Windy!

[Riley Smith]

It takes ten hours to break in a Honda. That's like 2 years of normal use for S R Cat! So I made a run around the river today in terribly gusty winds. We've got a front coming and ever so often a cloud will come through making a mist in the air. It is so dry you couldn't hardly call it a sprinkle, much less a rain. Maybe the comma tail will come through and rain enough to settle the dust. What that meant before hand, was high winds and muggy temps.

I ran the motor today and never raised sail. After a big gust hit me from the beam and the boat heeled an alarming amount, I decided that was best. One reef point wasn't going to be enough and I had said I wasn't sailing with two unless it was an emergency. ( The boat doesn't like to tack with 2 reefs). I wasn't into fighting a sheet on this day and was content to fish a little and run up and down the river. I couldn't find the specks and had a goose egg, although it wasn't really a full-fledged fishing expedition.

It was quite warm. I was glad I wore my sunglasses as the glare was awful. There is a new marina adjacent to the ramp with not much activity. Someone had come out with plans to put condos behind that marina, I had read awhile back, so eventually that little spot may get a little more active. Right now it is pretty dead and the park where I launched only had three or four people taking advantage of the sunshine. It's kinda out of the way anyway. Just my cup of tea and I took my time rigging and retrieving.

I had high hopes for a bite because the gulls were active and showing fish but it died off pretty quick after I anchored up. Further down the river there are many docks and places to fish but big boats and ships ( air craft carrier sized) go there and it gets dangerous. Not to mention sailors riding around with machine guns, so I just stay away. I did think about a tour to the end there to the River Point park but decided to get some more hours in with the new stuff before that happened. I could have launched from that Point park and been right there but it is in full wind and that wasn't a good move today. (Read rough).

The catboat is in the garage and and the motor on it's stand. The new goal posts fit easily after I rearranged some stuff. I've moved the lawn tractor inside and made sure the windows on the truck were up, in case the rain comes in the night. I'm sure the temp will go down after the front and I'll BE GLAD!!!!

[noelH]

You probably wouldn't enjoy L. Superior conditions on some day.  Outside of probably too cold for your southern blood. Double reef is relatively common event sailing small boats that become bouncing, whip lashing platforms if sog gets a bit too high heading upwind.

Fooled around when first taking delivery of Vela just sailing with the main. Full, single, and double reef set. Figured one of these days I will have little options of getting back into the marina outside of under sail.  Light wind was impressed with how well Vela handled in all three sail sets. Then...

This past season sail was already set at 2nd reef.  Guessing main reduced to 1/2 (~40 sq ft).  Still too much wind. So down goes the jib. Still to much heel and weather helm. Option was to turn downwind and take a run in the opposite direction needing to head.  Or hard into the wind and hammer poor Vela into the chop. Or heave to. Which I have never done with just the main.  I guess I became a pseudo-cat boat. Heave to, but one hand on the tiller.  The other on the mainsheet. Drifting and rolling upwind at a clip that would make me happy on the drifter light wind days.  Finally into the lee of the mainland.  Smoother water. Proceeded home to the marina.

 

 

[Riley Smith]

Just now reading that reply Noel. I figured that not getting swamped or capsized was a good idea that day!!! Usually if it is blowing that much I add another crew member (ballast). I've only sailed with a double reef once, and that was mostly just to find out if it changed anything. Mostly you can control the boat by angle to the wind but there ARE those times that you wish you'd never done THAT! Anyway, it doesn't like to tack with a double reef, and although I'm sure it was partly the helmsman's fault, it can present problems. However, the boat WILL work as a motorcraft too, so I'm happy.