Seasons end

[Henning 4148]

So, the season is over. Yesterday, our club held the official "end of season" sail. It was fun (sailing always is fun in a boat that is so fast, that with most other boats in the club you can decide whether to overtake them on the weather or the lee side, see http://www.kieler.org/), apart from touching ground 4 times http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulleti...ons/icon11.gif The third time, the rudder was pushed out of its hinges and my wife had to steer with the sails for a bit until I had the rudder back in place. Luckily, no damage to the hinges or the rudder, just the spring securing the rudder had buckled a little.

Three times stones and once sand. Not happy about hitting the stones ... The boat only draws 0,9 meters, but we were a bit close to the shore I guess. The advantage of hitting ground several times is, that you get better at sailing the boat off ... The keel is only hung in a slot in the hull, without any keelbolts, as the hull can also be used with a centerboard, so apart from the rear end of the slot being damaged when hitting ground, there isn't a lot to worry (I hope). The boat doesn't take water, so any damage shouldn't be too serious. After the sail, we took the mast down and brought it home. The boat will be taken out next weekend and I can inspect the keel and keel slot for damage then. The week after that, the harbour and boathouse will be made ready for winter.

Work for this winter - apart from general inspection and a lot of small jobs like rerivetting fairleads for control lines, which do not take a lot of time for the job but take a lot of time for derigging and rerigging the lines and getting the right spares - is mainly the sleeve in the masthead and a new main halyard. The bracket holding the sleeve in place was already broken when we bought the boat (one thing we didn't spot) and I have had a new bracket machined this year. Now I have to fit this bracket. The new sleeve has a roller bearing, so the effort required to set the main should drop a lot http://www.woodenboatvb.com/vbulleti...cons/icon6.gif

One other thing bothered me yesterday - our main competitor in the club was a lot faster than us. From handicap he should be a little slower, but normally we are pretty evenly matched. And yesterday he didn't even take all his gear off like he does when racing. I will have to look for fouling on our hull which we antifouled in spring, if there isn't any fouling this is pretty serious. I know he had a new main this year, perhaps it's time for us as well. Ours is setting okishly, but needs a lot of mast bend when close hauled to keep the middle of the sail flat. We had another main for the boat as well which was much newer but set much worse, so we gave that away. At least, it will give me something to think about during the dark days coming up ...

[John B]

I can't get anywhere on that link Henning (no German language ). Where do we go on the site to look at the event?
You hit 3 times? pushing the envelope eh

[bamamick]

The Kielzugvogel? Very interesting. You and Warren should get together and do a little intercontinental sailing with each other. Could you put up a link with the specifications of your class? I hit every button on the page that you linked but didn't see any specs.

Mickey Lake

[Wild Wassa]

I couldn't get into any of the links. I'm sorry to hear that your season is finishing Henning. Our extended season has only just started. To all those who are coming off the water, I'll dedicated my next how-ever many days of sailing and racing to you, starting today.

Mickey are you talking about plastic boats, their sailors or when during the winter, when I was on the helm of a Sonata 6.7 and hit rocks. Do you mean that Henning and I would be well suited in each others draught challenged company?

When you hit rocks and get the boat off, without damage to the hull, keel and other poking out bits ... that's is just a love tap. I must admit I didn't sleep that night after hitting the rocks. We had the boat on the hoist first thing the following day and there was not even a scratch. I didn't like hitting rocks, I hope never to do it again. I remember how quickly we were going when it happened and how instantly we stopped. We were about to hoist the spinnaker just as it happened. If we had have hoisted the spinnaker 20 seconds earlier ... well who knows.

Today the owner of a Gem 550 and I are taking out 'Hydrogem' which I reattached the cabin roof to after it started to rip from the boat. Gems aren't designed for big winds because the way the chain plates are positioned towards the top of the cabin. I made sister chainplates much longer than the originals, now I'll wait for something lower to pull apart. We retensioned the side stays and lowers a few days ago on the Gem, they were just a bit too tight and no doubt a contributing factor towards the damage. The Skipper hasn't had the crew to fly his spinnaker yet so he tells me. Let's try to rip her apart again ... so today, spinnakers'r'us.

We will take the Gem down to where Central Basin, Yarralumla Bay and Yaramundi Reach all meet on Lake Barely Sailable and try to dodge those rocks. I now know where they are, I think. I think I can remember ... I think?

I'll also try talking the owner into going to the most westerly end of the lake to the Governor General's lodge at the end of Tarcoola Reach (on Lake Burley Griffin) and practice tacking on the rowing course and jibing all the way back ... it takes 224 tacks and jibes if the wind is favourable. The owner wont ever question his ability to tack or jibe while maintaining boat speed again. If the wind is from the SW or NE today ... it will make for a good late afternoon. I'll take my camera and my GPS to find the best VMG. The owner is new to the boat and only been out a few times. Nothing helps to tune a boat like a GPS unit and an enthusiastic crew.

At the 600 on the rowing course. It is a long way to paddle back to Lotus Bay where we will put in. I'd better make sure the owner takes his auxillary means of propulsion.





A Gem in Central Basin heading towards the deep water mark off Black Mountain Peninsular.





Warren.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Well, Henning, my season is over too. My boat was hauled on Saturday, and I have already winterized the water system and the head. I have yet to do the engines, then take out the batteries, and start removing stuff to refinish this winter in the shop.

I am replacing the classic white nautolex in the cockpit, and I already have the roll to do it with. I will take home all the engine hatches, and I have already removed the lower panels in the cockpit for refinishing. I am pulling all the drawers, doors, and anything else that will come out of the interior for refinishing, and I am going to build a new table top for the dinette if I have time... at the moment it is formica. New carpet and upholstery is also slate for this winter, but we'll see about how much money and time I have.....

[Bob Adams]

Winterize? Nah, Enterprise runs until the ice (if) hems her in.

[Concordia...41]

The advantage of hitting ground several times is, that you get better at sailing the boat off.

That gets a positive-attitude award!

If it's any consolation, we have a race this week and then our last Wednesday night race is the 25th.

I'll haul by the first.... but only because I'm spending so much time working / sailing on the little boat that the Concordia hasn't been touched.

I need to get the little boat on the trailer and refocus...also as someone pointed out last night, what I'll save on dockage (season restarts in February, so we're only talking three months) can be spent on a pair of new self-tailing winches

[Wild Wassa]

So as you guys are winterizing ... we Aussies are going to improve our tans somewhat. We installed the spinnaker on the Gem today. Her Skipper Dave, is now gun kite jockey.

We were coming up to speed in the only real wind of the day heading for the sea wall and about 80 metres from the sea wall, I said, "Dave it is time to haul the kite in." So I start hauling the kite in and the halyard comes off. One monstrous new spinnaker going nowhere fast, while the boat was gaining speed ... that's the first crash jibe I've done in yonks. Later investigation found a reef knot had secured the line. One ties a bowline when an eye is needed in a line or the other option is, when you don't know which knot, tie lots but ... not reef knots.

These young blokes need more guidance. It was a very nice day on the water in a trailable yacht today, not even the light wind mattered, in fact it was good wind for teaching spinnaker stuff. The kite filled without too much drama all afternoon.





Just off 'Expert's Point' doing a heart stopping 3.9 knots under a reaching spinnaker. I'm reading the speedo in the shot, that's how I know the boat's speed. Photo taken by the Gem's Skipper Dave.

Warren.

[martin schulz]

Saison over - I think not Henning.

Lets see:
1. there is the Apfelfahrt (appletrip) 26-28 October
2. there is the Grogtörn (grog trip) 25th December
3. there is the New Years trip 1st of January

[Thorne]

We don't really have seasons out here in BayWatch Country....

;0 )

Weather gets cooler, the winds slowly die, and that wet rain-stuff actually falls from the sky occasionally, but the boating continues here in Northern California.

TSCA calendar -
http://www.tsca.net/Sacramento/

[uncas]

What the heck

Summers\'s End

I touched the waiting mooring and it seemed
That all the days of summer came to rest,
That from the moment long ago when the woods and cove
Were loved by springtime and the world was dressed
In pinks and greens and whipporwills were young,
We set our course to North by East and flew
Into the sunrise..the coastline lost in haze..
Cape Anne afloat upon her pointed shores, the blue
Of Appledore, the long grey lines of silent space
Across the Gulf of Maine, the lonely lobstermen,
And tiny lasers plunging through their Sunday race.
Ghosting between Monhegan's heavy arms,
We found Penobscot's golden summer waiting there,
And all we learned and all we loved came home with us
To catch our autumn mooring when the frost was in the air.
EDJ

yes, I konw, some don't like poetry but I thought it was appropriate here.

[bamamick]

if Henning prefers the two-man keelboat of the non-Star variety as well. No inference made towards your rock climbing whatsoever.

As far as the seasons go, ours is just getting ready to get going as well. Finns in early December, then down to Florida, then back home for Dragons and Finns, etc. It never really stops. Sometimes we just have to take a break (which I happen to be doing right now). Although today's 'break' involves wet sanding the Star and rigging the mast on the Dragon. I guess for me that constitutes a break.

Mickey Lake

[Henning 4148]

For those interested in open keelboats, a few technical data:

Single hard chine
Length 5,8 m
Width 1,88 m
Draught 0,9 m
Weight complete 350 kg
Weight keel 135 kg
Sail area 20 sqm

The Kielzugvogel has got a sisterdesign, same hull but with a smaller rig and a centerplate. They both come as "touring" and as "racing" versions nowadays, main difference being, that the racing version has a traveller and 2 axis adjustable genoa sheeting points.

Really, these boats are everything from family daysailers to racers. Originally, they were specified for ply construction with the intention of having a class that would allow water hiking with sleeping under a boomtend. Plans are still available as far as I know. Apparently, the first owners very soon decided, that racing these boats was a lot of fun as well. Todays boats sport a hollow floor under the cockpit which acts as boyancy and are self draining. Also, most of the trim lines are led back to the traveller or cockpit floor on newer boats, so you can easily change trim while sailing. This does include mast bent ... What really amazes me is, how a small change in trim sometimes changes boat speed a lot. I still have a lot to learn, but when we get it right, especially in light airs we can sail circles around heavier boats.

[Wild Wassa]

I like open keelboats.




Cooling off. Six Flying Fifteens.





Off Hospital Point, nine days ago. We get good fleets in our neck of the woods. 9 boats that were racing are out of the image.




From this year's Flying Fifteen Nationals held last January. In the photo Bernard Broughton and I (2835) are leading Richard Hart and Ian Chapman and following is Colin Brown and Nigel Grimes. Photo Martin Van der Hoek.

Last weekend Richard Hart beat us and Colin Brown was 3rd.

This is Iffy. Iffy is the Australian and ACT Classic Flying Fifteen Champion. Considering she is one of the oldest F15s in Oz, she regularly beats the latest composite boats. There is something about Iffy. It could be that the sailors who drive her drive her well. She has an amazing paint job. The hull is an automotive acrylic, metalic charcoal with a fine silver flake under clear. The deck is clear over white with a fine gold and silver fllake in the clear. Photo Martin Van der Hoek.





Warren.

[Henning 4148]

Around 8 or 9 years ago, my wife crewed on a flying fifteen in a series of ladies cruiser club races. The two girls, the helm and my wife, gave the "real" cruisers a very hard time, in fact so hard, that after one season open boats were prohibited "because they were unsafe in the waters where the races were carried out". Ok, it could be a bit rough and wet there, but it wasn't unsafe for a decent crew and a good boat. But some of the established female cruiser crews had high ranking positions or spouses in the club hierarchy ... So, the ff came out one of the top boats in that series that year and at the price giving it was also anounced, that open boats weren't allowed in future ...

A flying fifteen would have been an option for us when we were boat hunting last year, but they are very rare in Germany whereas the Zugvogel is very common. And as the Zugvogel is a tad bigger and more comfortable - it was an easy choice.

In races, the Zugvogel is sailed without spinnacker but with a boom to hold the jib out when going downwind. Also, they are sailed without trapez. Kevlar and carbon sails are not permitted to keep cost down. So far we haven't sailed against other Kielzugvogel but only against older Schwertzugvogel (with centerboard instead of keel), so we can't say yet how good or bad we really are. The Schwertzugvogel (as any boat with a shorter mast) is struggling where we are sailing as there are a lot of trees on the shore and often only the top of your sails do catch any wind at all. Sailing against cruisers as we do most of the time is a bit - well - unevenly matched as they only come into their own in stronger winds (when we would be planing, so probably again they might be at an disadvantage). Our main competitor in the club is a fighter, a twin keeler with some sort of a small cuddy designed for single handed sailing, more or less of similar size but with a wider stern. Actually there are two fighters in the club, one never comes close and the other gives us real headaches. That guy can sail ... Last year we won a race although we had been sitting on the mud for a short time, this year he won the same race although he had been sitting on the mud for a short time ;-)

What else is there to say about open keelboats - when we decided on an open keelboat, we had been wondering for some time what sort of boat to go for. Before, we had had the real thing, a traditional 26 ft wooden gaff cutter which we had to sell due to relocation. A boat like that wants to see salt water, no good keeping here in fresh water, she would deteriorate fast. Although the north sea isn't very far away (approx 1 1/2 hours by car), this distance already hinders maintenance a lot, at least from my experience. Close by where we live, there is a fresh water area suitable for sailing. It's quite long but also quite narrow. Now, originally our idea was for a boat that would be suitable for the north sea during the holidays and would at the same time be fun on our local water. But - this is close to impossible. The north sea can be choppy, the local coast had drying areas (Watt), the tides are strong, so you would be looking for a seaworthy bilge keeler or a lifting keeler or a dutch vessel with side plates but anyway a very seaworthy boat that can take the ground as well. Some people sail the drying areas with centerboard cruisers, but if the chop comes up, that's not really safe. Every year, people do get in trouble in the north sea, especially in the drying areas, it can be nasty, navigation is difficult as the sands shift all the time etc etc. You don't want to take a boat not suitable for those waters into those waters. Now, our local fresh water needs a boat with good maneuverability because it is narrow. And because of the trees, it asks for a lot of sail area. Add to this a keel to avoid tipping. In the end we decided on an open keel boat for the local water and chartering in the holidays (on the baltic, which is less demanding then the north sea, there hardly are any charter boats on the German north sea coast).