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From: Chris Curtis (no email)
Date: Sat Mar 31 2007 - 00:02:34 EDT
Thanks for the time you spent and your words of encouragement. It
was all good advice.
I am trying to find someone local who can assist me with my sailing.
I just started last year, so I don't yet really know anybody to sail
with in my area. I just ordered the Pardee heavy weather sailing
book, I'm looking forward to it's arrival!
Have a great weekend. Enjoy your sun down there in Baja
Chris Curtis
On Mar 29, 2007, at 7:14 PM, Richard Bradshaw wrote:
>
>
> < Thanks to all who responded. The picture of the sailboat and
> < powerboat in big waves looks to me like an accident waiting to
> > happen. I clearly have much more to learn about heavy weather
> < sailing. I'm basically a cautious person, and am very aware of the
> < dangers while on the water. I'm trying to use my local lake as a
> < training ground to get experience for the day when I may retire and
> < go to sea. This year (when I'm done building my birdwatcher style
> < sailboat) I'll be specifically going out in stronger and stronger
> < weather to slowly get more experience.
> <
> < Thanks again to all on the list for your shared knowledge. I'm sure
> > there are many others on the list whom never chime in, but still get
> > something from reading.
> >
> >
> >
> >Chris Curtis
>
> Chris,
>
> As you can see from all the foregoing comments, every boat handles
> a bit
> differently. I've had fin keelers that wouldn't do anything I
> considered
> "normal". Now we have a cutaway full keel. Wish it was a bit more full
> since for us stability in all conditions is key but you can't have
> everything unless you design or commission the design yourself.
>
> Some boats will heave to with the jib and main, others the staysail
> and
> main, while others the staysail alone, and still others the main
> alone.
> Your boat will react the way it wants to and you just have to find out
> what works best for your boat and for you.
>
> We haven't had the opportunity to heave to yet but we will in the
> coming
> months. It will be necessary for us to do so since we have ocean
> crossing on our list. We also carry a sea anchor that we haven't used
> yet. I'm about to replace the rode (will cut it up to make long dock
> lines for the canal) on our secondary anchor with new rode (300'
> worth)
> and that will act as our sea anchor rode once we take off the
> chain. We
> have an over sized para tech unit and we will be experimenting with
> that soon too. We would have liked to have experimented/tried all this
> before we left the U.S. but we were under the constraint of the state
> government to remove the boat from the state waters so had to delay
> that trial. We will take care of that when we leave here.
>
> My suggestion to you is to read all you can. Then, take out whatever
> boat you have with an appropriately sized sea anchor and try that and
> heaving to at the same time. After all you will be hove to when you
> set
> your sea anchor. (Also, it's not set with the bow directly into the
> wind/sea but off up to about 45 degrees or so. You will find out by
> doing it and experimenting with it. Rig a line attached to a snatch
> block that is over the sea anchor line and lead it back to the primary
> winch and use that to adjust the angle of the bow to the wind/waves.
> You'll find a good place to be.) Adjust. Adjust. Adjust until you find
> the "right" way and degree off the bow for your boat.
>
> Good luck with your experimentation trials. You _can_ start in light
> winds to get the feeling and the effect. You don't have to go out in
> heavy weather at first. Build up to it or better yet, go out with
> someone else who knows what they are doing and then learn from them.
>
> Rick
>
> S/V La Vita
> 1987 Hans Christian 33T
>
> Now lying:
> 31 degrees 51.570 N
> 116 degrees 37.531 W
> Ensenada, Baja, Mexico (but leaving this year)
>
>
>
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