New Purchase

[2tocruise]

Hello to all. We just purchased our first Cape Dory, a 1984 28', hull number 366!!!!!!!!!

We bought her in North Carolina and spent 3 days bringing "Avanti" to her new home in Little Creek, VA.
Unfortunately we spent most of our time under power, but did get a couple of nice sails on the way. She's everything we expected and more.

Our long term goals with the boat include a pretty hefty revamp in order to prepare for a trans-Atlantic cruise in the 2011-2012 time frame. Until then we'll be sailing the boat on the Chesapeake.

For starters, I have two questions:

Does anyone have any tips for backing down other than "don't"? I know full keel boats do not back well but I was not expecting her to have a mind of her own.

Second, we currently have a mid-boom traveller. I am looking to move this back to the end of the boom for a variety of reasons. I figure a triple block at the boom and fiddle blocks on either side of the cockpit will work well. This gives me a 3:1 mainsheet. Any thoughts on the ratio?

[Zeida]

For starters, look up and check out on this board every post from "Fenix", a 28 ft. CD which had a super hefty refit for a circumnavigation, which it is undertaking right now. Fred, a singlehander and owner of Fenix is currently in Darwin. He started out from Jacksonville, FL and has gone more than half of his incredible trip. His CD-28 has proven to be an exceptional boat, and you can question him about your upcoming projects. He now has every experience imaginable with that boat.

His website is also incredible, and the entire refit is there in pictures. He also posts videos from his trip and they are wonderful. He is the envy of this board.

[Anthony P. Jeske]

Hi:
Congratulations! You'll enjoy your boat. The mainsheet on my CD-28, hull number 365 by the way, your boat's older sister, is rigged with a fiddle on the boom and a fiddle on the traveler. I converted the traveler to a Harken ball bearing traveler, a nice upgrade.
You'll want to check your chainplates, mine need replacing. There's lots posted here about the problem.
Good luck,
Tony Jeske
CD-28 #365
NO REGRETS
San Diego

[Dean Abramson]

For backing, I give it lots of throttle, get some way on, then put in in neutral. You can sorta steer the beast in the non-prop-walk direction if the prop isn't turning. But I find in reverse, it is often just as much a question of the bow getting adversely caught by the wind, as the prop walk itself, that's the problem.

Sometimes you can plan your moves so as to use the prop walk to your advantage, so make sure you know which way it pulls.

Backing up a Cape Dory builds character. I added some character to my transom just the other day this way.

Dean

[Neil Gordon]

There's been lots of discussion. Best is to go slowly and just get to know your boat. The 28 will not steer in reverse under most conditions. What it will do though, is react the same way every time if the conditions are the same. So at least the outcome is predictable.

Is there a particular problem you are dealing with?

[Oswego John]

There are at least two things you can do with varying success, either separately or in conjunction with the others.

A week or so ago, Zeida mentioned the technique of using only one dock line as a spring line when docking. This is something that was used in the olden days of commercial sailing ships. The system works. I introduced it to the captain of our 85' schooner and now, that is the method of choice when bringing it in to be tied up at the end of a sail.

Because the fore of the CD hullis cut away with no keel under it, the wind often blows it sideways. If you were to temporarily set a small sail, like a small storm trysail, or anything similar that would catch the wind, as far aft as practical and use it with a spring line set fore of the center of effort, the stern will tend to blow off the wind and the hull will see-saw on the single spring line and draw the bow windward. This can be done with or without the storm sail.

Balance is everything. Experiment with the positions. BTW, the spring line isn't secured to the dock cleat or bollard. It passes around it and as the boat moves, slack can be taken up on board as needed.

Good luck,
O J

[Neil Gordon]

What OJ said. Any time you run a line from the boat to the shore you change how all the other factors will affect the boat.

I did it today coming into the fuel dock. Wind was off the starboard quarter and the fuel dock was to starboard. The approach was downwind. I pulled alongside, put in reverse, tossed the stern line. As the bow was blowing off, a slow forward turn of the prop pulled the bow gently to the dock.

(Note for the curious: Total fuel taken was just about 3 gallons, primary reason for stopping was for pump out.)