"Leoma" Fourth of July Cruise

[JD-MDR]

Departed Tues. 9 AM. Forecast NW 20-30 afternoon. I thought I should get North enough to tack back into Fry's Harbor on the Upper North coast of Santa Cruz Island but the strong tides and winds blew me back down to the south end. I should have went strait to Scorpion. I would have made it before the winds. Little Scorpion Cove doesn't have much space to douse sails. Its need to be done outside. I really had a hard time of it. My rigging is so old fashion and no auto pilot.Too much running back and forth. It's kinda dangerous. I have to remedy that. I found out the club jib won't drop if the outhaul is too tight. . Once that is down and strapped The main usually falls easy with the new strong track. I was having problems though trying to pull it down and keeping the boat pointed into the wind. Managed to get anchored in 9 fa. with two others. They both got ahead of me in 5 fa. there is not enough swinging room to get aside . Blew hard all night. I worry about my rope to chain splice. I check it every time and don't see any sign of fray yet.
After Bacon and eggs breakfast I tried to sail around and up the south side to Coche Preitas Cove and Albert's Anchorage. I had to motor about 5 hrs. I could have sailed but It would have taken me 12 hours probably. Inside the reef was like a washing machine. There was two larger boats outside in the surge. I didn't sleep well. Thurs. AM was calm NW. Motored all the way to Santa Rosa's Becher Bay. Made good time with favorable tide. 4 hrs. Like the guide book says it blew like hell all afternoon and evening.. I was nice in the morning and was able to sail all the way to Pt. Conception. I came up 15 mi too far south so I motored up to anchor.
I hate all this motoring. I feel like I should take sailing lessons. I never hear about J.S. or J.W having to motor. I still can't get my windvane to work. I'm about to give up. I feel like I wasted my money. Who am I trying to kid? I ain't never going overseas. By the time I get this boat ready I'm gonna be too old. I'll give it another try when I get the smaller drum they're sending. I'm definitely getting a electric auto pilot soon. At least I'm out here and there is so much to explore on the California coast.
Haulout date is not definite yet. All the yards are busy and they tell me there are no riggers available now. They're all out on the Transpac race to Hawaii. I want the yard to be responsible for securing the masts while I work on the chain plates. I don't think They need to unstep. I'm working on the backstay and mizzen combo plate and the forward mizzen shroud plates. I don't have any experience with the standing rigging so I'm not confident disconnecting things.

[sgbernd]

John,

I share the feeling of hating to motor everywhere. Unfortunately, when trying to go anywhere on a schedule from Ventura, the motor is on about 65% of the time. When I had a slip in Santa Barbara, it was easy. Beam reach out to Pelicans or Prisoners, etc., then beam reach back. The game was simply waiting for the prevailing westerly to fill in and off you went.

Unfortunately, from Ventura or CI, anything beyond Smugglers involves motoring. The game is try to head up when the wind and seas are mild, then hope for wind and sail home on a broad reach. The problem is obvious, when there is light wind for the trip up, you often have to motor home as well. Getting light winds on the way up and stronger for the return is not so easy to find on a schedule.

I once sailed all the way from Ventura to Santa Barbara but it took 2 days with an overnight at Smugglers. With the motor on, it is 5hrs or so following the coast.

One more comment, at Lt. Scorpions when blowing hard, I use the lee of the rock to douse the sails. Make two passes and secure one sail each pass.

Steve Bernd

[JD-MDR]

Thanks Steve, I needed that. I do try using the lee of the rock . but it's still can get messy. I'll get better.

[Jim Walsh]

Your rope to chain splice doesn’t look bad. I have the same thing on both my anchors. I do five initial tucks, reduce the three strands by one third and do three more tucks, then reduce the strands again by one third before completing the final three tucks. If you roll the completed splice under your foot it helps to bury all the tucks and makes the splice much neater. Then just use a little heat to seal any frayed ends which may not have buried neatly. They last for years that way but should always be checked for chafe, as any line should.

[John Stone]

John
You are actually doing some pretty advanced sailing: offshore (because that is what it is when you you leave the coast) singlehanding, sailing on a smal 30’ boat.

Not having your windvane working correctly or an auto pilot makes it even harder. I would not want to do that on the Far Reach. So, don’t be too hard on yourself.

Sailing skills. I don’t know what skills you have. There is a big (huge) difference between basic sailing—generally getting the boat to go where you want on protected water and really knowing what you are doing offshore. It’s an order of magnitude difference.

That is not to say it’s hard but there are some key steps and lots of nuance that makes the excruciatingly difficult look very easy and almost effortless. Some of these things have to do with how the boat is set up while others deal with sequence of steps or quality of the sails or specifics of sail trim and balance. etc. There are lots of factors at play.

There is nothing like sailing with someone with a high level of sailing skill. Specifically, sailmakers and sailors that really understand sail trim have a big advantage and can teach you a lot. I have sailed and raced all my life. I met a great guy in Virgin Islands that had been a sailmaker for North Sails. We really hit it off and became good friends. I asked him if he could sail back to NC with me because (1) he was fun to be around but (2) I knew I would learn a lot about sail trim from him. He was really excited about it because he did not have a lot of blue water experience so we were both going to gain from the experience. Unfortunately, we could not make it work. The point is we both had a lot of experience but sought out opportunities to learn from someone else to improve our skills.

Anytime someone goes to their engine when the conditions are reasonable for sailing I get a bit suspicious. Not because I question why someone needs to get there now when they have limited time but because in my experience really good sailors love the reward of sailing in every condition. Really good sailors in my opinion hate the sound of an engine and unless they are driven by a schedule, and many folks are, they feel defeated if they turn the engine. A couple caveats is I think using an engine in restricted areas like inlets, breakwaters, and marinas is a good idea. Or the boat is just a sailing dog for the conditions at hand. Or there are impending weather conditions that compels one to turn on the engine because that’s a smart thing to do. Or someone is learning and just does not have the skills yet to sail the boat competently in the conditions present.

When a sailboat does not want to go where you want and you don’t know what to do it is exasperating. And sometimes you know what to do but the conditions are so terrible the boats performance capability is challenged. Example—my recent Gulf Stream crossing was not fun. It was a long hard night. We had significant wind before the crossing creating squares waves in the GS. The wind changed direction dramatically and went light. It was dark. There was lots of sargasso weed in the water fouling the servo blade on the windvane. I was anxious the wind against current issue was going to become a major event for us in a body of water known to be very dangerous in contrary conditions. I had no engine. I was tired and singlehanding. It took all the sailing skills I had, years of sailing, thousands of sailing miles and a lot of time with a tiller in my hand not to mention the insights I have gained racing sailboats from dinghies to keelboats to “sail” the boat across the GS without any drama. And don’t forget I had the advantage of having had a career in a job where managing fatigue, fear, and risk is part of the job description. And when it was over I still learned lots of things...about sailing and about myself. That’s why sailing is fun to me. The learning never stops.

When someone says they motored because it takes five hours to get to their destination motoring versus two days to get there sailing it does not change the issue of motoring versus sailing. If time is the issue fine...or any of the other parameters I mentioned. But sailing in light air and sloppy water is part of the experience. Well, I guess I should say it’s part of the experience if you choose it to be. It takes tremendous patience and sometimes a high level of stubbornness to keep sailing when the engine would get you there much faster. And, least people get mad at me, I think there are a number of very good reasons for using your engine. Besides, it’s your boat it’s your right to do whatever you want.

I have also had anxious nights at anchor. Every sailor has. It’s part of the whole experience. I also think it means you are conscientious and responsible. But you also have to manage worry and fear of all the things that can go wrong. I have felt my knees shaking a few times. Anyone that has not been scared out there is lying or never did much or is a fool.

My point is that it sounds to me like you are paying your dues. I also think an auto pilot or windvane is crucial to singlehanding and will change your experience in a very positive way. I’d see if you can get a really good sailor to spend a day on the water with you too. Go out with a list of things to try to include reefing, heaving-to, and getting good helm balance on every point of sail. An expert sailor can really increase your skill set in a short amount of time.

Keep at it.

[JD-MDR]

Thanks John.. Oh I watched the three videos that Todd recommended. I've seen the one of the older guy sailing to Hawaii a few times. I think this is a different trip. He makes it look so easy but I'll bet he's been sailing since he was four years old at the yacht club races and I see he has all the latest state of the art rigging. But I've also read of guys like Joshua Slocum. I've posted before I think. That I'm teaching myself how to sail. I worked on fishing boats in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea for about 15 years. Probably seamanship and boat handling is more important than sailing. I'll get better.

[John Stone]

Thanks John.. Oh I watched the three videos that Todd recommended. I've seen the one of the older guy sailing to Hawaii a few times. I think this is a different trip. He makes it look so easy but I'll bet he's been sailing since he was four years old at the yacht club races and I see he has all the latest state of the art rigging. But I've also read of guys like Joshua Slocum. I've posted before I think. That I'm teaching myself how to sail. I worked on fishing boats in the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea for about 15 years. Probably seamanship and boat handling is more important than sailing. I'll get better.

I don’t think seamanship and boat handling are more important than sailing unless you are driving a power boat. In many ways you can’t separate them. A powerboater has to learn seamanship and boat handling. A sailor has to learn them and sailing. I thought you mentioned sailing lessons and wanting to sail more and motor less. If that’s true then sailing is essential to your quest.

You’ll learn more in a day sailing with a good sailor that knows how to teach than you’ll learn in a year sailing by yourself.

But I agree you’ll get better either way if you keep working at it.

If you are teaching yourself what books are you using as reference?

[JD-MDR]

I'm not using any books. I just fiddle with the sails till I start going. Then I fool with everything to make them not flutter.I mentioned earlier that the club jib won't drop down when the out haul is tight. In light winds I heard its good to loosen the outhaul to bag more air. I figured in heavy winds It might be good to tighten it to spill some air. That's why I had it tight and found out it's hard to pulll down . The lower 4 or 5 hanks are attached to a line . I don't really know why. I guess it because the stay is further forward.

[tjr818]

. . . . The lower 4 or 5 hanks are attached to a line . I don't really know why. I guess it because the stay is further forward.

That might be a setup for reefing the sail. Is there a cringe near the top of that line?

[JD-MDR]

I'll take a picture next time I'm there

[John Stone]

I'm not using any books. I just fiddle with the sails till I start going. Then I fool with everything to make them not flutter.

JD
That’s a very hard way to learn. Discovery learning as a supporting technique can be very helpful. But as a primary method of learning it can result in bad habits and even be dangerous. Good sail trim will launch your boat into overdrive. Inefficient sail trim is like driving your car on the interstate in second gear.

There are so many books out there that can help you—or anyone. Books are my primary method of learning new things. Imagine trying to learn celestial navigation without a book. I read then think and prepare then go practice. Then I evaluate what I learned and then start the cycle over again.

Here are four books I have used and continue to use. It’s a start. Other folks might have suggestions too.

—“The Art and Science of Sails” by Tom Whidden. Outstanding information about sail trim. I still use it. Reading selected chapters and then applying what you learn will dramatically improve your ability to maximize the performance of your boat.

—“Cruising Under Sail” by Eric Hiscok. One of my favorite books. It’s old but it is very germane to sailing boats like ours. Hiscock’s books were the bible for thousands of sailors. The Smeetons said they learned to sail with a copy of CUS in one hand and a tiller in the other. Part II is as relevant today as it was when it was written 60 years ago.

—“Singlehanded Sailing” by Frank Mulville. A very experienced sailor. Short concise book. Not a lot about sail trim but good info for making sailing the boat easier when you are alone. I’ve picked up some good tips from this book.

—“Lets Go Sailing” by Peter Isler. This is a basic book on sailing. Don’t laugh though. It’s got some great info on beginning sail trim that lots of people don’t know. Very basic. But it’s what I use to teach people the basics of sail trim.

There are dozens of other books out there. But these are a couple form my library that I still read and learn from.

[John Stone]

Here is one more that might be useful. And all these books can be found used for pennies on the dollar.

[csoule13]

John - A version of that long post on singlehanding would make excellent reading in Good Old Boat or Lattitudes and Attitudes. As someone getting ready to do their first solo daysail, it was both useful and well timed.

JD - Capt John's Skipper Tips has a ton of short free vids online, and more detailed reading for paying(cheap) members on his site. I also can not overstate the value of a day on the water with someone who truly knows sailing. Had a local instructor on board in June and it was magic(and repeatable at that). $300 here in the Annapolis area, and worth three times as much. Also agree that just learning by wiggling the lines and hoping for the best isn't ideal. I used to fly for a hobby, and it was drilled into me that what you learn first you learn best, and to relearn something takes much, much more effort than to just learn it right the first time. Law of primacy is the technical term, IIRC.

Chris

[JD-MDR]

Thanks everybody

[JD-MDR]

Here is one more that might be useful. And all these books can be found used for pennies on the dollar.

Order them all. except Isler's "Lets go
Sailing" I found one of his: "Blue Book of Sailing Secrets" Thanks Again.