by Peterw11 » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:25 am
Since I got my DS1 back in April, I've been out on it about half a dozen times, all singlehanded. The weather's been so lousy up here in the Northeast, that's all I've been able to manage.
Everytime I go out, I learn a bit more and, depending on wind conditions, sometimes I learn a lot more.
I keep my boat on a small lake and launch from a shallow beach at a friend's house. There are boats moored just offshore so getting in and out is pretty tricky, especially when the winds are up.
Between controlling the sails, raising and lowering the CB, inserting the rudder into the pintles, (the blade doesn't kick up the way it's supposed to, so I have to get a couple of feet of water under me before I can install it), I really have my hands full, and launching when no one else is around to push me off, is really a pain.
I usually position myself just behind the CB trunk (midboom main sheet), and I've still got the original, thwart mounted, cam cleats for the jib, which were installed at 90 degrees to the centerline (facing the gun'ls) They're pretty awkward to reach from where I sit.
Yesterday, I removed the screws and rotated the cleats to a 45 degree angle to the trunk. That small modification made a huge difference in accessibilty.
I'll eventually mount new cleats on the CB trunk itself, once I design and fabricate a mounting pad to hold them. Rudy Nickerson, at D&R, says you can drill and tap mounting screws right into the trunk itself and I may try that, but I'd rather something a little more stable and secure.
The tiller tamer is a good idea and I intend to get one. Even doing little things while singlehanding (grabbing a bottle of water, adjusting the halyards, unsnarling the jib sheets when they hang up on the tabernacle ( about every other tack!), it only takes a second for the tiller to get away from you.
I was out yesterday, the winds were blowing from every direction, a good 10-20, with gusts to 30mph. My cell rang (wife, wanted to know if I was still alive) and just as I went to answer it (tucked in my PFD), a big gust came up and almost knocked me over. The tiller tamer would have come in handy in that instance.
I also intend to trim my tiller back a few inches (hits me right in the gut) and relocate my tiller extension as the handle always seems to hang up on the stern coaming, especially when I'm under duress (like sailing in gusty or omnidirectional winds)
I'm also trying to find some kind of netting that I can drape around or over the CB trunk to hold items that tend to move around while underway, (water bottles, snacks, cell phone, etc.) so they'll always be within arms reach no matter where I'm sitting.
Aside from the equipment mods, as I said, I'm on a big learning curve and every day I go out, I get a little smarter and more confident. I find that most of the problems I've had while underway are self induced, something I've rigged incorrectly, or not secured properly.
Yesterday my outhaul was routed incorrectly, and it took me about an hour to notice that I ran it through the reefing block on the boom, rather than the outhaul block. Last week, I forgot to knot my jib sheets, the week before, my vang wasn't cleated off, properly.
Maybe the next time out, I remember to do everything right. Then all I have to worry about is getting my feet tangled up in the mainsheet (I do that all the time).