Boating chit chat thread.

Conchir

Stheno wrote: »

he's not a fan of sailing at all!

You'll have to sort that out! :P

Stheno

Conchir wrote: »

You'll have to sort that out! :P

he's very supportive of me having a hobby/sport I enjoy, but he sees it as a dangerous sport* (he can't swim, and went out a few times on a cruiser).

There is no way in hell he would every get on a boat, when he went on the cruiser, he spent his time in the cabin heehee

That said I show him videos and stuff and he has fierce interest in what is happening but doesn't want to be in those situations.

*Took me five years to turn him into a rugby fan

But like I said he is incredibly supportive with my sailing, I actually have to credit him with me going to the introduction day in Howth last year, he insisted we do it, so without him, I'd not now have a hobby that I enjoy so much

Conchir

Sounds good then. By the sounds of it though, there's potential there to slowly convert him, with a bit of work :P

Stheno

Conchir wrote: »

Sounds good then. By the sounds of it though, there's potential there to slowly convert him, with a bit of work :P

No chance lolol, and fair play to him imo for knowing his boundaries


He is most amazed at the fact that I used sleep in Sat/Sun until 1/2pm, and sees me get up at 7am on a Sunday to go sailing.

batmanzed

FYI, I popped into Ted Johnsons in Naas yesterday and they have a 20% off sale going on until 15th March

pedroeibar1

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

....... - and half the fleet ran aground

That was not a first - happened all the time. There was a well-known RIYC boat called 'Standfast' that hit the mud on a low tide and was thenceforth christened and known everafter as 'Stuckfast'.:D
Back when it was Ford Week we competed most years and always tried to nobble a local as crew for the Harbour Race - tidal knowledge is critical. You will have a ball, it's a great event.

HeidiHeidi

Hooray!

First outing of 2014 today - and WHAT a day for it

Vexorg

Congrats, a number of ripped spinnakers out in Dun Laoghaire today, we did not damage ours despite trying very hard, we did put a nice hole in our Jib and a few in the main, and even managed to get one crew wet.

Are you sailing in Dun Laoghaire also?

HeidiHeidi

Are you sure you weren't on our boat???

We tied ourselves up in knots, the boat and every rope on it into worse knots, wrapped the spinny, the uphaul and sundry other things around the forestay, almost t-boned a 1720 in half (hope you're over the shock, if you're reading this, whoever you were - but we WERE on starboard and shouting:D). And that was just on run one. We gave up on it after that!!! And put a rip in the jib just for good measure. Thankfully the main seems to have survived the day.

Much, much windier than I expected - it was quite the shock to the system, which hasn't seen any action since last November. And oh boy, you could tell! I can hardly walk now. Clearly some training is required before lift-in of our own boat......

Steve

Vexorg wrote: »

....and even managed to get one crew wet.

Wet?

WET????

I reckon I made history there...

Kite was wrapped, me trying to undo it and it fills with me on the wrong side of the sheet (silly mistake), next thing I'm kite surfing on my back about 10 feet to leeward of the boat - still doing 7kts and no way was I letting go of the sheet..

Managed to somehow 'surf' back to the boat and grabbed onto the rail and, with some help, got back on board.

Thankfully the lifejacket didn't inflate, I'd never have gotten through the rail.

Best bit is this though, I'm sitting there in the cockpit, dripping, I reach into my inside pocket and the smokes are still dry!! the lighter even worked!!!

Some day.

Vexorg

Ah now, you tell the story so much better than I could.. but the dry cigs and working lighter was pretty cool.

I was surprised you didn't say - can we do it again

HeidiHeidi

God bless your hanging-onto-a-rope muscles!!!

HOWEVER.

On a not so light note - your lifejacket didn't go up :eek::eek::eek:

While in this case, where you managed to hang onto something and stay in contact with the boat it may have worked to your advantage (although I'd happily argue against that), if you'd gone clear overboard that could have been a big problem......

The proportion of man overboards I've seen/heard of in Dublin Bay where LJs didn't go up is truly scary.

Can I use this opportunity to call on people sailing/racing/boating to

GET YER BLOODY LIFEJACKETS CHECKED

Thank you.

ETA - and while I'm at it, if you don't have one already, get a crotch-strap fitted, and use it. Another hobby-horse of mine.

Steve

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

On a not so light note - your lifejacket didn't go up

While in this case, where you managed to hang onto something and stay in contact with the boat it may have worked to your advantage (although I'd happily argue against that), if you'd gone clear overboard that could have been a big problem......

I checked it, it's fine. If I had let go of the spinnaker I would have sank and the immersion trigger would have fired. As I was being towed by the boat, I didn't sink enough. Proof of this is the still dry smokes..

I agree with you though - everyone should satisfy themselves that their personal buoyancy equipment is functional.

Stheno

Steve wrote: »

Wet?

WET????

I reckon I made history there...

Kite was wrapped, me trying to undo it and it fills with me on the wrong side of the sheet (silly mistake), next thing I'm kite surfing on my back about 10 feet to leeward of the boat - still doing 7kts and no way was I letting go of the sheet..

Managed to somehow 'surf' back to the boat and grabbed onto the rail and, with some help, got back on board.

Thankfully the lifejacket didn't inflate, I'd never have gotten through the rail.

Best bit is this though, I'm sitting there in the cockpit, dripping, I reach into my inside pocket and the smokes are still dry!! the lighter even worked!!!

Some day.

I am so glad I was too sick to go sailing today, that could have been me :eek:

I was just thinking about getting my lifejacket serviced too!

Was the photographer out today?

Vexorg

One of the few days we did not have the camera running. It would have been great to watch and see what we were doing wrong.

Stheno

@ miss no stars have you tried those trousers in anger yet?

@ everyone else, I've discovered reality of life as a bowman and come to dislike my crewmates love of my getting wet whilst preventing them from doing so.

Has anyone who has spent time on the bow recommendations for a cag/top with some sort of neck seal?

I wear a drysuit usually dinghy sailing (Unless it's very warm) and am thinking of some sort of top with a similiar neck fitting?

pedroeibar1

I was a bowman on a 3/4 tonner for a few seasons a long time ago. Dip - pole gybing. I got wet. Very wet. There was nothing that would keep water out. Back then we wore lifejackets only at night and in very bad weather. A scary moment was once when I was between forestay and pulpit executing a gybe the bow dug in and my lifejacket auto inflated. I was stuck there for a while, skipper roaring to come aft, the cockpit crew laughing their a$$es off. It actually was funny after the initial shock. I never wore a 'salt cell' inflate jacket after that. Grin and bear the damp. At least nowadays the clubs have hot showers, in my time the dinghy people used up what little hot water the Juniors had left.

HeidiHeidi

Wasn't sure which thread to post this on, might be of interest to some..... if anyone thinks it'd be seen by more in another thread please feel free to move

Boat jumble to be held in Greystones 6th April.

http://www.sailing.ie/ISANews/tabid/115/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/58798/language/en-GB/Greystones-Boat-Jumble.aspx?utm_source=ISA+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3856669ea7-Weekly_Newsletter_13th_March_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dad6065394-3856669ea7-128480269

miss no stars

Stheno wrote: »

@ miss no stars have you tried those trousers in anger yet?

Nope and owner injury has gone and cast doubt on the whole bloody season. Haven't been out at all since autumn and even then only made it to one race of the whole autumn league (talk about a bad run of sailing luck). Considered doing Brass Monkeys Spring and finding a boat for it but when I had a nosy at the entry list the majority were white sail and tbh that just put me right off. WTF is with white sailing? So boring. Pop the bloody kite up and have a real race. This whole spinnaker fear trend really needs addressing in a serious manner. People say they can't get and keep crew so they white sail to make it easy to get crew cos you can take complete novices and train them up and blah de blah... Well of course you can't retain crew if they spend the race bored off their faces on the rail doing nothing... Ugh. Rant over.

Took up other sports to compensate, though, so at least I won't be blowing off the cobwebs for the first time come the summer...

neris

miss no stars wrote: »

Nope and owner injury has gone and cast doubt on the whole bloody season. Haven't been out at all since autumn and even then only made it to one race of the whole autumn league (talk about a bad run of sailing luck). Considered doing Brass Monkeys Spring and finding a boat for it but when I had a nosy at the entry list the majority were white sail and tbh that just put me right off. WTF is with white sailing? So boring. Pop the bloody kite up and have a real race. This whole spinnaker fear trend really needs addressing in a serious manner. People say they can't get and keep crew so they white sail to make it easy to get crew cos you can take complete novices and train them up and blah de blah... Well of course you can't retain crew if they spend the race bored off their faces on the rail doing nothing... Ugh. Rant over.

Took up other sports to compensate, though, so at least I won't be blowing off the cobwebs for the first time come the summer...

White sails really pisses me off. Could go on a rant about white sails but would be club specific. The brass monkeys spinnaker class was good racing these last 2 series

miss no stars

neris wrote: »

White sails really pisses me off. Could go on a rant about white sails but would be club specific. The brass monkeys spinnaker class was good racing these last 2 series

I'm raging I missed the members forum as I actually wanted to raise the issue. Pity I didn't take a chance on it so, it just looked like the numbers were too small to get any decent racing within the spi class. Next year!

Vexorg

We raced white sails for the DBSC first season and moved up to Spinnaker Class in the Turkey Shoot & Spring Chicken. We still do not have a full crew and have been looking for a permanent mast man and tactician without success. How do you guys manage to get full crews?

miss no stars

Vexorg wrote: »

We raced white sails for the DBSC first season and moved up to Spinnaker Class in the Turkey Shoot & Spring Chicken. We still do not have a full crew and have been looking for a permanent mast man and tactician without success. How do you guys manage to get full crews?

I think the general consensus is that most people manage with difficulty!

Stheno

Having moved from white sails to a spinny boat, it's a whole different experience, I definitely had those moments sitting on the rail bored out of my skull that mns describes

neris

miss no stars wrote: »

I'm raging I missed the members forum as I actually wanted to raise the issue. Pity I didn't take a chance on it so, it just looked like the numbers were too small to get any decent racing within the spi class. Next year!

think there was 8 kites in class 2 out for the last days racing which was pretty much all the spinnaker entries. Autumn leagues finish and everyone thinks sailing is over and it gets to cold to do the brass monkeys. If you have issues or suggestions over racing it would be worth emailing the sailing sec in the club.

miss no stars

Tbh I'm sure he'd like to see more spinnakers up as well... I was more hoping to prod people with the suggestion directly. Ah well, another time. It just amazes me that people wallow around in a rolly-polly boat doing 3 knots when they could be doing twice that and going steady and then are surprised when it's hard to get crew and race numbers dwindle.

Then you've people who get a rush of sh!t to the head and do stuff like this :P

pedroeibar1

You don't need the colors to know they are Yanks! Dead down wind a mizzen is useless, even reefed as on that ketch, as it inevitably backwinds the mizzen staysail. Were they to drop the main I'd bet that hull speed would not drop either.

JamesM

I suppose the US on the main is a giveaway
That's Jim Kilroy, Dennis Conner is probably on board as well - they probably know what they're at
Jim.

neris

JamesM wrote: »

I suppose the US on the main is a giveaway
That's Jim Kilroy, Dennis Conner is probably on board as well - they probably know what they're at
Jim.

Info on Kialoa and some even better pics here

http://rbsailing.blogspot.ie/2013/07/kialoa-iii-s-maxi.html

Article and pics of the old school maxis here.

http://rbsailing.blogspot.ie/2013/01/the-ior-maxis-1980s.html

HeidiHeidi

Jaysus, I can only imagine the tangle of sheets and guys - not to mention crew to man them all - involved in that :eek:

ETA - haha, just read further down the page...... one word - GYBING :eek::eek::eek:

neris

Anyone remember this attempt at a Maxi before it was red?

HeidiHeidi

Thought for a minute it was Moonduster, but the transom is wrong (and anyway, who in their right mind would have painted that red??!!)

neris wrote: »

Anyone remember this attempt at a Maxi before it was red?

JamesM

NCB Ireland skippered by Joe English.
Jim.

pedroeibar1

She was a dog! Did she not go to Poland or somewhere for a refit when the Irish Navy said no to taking her on? She's yours for $200k now. (Dog she might be but if you buy I'll give you a hand bringing her back from the Carribbean;) )
That stern/transom screams Holland. The Shamrocks and Apples were fast, but I think Holland designed nothing succesful (racing results wise) since the seventies.

neris

She ended up down in greece as some ship owners play toy then ended up in some hotel along with martella in the caribbean. Martellas up for sale aswell. Martella was irish owned at one stage bout 2002 was bols & irish independent. 2 boats you could buy for feck all and then bankrupt yourself buying a new main

miss no stars

Thanks to those I was out with on Sunday, had a blast

Dunno what your decision was - or if you're already doing it - and only thought of it afterwards; but if you're worried about the spi hoists going smoothly something I've found very useful is to put a 2:1 purchase on the spi halyard. Replace the shackle on the end of the halyard with a block, the run a line measuring [the distance from the deck to the block for the halyard at the top of the mast] from the deck through the block on the end of the halyard and onto the head of the spinnaker (attach shackle or whatever if you want, I tend to just tie the head off on bigger boats tbh). Halves the time you spend hoisting.

Also, how did I get sunburn in March with factor 20 on?!

Vexorg

Thanks for coming out with us, was great to have another experienced sailor on board.

Will take a look at the your suggestion regarding the spinnaker hoist.

Congrats to Steve for winning a special award/prize too, a great end to our first year on the water.

miss no stars wrote: »

Thanks to those I was out with on Sunday, had a blast

Dunno what your decision was - or if you're already doing it - and only thought of it afterwards; but if you're worried about the spi hoists going smoothly something I've found very useful is to put a 2:1 purchase on the spi halyard. Replace the shackle on the end of the halyard with a block, the run a line measuring [the distance from the deck to the block for the halyard at the top of the mast] from the deck through the block on the end of the halyard and onto the head of the spinnaker (attach shackle or whatever if you want, I tend to just tie the head off on bigger boats tbh). Halves the time you spend hoisting.

Also, how did I get sunburn in March with factor 20 on?!

HeidiHeidi

Ah crap, I missed meeting even more of ye, I got stuck working on Sunday and had to give the sailing a miss :mad:

Never mind, I'll get to introduce myself one of these days.:D

Vexorg

Thats a pity, maybe someone will organise a beers, and put more faces to names.

miss no stars

I think this forum is long overdue for a beers...

HeidiHeidi

I think that's a most excellent idea!!!

Once the season gets up and running we'll surely all turn up at the same event once or twice.... just need to keep our timetables co-ordinated!

pedroeibar1

miss no stars wrote: »

Thanks to those I was out with on Sunday, had a blast

Dunno what your decision was - or if you're already doing it - and only thought of it afterwards; but if you're worried about the spi hoists going smoothly something I've found very useful is to put a 2:1 purchase on the spi halyard. .........

I'd be a bit worried about that, just something else that could get tangled....Do you not hoist the spinny in stops? I've always found that is the most efficient way, it can be set up even before rounding a mark and just needs the patience of the crew on the sheet before it is broken out.

miss no stars

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

I'd be a bit worried about that, just something else that could get tangled....Do you not hoist the spinny in stops? I've always found that is the most efficient way, it can be set up even before rounding a mark and just needs the patience of the crew on the sheet before it is broken out.

Works a treat on one of the boats I've sailed for years, I've also seen it done on a few other boats. The only time I've seen it get tangled is when someone hanked the jib on incorrectly.

Sail stops are now, broadly speaking, illegal under rule 55 unless the NOR and SIs are specifically worded to allow them. So unless the SIs and NOR specifically modify rule 55, your only similar option is a snuffer or to get it up fast.

http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2013/10/08/trash-disposal-use-sail-stops/

pedroeibar1

Thanks MissNS, I did not realise that. Shows how long it is since I've raced. My first rubber band holder was a 'borrowed' traffic cone with top and bottom cut off. Worked a treat.
That Rule 55 really is PC gone daft. I suppose one could now protest the OOD for using a cotton wad in the starting cannon!

miss no stars

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

That Rule 55 really is PC gone daft. I suppose one could now protest the OOD for using a cotton wad in the starting cannon!

Yeah, I think it was a case that they just didn't think it through properly. I'm sure we've all seen gob****es fecking their rubbish overboard (ah sure it'll biodegrade... eventually!). It's poor form and it's damaging to the environment and I think ISAF were trying to clean up sailing tbh and get rid of such environmentally un-friendly behaviour. I can admire that tbh, I'm sure some places are strewn with rubbish after large open events and providing teeth to actually punish that behaviour is a good step.

I think the banning of stops may have been an unintended - but unavoidable due to the wording - consequence. The fact that they so readily suggest a workaround might mean it would be worth keeping a weather eye out for it in RRS 2017-2020?

neris

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

I suppose one could now protest the OOD for using a cotton wad in the starting cannon!

you,ll have to find an ood who still uses a cannon or anything that goes bang 1st.

HeidiHeidi

neris wrote: »

you,ll have to find an ood who still uses a cannon or anything that goes bang 1st.

The starters on the West Pier Hut in DL are still using (mini) cannons for the starting/finishing guns! They look like proper antique ones, and frighten the bejaysus out of any passing pedestrians who don't notice the "Guns Firing" signs we put out.

pedroeibar1

Of course they are antique! The were old when I was a kid, and the last time I manned the line from the Hut, Jack Kennedy was alive and a bottle of something strong to keep out the damp was de rigueur. (Otherwise the Class Captain risked at least a recall !)

pedroeibar1

miss no stars wrote: »

.......I'm sure we've all seen gob****es fecking their rubbish overboard (ah sure it'll biodegrade... eventually!). It's poor form and it's damaging to the environment and I think ISAF were trying to clean up sailing tbh and get rid of such environmentally un-friendly behaviour. I can admire that tbh, I'm sure some places are strewn with rubbish after large open events and providing teeth to actually punish that behaviour is a good step........

Waaay back we always brought our rubbish home. Most boaters are aware of what a bit of plastice can do to a water intake on an engine. Before that - when I was a kid, it was common for thinking folk to break a beer bottle with a winchhandle before dropping it. That way the bits sank and were 'degraded'. As for bits of rubber band destroying the environment, well, anyone who had the doubtful pleasure of - for decades - sailing past the outfall at the back of the W Pier new about rubber items!

JamesM

neris wrote: »

you,ll have to find an ood who still uses a cannon or anything that goes bang 1st.

We had a Race Officer in Blessington SC who used a shotgun. He refused to use blanks because they could damage the barrels. We seldom had anyone OCS :eek::D