[Rhodes22-list] First Time Out

[Jb]

sounds like my first time out.
 It doesn't take 20+ wind to get that jib to touch the water.
 It's also real hard to furl with that much wind unless you point into the 
wind...... which is kinda hard to do in that much wind.
the lesson is.......don't lose your bearings and end up down wind from the 
marina when a storm is brewin.
Jb
"Just bent"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "MichaelT" <mticse at gmail.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 7:08 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] First Time Out


>
> Hello All,
>
> After working on the boat for the past several weeks and taking down the
> mast for the 1st time to add a new pop-top slider, windex and pre-wiring 
> for
> a vhf I was finally set to go. Replaced my first impeller on the 20 year 
> old
> yamaha 8hp, hiking stick w/ coaming box, all the wiring/lights tested and
> operable as the former owner never had a battery installed. And a solar
> panel from GB to boot.
>
> So I went out for the first time for the season yesterday this being my
> first boat, first season. Everything was going swell. Wind was 5-10 mph. 2
> hours later the wind picked up a notch and still all was well. When it was
> time to go home, we lost our bearing and realized we were downwind and
> started to beat the wind. The boat started to heel and heel a lot. So much
> we the jib started touching the water and scooping water from the gunnels.
>
> The wind picked up even more and this when the problem started. I decided
> that it would be best to take down the sails and just motor in. We tried 
> to
> head the boat into the wind and couldn't. Boat still heeling. We let out 
> the
> sheets to steady the boat. Tried to furl the jib in. Furling jib is
> stuck.What to do? While the boat was heeling, wind is now 20+, I go 
> forward
> to check the furling unit and noticed that there was hardly any line in 
> the
> spool. I had to hand wind the sail itself and was able to roll in about
> 2/3's of the jib. The 3rd still flapping. I grabbed the boom, lifted the
> topping lift, released the outhaul which just flew away and pulled hard on
> the main sail furling line and thank goodness the main sail furled in. 
> Motor
> down, motor started and we now were heading into the wind motoring, the 
> jib
> still flapping. I noticed that my mast stay turnbuckles on the starboard
> side was being turned loose from the flapping jib. Turnbuckles was
> reinstalled w/o cotter pins by our marina guy. Which way to tighen? 
> Counter
> clockwise ok. Settled down the jib on the mast stays. Swells were building
> up and we would hear the motor wining when it caught air.
>
> As we started heading into our channel at Cedar Creek, our point of sail 
> was
> now a beam reach and the 1/3 of our jib sail started to heel us over and 
> now
> the motor was all air wining. Placed the motor in neutral while we sailed
> and instructed my partner to throttle the motor when the boat flattened. 
> We
> finally made it into our marina, in our slip without fanfare as the marina
> was sheltered form the winds in the Barnegat. It started raining cats and
> dogs the moment we were gathering our things to pack up. Secured the dock
> lines, lifted the motor and rudder off the water. We just left the boat 
> amd
> went home.
>
> What do I do now? I might have broken the furling jib when I physicaly 
> hand
> wound the whole unit. Where do I even start to figure out why there wasn't
> any line in the spool. Is it possible when the mast was taken down that it
> may have gotten unwound? How do i get the furling jib back in order? Other
> questions linger...Why couldn't we head into the wind? Center board was
> down. We're we just having fun heeling and seeing the jib touch water or
> were we already in danger?
>
> Thanks for listening and appreciate your input...
>
> Michael
> Rhodes 87', Silverside
>
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>
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