The Sailboat Thread!

[CarlD]

Ok, let's get this straight: Swimming pools have water. Sailboats sail on water. Most sailboats are fiberglass or have a gel-coat. Lots of pools are made of fiberglass. We only deal with outdoor pools, and I never heard of a sailboat you sailed indoors!

So how far off topic are we really? ;)

I await the arrival of my little inflatable sailboat/kayak/towable/windsurfer. Of course, my wife thinks I'm stark raving mad, 'round the bend, or as my son puts it, ready for the rubber room!

I've had so few opps to sail, but I always love it. I don't know why motors on boats leave me cold. I love 'em on bicycles, especially when they have 4 cylinders and pump out 125 to 130 hp at the rear wheel, but not on boats (well, boats less than 5,000 ton displacement).

We cruise a lot and they always say "It's not a boat, it's a SHIP!" Oh yeah? Then why for 10 or 15 years did the Dawn Princess star on "The Love Boat" (yawn)? (or was it the Island Princess?)

So let's move the sailing and other boat stuff here!

[sailork]

Well let's see if I can get things started here with an enthusiastic yacht race post!

I'm going to be involved in a very long yacht race tommorrow. It's supposed to be very light wind and hotter'n heck. As usual the UV index will be "10+ extreme" according to weather.com. If I post anything on Sunday it will probably be sunstroke addled nonesense, please forgive.

[MaryLee]

Oh yeah? Then why for 10 or 15 years did the Dawn Princess star on "The Love Boat" (yawn)? (or was it the Island Princess?)

I hate that I even know this but.....it's the Pacific Princess.....boy am I a geek :eek:

[sailork]

Now see MaryLee you're trying to hijack this thread. If you were talking about the Minnow and Gilligan's Island then it would be "on topic."

I mean, everybody knows we all dress like Thursten Howell the 3rd when sailing in regattas.

Those blue blazers are wicked hot in the summertime.. :D

[CarlD]

I hate that I even know this but.....it's the Pacific Princess.....boy am I a geek :eek:

I KNEW somebody would take the bait!:D

I had no idea. I broke more than one TV's channel changer getting it OFF "The Love Boat"--You just couldn't turn those things so hard! Then, when remotes became come, you'd bust the up-channel key!

I probably saw 5 to 10 minutes more of Love Boat in all the years it was on than I did of its sole-mate "Fantasy Island". If between the two of them I saw enough to add up to one episode, that'd be a lot. Wasn't there a guy named "Chipmunk" or "Groundhog" or "Prairie Dog" who got elected to Congress?

[CarlD]

Back on topic I'm looking for this inflatable to show up. Maybe my older boy and I can take it to a lake and try it out! Even kayaking in it should be fun.

But I've wanted to learn to sail for 12 years now, and only know just a little.

I've played with celestial navigation--it's really cool to figure out where you are with a watch and an almanac and a chart, not to mention a sextant. No GPS needed!

[Phillbo]

I'm a GPS / Autopilot snob on long passages( to me a long passage so far has only been about 2.5 days ) . Sextant is use as back up.

[sailork]

Carl, You might look around at some of the dingy class boats that are available. You can generally find working Sunfish and even larger boats for cheap (or even free..) if you watch craigslist.org etc. It's a great sport for kids because it's fun and there's a tremendous amount of physics and physical skill involved.

or you could buy a remote controlled sailboat and sail it around the pool.. :D

[sailork]

Phillbo, we don't have a sextant or an autopilot on board. We're always racing or returning when we're offshore so there are bunches of people we can reach by VHF. The longest passage I've ever made was Galveston to South Padre and back by way of Aransas last year. It's probably over 1000 miles through the water. That was on somebody else's boat. The way I see it a J/105 is too wet and cramped for long passagemaking.

[CarlD]

"a remote controlled sailboat...."

That just doesn't quite cut it!

If you have a sextant as a backup, do you regularly practice with it to be sure you can do a sight-reduction? (correctly, that is!) If not, put the sextant up on eBay! I have a number of them. For a while you could buy aircraft periscope sextants (really octants) for as little as $50. The gummint paid about $2500/per for these in the '60s' and they were installed in B-52's. In Dale Brown's "Flight of The Old Dog" the hero, a bombadier, wants his sextant back...

The periscope sextants are incredibly beautiful pieces, with the 'scope section filled with nitrogen so it wouldn't condense on the inside when exposed to the brutally cold wind out the top of a B-52 at 40,000 feet!

Then there are the left-handed sextants--

But you can get a Davis plastic sextant for about $40 and can sail around the world with it--as long as you have an accurate watch and a current nautical almanac.

Or you can use ANY hand-held GPS. They all pump out Lat/Long and you can use that on a chart.

A really cool site to buy nav stuff is :
www.Celestaire.com Some stuff is horribly over-priced, but other stuff is really reasonable. I was poking around there when I saw the inflatable sailboat....Should arrive today!

[sailork]

I need to take one of the navigation classes the Coasties give down here. I suppose I've been a little too concerned about boat speed and not about safety... :D

[Phillbo]

I loved that book !! No, I have not practiced or even broken out the sextant in a couple years. Not much sailing lately. I did alot in the BVI for a while there. My father retired early and spent 12 years cruising on his 46' Choy Lee.

Lately I'm lucky to get a Charter with the Moorings out of La Paz MX. once a year.

I hope to change that soon and am shopping the docks of Guymas when possible. It's tough being a sailor in the desert :D



Besides, I've been spending too much time and money on my other hobbies :cool:

[CarlD]

"Emergency Navigation" is a great book--forgot the author's name.
There are lots of good beginning navigation books and some good videos.

William F. Buckley (yes, THAT Buckley) is an avid sailor and HIS video on celestial nav is very good--he goes for the Air Nav tables.

Then there's the Lighthouse one the begins....
"Murray"
"Murray, wake up!"
"Murray, wake up! I think we're lost....."

Plus there's that GREAT PBS video: Longitude, based on the wonderful book by Dava Sobel. It's almost like a Tom Clancy novel, it's so dramatic. I have pictures in my office at work of Harrison's first sea clock, the H1, that I took at The Old Observatory in Greenwich....before they yelled at me about using a flash...:rolleyes: H1 to H4 are incredibly beautiful, and Harrison was such a genius--like the 2 bicycle makers who wanted to fly so they reinvented the science of aerodynamics--the Wrights. Or the guy who wanted to build an electric motor so he developed the laws of electro-magnetics!--Maxwell.

[GraceByDesign]

OK, I just have to ask the question...

If everyone is all involved talking about boats and speakers and other Big Guy Stuff, who is gonna help us with our pools??? :eek:

(Not that I have one yet) :rolleyes:

[Phillbo]

Just start a Sailboat thread and then ask a pool question.. we'll check in on ya :D

[CarlD]

Just start a Sailboat thread and then ask a pool question.. we'll check in on ya :D

And I'll move it!;)

The Aquaglide arrived tonight and my wife is "It's HUGE" cuz the box is about 5'long. It's actually quite small. Now I have to figure out where I can use it!

Notice that this is the OFF TOPIC area, so we can talk about almost anything as long as it's not controversial--then it goes in the China Shop.

Don't worry, I still check for new posts and if I need to comment!

[sailork]

Carl, I think it's time to upgrade to a 200,000 gallon pool. Use the Aquaglide to "glide" your way across to pick up a fresh rum drink. I'll be over later to help dig the outdoor 9.5 meter horns and you'll be all set.

[GraceByDesign]

And I'll move it!;) ................
Notice that this is the OFF TOPIC area, so we can talk about almost anything as long as it's not controversial--then it goes in the China Shop.

Carl, I realized that, and should have included a ;) to indicate the teasing tone that I can hear in my head but cannot seem to convey through the keyboard :rolleyes:

Don't worry, I still check for new posts and if I need to comment!



WHEW! Thank goodness! ;)

[CarlD]

Carl, I think it's time to upgrade to a 200,000 gallon pool. Use the Aquaglide to "glide" your way across to pick up a fresh rum drink. I'll be over later to help dig the outdoor 9.5 meter horns and you'll be all set.

All I gotta do is tear down the house behind me!

"We are sailing...We are sailing...Once again.."

[PatL34]

Sorry Carl, but this the best I can do. Not my pool, not my boat.:D

Pat

[Poolboyz]

You may want to consider a remote controlled boat that has a skimmer net attached to it! Pool cleaning was never so fun....I got it at a store called "Leslie's Pool supplies in Phoenix.....good luck..

[sailork]

I was thinking, remote controlled sailboats..

http://seagifts.com/orbmwracomos.html

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/sailboats.htm


There are international RC sailboat races as well. You could turn your eyeball jets upwards and put a fan or two beside the pool for a "Perfect Storm."

[Phillbo]

I had an rc sail boat for about 1 month. I took it to Lake Powell and it was a blast to sail while relaxing with a cold one on the swim deck. a couple nights into the trip we rafted up in a canyon and I left it floating between the boats.. The next morning it was gone. the wind picked up and it just took off I guess. Not very bright on my part.

I'm stil not sure how it got past the spring lines that were hanging in the water :o

[sailork]

Now that I have a pool, I figure I need to find a small one..

[Pool_Mike]

Never sailed. But I use to boat.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/hifi_homeboy/robertSalutBOAT.jpg

[Phillbo]

I have a battery powers RC tug boat for the pool.. it pushes me around in the raft ;)

[sailork]

I've got the little speedboats. They make terrible tugboats. Heck, you can't even balance a beer on one.

[Phillbo]

mine has a flat deck.. send the woman in the house for a cold one and the tug to the steps ..... ahhh life sux !

:cool:

[Phillbo]

Never sailed. But I use to boat.




Nice .. does he salute you all the time :)

[sailork]

I've been thinking that the innards from the RC boat could be mounted to a small cooler. That would make for a nice "Container Ship" methinks.

[CarlD]

Gee, I thought this thread was for sailboats--you know, things people RIDE in, not model boats. Do I need to start a new thread for you people? Next you'll be on to battery chargers for you RC toys!:mad:

[sailork]

Oops, Sorry Carl! I'll get us back on topic.

As a matter of fact I'll be yachting the rest of this week. Our boat is competing in the Galveston Race Week which starts Thursday. It should be hot and mostly windless. We'll be baking on the deck like dead toads on a sidewalk. :D

This regatta is part of a series of three offshore races and there is some chance we could be the overall winners if we place well. We won the first one.

Wish me luck..

[DavidD]

Well Carl, Here's a few pictures for you. The first is yet another toy, but notice the sparkling water in the back ground :)

472

Comes in a kit and by the time you get the good servos and radio, your around $200. Lot's of fun on those days on the big boat when there's not enough wind.

The last are the real thing from a recent 100 mile race on a friends boat. This is what you call a screaming reach! Flat water and a stiff breeze.

473

Wonder why I called it screaming? Round here on the "ponds", this is about as fast as it gets...:eek:

474

Sailing is my first hobby, however since we got the pool a few years ago, it is a close second. It was originally for the girls (wife and daughter), you know, their "boat". This time of year however, I spend more time in the pool than on the boat. Sailing season starts again at the end of the month and runs until the end of May so the overlap is almost perfect. Sailing is really like nothing else, no matter what size boat you have.

Dave
16k gallon Fiberglass salt water pool, without the SWC (My girls boat)
1989 Hunter 30 (My other hobby)

P.S.- Good luck sailork! What boat will you be sailing on?

[sailork]

Thanks DavidD!! I suspect those shots are from an even larger J boat than the one I'll be on.

My father owns the J/105 "Stinger." We've slowly worked up from a Hunter 26.5 through a Santana 30/30 to Stinger. We're in contention for the TORC series because the first leg of the first race of the series was run in 30+ knots of wind on a very hot spinnaker angle. Stinger didn't hoist the chute immediately at the start because the race began inside the Galveston jetties and the chute angle would have been brutal. When we did hoist we blew past every boat in the fleet including a couple of J/109's a well sailed J/44 and a C&C 121. There's really no way for PHRF to take into account a 34.5' boat that will sustain an average speed of 12 knots in a decent blow. For once the very heavy duty class spinnaker was an advantage. :D

We saw planing over 14 knots and surfing up to 17.5. The boat was a handful but frankly the Santana was more trouble in a 15 knots. We rounded the first mark more than 30 miles offshore better than 15 minutes ahead of the J/44 and pretty much nothing else was in sight behind us. The Benneteau 44.7 that was the only finisher of the next race in the series was way, way behind. The rest of the race was basically ours to lose and we managed to avoid losing it. Broad reach to the next mark and then evil confused seas all night home. Yeah, I've been wishing I could write this post for a while. THANKS! for asking :).

Now, which Jboat do your pictures come from?

I had to edit this post because the 44.7 I thought ran the first race wasn't there.. I'll claim too much beer.. Oh, and is that a J/35?

[DavidD]

Those shots were from a J-32 during the 100 mile race on Kentucky lake. It is a "cruising" J for sure but definitely is able to show it's pedigree when pushed. The J-105 is an awesome boat and I'm sure you and your dad really appreciate the design compared to the Santana and its IOR design, especially off and down wind! I have raced on many J's, 22's, 24's, 30's, J-80 (my least favorite by the way), J-92's, 105's and have been sailing lately on a new J-100. They make a fast, stable and incredibly easy boat to sail. The 32 was designed with the same mind set as the 29, for cruisers who want to get there fast. I have not had the pleasure to sail the 44 yet but I here it is very comfortable. I have a friend in West Palm Beach who has just recently bought one and hope to take a trip to the Bahamas next year. We'll see.
I personally have a cruiser, or "condo" as some might say. I was never really a Hunter fan, this is my first, but have really enjoyed my '89 30. It's easy to sail single-handed (which I do often), has plenty of room and was relatively inexpensive for the year and size. Kind of "the most bang for the buck." I just got a new full batten main and wow, what a difference. I can point a couple of degrees higher. Well worth the investment.

I have adopted the racing philosophy of :
1. No more dinghies! Lightnings, Dutchman's etc. are for those younger and/or in better shape. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot on a Lightning and it is an incredibly competitive class, but all that damn hiking. I now only race "big boats. I do however consider the J-22 in this "big" category, even though it's basically a dingy with a keel. Lasers are fun and just for play.
2. And this one is real important, ALWAYS RACE SOMEONE ELSE'S BOAT. I'll helm, trim the main, trim the jib, fly the chute or do foredeck. Hell I'll even be rail meat if you ask. Just don't ask me to pay for that new Mylar/Kevlar sail or broken carbon fiber pole.....:eek:

I'll keep an eye on the race. Give the crew of Stinger my best and let them know that a sailor in Tennessee is rooting for them. They'll probably think you've lost your mind, a sailor in Tennessee????

Dave

[sailork]

I grew up in Oklahoma and Dad learned how to sail on Grand Lake of the Cherokees. We race against plenty of great racers from inland lakes. Generally the winds are much lighter down here then they are 'where the wind comes sweeping down the plains' in OK. :D

It looks like a miserable hot windless regatta at the moment. Thanks for the support.

k

[DavidD]

It looks like a miserable hot windless regatta at the moment.

Around here, we say it's a "sweat n bobb". You know, lots of sweating and bobbing around.;) Tell dad to stock up on ice and plenty of beer.

Dave

[sailork]

Yeah, we did a fair amount of sweating and bobbing. Far more beer was drunk then seems at all safe or reasonable. I'm several shades darker and redder than I usually am.

We won the trophy we were after so it was a very successful week.