With more experience comes more questions

[Peterw11]

As the weather has finally grown more summery and predictable here in the Northeast (it's about time!) and I've gotten more time on the boat, I find that additional experience has given rise to more questions. Maybe some of you more experienced folks have some answers.

To wit:

When to reef, when to stay ashore.

My ideal sailing day is sunny with a steady, 5-10 mph, breeze coming from ONE direction. Of course, that rarely happens.

Most of the time I'm dealing with gusts of some form or another. and the wind is changing direction frequently.

Yesterday, the forecast called for a cool, cloudy day with a warm front moving through in the afternoon, and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. I was out on the lake and the breeze was a fairly strong 15+, with gusts to 25 and above.

Sustained winds at 15+ I can deal with, with the main and jib hoisted to full height (terminology ?). I just keep my hand on the main sheet and turn into the wind if things get a little too exciting. But with that, came these heavy gusts that would really make things interesting, often heeling the boat dramatically while on broad reaches. It eventually got to the point where easing the main all the way out to the shrouds wasn't helping and turning upwind would cause a luff so violent I thought the rigging would come apart.

I decided to put in to shore rather than risk a knockdown.

Should I have just reefed the main? I've never reefed before, although my new Intensity sail has one reefing point built in. In fact, my boom has cheek blocks on both ends and 3 horn cleats along the midboom, so I think it's already rigged for jiffy reefing.

Does one reef for gusts, or do you wait for sustained winds to dictate when to reef? I have to admit, I wasn't too comfortable out there and didn't really know what to do.

Also, in order to be properly set up for jiffy reefing, should I have run lines from the grommets (cringles?) on the luff and the leach, and down through the cheek blocks? And how do I control the main with my mid boom main sheet with the sail material draped over the boom?

Yesterday was also the first time I've had a another person on the boat with me. I took my brother-in-law out for about an hour or so before the front moved through, so the winds weren't quite so unpredictable. I hesitate to call him a crew member because he knows nothing about sailing.

I did put him to work controlling the jib, but it took him a while to get into the rhythm. One thing I did discover is that verbal commands are very important and you have to make the meaning of those commands very clear before you set out on the water. I explained what "prepare to come about" meant, but he didn't understand that when I say it , I mean now, not eventually.

Neither of us are small guys, (I'm 6' and about 220, my BIL is a bit shorter, but the same weight) and seeing as my boat is set up for singlehanding, keeping him from getting tangled in the sheets wasn't easy.
Also, as large as the boat is, it still seemed awfully small when you have lines running everwhere, particularly where he seemed to want to sit.
He had the jib sheets draped across his shoulders more than once, and the mid boom mainsheet caught him across the neck, a time or two.
Between that and dealing with the limited legroom at the CB trunk, he found it hard to get comfortable.

He did enjoy it, though, and the wind was strong enough for us to get a nice wake going a good part of the trip.

Where do you guys park your passengers, particularly those who aren't familiar with sailing? Should I have him sit at the end of the seat near the transom and handle the sails myself? I also had him switch to the opposite side of the boat when I changed course, to counterbalance my weight. Is that the usual procedure?

I'd love to hear how you folks do it. I'm planning on taking some other landlubbers out with me in the near future, (wife and kids) and any input would be appreciated.

[kokko]

Yes you should rig your reefing lines, and reef early. For a leisurely sail it is better not to fight the gusts.

With the jiffy reefin in there should be not interferences with the mainsheet. THe sail may be draped over, but the line will still run free.

As for landlubbers, give them a task. I prefer people to sit forward to keep the boat balanced fore-and-aft. Let them work as crew, one releases the jib sheet, and the other trims it as you tack.

[Baysailer]

Peter,

An old flight instructor once told me when I take my wife up for the first time don't scare her, you only have one chance to get her to go again. Same applies for sail intro's.

I took a father and son new to sailers out last weekend and it was fun. They just bought a small sailboat (non DS) but never had sailed before.

My main goal is to make sailing a positive experience. They may get hooked or they may never sail again but either way they'll have a better understanding of what sailing small boats is about.

Rule number one pick the right day, usually that means a steady wind thats not to choppy but one that will get you moving easily.

While setting up before we set out I tell them what we're going to do and what they may experience. "We'll be putting in here and tacking out to the main bay on main alone, then we'll raise the jib and reach across the bay and close haul to the light house and do a run back. At first it'll seem tippy but after we get moving you'll get a better feel for it."

As I'm sailing I'll talk them through each maneuver. If I'm going to tack I'll tell them amply before and usually have them cross first, maybe release the jib first to reduce heel. I make all the moves as smooth as I can. I also try to get them some tiller time as well as sail trim. I explain the whats and why as best I can, if they want to hear it. If afterwards they say it's a lot easier than I though I know I hit the mark.

The biggest problem I have with sail intro's is getting them a feel for where, when and how to move, same for the tiller. Novices movements and tiller work is usually pretty jerky.

For the father/son I took out last weekend, I'll be going out with them again but accompanying them in my boat.

Fred

[GreenLake]

Peter,

the old adage is to "reef when you are first thinking about it". I've regretted that everytime I haven't followed it. It's easier to put a reef in when you set out, and let it out, if the winds slacken or aren't as strong as you'd thought, than putting in a reef as you are fighting with winds stronger than you can handle.

Up to about 12 knots of wind, or so, I've managed to "heave to" with the DS, which makes it much easier to put in a reef. One or two attempts at slightly higher wind speeds have failed, not sure whether it's lack of skill or a limit for the boat.

Live ballast helps to handle higher winds...unlike you, I've never had problems with seating. Up to three big guys on the windward side, kids in the cuddy and smalller, shorter crew on the leeward. Makes tacking a bit of a scramble, but it sorts itself out in the end.

The "ready to come about?" should be a question, in my view, not an order. That is, if someone isn't ready, you find out and hopefully can allow for them to get sorted. If I need to do a tack in front of some obstacle, I will count down, after everyone is ready. That adds a bit of delay and helps synchronize, especially with a new crew. Useful when you want to add a few feet to your tacks in a narrow channel, but need to be sure your crew is ready for the last-second tack.

On the subject of novice crew: I've had people who on the second sailing could be trusted with the tiller, even in stronger winds, others who can't shake the habit of thinking that holding the tiller straight will make the boat go straight. On the jib, novices are slow, or they end up setting the jib back, so you miss stays. That's a lot of fun , but they get the hang of it quickly. Usuallly everybody ends up with a task that they find up to their skills, for some, even being "live ballast" is cool, once they realize that this actually contributes and is essential.

What I find most difficult is dealing with unanticipated maneuvers, and had some narrow escapes because of it. The one thing that I learned I mustn't do is to show any lack of confidence in the boat, the crew or myself. Nothing unnerves a newbie/gues as thoroughly as the awareness that the supposedly experienced guy is worried about something.

[SaltLakeSailer]

I've been learning on the DSI, my first sailboat, and have had the good fortune to invite more experienced sailors than myself to sail with me. My last time out, my mate had the tiller and held it strong against some gusts, probably greater than 25mph, and water was coming in over the lee coamings (full size coamings - brand new in fact.) My point is that this boat "sails safe". When it heels over it tends to turn into the wind because the weather helm gets stronger and stronger as it starts to heel, and it doesn't seem to go over easily like a Thistle, Laser, or such (other boats I've been in and seen / felt how they perform.)

It's a hard thing to know precisely how far you can go without getting knocked down. I've not been there yet. But I am learning that you don't have to sail it "on her feet" like I tried to do for the first year or so. It's not a motor boat that performs best when level.

Also, I think the angle of heel is most dramatic from inside the cockpit. From shore, you're probably looking OK when it feels tenuous at the helm. Just my hunch; no photographic evidence,... yet.

Like others have written above, it is best to exude full confidence when trying to teach others, especially one titled "wife". After nearly five seasons with this boat, I am ready to sail with my wife in higher than 10 mph winds. I'll be sure to make sure she gets to captain for a while, so that she gains more confidence in my ability by experiencing first-hand what is involved. (Used that technique while riding a tandem bicycle: I was captain.; girlfriend was stoker. A litany of complaints about my "driving" led us to switch for a half-mile or so. We switched back rather promptly and had a much better understanding of what our responsibilities were.) This also applies to my experience sailing with more experienced folk. I've handed them the tiller and let them lead. Now I know what is expected of the crew first-hand: where to sit with jib sheets crossing and how to balance weight when the captain is sitting to windward. All this makes me ready to sail with much less experienced crew.

Anyone in your rolodex have experience in small boats? Give 'em a call.

[Peterw11]

[Also, I think the angle of heel is most dramatic from inside the cockpit. From shore, you're probably looking OK when it feels tenuous at the helm. Just my hunch; no photographic evidence,... yet. ]

Check out the photos from the NACR championships in the Racing forum if you haven't already done so. There are a bunch illustrating the "rails in the water" look you're talking about.

[Peterw11]

I found this article online regarding the basics of reefing. It answers a lot of questions some of us have regarding "when and how".

Check it out.

[url] http://www.sailnet.com/forums/learning- ... efing.html