Desert Island Boats 2

Contd from Desert Island Boats

I spent the better part of this week on a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter sailing from Lymington to Brixham.
Whilst I lost a bit of the experience to the worst seasickness Ive ever had I did learn a lot about gaff rigs, which, after sailing, was the objective.

Here are some reflections:
Gaffs are easy to drop on peoples heads, heavy to haul up and fall away to leeward.
Gybing is even more dangerous than in a Bermudan rigged boat as the force of the gaff whipping round could bring the mast down. A preventer is essential.
Gaffs seem to require running backstays which add more time, people and rigging to any tack or gybe.

Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters were famously sailed by a man and a boy.
It took at least 5 of us to hold the boat on course, manipulate the mainsheet and sweat and tail the throat and peak halyards to raise the main.
I can only imagine that the boy was a four-armed chimp with a twelve foot reach.

If all this sounds sounds a bit negative then Im misrepresenting the trip. I had a great time. I dont usually sail with a big crew and the teamwork made the sailing even more rewarding. But having that many people on board does give one a lot of time to go in for some serious reflection! So heres some more:

Big bowsprits are a worry. Our skipper was concerned about burying the pole in a big swell, it gave coming alongside in a busy harbour a certain piquancy and because it didnt steve or retract it contributed to the overall length which increases mooring fees but doesnt add speed through waterline length.

Cutter rigs are good. They help you balance the boat. Without the jib set there was considerable weather helm. Raise the jib in front of the staysail and it balances the boat. But if youre worried about burying the bowsprit are you going to put a big bit of cloth, with all the extra strain, on the end of it? You could reef the main to balance the boat. Reefing could be easier. With that gaff and a tree trunk of a boom reefing in a swell could put someone in the drink.

So Im moving towards a Bermudan cutter, perhaps a yawl to reduce the size of the sails and make it easier to balance. A short, retractable, bowsprit isnt out of the question but Im not convinced. It would certainly spread the sail area fore and aft keeping it lower down which would reduce heel.

These are old quandaries, I know. Unfortunately so many sailors seem to advocate certain rigs so devotedly that its impossible to get a really objective analysis. The only solution is to sail them all oneself.

I need to find a double headed Burmudan ketch or yawl with no bowsprit for hire in the UK.

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Eastern Washington Moveable Messabout Day 2

Sept 10.  EWMM day 2.  We crawled out of our respective tents into the crisp morning air. There wasnt much time to spare before our 8am breakfast and crew meeting in Priest River Idaho.  Just enough time for a quick shower (who knows when the next opportunity will be?), to break camp and hit the road.

We crossed the border into Idaho and arrived at AJs Cafe in Priest River, ID about 15 minutes later.

Now, for the moment of truth.  As is the case with many Messabouts, you never know for sure whos going to actually show up until the day of the event.  Our group consisted entirely of a group of hardy sailors.  When Dan first organized the event, he envisioned families, wives, maybe children, many in campers, coming and going for parts of the messabout.  Such was not the case.

Attending the event was (clockwise from the bottom) Dan Rogers from Diamond Lake WA, Mike Cox from Everett, WA, Kim Apel from San Clemente, CA, Dennis McFadden from Burnaby, BC Canada, Steve Lansdowne from Austin, TX, Tom Gale from Port Townsend WA, Joel Bergen (me) from Mukilteo, WA, and Thom Vetromile from Sagle, ID.

 

After breakfast, the caravan hit the road to our first destination, Blue Diamond Marina and Resort on Priest Lake, ID.

Launching the boats took several hours. Each boat had to be backed down a narrow dirt road, rigged, and launched one-by-one.

There was very little wind, but Dan cautioned us that the wind was forecast to blow later in the afternoon. Dan suggested that we should all sail to Indian Creek campground instead of Bartoo Island, for safety sake, to avoid getting trapped on a lee shore. Steve and I ghosted along in the warm, gentle breeze while the last few boats finished launching.  Sailing was rather dull, the skies were clear, and I scoffed at Dans weather report.

With all boats launched, we set forth as a group towards Indian Creek.  Sailing was pleasant at first, but ahead, in the distance, I thought I saw whitecaps.  A few minutes later, the whitecaps appeared to be headed our way.  Fearing Dan might be right after all, I began to tie in a reef.  Halfway through tying in the reef, WHAM it hit us.

The lake churned like a washing machine.  It was so rough I couldnt finish tying in the reef.  I had a double reef on the forward end and a single at the back.  The sail was flogging. One of my battens flew out of the sail and sank to the bottom of the lake.  We got the boat under control and pressed on.  Steve, and my camera lens did a good job of blocking much of the spray, but Steves foul weather gear was on one of the other boats.  He was wet and starting to shiver.  I looked behind us and saw that all the other boats had turned around and were headed back to the launch.

Steve and I abandoned our attempt, turned around and rejoined the group at the launch.  We waited for a while to see if the wind would die down, debating if we should try again or pull the boats and go somewhere else.  After an hour or so, conditions seemed to improve.  We decided to make a dash to Indian Creek campground, under motor, as quickly as possible.

We beached our boats on a beautiful sandy beach and set up camp.  The water looked tranquil in the little bay.  A while later, another sailor in a Lightning sailed into the bay.  He was headed to the North end of the lake but couldnt make it.  He said the conditions were too rough.

We named this windstorm "Hurricane Dan".

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