I just returned yesterday from my one way singlehanded passage to Bermuda in my cd26. 8 1/2 days, one 50 knot gale (measured by a nearby delivery skipper), hove to for 12 hours in 15-18' breaking seas, one knockdown (not too bad) and two separate days of 30-35 knot broad reaching at 5 1/2 knots under triple reefed main and storm jib. all in all, a great trip. only damage was my radar reflector carried away due to chafe in the storm and had a small tear around one of the dodger snap attachments. these cape dories are tough and great seaboats.
john churchill
jchurchill@erols.com
CD 26 to Bermuda
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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John Vigor
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John, congratulations on a fine voyage. I'm sure a lot of us would be very interested to know how you hove to for 12 hours in that storm. Did you lie ahull, without any sail; or did you keep up your triple-reefed main and back the storm jib, with the tiller lashed to leeward--or what?
And do you have windvane self-steering? If so, what make? I have a CD25D, and am thinking of fitting a Navik. I'm familar with the Aries and Monitors, but think they're a bit heavy for a 25-footer.
I'd appreciate your comments.
jvig@whidbey.net
And do you have windvane self-steering? If so, what make? I have a CD25D, and am thinking of fitting a Navik. I'm familar with the Aries and Monitors, but think they're a bit heavy for a 25-footer.
I'd appreciate your comments.
jvig@whidbey.net
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Jay Ankers
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
My wife and I plan to make a crossing to Bermuda from the North end of the Chesapeake on our CD-30 some time in the next couple of years. I would be interested in hearing more about your trip and seeing photos if you post them anywhere.
We have sailed our Cape Dory in some rough weather both offshore and inshore and could not be happier with the performance and seaworthiness. Most importantly, the boat likes to sail in rough weather better than calm weather. From a beat to a reach the Autohelm 3000ST barely has to work. Broadreach and downwind are another story...how did your CD-26 handle those situations?
Congratulations
Jay & Tanya
"s/v Per Diem"
CD-30 #344
jankers@pii-cgmp.com
We have sailed our Cape Dory in some rough weather both offshore and inshore and could not be happier with the performance and seaworthiness. Most importantly, the boat likes to sail in rough weather better than calm weather. From a beat to a reach the Autohelm 3000ST barely has to work. Broadreach and downwind are another story...how did your CD-26 handle those situations?
Congratulations
Jay & Tanya
"s/v Per Diem"
CD-30 #344
jankers@pii-cgmp.com
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D. Stump, Hanalei
Re: John, tell us the WHOLE story...
John,
Congratulations on your crossing. Carol and I would also some day like to make the trip in Hanalei, a CD-30, from Noank, CT to Bermuda. We'd be interested in hearing all about it, preparations, routing, food & provisions, basically everything. Maybe some of your log entries too, if possible. Sounds like you have a book to write!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30
Congratulations on your crossing. Carol and I would also some day like to make the trip in Hanalei, a CD-30, from Noank, CT to Bermuda. We'd be interested in hearing all about it, preparations, routing, food & provisions, basically everything. Maybe some of your log entries too, if possible. Sounds like you have a book to write!
Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30
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Bob Luby
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
You've done what I want to do in a couple of years with my 25D, so tell us all about it!
25D's come into their own in heavy air, don't they?
Best wishes and looking forward to your account!
Rluby@aol.com
25D's come into their own in heavy air, don't they?
Best wishes and looking forward to your account!
Rluby@aol.com
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john churchill
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
I'm sure a lot of us would be very interested to know how you hove to for 12 hours in that storm. Did you lie ahull, without any sail; or did you keep up your triple-reefed main and back the storm jib, with the tiller lashed to leeward--or what?
i started out with just the triple reefed main sheeted hard amidship, no jib and the tiller lashed as far alee as possible. the reefs are quite deep- full sail 140 sq ft, 1st-105, 2nd- 74 and third reef only 45 sq feet. this proved to be ok at first when winds were 35 kts or so, but then when it REALLY started to blow, the bow would not stay up. at this point i furled the main and set what i call a backstaysail, similar to the typical anchor riding sail, except very heavy duty 9 oz cloth. i used the pardey's book on storm tactics in planning for the trip and had gone out on the bay in miserable weather to practice heaving to. i had previosly identified the problem with the bow blowing off( i think it is due to the cutaway forefoot) and corresponded with the pardeys about this. Larry drew a trysail on a photo of SKUA, and i realized that it was nothing magical, just center of effort vs center of lateral resistance. i do not have room on the mast for a dedicated trysail track, and it is a 10 minute ordeal at the dock to get the main off, so i did not relish trying it in bad weather, so i reinvented the backstaysail for myself. i sheeted this at first to the leeward side, but that did not work, so i sheeted it to windward and that held her bow up at about 50 to 60 degrees off the wind. occasionally, the bow would fall off, but there was a pretty good protective slick to windward, so i was satisfied or at least powerless to do a lot more. the seas were breaking heavily, but no plunging type breakers. i was asleep at the time, but i suppose that the knockdown occured when a particularly heavy wave hit at the time the bow had fallen off. i had considered setting out the sea anchor but was concerned about my ability to retrieve it and i knew there was to be a 90 degree wind shift in the midst of this and wanted to preserve my ability to get underway again. the most surprising part of it all was the psychological aspect of it. i generally see myself as motivated and full of initiative, but during the storm, i could barely force myself to drag butt out of my warm bunk to prevent disaster.
the biggest thing i learned is that while i increased my knowledge a thousand-fold on this trip, i still do not know squat.
jchurchill@erols.com
i started out with just the triple reefed main sheeted hard amidship, no jib and the tiller lashed as far alee as possible. the reefs are quite deep- full sail 140 sq ft, 1st-105, 2nd- 74 and third reef only 45 sq feet. this proved to be ok at first when winds were 35 kts or so, but then when it REALLY started to blow, the bow would not stay up. at this point i furled the main and set what i call a backstaysail, similar to the typical anchor riding sail, except very heavy duty 9 oz cloth. i used the pardey's book on storm tactics in planning for the trip and had gone out on the bay in miserable weather to practice heaving to. i had previosly identified the problem with the bow blowing off( i think it is due to the cutaway forefoot) and corresponded with the pardeys about this. Larry drew a trysail on a photo of SKUA, and i realized that it was nothing magical, just center of effort vs center of lateral resistance. i do not have room on the mast for a dedicated trysail track, and it is a 10 minute ordeal at the dock to get the main off, so i did not relish trying it in bad weather, so i reinvented the backstaysail for myself. i sheeted this at first to the leeward side, but that did not work, so i sheeted it to windward and that held her bow up at about 50 to 60 degrees off the wind. occasionally, the bow would fall off, but there was a pretty good protective slick to windward, so i was satisfied or at least powerless to do a lot more. the seas were breaking heavily, but no plunging type breakers. i was asleep at the time, but i suppose that the knockdown occured when a particularly heavy wave hit at the time the bow had fallen off. i had considered setting out the sea anchor but was concerned about my ability to retrieve it and i knew there was to be a 90 degree wind shift in the midst of this and wanted to preserve my ability to get underway again. the most surprising part of it all was the psychological aspect of it. i generally see myself as motivated and full of initiative, but during the storm, i could barely force myself to drag butt out of my warm bunk to prevent disaster.
I have an Aries on the boat. i wanted a monitor, but found an old but unused aries for $800 that i could not pass up. it is too heavy, but it is built like a masonry relief station and i never worried about it much and that counts for a lot. in any wind forward of the beam, when i could get the sails to fill, it worked fine. off the wind it took about 10 knots or so to start working well. i had several airblades for it including a BIG one out of that foam posterbord stuff especially for light air. the most amazing thing is that the harder it blew the better it worked. when the wind picked up, it would just whipsaw back and forth and hold her right on course. the tiller tended to beat up my shins a bit though. i hand steered for a total of 3 or 4 miles on the whole trip. i consider a vane to be indispensible equipment, after a sound hull and rig and adequate sails. i would put it a much higher priority than say the liferaft and 406 epirb.And do you have windvane self-steering? If so, what make? I have a CD25D, and am thinking of fitting a Navik. I'm familar with the Aries and Monitors, but think they're a bit heavy for a 25-footer.
the biggest thing i learned is that while i increased my knowledge a thousand-fold on this trip, i still do not know squat.
jchurchill@erols.com
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john churchill
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
seeing photos if you post them anywhere.
i had great plans for photos, even put slide film in the camera and shot only 2 pics while underway. wave photos never turn out due to lighting/contrast and scale problems. that leaves ships and sunsets which never motivated me. i did take a few of the boat rafted to a fleet of 48' swans in bermuda.
From a beat to a reach the Autohelm 3000ST barely has to work. Broadreach and downwind are another story...how did your CD-26 handle those situations?
i have 2 tiller type autopilots and they work fine for motoring or light breezes. the windvane was miraculous when sailing off the wind with big quartering waves. as the boat starts to yaw, the vane brings it right back on course. i did not do any sailing dead downwind, but typically use the whisker pole on the jib and the main with preventer.
one trick i did use for broadreaching that i think i may have seen in a book is to set furl the jib down to about 60% LP and then sheet it very slightly to windward. this helps to minimize rolling, and when all that main out to leeward tries to make her round up, the jib fills and shoves her nose back to leeward.
one of the fringe benefits of using the vane is that it really has got me much more attuned to helm balance and how to achieve it. in my limited experience, it frequently means reefing much sooner than you would think. at first i felt like some kind of wimp to be putting in a reef in 12 knots of wind, but the boat moves better and goes just as quick.
john
i had great plans for photos, even put slide film in the camera and shot only 2 pics while underway. wave photos never turn out due to lighting/contrast and scale problems. that leaves ships and sunsets which never motivated me. i did take a few of the boat rafted to a fleet of 48' swans in bermuda.
From a beat to a reach the Autohelm 3000ST barely has to work. Broadreach and downwind are another story...how did your CD-26 handle those situations?
i have 2 tiller type autopilots and they work fine for motoring or light breezes. the windvane was miraculous when sailing off the wind with big quartering waves. as the boat starts to yaw, the vane brings it right back on course. i did not do any sailing dead downwind, but typically use the whisker pole on the jib and the main with preventer.
one trick i did use for broadreaching that i think i may have seen in a book is to set furl the jib down to about 60% LP and then sheet it very slightly to windward. this helps to minimize rolling, and when all that main out to leeward tries to make her round up, the jib fills and shoves her nose back to leeward.
one of the fringe benefits of using the vane is that it really has got me much more attuned to helm balance and how to achieve it. in my limited experience, it frequently means reefing much sooner than you would think. at first i felt like some kind of wimp to be putting in a reef in 12 knots of wind, but the boat moves better and goes just as quick.
john
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john churchill
We'd be interested in hearing all about it, preparations, routing, food & provisions, basically everything. Maybe some of your log entries too, if possible. Sounds like you have a book to write!
i am fairly widely read in these areas, but know very little from first hand experience. there are some great books out there and i have little to add, but would recommend referring instead to the folks with years of practical experience.
in terms of preparation, it took about 16 months and probably $8000 to transform a sound but basic coastal cruiser into an offshore capable boat. much of that cost is for "portable" equipment - raft, epirb, abandon ship bag, etc. the process could have been done much faster with bigger dollars, but i am tightfisted and sought used or bargain priced gear which slowed down the time frame.
insurance is one issue that is not much discussed. many authors suggest investing in good ground tackle instead and in their circumstances, i am sure that that is ok. i thought i had lined up a company that would provide an offshore rider, but it was denied when the time for it came. as it is, i went bare of insurance, figuring that it was unlikely that i would lose the boat and survive and that the boat is a small part of my estate (wife demanded a $1 mill life insurance policy as part of the deal). i also figure that my liability risks were minimal out there as well. others with larger and more expensive boats have spoken with a gents who say that they only issue extended coverage after policy has been in force for a year. plan ahead, as i know state farm only covers 50 miles offshore.
john
i am fairly widely read in these areas, but know very little from first hand experience. there are some great books out there and i have little to add, but would recommend referring instead to the folks with years of practical experience.
in terms of preparation, it took about 16 months and probably $8000 to transform a sound but basic coastal cruiser into an offshore capable boat. much of that cost is for "portable" equipment - raft, epirb, abandon ship bag, etc. the process could have been done much faster with bigger dollars, but i am tightfisted and sought used or bargain priced gear which slowed down the time frame.
insurance is one issue that is not much discussed. many authors suggest investing in good ground tackle instead and in their circumstances, i am sure that that is ok. i thought i had lined up a company that would provide an offshore rider, but it was denied when the time for it came. as it is, i went bare of insurance, figuring that it was unlikely that i would lose the boat and survive and that the boat is a small part of my estate (wife demanded a $1 mill life insurance policy as part of the deal). i also figure that my liability risks were minimal out there as well. others with larger and more expensive boats have spoken with a gents who say that they only issue extended coverage after policy has been in force for a year. plan ahead, as i know state farm only covers 50 miles offshore.
john
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M. R. Bober
Welcome Home Sailor
Glad to hear that all is and went well. Time to get rid of that BCC and stick with the CD.
Hope to see you soon.
Shaft (which may need replacement)
thebobers@erols.com
Hope to see you soon.
Shaft (which may need replacement)
thebobers@erols.com
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mike ritenour
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John,
Congratulations on a great trip. I intend on passing through Bermuda on my way home to Lake Ontario next year.
I have a CD33, "LaVida" and like you echo the importance of the windvane addition to my boat.
I have a Monitor and after almost 2500 sea miles, I´d rather heave off the engine than lose my windvane.
Your totally right about it "teaching" you how to sail your boat better. I was amazed at how over canvased I´d been sailing for all those years.
At the moment I´m in Finland for two weeks and will rejoin my boat in Norfolk, Va. on my way south to the Bahamas. If your on the way down the ICW, I´d enjoy having a beer with you and swaping sea stories.
fair winds,
mike
LaVida
CD33
michaelritenour@hotmail.com
Congratulations on a great trip. I intend on passing through Bermuda on my way home to Lake Ontario next year.
I have a CD33, "LaVida" and like you echo the importance of the windvane addition to my boat.
I have a Monitor and after almost 2500 sea miles, I´d rather heave off the engine than lose my windvane.
Your totally right about it "teaching" you how to sail your boat better. I was amazed at how over canvased I´d been sailing for all those years.
At the moment I´m in Finland for two weeks and will rejoin my boat in Norfolk, Va. on my way south to the Bahamas. If your on the way down the ICW, I´d enjoy having a beer with you and swaping sea stories.
fair winds,
mike
LaVida
CD33
michaelritenour@hotmail.com
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Jeff Schmoyer
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John,
Hearing about your voyage made my day! I'm sure I speak for more than a few of us who may have read your post while sitting at a desk at work...alot of us want to do this! I salute your skill, courage and acheivement!
How long have you been sailing? Is this your first ocean voyage?
Jeff Schmoyer
CD 27 Serene
Barnegat Bay, NJ
Hearing about your voyage made my day! I'm sure I speak for more than a few of us who may have read your post while sitting at a desk at work...alot of us want to do this! I salute your skill, courage and acheivement!
How long have you been sailing? Is this your first ocean voyage?
Jeff Schmoyer
CD 27 Serene
Barnegat Bay, NJ
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zeida
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John Churchill - The Real Thing! WOW! Congratulations both for you and the boat!
Zeida
zcecil@attglobal.net
Zeida
zcecil@attglobal.net
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Mike Greenberg
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John...
I'm curious to know the date you left for Bermuda. Was it sometime in October, and if so, wasn't that during hurricane season?
mikegre@idt.net
I'm curious to know the date you left for Bermuda. Was it sometime in October, and if so, wasn't that during hurricane season?
mikegre@idt.net
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Steve Alarcon
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John, your comment above indicates you are a VERY wise man. Congratulations!the biggest thing i learned is that while i increased my knowledge a thousand-fold on this trip, i still do not know squat.
Steve Alarcon
CD30 Temerity
Seattle
alarcon3@prodigy.net
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jim stull
Re: CD 26 to Bermuda
John
I just returned yesterday from my one way singlehanded passage to Bermuda in my cd26. 8 1/2 days, one 50 knot gale (measured by a nearby delivery skipper), hove to for 12 hours in 15-18' breaking seas, one knockdown (not too bad) and two separate days of 30-35 knot broad reaching at 5 1/2 knots under triple reefed main and storm jib. all in all, a great trip. only damage was my radar reflector carried away due to chafe in the storm and had a small tear around one of the dodger snap attachments. these cape dories are tough and great seaboats.
Great trip and write-up How did your Honda do on the voyage?
Jim
john churchill
jtstull@icubed.com