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From: Phil Sherwood (no email)
Date: Sun Mar 19 2006 - 22:42:26 EST
Jeez, you put my preparation efforts to shame ... as far as what more to
do, I'd say, Go sailing, every chance you get or can manufacture for
yourself, on any boat that you can wheedle yourself aboard, but especially
on your boat. Start slow and easy and local, if that is most comfortable
for you, but stretch out bit by bit so you get to thoroughly know your
boat, her sweet spots, her eccentricities, and her problem areas to always
be mindful of. Spending an afternoon or two sailing big figure 8's is a
mighty good way to get in a lot of jibes and tacks. Getting out on the
water a lot is also a great way to make your coastal piloting/nav skills
become second nature. Don't forget to practice reefing, too -- preferably
when it's blowing only 5 knots, 'cause if you're not sure what to do when
it's blowing 25 or more, life gets a lot less fun in a hurry.
Also practice under power -- line up a couple of reference points on shore
or a dock or something, and practice backing the boat (slowly; don't let
your rudder get pinned hard to one side or the other). Check out how bloody
hard full-keel boats are to back straight. Practice spinning the boat in
the tightest circle possible (the fwd-reverse-fwd-reverse cycle with helm
to one side or the other); see whether it turns a little tighter to port or
starboard (will depend on prop rotation). Chuck a PFD or something
equivalent in the water and practice coming up to it to windward without
running over it or fouling your prop, and retrieving it.
If you have a friend who owns a boat (and who loves you and trusts you a
lot), see if your friend will get out on the water with you when you've
achieved a modicum of confidence, and practice maneuvering in close
quarters both under power and under sail with your friend's boat. Or crew
for someone in the local beer-can or club races and check out what "close
quarters" comes to mean at the start line and rounding the marks. You could
also see how your language skills stack up when "Starboard!" and "Room at
the mark!" give way to other, uh, nautical vocabulary. 8-0
Hats off to you if you really learn and use celestial nav. My character
deficiencies, however, are such that I go with GPS and plain old DR, with
paper charts, of course. Yes, I have three handhelds and a fixed-mount
aboard, as well as spare power cables and a big pack of fresh batteries
just in case. The total cost is about the same as a reasonably good
sextant, I don't have to practice all the time, and the results are much
more accurate than what I could accomplish otherwise.
If you're going to work on knots (knowing about six will cover 'most any
situation, I think), you could have some fun practicing a bit of splicing,
too. I like The Rigger's Apprentice, by Brion Toss; many other good
knotting and splicing books are available as well.
Good call on the pressure cooker -- I use mine constantly, at home and
aboard. And on studying Spanish. It's really, really helpful to be able to
hack your way through a conversation even if all your verbs are in the
present tense and you set out with about two dozen nouns under your belt;
you'll learn specific vocabulary as you need it. Terms like "machine shop,"
"fuel injector," "bolt," and "sandpaper" seem to have gained prominence
with me, for some strange reason.
BTW, I also spent much time in tech pubs. Not a bad way to make a living,
but not as much fun as sailing and cruising. As someone from another list
used to say, "Go simple, go small, go now." Hope this helps. Cheers,
Phil
s/v Cynosure (Passport 40 #129)
lying Roche Harbor WA
At 12:51 PM 3/19/2006, you wrote:
>Posted 18 March 2006 02:45 PM
>Hi Folks,
>I have recently joined this list and am very new to sailing. In the next 6-8
>months we will be cruising. Opened return date. The boat is a 1987 Hans
>Christian 33T. Currently, we are in San Diego, CA.
>
>Rick, my husband, is managing the upgrade/retrofit side of the project. He
>had a captainšs license until a few years ago. It lapse because he was
>unable to put in the sea time hours. He will reactive his license ASAP.
>
>I'm responsible for preparing myself for cruising. Mentally I'm ready; I've
>always been attracted to adventure. However, I've lived the life of a tech
>writer.
>
>Below is what I've done so far and what I plan to do. If you were in my
>position, what additional skills/knowledge would be the most helpful during
>this time of preparation?
>
>So Far:
>Have a technical Ham license
>Completed basic boating & sailing course (Coast Guard sponsored course)
>Enrolled in basic/advance navigation course (Coast Guard sponsor)
>Physical therapy 3x week (to build strength, especially in shoulders)
>Have a stainless steel pressure cooker (6 qt)
>Read a million books/articles on cruising
>
>To Do:
>Complete Celestial navigation course
>Upgrade Ham license to General
>Take private sailing lessons
>Take sailing lessons with Rick
>Practice handling the boat near the marina & outside the harbor
>Relearn basic knot tying
>Learn how to bake bread in the pressure cooker
>
>What have I over-looked?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Sharon
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