Self-rescuing

[Guest]

I've never capsized, but what if? How do you make an older Day Sailer self rescuing? I've seen inflatable bags on the cuddy storage shelves. Is that enough added floatation?

Tom Andrews (tandrews-at-axsnet.com)

[Guest]

I don't mean to split hairs but you will never make a DS I 'self-rescuing' unless you fill the cockpit with foam flotation to the top of the seats (build new seats on top of that to sit on) and cut two 4" diameter holes in the transom. That way any water that gets in the boat will flow back to the transom and out the holes. Sounds sort of like the design of the DS II cockpit.

But not being self-rescuing is no problem. If you manage to fill the cockpit completely with water the boat will still float. But you will really have to try hard to do that. I have yet to get so much water in the boat that I can't bail it out and continue on. The key is to remember that discretion is the better part of valor. (Shorten sail or heave-to before you get wiped out if on the water, don't go out if you have doubts about your ability to stay upright if not on the water)

Flotation bags under the cockpit side descks or in the trays helps if you want to do it. But you lose the storage space.



Keith Bay (kabay-at-execpc.com)

[Guest]

Keith mentions shortening sail in high wind. My DS I sail has no ties for reefing. Is there any other way to shorten the sail? I am kind of new at this.

Steve Max (75264.153-at-compuserve.com)

[Guest]

The only practical way to shorten sail is to reef. Barring that, the idea is in high winds is to trim the sail to leeward, away from the center of the boat, and try to twist off the top of the sail to depower. If you're new to this, these terms may be confusing, but in effect what you are doing is a controlled luff. Any further questions don't hesitate to ask.

Tom Dignam (tdignam-at-awod.com)

[Guest]

Tom,

What do you mean by "twist off the top of the sail"? please go through the steps.

Thanks,

Steve

Steve Max (75264.153-at-compuserve.com)

[Guest]

I have an old copy of the daysailer manual (early 60s I believe). The manual makes the point that the sail can be reefed by removing the block in the middle of the boom and rolling the sail around the boom. The mainsheet then has to be rigged directly to the end of the boom.

Never tried it myself. It sounds like it would work, but I'm not sure I like the method. Luckily I've never been in a serious enough wind that I couldn't dump air to keep control. I suppose that's the "twist off" method.

J.T.Ellis (jtellis-at-slc.twc.com)

[Guest]

The problem with rolling the sail around the boom, besides having to disassemble the mainsheet, is that there is no effective outhaul to keep the sail flat. But in a pinch that is good solution if you deeply shorten sail to eliminate pressure from creating a very full sail and defeating the reefs purpose.

Roller reefing was very common untill jiffy reefing which allows for an more efficient outhaul at each reef cringle.

Tom Dignam (tdignam-at-awod.com)

[Guest]

Steve wrote: <EM>What do you mean by "twist off the top of the sail"? Please go through the steps.</EM>

Hi Steve,

Hope you don't mind if I jump in.

One of the factors affecting the power of the mainsail is the shape of the leech (the trailing edge of the sail). To reduce the power in the mainsail you can ease the mainsheet and release the boom vang (if using one). This will allow the boom to lift, reducing the tension on the leach and "spill" wind from the sail. If you look up the sail, notice the top of the leech twists-off the leeward spilling more wind.

I know of two good, online (read free!) sources for sailing knowledge.

The sailing handbook on CAL Sailing Club's page.

<A HREF='http://www.well.com/user/csc/'>http://www.well.com/user/csc/</A>

Print out the "Sailing Book" on the documents page. It shows how a Lido is set up for reefing, for example.

The second is a racing handbook on,

<A HREF='http://www.uiowa.edu/~sail/skills/racing_basics/index1.shtml'>http://www.uiowa.edu/~sail/skills/racing_basics/index1.shtml</A>

It provides more detailed instructions (explains sail settings for given conditions).

These handbooks give great basic information in compact form. And they are free!

Fair Winds,

John Curtis

John Curtis (pf_flyer_1-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

A self-rescue DSI? Check out this modification.

Thanks to DS Fleet in Arlington, Texas for the how-to article, "Adding Flotation - Self Rescue: Fresno Style"

http://forum.daysailer.org/fleet64/64dsflotation.html

Fair Winds,

John Curtis

John C (pf_flyer_1-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

Good advice!!
This also backs up my experience that Day Sailers are not prone to unexpected capsizing if sailed with care. Remember, the boat is, after all, a small, open, centerboard boat and must be sailed like one. A Day Sailer CAN capsize, but does not HAVE to capsize!

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

None of this floatation enhancement has any effect until your boat is half full of water. A very inexpensive method is to use bungie cords (about four per side) to secure fat pool noodles on top of the gunwails. Hook one end of the cord over the rub-rail ,over the noodle to the bottom of the combing on the inside. Cords are 10 - 12 inch. Very helpfull at keeping water out longer while providing immediate support for up-righting. Also a joy to sit upon.

M. G. PAPPS (mgpapps-at-hotmail.com)

[Guest]

That sounds like a good idea on the DS I to make hiking at least a little bit more comfortable! Of course it looks "silly", but hey, if it works....go for it!
I have a DS II, so I don't have the uncomfortable hiking caused by the beautiful wooden coamings on the DS I, but...I don't have hiking straps, has anyone ever installed a single hiking strap between the aft end of the DS II cb trunk and the transom?

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

I recently capsized my DS1 in Lake Macatawa which is connected to Lake Michigan. My six year old son and I were sailing over the 4th weekend and it was fairly gusty when we had just tacked and were in the process of getting up to speed when a gust hit us. With one hand one the jib sheet and one on the tiller I was a little slow in getting to the mainsheet. Too late. We were taking on a lot of water very fast, and the boat did not recover. We slowly went over with much assurance from me to my son that we were all right due to the fact we had on life jackets. We entered the water, took stock of things then went to the centerboard to attempt uprighting. No way. I weigh 155 lbs wet and it was not enough to get back over. I therefore started swimming my son 200 yds to shore. A vigilent homeowner saw our struggle and promptly called the coast guard who arrived shortly after we reached shore. After a few attempts at it, I let a heavier person from the Macatawa Yacht Club have a go. Along with the Guards power boat pulling with a line tied to the chainplate and standing on the centerboard, it came over, filled to the gunnels. The Guard pumped it out with a gas powered bilge pump in about 3 minutes. My son rejoined me and we sailed back to our mooring. We lost a few things but other than that it turned out okay. Fortunately the boat did not turtle due to the fact that we were in 16 feet of water. I also had some holes in the starboard bench tank that were not plugged so that during the 45 minutes it was over, it was filling with water, making sailing away impossible until the tank was emtied and bailed. Up until then it was a great day using my hiking straps made from 1 inch webbing run from the mast back to a strap mounted on inside of the stern, covered (partway) with pool noodles with a hole through the middle. They work great and are very cheap.

Rex Sheler
Michigan

Rex Sheler (signroute-at-aol.com)