| Author | Message | ||
     david (david) |
Yes, and a very small motor will get a boat going quite fast. Its only when you get to a couple of knots that the drag starts going up dramatically. I also suggest tying a bucket to a line and throwing it as far ahead as you can and reeling it in. Repeat as necessary. I've never tried this but it should work if you are without the proverbial or actual paddle. If you have a tiller you can wag the tiller in calm conditions and make headway. Kind of like a fish's tail. I'm not sure you can spin most wheels fast enough. . . . Can you sheet out the main all the way and make headway by adroitly swinging the boom from side to side? Seems I have heard this trick too, from racers who have used it to get ahead in dead calm. Most important, I think, would be to know if the tide is ebbing or flowing and where you are in the cycle. You may be able to either let the wind and/or tide carry you out of the channel, using the paddle or bucket to keep you off the rocks. You could let the tide carry you in too. Or you could anchor until conditions become more favorable, including snagging a passing boat for a tow. Towing is a whole other subject. Either go very slowly in calm water or tie the tow rope around the mast. Its suprisingly easy to tear a cleat out, particularly with two sailboats in seas. A sailboat will jerk a dinghy around and you only risk damage to the dink. With two large boats moving on different parts of the wave cycle nothing gives except the line or the cleats. | ||
| markhowe |
Just in case Aviterbi's comment was mistakenly taken as a joke, it really works. Even big boats can be paddled or rowed, albeit not very fast. Just takes time and patience. But usually the wind is variable. One time, similar situation coming into San Diego on an outgoing tide, we kept the anchor ready, sailed in when the wind was sufficient to overcome the tidal current and then dropped anchor when losing ground. Eventually made it in. [BTW, in San Diego the Harbor Patrol will tow you if you can get into the harbor but not 'til you cross the line. Can't recall exactly what the line was tho. Maybe Ballast Point] | ||
| aviterbi (aviterbi) |
Depending on the size of your boat, size of your crew, and number of paddles, you could: Paddle or anchor and wait for a tow. Roman galleys managed to row across the med. | ||
| capntoni |
we've pretty much solved the heavy wind aspect of this topic... why don't we discuss the hypothetical situation that your engine has died...you are sailing up the channel...and the wind dies... what do you do? | ||
| capntoni (capntoni) |
I agree with Mark...With Susie's slip being on an outer finger...it would be just as easy as making landing at the fuel dock...if not easier! i think susie might have been thinking that the fuel dock was closer...and therefore safer...but as long as there IS wind..."home" seems like the safer bet | ||
| markhowe |
In my previous post I was thinking specifically about Susie's boat and slip. That is why I spoke of using the landing gear on the port side cause that would be her weather side. Also she has a slip on the main channel. Sailing down a side channel and then turning either upwind or downwind to get to a slip has very different criteria and techniques. Sorry for not making that clearer. Sailng into the fuel dock has its own special problems; there are big rocks encircling one side and that side is to lee. Also, something about that concrete wall off the end of the dock bothers me too. Me, I'd much rather pull into the Sloop's slip than try the fuel dock. Good luck. | ||
| susie (susie) |
Thanks guys. This has all been very good for me to read. We actually tried this the other day. We sailed up the channel, dropped the main (I wasn't all worried about having to be facing in the wind at the turn basin) We let out about half the jib and sailed right in. Good idea to keep an eye on that jib sheet, so it doesn't get eaten by the cleat! I saw a sailboat Sunday that had drifted up near the jetty/rocks, just before entering the turn basin. Their engine died on them right then and there. I saw them getting towed away from the rocks. Yikes...I'm going to always stay in the middle of the channel so that if that ever happens to me, I'll have time to pull out the jib and tack either one way or the other. Today I'm going to try and sail to the fuel dock. It seems to me that going there in light wind conditions would be safer than trying to get all the way to your slip in the West marina. | ||
| david (david) |
I agree generally with everything that has been said. The exact sail configuration really depends on where the wind is coming from and how strong it is. Also, where your slip is. Some of the variations in approach suggested reflect this. Remember that the original sitution by Susie postulated heavy wind. This certainly favors Mark's bare poles approach if you don't need to turn very far upwind at the end. With very little jib exposed, you can ease the sheet ("let go" was a misstatement in my earlier post) enough to depower the jib without excessive flailing, particularly if you have someone standing by to haul in the furling line. Again, depending on the circumstances, one might come in with both main and jib reefed if you needed the manuverability and could depower them by easing sheets at the dock. Each of us have particular scenarios in mind that reflect what we have experienced. What this really points out is that the most important thing for the skipper to do is to think ahead. Without an engine, you should plan every tack and consider what your fallback position will be if something goes wrong anywhere along the way. That's why I would generally favor having some sail up or ready to let out at all times unless you are sure you will come out of a final downwind leg with enough momentum to get fully into the slip. I will have more to say about this "contingency planning" in the Carne Asada topic. | ||
| markhowe |
I would add a couple of ideas to the previous contributions. Most production boats do not sail well upwind under main alone; not enough acceleration coming out of a tack or speed going into one with the resultant risk of ending up on the rocks. Under jib alone the CE is so far forward that it's hard to keep the bow upwind coming out of a tack. This means you're always on the verge of stalling your rudder. Definitely possible if you can keep your speed going but not easy even with experienced crew. I did this once on Jess Marlow's Cat 27 when his engine quit going up the east basin and we were able to unroll the jib real fast. And again on Breakaway, same situation, going up the outer channel single handed. That's the beauty of the jib; quick and easy to get up or down [in or out] in a pinch. What we usually do is get all reefed up in preparation before entering the channel and then do as Bob and David have suggested. Its not necessary to head to wind to drop the main coming around the YC corner; the main is already backed by the jib and drops easily. But if you miss that opportunity you can also drag it down after the turn; just not as easy. For final approach, I would not swing wide because of the consequences of misjudging and overshooting. Also you want to make it very clear to other boats where you are going and impress on them that you cannot maneuver. I would douse early and sail bare poles pretty straight for the slip. Remember, boats don't need sails to sail downwind. Another trick is taken from the tailhook society. Rig arresting gear on the most aft, outboard port chainplate by tying a dockline [as long as possible] around it and ensuring it runs outboard of the stanchions. As the boat enters the slip a crewmember steps down to the dock and loops it around the outer dock cleat to slow the boat and bring it to a stop. This should be done by gradually applying friction, not abruptly. One warning; docking with a flailing jib runs the risk [read certainty] of tangling jibsheets on dock appurtenances. Murphy will ensure that your jibsheet ties itself to a passing cleat, wraps around a piling, or abuses and perhaps dunks an innocent bystander who is trying to help. Great practical discussion!! And worth practicing with your crew! [maybe with the engine running :-) ] | ||
| Robert W. Dean |
With short or inexperienced crew, getting the main down is more difficult than hauling in a furling jib. You cannot tack up the channel at Dana Point unless the wind is between 80-100 degrees. Otherwise you would just sail up the channel on a reach (close-beam). I would use both main and jib until the last tack before the turning basin. Then, head into the wind (in the basin), drop the main as quickly as possible, and fall off to starboard with the jib. Make way with the jib for the rest of the trip. Swing wide across the channel, into the slip, depowering the jib and hauling it in at the turn. Remember, it's a cross wind landing if you have any wind at all, so lay out the fenders to starboard. | ||
| david (david) |
I think I would roll out a little jib and not just rely on the main. If i used the main at all, I would have it heavily reefed. Most likely I would use the jib alone, rolled up to less than 100%. That way the jib sheets can be set up to atomatically tack as the boat comes up the channel. Once you get in the vicinity of your slip you can just let the jib sheets go to depower. You could do the same with the main if the wind was from the right direction, but that is not assured. With the jib, you can always power up again by sheeting in if you underestimate what you need to get safely home. | ||
| susie (susie) |
Have any of you ever tacked up the channel in heavy wind with just your main? I'm wondering...if you were low on crew or maybe your crew was not experienced enough; would this be an option? Then in the turn basin I guess you could drop the main, pull out the jib and sail into the slip. |
