Turning lemons into lemonade

[Cpt. Jon]

All I wanted to do was get out sailing on the new boat on Saturday. Since my first mate is about to have a baby, I had a friend that was going to go out with me. The tides were more than uncooperative as we had an extremely low tide and the timing wasn't good to get out in the afternoon. I spent the early parts of the day pressure washing the deck and the boat looks great now. I dove on the prop and shaft and clean a lot of Barnies off.

By the time the tide was coming in again to the point that I thought we could get out without a depth sounder it was probably around 6 or 7 pm. We grabbed a spotlight and headed out anyway. The boat raced out of the channel with the clean prop. We had a great sail, the halyards are not in great shape, I thought they were worse than "not in great shape" but they didn't fail so couldn't have been that bad. We sailed for several hours into the dark night with no moon, but we stayed where we were familiar and comfortable without needing any charts or GPS (though them on board - we were in easy mode). When we finally decided we should head in, I went to start the motor and low and behold the battery was so weak it could start the boat even with the decompression lever up and all. Yes, I only had one battery on board because took one of them from my old boat, turns out I took the bad one and won't have the money for a few of the boat things I need for at least another week.

A quick analysis of the situation and I said, let's not worry about the motor, we'll just sail in. We weren't in a rush and the mainsail alone was plenty. We had the perfect wind to carry us into the channels and the only part we would need to worry about is stopping. We got to our channel which was a dead downwind for us and decided 3 houses up from ours that it was a good time to drop the main so that we could slow down enough and still maintain steering. Well, we came in perfect, my buddy was able to grab the line on the outer most piling and we just let the wind swing us around. After it was successful, and yes we were lucky that the wind was what it was, I actually quite enjoyed the whole experience.

Good times,

Jon

 

[Ross]

All's well that ends well. But ........................................................!

 

[Tim R.]

Good work Jon. Now you know you can do it if you ever need to again. I know a lot of folks who will call Seatow before sailing up to their mooring. I never sailed to a slip but don't see a need to learn as I rarely use them.

 

[sailaway78]

Good practice

It's good to practice such a manuever, just in case. So, ya done good, and all is well that ends well. I once sailed up the canal to my house, turned a 180 and docked with out the engine being used, just for practice and to see if I could do it. Pretty easy if the wind is in the right direction. Another way to come in, is if downwind, do a 180 and backwind the sail.

 

[Paul356]

good for you. some of the best sailing memories i have are those times when things went "wrong."

 

[TimCup]

Sailing into a slip is the bomb!

I have 4 90 degree turns to get in my slip from the bay, and an outboard that ALWAYS seems to stall when coming in (just bought the rebuild kit Saturday, it's on my list...). The wife freaks out every time. Only once was the wind an issue, and I couldn't get in the slip. We were blown into the courtesy docks, so we threw out the fenders and when I started the motor, I backed past the slip, and let the wind push us back in! There's something about sailing into the slip that feels great... a sense of accomplishment.

We have a sense of added pressure, as there's a busy dockside restaurant right there, so it always feels like we're performing for a crowd.... I think they're worse than regular marina queens- at least the queens appreciate the difficulty!

cup

 

[Stu Jackson]

Good on ya

When we bought our boat, it was one of the very first things we practiced. We find using the jib is easier, because you can do two things with a jib that ya can't with just a (normal, rather than furling) main: let it out or furl it to slow or stop the boat. 'Specially going down or cross wind. Furl the main before ya get into tight spots and use the jib. Even with a hank on jib, you can loose the sheet or drop the jib. Other than that, sounds great!

 

[Dan]

the halyards are not in great shape, I thought they were worse than "not in great shape" but they didn't fail so couldn't have been that bad

Hate to be a wet blanket, but things certainly could have gone pear-shaped if the halyard snapped. I (try to) tend toward the safer end of the spectrum.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Hate to be a wet blanket, but things certainly could have gone pear-shaped if the halyard snapped. I (try to) tend toward the safer end of the spectrum.

Your right. I should clarify. My buddy said he didn't think there was any reason to be concerned about them. To me, they are old and in what I consider not very good condition, so I will replace them when the $$ is there again for piece of mind, especially when I am sailing with the wife and kids on this boat. The jib halyard would stretch when trying to straighten the headsail completely, so I just didn't over tension it and we had a great sail. Hopefully I can replace those soon and cross them off my long list of things to buy.

 

[Stu Jackson]

...especially when I am sailing with the wife and kids on this boat. The jib halyard would stretch when trying to straighten the headsail completely, so I just didn't over tension it and we had a great sail. Hopefully I can replace those soon and cross them off my long list of things to buy.

Have you considered that "the wife and kids" may feel YOU'RE somewhat important to them?

Take one at a time or a few at a time home and wash them - see if you can save some $$.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Have you considered that "the wife and kids" may feel YOU'RE somewhat important to them?

I sure hope so.

 

[Roger Long]

My sailing in with a dead engine story here:

http://www.rogerlongboats.com/Strider.htm#Last

It was a memorable experience as well but also could have ended badly.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Great story and well written, Roger

When our exhaust riser failed in 2003, I was singlehanded in the South Bay near the old NAS Alameda. "OK, just sail home," I said. The flood was just beginning, naturally right on my nose, and the wind was dying. For over an hour I tacked back and forth to find myself at the same two buoys and daybeacons as I'd been the last half hour! Finally a breeze picked up and I was able to edge closer and closer to the entrance to the estuary, and could take advantage of the building flood for a change. Sailed downwind for what seemed to be days, as it got darker and darker. Finally made it to our marina, the fairway between two marinas, our own fairway, and then our slip. Four hours for what is usually an hour or an hour and a half sail. Sure glad I'd practiced docking under sail.

But it's not only me. My good friend and sailing and skiing buddy, David, has spent years sailing with me. When we first started sailing together, we did all the safety drills and docking tricks. Eventually he gained enough confidence to take Aquavite out by himself, and did. Then, the next time out, I suggested he sail into the dock. He was leery at first, but I said, "This is the ONLY thing you haven't done, and you need to know how to do it." It was a gorgeous evening, that sun had just started to set, with lovely red under-colored clouds, and a very light breeze from just the right direction. We are very fortunate in that our slip is only halfway down a long fairway which is reasonably wide, and that the summer prevailing winds are from the west, our slip has the bow facing south. So the entrance to the marina is a beam reach heading south, then a turn to port to make it DDW and then a right turn into the slip back to a beam reach. We dropped the main before the first turn into the marina. David had been used to motoring in and worked his timing based on boat speed. This night, with no engine, he didn't have his usual "monitors" and began to become uneasy. "Just let her glide," I said, "and forget the old ways, work with what ya got right now." He relaxed right away and let it all flow nicely. Just before the final turn into the slip, we furled the jib, coasted into the slip, caught the midships spring line, and both of us simply started grinning, way wide ones! Then the moon came up. Beautiful evening.

 

[Napa Ed]

All's well that ends well. But ........................................................!

I could see the rest of the story as soon as I got to the part where you left for the dock at dusk.

You rushed the preparation, sailed in haste and survived. What do you want, a pat on the head?

proper planning prevents piss poor performance

 

[druid]

Boy, the number of times I've sailed into a dock...

The last time was when the engine failed on my Crown 28 in Nanaimo harbour. There was almost no wind, but I managed to ghost in to the Nanaimo Marina. One of the people on a boat I passed asked my how my day was going. I replied "I'm sailing into the dock. Either I'm an idiot or I'm having a really bad day, and I'm not an idiot"

Then there was the time we blew the main on the Catalina 36 in Haro Strait, then spent the night in a bay, only to find both batteries dead in the morning (long story...). We sailed to Friday Hbr on the one remaining sail...

I've also had times when I've been "forced" to sail because of engine failure, and realized it's much more fun to sail anyway!

Yes, going slow is the Key - I like dropping the main and sailing genny-only if I can because it's fast for me to reel it in when I'm ready to, since I'm usually single-handed.

druid

 

[Cpt. Jon]

I could see the rest of the story as soon as I got to the part where you left for the dock at dusk.

It seems appropriate to leave the dock at that time for a evening/night sail, there was no rushing to beat the sun, we were sailing until several hours after dark enjoying the warm breeze out of the south.

You rushed the preparation, sailed in haste and survived. What do you want, a pat on the head?

I had been preparing the boat since the morning, spent the whole day on or under the boat cleaning it up and had it ready for when it was floating clear. The only part that I can possibly interpret as rushed is when I said the boat "raced" out the channel, this was because it was the first time in the boat with a clean prop and shaft, hardly "sailing in haste".

What do you want, a pat on the head?

No thanks, just sharing the story, if you don't want to read it, you don't have to. I am fully aware of risks that I take when I go out. Neither I nor my friend felt in "danger", I was just a little disappointed as my last boat would have engine problems until I finally figured out where the air was getting into the fuel system and it always happened at the end of a great sail like this one. If I would have needed a tow I could have easily called my father or brother who both have motor boats close enough to give me a tow and if that wasn't an option there were still numerous option for us (Tow Boat US, drop anchor, etc)

proper planning prevents piss poor performance

Indeed, having a second battery on board would have been better planning, I was surprised that it died to be honest after just from a couple of hours of using the running lights when it had never failed me in the past, glad it did though, now I know.

Roger: good story to tell when it's in the past, glad it worked out!

Stu: I think practicing sailing in is sound advice, there are a couple of wind directions I don't think I would try to sail in because of the narrow channel. Just safer and easier to have someone pick me up in a motor boat while the sailboat is anchored on the other side of the sand bar, done that a few times with the last boat when I was getting air in the fuel line often enough. Channel can be seen on the image attached as the red line

 

[MoonSailer]

Sounds like fun. Some people spend too much time on "what ifs" you went sailing and had a good time. no problems. If you had problems then you could have would have dealt with them. Don't worry man...be happy!!! Sometimes you just do it!!! Back when I rode horses if I worried about everything that might happen running a horse through the fields and woods I would never have put on the saddle. Fortunately none of the horrible things happened. Just a good time.

 

[caguy]

No need to explain Capt Jon. I hesitated to post this for obvious reasons and, I’m not looking for a pat on the back. The reason I’m posting this is that we all learn from each other’s experiences, and as Ross put it I'm the kind of guy who learns best by peeing on electric fences. So here it goes...
I decided to go out sailing last Saturday, out of Marina Del Rey. The wind was blowing at about 13 knts. in the harbor. According to the weather report the swells would be 3 to 5 feet. By the time I got to the end of the channel the winds had kicked up to 15 to 20. The motor was running and since I was headed get into the wind, I raise the mainsail near the channel entrance. The main sail would not fully deploy. My first thought was that one of the slugs was twisted. I had been practicing reefing the weekend before with moderate winds. I thought possibly I had twisted one of the slugs that have to be removed in the process. They looked like they were OK, and that’s when I noticed that the reefing line had a hockel that had jammed into one of the eyes. I tried to pull it free but it was really jammed in there. All that I could do was to cut the line. In the meantime other large boats were coming in and crowding the entrance. The waves at the end of the jetty were combining to about 10’. I would have turned around then but then but there was no room to maneuver. I figured as long as I have the outboard running I can always motor down to the south entrance. I got past the boats coming in and a large waves. And figured if I could get to deeper water the waves would calm down and they did but not by much. That’s when it hit me, not an idea, but the backstay. It had come loose and entangled with the topping lift. I manage to get them untangled and didn’t want to leave the tiller long enough to go look for a clevis pin, so I tried it off to the side stanchion. As if anything else could go wrong, the motor started to chug at half speed. I had lost one of the cylinders. I tried to rev it up hoping the it would clear up but it died. I knew the wires had gotten wet from the relentless waves.
The lifeguard boat that had been posted at the entrance came out to check on me. I let them know that my motor had failed and they ask if I wanted a tow. For a second I was torn between “Pride goeth before the fall” and what I’d learned here on this forum, “It’s a sailboat, I don’t need no stinking motor”. While being tossed about I told them that I felt that if I could just get it reefed, things would be under control. I told them I would give them a call if I felt I needed their help and thanked them for their concern. I continue to head out hoping to put a little distance between me and the jetty. When I got out past the first marker buoy the wind continued to pick up. It was now blowing over 30. I lowered the main enough to hook the reefing grommet. I had a difficult time tying off the outhaul with no purchase. I finally managed to pull the line a taught enough by wrapping it through the eye and pulling sideways on the line. Its amazing how much tension is on the line even when hoved-to. I was just able to reach the reef hook that had come undone while messing with the outhaul. The 8’ waves were coming in sets of two with an 8 second interval. Things would settle down to 5 ft waves for about 40 seconds. That gave me enough time to lay on the cabin top and reach the hook. By the time I could pull the main halyard the main came unhooked again. This time I did not hesitate to set the main. The boat really settled down after that. I turned the boat around and was headed downwind on a broad reach. The apparent wind settled down as well. I was still concerned about the swells at the south entrance. I have seen them at low tide start to crest at the end of the jetty. Thank goodness that it was not a low tide. Still nervous about coming in on a large-for-me trailing swell I rounded the jetty uneventfully. Once inside the breakwater all was well. My only concern now was docking in 30 kt winds without a motor heading dead down wind. Getting to the docks was not going to be a problem, landing in the parking lot was a concern. I knew that I had two choices, I could either come in and hang a U turn with the main up so that if I needed it, it would be ready should I miss the dock. I was used to docking my old Hobie but never in this kind of wind. That would mean having to jump off the boat and tie it off before the wind carried it back. I could come in on just the jib which is what I usually do , again not under these conditions. I chickened out and opted to come in under the jib. I figured that the worst that could happen is that the boat would run aground at the ramp, I could jump out tie the boat off and then raise the keel. I decided to try the motor while the boat ducked behind some condominiums. What a great sound that is when the motor starts on the first pull. I ditched the sails and headed in. I put the motor in neutral about 30 yds from the dock and the boat did no slow down. I dropped it into reverse and reved the motor like never before and the boat eventually stopped. I actually turned out to be a perfect landing, celebrated with a Malibu Rum and Coke.
What have I learned from this?
I already replaced the push-ball pin with a regular clevis pin on the backstay.
I will covered the ignition wires with dielectric grease. Hopefully that will keep them dry.
I learned the value of single line reefing which I will set up this weekend. Trying to handle a flailing sail and a bouncing boom on the lee side of the boat in rough seas is for the birds.
I learned just how humbling rough seas can be. But I also put into practice what I learned from here and kept my head and did not panic.
I also learned a new appreciation for just how great a boat the Mac 25 is. I can leave the tiller take care of business no matter how much it rock and rolls it will always right itself.
I also learned that I don’t need no stinkin’ motor, but they are sure nice to have.
I also plan on coming in each time under sail even if the motor is running just for practice.
FLAME AWAY, I’M ALIVE AND I DON’T GIVE A F**K. :dance:
Oh yeah, reef sooner.

 

[Cpt. Jon]

Well, as CPT Ron says "If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"

The fact of the matter is that things usually don't identify themselves as weakness's while the boat is sitting in a slip. Sounds like quite an adventure caguy, glad it worked out for you in the end. Sounds like you were getting tossed around a bit out there. Keeping your head is very valuable in a stressful situation.

 

[caguy]

Thanks Captn, the boat got tested for sure. I too love going out at night but the dark always adds a measure of uncertainty. Even with a full moon it is difficult to see object in the water. In our harbor the buoys are painted white and red but still difficult to see. I wish they would put reflective tape on them.