Back from the Texas 200

Moderator: GreenLake

Back from the Texas 200

Postby jeadstx » Mon Jun 28, 2010 4:53 pm

Well, first off I didn't complete the whole event. I had to drop out after two days of sailing (about 77 miles out of 177 total) at the request of the event organizers. They felt that I was suffering from heat stroke and were concerned that since I was single handing my boat that I could get into medical distress if I continued on with no one to assist me. I do thank them for their concern for my well being even tho I didn't really want to stop. They told me if I had someone sailing with me they would not have minded me continuing. My crew backed out 5 days prior to the event. Some of those I talked to that had done the Florida 120 said this was a much harder event. It was probably for the best that I pulled as I was very fatigued from lack of sleep. The sleeping board I had made for the Daysailer 2 with the self inflating mattress on it was very comfortable, but I was unable to sleep all the same. Also I had no appetite.

Winds for the event were lighter than expected, 5 to 15 mph, rather than the 20 to 25 mph expected. This meant longer time on the water. I was sailing about 9-1/2 hours each day. The Temperature was in the 90's every day.

The DS2 performed very well and I couldn't have been happier with how the boat handled. The first day I sailed with a reefed main as I kept expecting the wind to get stronger, which it did late in the afternoon. The second day I sailed I put up the jib and moved along nicely (about 6-6.5 mph according to the GPS). At one point under the reefed main alone on the first day the GPS recorded a maximum speed of 9.2 mph. The biggest problem I had while sailing was seaweed hanging on the rudder and causing it to kick up. I had way too much equipment with me. The boat sat about 2-inches deeper in the water than normal.

One problem I had when loading supplies (equipement, food, water, etc) into the cuddy cabin was keeping things off the centerboard cables. I need to address this in the future. Some of the things (bed boards, rowing seat, oars, emergency boarding device) that I built for the this trip can be found at http://s445.photobucket.com/albums/qq17 ... r%20Tx200/

It was very enjoyable trip for the time I sailed. I will probably be back next year to try again.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
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Location: Dripping Springs, Tx

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jun 28, 2010 5:53 pm

John,

Sounds like a challenging trip. I know it says to reef early, but are you able to put a reef in while under way? I've found that at the point where the winds get too strong for me to single hand, I can still heave to with the DS, and set a reef.

Was this mostly a downwind course?

Anyway, your speed figures sound good.

If you really reached about 8kn on the first day then it seems you didn't reef too far :)

Nice pictures, but I found the ads on that service are totally noisome and intrusive. Why not post them here?

With respect to bringing "too much":

McKenzie, he of exploring the McKenzie river fame had this system for packing.

Make a list of what you think is absolutely necessary.

Cut it in half, keeping only the really necessary stuff.

Then cut it in half again.

His "small boats" were canoes, but by packing light, he was able to make the trip in one season.

What were you tempted into bringing with you that in hindsight seems superfluous?
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Postby jeadstx » Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:22 pm

I didn't reef while under sail, Just set a reef when I started. I started sailing in 1969 and this was the first time I ever put a reef in the sails. The expected winds never came up and I had never sailed in the ocean before, so I was a bit more cautious than I should have been. The afternoon of the second day however I was getting very comfortable with the feel of the boat. I would stand in the cockpit to stretch, after several hours, no sitting position was comfortable (even sitting on a cushion).

The coarse was suppose to be downwind with south to southeasterly winds all the time. But the wind was shifting in direction constantly and by the end of the second day it was coming out of the east. I was on a starboard tack all the way except when I tried to get into Padre Island Yatch Club harbor. It had a narrow east-west entrance and I couldn't make any headway without running aground, finally got a tow.

Didn't post the pictures here because I've been very busy at work today. My home internet connection is dial up and too slow. Will post on here eventually.

With respect to bringging "too much". I have to go over everything and decide what I could have done without. Water took alot of room, recommended a gallon a day minimum. In McKenzie time they drank river water. I brought my old rigging set and some tools, more tools than I needed.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
jeadstx
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Dripping Springs, Tx

Postby GreenLake » Mon Jun 28, 2010 8:37 pm

Thanks John, that adds to your description and explains a lot. Despite having held onto the packing advice of Alexander MacKenzie ever since I read of his exploits at a young age, I'm a bit of a packrat myself. So, it would be curious to get something like a suggested packing list after you've had time to fold in your experience.

I'm just wondering, if water for one person already adds up so much, what would you have done with crew?

I sail quite a bit with very young crew, so I like to be able to reef even in conditions where I might otherwise just enjoy the extra power. I put a single-line reef in my main and if I remember to rig it when I set out, it's relatively easy to put in under way, best when hove to, but with a crew at the tiller, going head to wind also works.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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reefing underway

Postby mistermoon » Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:17 pm

During the FL120, I put in and shook out reefs multiple times underway. During the thunderstorm on the last day, I think it did it four times in the span of an hour and a half. Once you get the boat rigged for jiffy reefing, it's a snap. The only change I plan to make before the EC2011 is to mark the halyard for its proper location.

Reefing is simple underway. Here is the general sequence I followed:
1) turn the boat head to wind. Ease the boom downhaul. (I generally let the jib flog, in the future I think I'll drop it entirely. See below regarding the jib downhaul.)
2) Pull the reefing line for the clew, but leave it a little loose. Otherwise the sail binds in the luff groove and won't come down.
3) Ease the halyard to the marked position and cleat it off.
4) Pull the reefing ling on the tack taught.
5) Tighten up the clew line. Tighten up the boom downhaul.

The whole process takes roughly 2-3 minutes. Easy.

I will aslo add a jib downhaul by adding a fairlead on the bow and cleat somewhere on the cuddy.
DS II "Alobar" 10374
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Postby jeadstx » Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:54 pm

I didn't get a chance to practice my reefing before I went on the Tx200, that was a mistake. Next time out I'll try your method. I need to get that down before I try the Tx200 next year.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
jeadstx
 
Posts: 1216
Joined: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:10 am
Location: Dripping Springs, Tx


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