Maiden Voyage from Hell

[Sailor Chlud]

Hello Folks. Today I took the Good Old #4101 (haven't named her yet) out for her maiden voyage. We chose a ramp at the head of Barnegat Bay (Point Pleasant/Bay Head municipal ramp) for her launch, and winds here were light and variable, but had promise of freshening as today went on, and looked to be about 5-7 knots out on the bay proper.

Because I just just bought my DSI last week, we had done a lot of tinkering to get her ready - new bearings and winch cable on the trailer, new spare tire, new Intensity sails, new halyards and jib sheet, fixed the split in the tiller and fitted a new tiller bolt, etc. No, I didn't get much work done this week.

Gorgeous day with 70 degrees high, lots of sunshine and warm bay water - classic October in Jersey.

Launch went OK, although training my crew (kids) to fend off the boat from the finger pier was dicey (the pier is 18 inches wide and had few cleats). Headed east under the new main, slowly towards the Bay Head yacht club side, and then things worsened. Upon raising the jib, it appeared that the new jib is longer than the old, or the wire section in the halyard was too long (I never thought to check that) and the thimble on the end of the halyard would not run through the cheek block on the mast. Thus our jib was far from taut - in fact, it had easily 12-14 inches of excess length. The crinkle in the jib did not produce any air flow over the main, and in the light airs we needed all the power we could get.

As we ghosted along, we tacked to try to head down the bay while I attempted a on water fix - but could not figure one out at the moment. This would later prove an important contributor to what happened next.

As we caught a couple of puffs, we made better speed, so I attempted to cross the channel and rount the point - just as the wind died away to a whisper.

I then detected a current - dragging us north, preventing us from clearing the point. We tacked again to head away, but the current strengthened, and pulled us into the path of the southern end of the point pleasant canal. Then the current got stronger. Then we could not make headway against the current, and got sucked like a vaccuum into the canal. We steered to the side of the canal, and tied to someones' pier for a few moments of rest and recovery.

Finally, we managed to sail across the canal, really crabbing diagonally, to the opposite shore - the one with the boat ramp on it. In the end we walked the boat along the bulkhead against the current for 300 to 400 yards, so we could get back to the ramp, exhausted.

On a positive note, we learned:

We need a moter to launch here - we left it home this trip because the previous owner said it was acting up

We hauled out just fine - that was the good news, and no one was hurt!

But today was sure no fun!

[GreenLake]

John,

Looks like obody got dunked, nothing broke and you made it back wihtout losing boat or crew, and learned a lot about your boat and local conditions. That doesn't sound too bad for a maiden voyage...

On our maiden voyage, we found ourselves downwind from the launch, with the winds getting stronger, the tide going out, while one of the kids was beginning to look pretty green in the face. That's when the jib track parted from the coamings ... and right after that we heard thunder.

Welcome to the club!

PS: I don't have a wire section to any of my halyards. You may be able to do without.

[Sailor Chlud]

Greenlake: Thanks for the encouragement. Actually, my kids had a good time despite our mishaps, and can't wait to go again. We did have other issues- our masthead sheeve cracked, partially jamming the main halyard. Easily repaired. I was just frustrated because today was so beautiful out - and we came home early instead of late.

I also note any other sailors in NJ - I was at Greenwood Lake upstate the day before, and the wind was steady at 20+ knots - and the boat was home! Just added to my anticipation for today, and my disappointment too. Oh well, there's always next season!

[algonquin]

At least you were sailing. I was at work

My early sailing experiences were on Barnagate Bay. We sailed from a marina at Forked River. I quickly learned to watch the tide tables closely because the current in the bay can get out of hand especially when combined with the prevailing afternoon winds. When the two combined we had experiences similar to yours. Heading north up the bay in the morning and depending on the timing of the tide we would find it difficult to head south in the afternoon as the tidal current increased and the prevailing winds became a headwind.

I must admit that we occasionally had to motor to get back to the main part of the bay. No injuries other than my ego. Brad

[Alan]

My maiden voyage was uneventful, mostly because I took the precaution of bringing an experienced sailor along.

Voyage number 2 was a little more exciting. The boat got stuck on the trailer while launching, I leaned in close to to the winch to see if it was jammed, and the boat decided to unstick itself just then. The spinning winch handle smacked me in the mouth, causing a most impressive flow of blood.

I had to talk real fast to keep my crew from dragging me to the ER.

[GreenLake]

Bringing an experienced sailor along. Yes. Good recommendation.

I did that on our maiden voyage. The DS a much larger boat than I was used to, and a jib was a new thing for me then. I might have sorted that out myself, but wouldn't have had the experience to deal with the sudden hardware failure. The rising winds were challenge enough.

Voyage 2 (or 3?) I was essentially solo, when the bow eye snapped off on retrieval. Again, a situation with enough new factors (not yet used to trailers, or boats I couldn't pick up single handed) that I called in help.

Having something break on you when you are first trying to figure out how it works is especially challenging - but par for the course when you are getting a used boat.

[Sailor Chlud]

Bringing an "Experienced sailor" along is definitely helpful, and highly recommended for new folks to the sport. Most of our experiences yesterday could be ascribed to the "used boat but new to me" phenomenon. Specifically the problem with the incorrect jib halyard length/new jib was not one I anticipated before casting off - one simply cannot measure/check everything on shore. I did raise the new main in my backyard to check that, but did not think to try the jib since they are usually so simple to rig. I'll probably take Greenlake's advice and swap the wire-rope setup to an all rope halyard for the next sail, since I don't plan on racing this boat in the next season or two.

Hubris also reared its head yesterday, since instead of trying out the 4 hp Chrysler motor that came with the boat, I left it at home because the previous owner state it needed a tune and I believed I wouln't need it. Without it I should have headed for a lake for the maiden voyage - not the bay where a motor would have come in much handier.

Finally, just a bit about my background - I raced 420's and lasers in college, and J24's later after college, so am not new to sailing, just the DS. Loving the boat by the way - so stable and comfortable.

[K.C. Walker]

Yes, my maiden voyage was also one from hell, but I sure had a good time right up until one of the shroud turnbuckles broke. Fortunately, I did have the motor and I only had minor damage. I've been working on beefing up everything on the boat that I can ever sense. But you know, getting out there and sailing hard just tends to break stuff.

I think your voyage was definitely in that category of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

I'm glad you're enjoying the boat. This was my 3rd season with the boat and the best yet. I've got a lot of the setup the way I like it now. You're right, it's a great and stable boat and good for taking out the kids. Though, it's still exciting if you go with experienced crew when the wind gets blowing. It may not be as fast as a laser but if you're not racing against one it feels pretty good. It definitely planes.

I certainly would not want to have a motor hanging off the transom if I was racing. However, for day sailing I find it most convenient. I have a 4 hp Johnson 2 cylinder which is nice and smooth and starts on the 1st pull, well sometimes 2 pulls. Though, I did need to tune it up to make it reliable. Get a book and a wheel puller and it's a piece of cake to tune it. Do sand the magnets on the inside of the flywheel if there's any rust, that's something that's not in the book.

I think you're most fortunate that the kids want to go out again. That's the key!

KC

[Bob Hunkins]

Nothing wrong with wire-rope halyards, but if you go with rope halyards, get low stretch line.

What ever you do, don 't take your wife/girlfriend/significant other with you until you know what you are doing and can handle contingencies. I've seen several people damage their marriages and their prospects of enjoying a great sport because they just had to go out on that day when they were not ready for it. Sailing ain't like jet skis, you need a headpiece to do this.

[jeadstx]

When I got my DS2 four years ago, the first time I took it out not everything went very well. At the time I hadn't sailed in about 20 years and even tho I remembered how to do everything, I wasn't as "agile" as I was earlier in life. I had checked the boat out before taking it out, fixed any obvious problems, and missed some I should have seen. I checked the sails when I got the boat for any obvious damage (tears etc.), and they looked OK. The battens where missing, so I ordered a set from D&R before the first sail. I didn't find out until the first sail tho that the previous owner had sewed all the batten sleeves closed. Couldn't put my new battens in. I found a few other problems, but they were minor compared to the sail. It was a good sail anyway. That summer the the lake dropped due to lack of rain, so I had a lot of time to go over the boat and fix all the stuff I found from my first sail with it.

John