A Little Bit of a Blow Here!

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

As in days of old (late 90's & early 00's) Southport (not Cape Fear-there isn't a Cape Fear town....it's a River, the mouth of which dumps into the Atlantic at....you guessed it, Southport) is in the cross-hairs of the "Eye of Ophelia". There's a little blow goin' on here. Dodger and Bimini removed, double lines fore & aft, mainsail & staysail in their covers double bungied, headsail w/6 wraps and double bungied around the sheets, several big fenders between our neighbor and us, and most importantly our insurance is paid current. No, I take that back.....most importantly the bar and the fridge are fully stocked with Captain Morgan and Coors Light respectively. Oh yeah, there's also food in the pantry, the generator gassed & staged, all the outside stuff secured or stowed away, and we're now ready to sit about 22' above sea level and watch our MADNESS III ride it out just below us at the dock. And I thought we were going to dodge the bullet this year....yeah right. I swear I'm going to do a fly-over and verify that bulls-eye that sits on top of the Southport water tower about 3 blocks in from the waterfront....Hazel, Bonnie, Fran, Floyd, Charlie....the list seems endless. Anyway, this will only be a Cat 1 at best.....we've ridden out a lot worse. By Thursday afternoon or Friday we'll go sailing again. This certainly will be no Katrina.....my heart goes out to them. We'll let ya'll know how it goes in a couple of days.

[rtbates]

BUT, why in the world would leave the sails on deck? They provide lots of un-necessary windage.

randy 25D Seraph #161

[Parfait's Provider]

Sitting in Raleigh recovering from a day at the boat. Parfait is pretty well stripped, a good way to remember how the reefing lines, halyards, and sheets run; do you suppose I'll remember it well-enough to get her ready to go cruising next week?

Have a great hurricane Carolinians. May Ophelia turn tail and head out to sea.

[chase]

I drove down this past weekend from Asheville to ready AnneFreeman for my first storm -- certainly not hers. I stripped the decks, doubled all the lines and cut up old hose for chafe protection everywhere. Why is there no midship cleat on the CD 30 and I assume other Cape Dory's?

Have any of you added a cleat there on your boat?

I'm in a a pretty unprotected location but I have confidence the boat will pull through fine. I'm fixed to 6 pilings so as long as the surge does not come up too much..... I really have no point of reference though, and I'm trying to stay positive.

Chase

[M. R. Bober]

I agree with rtbates. If you still have time, you might want to stow the sails (& covers) below. Bare decks are ideal.

Good luck to all in the path.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where Harriett Beecher learned to stow), MD

[Parfait's Provider]

Parfait is fitted with mid-ship cleats; I don't know about other 36s, but they are stock Spartan items.

Good luck everyone.

[slaume]

My 1984 CD-30 has one. It is a slippery little short horned thing but it looks good set right into the toe rail. The other day the launch operator through a loop over it to help me unload some gear and a cooler. Well I had the old one foot on the boat and one on the launch thing going on and as I was lifting the cooler over the lift lines as I noticed the launch was no longer attached but was drifting. Well I did manage to get the cooler on board and drag my foot over the top line and get myself onto the launch. The operator just kind of looked dumbfounded at the loop of line hanging over the side. I suppose it works okay for spring lines but it is hard to tie off to. What about those nifty cleats that slip onto your genoa track? I may pick one up for winter security. The Spartan bronze one is a very classy solution that Cape Dory must have figured out would be nice to have somewhere towards the later boats. Those guys were not big on cleats. My Typhoon only had one bow and one stern cleat. I guess we are just supposed to keep sailing, not tie up to docks, Steve.

[M. R. Bober]

On RESPITE, I was disappointed to find the backing plates for the mid-deck cleats consisted--solely-- of fender washers.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Annapolis (where bumpers are fenders & fenders can be be bumpers), MD

[Ron Turner]

Here on Broad Creek above Oriental, I have acute remembrance of the water surges from these winds. Luvit is now in the creek on her two anchors and storm rodes. The all chain rode has a nylon bridle, the other rode does not. Have considered putting both anchors on a sinlge bridle but did not. I guess that two independent systems helps on the probability curve. The foredeck cleats look awfully small when putting multiple lines on them. A sampson post is on my christmas wish list.

[Oswego John]

Hi Ron,

I agree. The sampson post is very handy when using multiple rodes.
I wish the best for you and the others who are in the big blow today. I hope and pray that all goes well, with little or no damage.

O J

[rtbates]

I've read of folks using the mast as one would use a sampson post. Most likely best if mast is stepped on the keel rather than the deck.

Randy 25D Seraph #161

[John R]

I installed two bronze Herrshoff style cleats on my CD30 many years ago specifically for hurricane threats. The boat was factory equipped with the toe rail chock/cleat bronze fitting but that fitting is totally inadequate for cleating off multiple oversized storm lines at midship. I use that fitting strictly as a chock and don't use the incorporated cleat at all. Just inboard and fore and aft of that midship toe rail fitting I have two of the Hershoff cleats installed. One just forward of the midship toerail fitting and the other one just aft of that point. They are about 1/2" inboard from the inside edge of the toe rail. These cleats have proven themselves indispensable during many storm preparations. Without them there simply is no way to properly secure a CD in a slip for a serious storm. The factory layout and hardware is not adequate to handle the required lines to keep a boat as secure as possible. When you start installing oversized storm lines they fill cleats and chocks real fast. If you are in hurricane country you need multiple strategically placed oversized cleats, etc. Everything needs backing blocks as well. As an example on my CD30 there are two samson posts, four mid ship cleats, two (soon to be four) stern cleats and similar bow cleats. The midship toerail chock/cleat fitting needs to be modified to be a captive chock. Storm lines must be kept restrained. I have a stainless samson post mounted on the foredeck and on the stern deck with appropriate backing plates. Even with all this hardware you still run out of line securement points. When you get threatened you wish you always had more cleats and chocks than you have..... Another issue for another day is how and where to secure fender lines on a CD in storm conditions. Good luck to everyone in North Carolina and I hope those of you along the Gulf Coast region escaped serious damages or losses to your boats and your private lives from Katrina. Last evening I saw a aerial video clip of a marina that showed boats piled up together except there was a single TY sitting there all by itself upright on it's keel. It was a nice thing to see after all the destruction.

[Chris & Dale Schnell]

First, thanks to everyone for your concern. The old gal weathered the storm just fine. We've been through a bunch of named hurricanes here and I normally strip the canvas. Regretfully I had to work until the winds had picked up to the point where it might have been more dangerous than leaving it and making sure it's secured, and the insurance paid up. Sat on our next door neighbors covered front porch and watched her bob and weave and heel over to almost the toerail in gusts close to 90 mph, and never ran out of cold beer. Other than a little water at the companionway hatch she was dry as a bone. Amazing boats! You wouldn't believe our small dock (11 slips). 2 CD 30's, 2 CD 25's, and a 21' Sea Sprite.....and a CD 36 100' across from us at the city dock. Carl would be proud. Anyway, the other CD 30 has the mid-ship cleats in the toe-rail. That is our next addition...they're great and do clear up the fore & aft cleats. Going to race this weekend and we're off on a 3-day cruise down to Little River next weekend w/the other CD30 and some friends in Southport Sailing & Boat Club. For all of you up at the Outer Banks and Pamlico may you ride it as well as we did. Thanks again.

[Parfait's Provider]

The report from MBYC is that Parfait rode out the storm in fine shape. Now all there is to do is put her back together so my grandson and I can go cruising with the Carolinas Fleet next week. Guess I'll have to stop digging up my ancestors.

[rtbates]

Good news indeed that the NC fleet came through OK

randy 25D Seraph #161