[Rhodes22-list] Fw: [rhodes-list] Look, Ma, No Hands!

[Bill Effros]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: BILL EFFROS 
To: "R-22" 
Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2001 11:20 AM
Subject: [rhodes-list] Look, Ma, No Hands!


Try this when you have nothing better to do:

1.  Balance the sails.

2.  Lock the tiller so the boat moves straight forward.

3.  Steer the boat by moving from side to side.  

(The boat will turn away from the side where you place your weight.)

On Long Island Sound I've found I can sail this way for hours without ever touching any boat controls.

To come about using the "No Hands" method, you must jibe.  Reset the jib.  Sail back home.

You can control the boat from anywhere in a Rhodes 22, including inside the cabin.  I put waypoints in my GPS and simply sail to them.  By keeping one eye on my GPS I can easily stay on course while I eat, chart, or do whatever else I must do.

Apart from being a nifty "parlor trick" the method also helps you learn to balance your sails, balance weight, and demonstrates clearly that some "wind shifts" are really people moving about on board.

With just a little bit of practice you can become your own "auto-polite".

Bill Effros

PS -- Michael, all the Luddites are not dead.