A Captain's Sailing Blog

Pretty

Sun, 10 May 2009 00:29:35 GMT

I stumbled across this boat...she is now my precious...if only I were to find her two years from now...::sigh::

I really love the look of a cutter rigged ketch*. :)

*a cutter rig has two head sails (a gib and a staysail) and a ketch has two masts (each with a sail) the Main and the shorter Mizzen farther aft. Both rigs reduce the area of any given sail making, thus making it easier to manipulate.

oh yeah, she also has a mermaid under the bowsprit :)

Post from a forum...

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 02:08:26 GMT

posted by OldSalt_1942

The Importance of Going Cruising NOW!

I can't stress strongly enough that if you have the dream and desire to go cruising, do it NOW!!! As Lew Hackler says in Sensible Cruising:
"To postpone cruising indefinitely in order to earn enough money to purchase just the right boat is to risk missing them altogether."

"We have no guarantee of tomorrow. If you dream of cruising, start today. Take the small cruiser you have now and go cruising. Buy the small cruiser you can afford now and go cruising.
No wealth can buy the requisite leisure, freedom, and independence which are the capital in his profession.
The perfect boat is not the one you dream about. It is the boat that takes you cruising."

"Calculate the cost of the cruise you have in mind - sensibly- then dedicate yourself to earning and saving. When the bank account hits the magic number, do not delay another day. Load the boat and go.
There is no glory so bright but the veil of business can hide it effectually. With most men life is postponed to some trivial business..."

Thank the Lord I followed that advice for years. This last Monday morning, just after 2 a.m. I was rudely awakened by crushing chest pains and in a cold sweat. Fortunately I live only six blocks from one of the major hospitals here in Broward County, FL and my roommate drove me to the emergency room (I got there a lot faster than if I'd called 911 because I was being treated before an ambulance would have arrived!).

In less than an hour I was having a coronary catheterization done and the implantation of three stents. Thanks to modern medicine I feel fine and was released on Wednesday afternoon.

I'm sure I'll be out on the water again, but we never, ever know what's going to happen to us. If I hadn't gone when I had the chance I would have missed out on three years in the Med, the beauty of the entire reef line of Belize, the mouth-dropping grandeur of the Rio Dulce gorge, seeing a moonbow while sailing across the Atlantic, the Great Circle tour of the US...all once dreams, now accomplished.

If you have a dream...live it now!

Blogs...

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:01:08 GMT

I stumbled across this blog today. I'm sure there are many others out there, does anyone know of some particularly good ones i should check out?

Sitting here at 2:00am holding the little one, it seems ages since i last was on the water.

Monday Sailing

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:33:54 GMT

Sailing monday was great!

The wind was AMAZING! The bay was quite choppy and we had to make a quick run back to port at one point for some dramamine, but a good day all around. Monday was also the first time that the power of the wind on the sails frightened me. I had never felt that much power through the boat and I was concerned with how much to do. Canela really liked the heavier winds this time. She flew through the water on reach and run. Close hauled was a bit bumpy, but DAMN! was it FUN!!

Notes to self: (1)when walking the boat out be ready for a gust of wind, or you might be left waving as your friends sail away with out you (2) keep dramamine with sailing supplies (3) more sunscreen is needed (4) more water is needed (5) it is much more difficult to raise and lower the sails in heavier winds.

Notes on Canela: (1) The motor can turn 360 degrees, but other than reversing it should be tightened down and held amidships (2) the jury rigged outhaul should have gone through the single block and been pulled tighter. (3) she has more sails now than last time I took her out, the storm jib and main were fine with the high winds, but next time we might want the genoa...are sails labeled in any standard way? (4) the jib sheets should have been run inside the shrouds, not outside (I was right the way I did it first, but after messing with the halyards for some reaons, I reran them outside the shrouds...close hauled was loud and luffy.

Sailing Tomorrow

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:27:40 GMT

Oh you brave souls who will be taking to the seas (or uhm..bay) with me tomorrow here are the details:

Meet At my house about 9:00am.
We have the boat officially from 10-2 which means we need to be there about 9:45 to fill out paper work. When I spoke to them yesterday, no one else had chartered the boat for later in the day, so we should have access to the boat as long as you guys want. Which I think will mostly depend on the wind (low wind+shiny water=VERY HOT bay).

I haven't looked at the temp for tomorrow yet, but I would plan on at least two bottles of water and one of gatorade each. Lunch we can pick up at target on the way (deli sandwiches or other foods good "cold".

With no one having chartered the boat after us, I will take some time before we leave the dock to show where things are and what they do. :)

Any questions, comment here, email, or call. (which reminds me, the entire bay has cell phone access, so I would recommend bringing yours and stowing it below decks)

:)

Next Sailing Adventure

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:41:34 GMT

My next sailing adventure is set for July 7th and will again be on Canela (Erickson 23). Crewing with me will Jnasser and Kommie whom I hope both find this post and read through some of the info below the cut.

Here is a pic of Canela (looking a bit better than she does now)

Ok Guys,

Use the above diagram to familiarize yourself with the following terms:
Sheet: A line (A rope on a boat is only a rope until it has a job, then it is a line) used to control a sail.
Main Sheet: SIngular. The line used to control the MainSail.
Jib Sheets: Plural. The lines (one on each side of the mast) used to control the Jib (ForeSail). Only one is used at a time and when the boat turns (tack or gybe) you may need to switch which sheet is used.
Jib: The sail in front of the mast. Attached to the Forestay, also called a ForeSail.
Main Sail: As it sounds; the main sail from which propels the boat through the water.
Stays: Also called the standing rigging. These are wire ropes (cables) that hold the mast in place. There are four on our boat: The Forestay (on the line diagram the forestay is also the leach (front edge) of the Jib. The Backstay runs from the top of the mast to the stern of the boat. Sidestays (not pictured on the diagram) Also called shrouds; run from the top of the mast to the middle of each the port and starboard sides of the boat.
Masthead Fly:This friendly arrow points towards the wind.
Outhaul Adjusts the tension along the bottom of the main sail to keep good sail shape.
Halyards: Also not pictured, are the lines used to raise and lower the sails. Each sail has its own Halyard.

This is not by any means exhaustive, but will give you enough to have some idea what is what when i start pointing at things while on the water. :) If any of the more experienced folks want to comment on my definitions, or explain things more clearly, please jump right in!!

Another adventure survived :)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:51:21 GMT

Woo-hoo! I have internet for at least a bit so here is my sailing report:

On Tuesday, I took the wyvern, her brother, father, and grandmother out on the Hunter 28. I had considerable trouble with the engine (getting it into gear, out of gear and back into gear) while both leaving and returning to the dock.

Sailing, however, was great. We had light winds, but that just gave me an opportunity to instruct the novices in the crew (wyvern and her brother) about the different roles and what they were. Wyvern's father, of course, knew what he was doing, and her grandmother at a sprightly 91 was just along for the ride. We spent a good bit of the day picking a point of sail and maintaining it. Not as easy as it might sound in light and constantly shifting airs, though most seemed to enjoy the challenge. I particularly enjoyed the 15 minutes that I steered us as close to the wind as I could while wyvern's father and brother pulled the sails in tight.

I spent alot of time standing near the traveller so I could instruct both helmsman and jib trimmers while working the main. Wyvern learned alot of boat trivia and terms and even managed to teach me a new one. Everyone needs to ask wyvern about the "Corpse of the Ship."

As for the boat, she seemed to sail well at most points except for running straight downwind. Whether that was crew, wind or boat I'm not entirely sure. The large settee down below would be great for day trips, but probably not the best set up for cruising. I'm not sure what I think of the short quarter berth that wrapped around under the cockpit. It might be a great place for a young child to claim as their spot on the boat...or it may just be wasted stowage space.

Woo-Hoo!

Sun, 18 May 2008 23:05:26 GMT

I now have basic costal cruising certification! 97% on the written 100% on the practical. Woot!

The boat we were on today was an Ericson 28. I liked the roomy space below deck, though the diesel was awefully hard to get at. If I had to right now I could probably get any of the boats I've been on out to the bay and back to the marina in one piece. Most of it I could do by myself.

My knots were pretty good, I need to improve my speed at cleat hitches. There was alot of tacking today and not too much jibing. We also did figure 8 man overboard drills and I did fairly well at all of those. Figure 8s are definitely easier with a wheel than a tiller.

Ok, I'm tired now. I will try to updated this journal more frequently.

:)

oh yeah, next sailing adventure should be next month, hopefully on a Hunter 28.

Tony

Clearing out the dust

Sun, 18 May 2008 13:04:35 GMT

Well..

I guess I need to dust off this journal. I haven't been on the water since september, but I have been practicing my knots and reading as much as I can squeeze in. Yesterday and today I am taking the ASA 103 Basic Costal Cruising course. Thoughts so far:

Wheel is so much easier than tiller...though now I find my self instinctively moving the wrong way when trying to react to the wind.

My knots are much much better than they were a year ago. :)

I have forgotten many of the coast guard requirements for small vessels :(

Ok, I'm off to class, I should be home by about 6 PM tonight. I will try to write more then.

:)

Sailing!!!

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:41:05 GMT

Sailing yesterday was fantastic. Much fun. :)

I arrived early, so I stopped at target for gatorade (I had forgotten my water) and then on to Jackin TheBox for breakfast. Sat around and munched breakfast with John and Lucy (the owners) while people showed up. My instructor yesterday was Cap'n Al and was quite different from the previous teacher I had had. I like getting different opinions, so all was good :). Once all of the days students arrived (3 classes counting mine), I realised I was the youngest there by AT LEAST a decade...kind of an odd feeling. When 9:00 finally rolled around my class (me and a lady named Jennifer) headed down to the dock with Capn Al to find Canela.

My only two previous sailing experiences had been on On Belay (colgate 26); Canela is an Ericson 23. The differences, though subtle, were enough to confuse me and my partner as the instructor tried to get us to figure everything out on our own (as much as possible). It took us about 45 minutes to get her rigged, and then 10 minutes to get the little outboard started. Then we motored out into the bay, raised sail and left the channel. We spent about an hour tacking, an hour jibing, and then after heaving to a couple of times, half an hour or so on figure 8 rescue drills. At that point we were already late returning so we fired up the motor and headed home. Capn Al took the tiller while Jennifer and I lowered the Jib and Mainsail and prepared the boat for docking (we forgot to put out the fenders...oops).

All in all a good day.

Things that need improvement:
pushing the tiller in the oposite direction I need to go (better most of the time)
tieing a bowline to something. ie rigging a jib sheet

Things that were better:
awareness of the wind
feel of different points of sail (not great, but much better than it was)

FINALLY!!!!!

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:33:55 GMT

Ok,

so I haven't posted here in a long time. mainly becuase I haven't had any good water time or even on land sailing practice time. but I will be going out for about 4 hours on saturday morning. I need to call tomorrow afternoon to confirm my time and boat (should be the colgate 26 again).

But now I'm nervous...It has been over a month since I last was on a boat and I'm afriad of what I may have forgotten. I really wish I could call in sick tomorrow and just read sailing manuals all day, but that is not in the cards.

I hope this post makes sense, my brain in is currently in the stunned gelatinous state that results after trying to match 276 names with faces. I will probably post saturday when I get home. :)

Ugh...Knots

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:07:11 GMT

Ok,

So since I wasn't able to sail thismorning I thought I would work on my knots this evening. I found this site that makes everything look easy: http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Knots_gallery.htm . Unfortunatley, after about 45 minutes of staring at the little animated pictures I can't tie ANY of my knots now. so instead of helping, I managed to completely confue the $#!& out of myself. Ugh, maybe if I take a break and come back to it in half an hour it will make more sense.

Certifiably Sailorable

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:23:37 GMT

Woo-Hoo! I passed! I got a 100% on the practical part (actual sailing: Tacking, Jibing,Trimming on all points of sail, skippering on all points of sail, figure 8 man over board drill, and knots...not sure how the heck I passed the knots, but i did...definately an area to work on) and a 93 on the written part (130 questions, missed 8...3 of which were really dumb mistakes on my part). Soon I will get a little ASA sticker to go in my cute little log book.

The day started pretty slow. We motored out of the marina, past the Kemah board walk, and into the channel out to the deserted bay (red: left, leaving). Wind was from the north 0-5 knots..and lessened as the day went on. Around 11:00 we went through the motions of "Heaving To" so we could eat lunch. After lunch we were supposed to practice our figure 8 drills, but the wind had abandoned us. So instead our instructor taught us how to do a Williamson Turn using the outboard motor and inboard compass (i only clarify the compass was inboard because I hastily typed "Out board Compass" on my first pass). I got mine right the first time, the other two guys needed two or three tries. Apparently I have little trouble relying on the compass, while they didn't trust it to do it's job.

After an hour or so we caught a tiny bit of wind from the south and practiced running and reaching (yesterday was 90% close hauled and close reach) until the wind picked up enough to do the man overboard drills. Rudy did it perfect his first time, Sean needed two attmepts, and I needed two attempts. I raised the main sheet instead of depowering it as we came in for our final approach (we had to control the tiller and mainsheet by ourselves...the only time we did that during the course) and while we did rescue "Oscar" the buoy on my first attempt, had he been a person, there is no way we could have gotten him on board as we cruised past at 4 knots. After rescuing Oscar we each had a chance to Heave To as we switched helmsmen. My heave to was ugly but eventually effective. I did get to spend a good bit of time triming both the mainsail and the jib today so that was good.

Things to work on: KNOTS!, piloting, general environmental awareness (wind direction, point of sail, size of waves, proximity to other vessels)

I did it!!!

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:29:45 GMT

Wow.

I really want to sell the house and buy a boat.

Damn that was fun and wow am I tired. Sailing conditions were, IMHO, very nice for a first little cruise: 106 degrees and light winds at the marina as we left. On the water it felt like a cool 90-95.

Oddly enough I think I liked working the jib sheet more than manning the tiller.

I am exhausted and need to sleep. I can't wait to go back and get on the water first thing tomorrow morning. I may post more later tonight once I am more coherent.

yep. I'm hooked.

One hour

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 12:48:06 GMT

In almost exactly one hour I will begin sailing lessons! YAY!! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

Knot Pictures!

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 19:54:35 GMT

Here are my knot Pictures

The figure 8 stoppe rknot is used in ASA classes at the end of a line to stop it from feeding through things like cam cleats and blocks.

Used to attach the jib halyard.

Close up of the knot. Included here because it is the only picture of the knots I was actually happy with :)

In OKC

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:59:09 GMT

On the Long ride up from OKC I practiced alot on the Bowline and Figure-8 konts. I will post pictures at some point in the future. Also, this morning during some down time I set up the layout for this journal.

:)

[Edit: Finally got Lat/Lon to work! It was (of course) a case of formatting]

Pre Lesson Work

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:12:31 GMT

On the recent trip to Colorado I managed to read most of the required reading for my first sailing lesson (July 11th...I can't wait!!!) and learned how to tie my first two knots. I can now with some consistancy tie a Bowline knot and figure 8 stopper knot (also worked a little on the figure 8 loop). My next knot to learn is the two and a half hitch.

So far I have gotten between 90% and 100% of the questions at the end of each chapter correct, but I've only answered the questions immediately after completing the reading. Tomorrow I leave for Oklahoma for my sister's wedding and I hope to get some good studying in while I am gone.

Hello World

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:02:04 GMT

Hi All,

I am assuming that many of you who are reading this know me already. This blog will be kept completely public and is intended to be a place for me to post info about sailing classes i'm taking, thoughts about boats, and general ramblings about the sea. I am interested in hearing from sailors (and soon to be sailors like my self) who would like to "talk shop."

:)

Happy Sailing!
Tony