225
Newport Newport 28 Fair Haven, NY
I could see if he was trying to check something, perhaps, but it sure shouldn't have been up that long, and it doesn't look like it's even let out much to spill wind off regardless. And in such proximity of others, it's just foolish, regardless of reason. If he wants to risk his own property and safety, sure, but leave the rest of us in the clear.
 
May 6, 2012
303
Hunter 28.5 Jordan, ON
A knot or two from 0°, quick up and down with the sheet eased, no problem. Anything over 5 knots from any direction seems stupid, given the chance of a wind shift taking things into the rhubarb faster than you can react.
 
Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Keep the sheet free, you'll be fine, technically.

Technically.
 

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,319
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
Keep the sheet free, you'll be fine, technically.

Technically.
I agree, he could be washing his sail and letting it dry... as long as he doesn't cleat the sheet and the wind stays forward he's okay.
 
Sep 25, 2008
1,096
CS 30 Toronto
Ask for proof of insurance

Should go to the yard and ask if he has insurance coverage. And make sure you have replacement coverage just in case he "domino" over.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
If that is allowable under the yard storage agreement, you should find a new yard. Ask your insurance broker what he thinks.
 
Nov 18, 2010
2,441
Catalina 310 Hingham, MA
Just to add a few details. I am already in the water so I wasn't anywhere near this. It is against yard policy to put on canvas while on the hard. He is in jackstands on dirt while he was doing this. The wind was at about 25 degrees off of his bow. And this about the 8th boat I have seen put on sails this year while on the hard.

As I mentioned, he also put on his headsail and it was furled nice and tight. So I don't know how you would do that without putting some pressure on the sheets.

I have read Maine Sail's opinion on storing your boat with the mast up and do agree with him about the amount of windage created and the hazard (although I do store my boat with the mast up because it's cheaper; not an issue now that we are full-time liveaboards). So to see this so many times this year it was a shock to me. One time it was next to a friends boat and got me really angry that someone could be so inconsiderate to others. Sure, he has insurance and that would pay to repair the other boats if something happened. But if your boat got knocked over in May due to someone else's negligence, you will miss a large portion of that season if not the whole thing.

It just seems like a really dumb, inconsiderate thing to do and I was curious what others would say.
 
Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
Just because it's against policy or an unadvised thing to do doesn't mean people won't do it.

I have a guy in the water next dock over from me who shredded his jib this past weekend. When I got there first thing Saturday, I noted the furling headsail was 1/2 way down the furler, and the top was flapping. It looked as if someone had gathered the bottom half and kinda tied it around the pulpit. I went to the marina manager and said "Have you called that guy in H-37?" and the marina guy acted like it wasn't his job. I told him it was going to get shredded, but because he's a state employee bureaucrat, he still didn't care. Sure enough, during the 20-25 knot gusts later that day, the jib did indeed rip. And was still flapping on Sunday evening when I left.

Sigh. Just because you have a boat doesn't mean you're going to take care of it.
 
Jun 8, 2004
350
Macgregor 21 Clinton, NJ
I actually did something similar last week with similar wind speeds - BUT sheets were uncleated, direction was dead on, and main was up only long enough to insure all slugs went into the groove properly and identify points for reefing lines before dropping and covering.:D
 
May 24, 2004
7,213
CC 30 South Florida
It don't look like 15 knots; the boat is hardly heeling. I agree with others that as long as he does not cleat the sheet he has the ability to spill any gust of air.
 
Jun 8, 2004
853
Pearson 26W Marblehead
Time for my 2c

I dunno guys
I thought this was a sailing site, not standup comedy Anyone who raises a sail on the hard
in close proximity of other boats breeze up or not has problems! enuf said