First Sailing Weekend

Making a Stopper Knot

Overhauled the running rigging and launched the Springtide. Had the lake almost to ourselves this weekend, save for seagulls, great blue and green herons, and a noisy band of terns. Temps in the 40's with winds so light it took us two hours to run as many miles.

Beautiful day for a sail

Wind was mostly abeam (falling on the side of the ship; what they used to call a soldier's tack,) all the way to Gooseberry, falling slightly on the corner just as we rounded its rocky Eastern edge. Spotted two loons, countless seagulls, and a Bald Eagle being chased by what appeard to be a small flock of blackbirds.

Though there were magnificent storms almost all day Saturday, today the weather was mostly sunny with a few white cumulus ruminating across the sky like fat white heifers.

Winging It

Goosewinging it (please ignore the unflemished bowline on deck)

First time we've ever gotten the Springtide to run goosewinged for any period of time (5-10 minutes before the wind shifted and we got an accidental jibe). They call it 'goosewinged' because the jib hangs off one side of the vessel and the main over the other, makes the sails (in some historical sailor's opinion) look like the wings of a goose coming in for a landing.

Why would you want to goosewing? Well, compare your average fore-and-aft rigged vessel (your average sailboat) to your old-timey square-rigger (think Master and Commander or Pirates of the Carribean). The purpose of your standard square-rigger's rectangular sails was to harness the pushing power of the wind. The purpose of your fore-and-aft rigged triangular sail is to generate lift (like a wing), pulling you along the water. This gives fore-and-aft riggers the power to sail close to (into) the wind.

Think of it like a knife (meant to cut) compared to a ladel (meant to scoop.)

While the fore-and-aft rigger (most square-riggers carried at least some triangular sails), can sail into the wind, the moment you head downwind you abandon wind-generated lift for wind-generated push, something triangles don't harness quite as well as square sails do. This is especially difficult as the mainsail generally blocks at least some of the wind from the jib.

This is where goosewinging comes in. By pushing one sail off the starboard beam and another off the larboard, you maximize the available sail area, helping the boat run a bit more smoothly downwind. Best thing you can do downwind unless you have a spinnaker (large jib-like sail) on hand.

Hot and humid this weekend. Loads of threatening clouds, but not a drop of rain this morning. Flocks of Canadian Geese seen on the lake, along with a few Cormorants.

Got around two and a half decent hours of sailing between storms yesterday. Brought the storm jib, but didn't need it with the winds E-SE between 8-10 MPH. As reccomended in Seidman's The Complete Sailor, hauled the centerboard up about 1/3 when sailing at a beam reach, and making sure the jib channels air to the main when sailing close-haulled.

Saw two sea planes while out, as well as a flock of geese and a hawk nabbing what appeared to be a fish.

Musings on Self-Sufficience

Pelican Lake, courtesy of Google Earth

No pelicans, but loads of loons up on Pelican Lake last weekend. Spent most of it on the water learning to sail on all points -- close-hauled, broad reach, by the beam, by the lee. Finally got the proper hang of the cleat tie, and can stretch a bowline fairly prodigiously now.

Funny to see that the majority of boats out there are either bass boats or pontoons. If you consider the fact that you can circumnavigate the world by plane (with only a few layovers) in a few days; that using Skype you can hear and see someone in India, or using Google Earth visit the pyramids from the comfort of your desk chair, sailing vessels seem terribly obsolete.

But what are we really relying on for these newer means of "travel"? To actually construct a 747 from scratch, you'd need a team of engineers, of mechanics, would need to purchase enormous amounts of raw material, pay a crew of mechanics to maintain it, a pilot or two to fly it, an air traffic tower to tell it where and when it was clear to depart or land. In the end you require thousands of people, loads of raw material, and a regular supply of fuel. Without any one of these elements, you are grounded.

And while most people don't think that connecting via the internet involves anything more complicated than plugging their home computer into the cable modem, consider that, to send an email, you need a constantly operational connection from your computer to your local service hub, likely from your local service hub to one of your ISP's branch routers, from the branch router through a maze of routing devices to your email server (like Hotmail), and an active connection from there to the email server of the person you intend to send to. All of these locations must have power, an active connection to the web, and likely a 24/7 tech staff. Google Earth is even more complicated, involving various servers throughout the world that collect and conglomerate sattelite photography and 3D imaging. Again, lots of people, lots of raw materials, and a major reliance on stable power and lines of communication.

Sailing, in comparison, is relatively simple. One human, given enough time and some very basic materials, could build a sailing craft worthy of circumnavigating the globe. Though it would be a prodigious challenge, he or she could man the craft themselves (alone), and though they might wile away a good amount of time in the doldrums, they could do it without a drop of gasoline. I think that's what makes it so rewarding; you are essentially self-sufficient; freed from many of the technologies we enslave ourselves to in modern society.

Lessons Learned on Pelican Lake

A few things learned during this weekend's outing on Pelican Lake:

• You really only use the motor to sputter around the harbor, through channels, and in dead calms.
• You always want to be sure to have suntan lotion on the boat.
• It's far easier to sail upwind than it is to run with the wind (that is, to have the wind at your back). Your best bet when running downwind is to do so at an angle. This is not only generally faster (even if you have to make more tacks), but makes you less susceptible to accidental jibing.
• People seem to take far more notice of sailboats than, say, pontoons or jetskis.
• Wildlife are the exact opposite. As there's no sound, not even that of oars, you can get much closer to them than you could in even a canoe. We came extremely close to:
• Loons
• Cormorants
• Mergansers
• Mallards
• Green and Great Blue Herons
• (of course) loads of Gulls
• Lake residents and marina members tend to know the rules of the road and show respect; those who rent watercraft from marinas don't. Had two teenage girls in a jet ski buzzing the boat (in a no wake zone) to get a better look while I raised the sails. By the third pass was willing to invest in a 9 lb chaser to help them with their maritime schooling. Seriously parents, tell your spawn what the white-and-orange bouys mean BEFORE you set them loose.
• You will likely use the cleat hitch every day you sail.
• A swinging keel is a great thing in shallow waters.