Dinghy Cruising - Reef early and stay reefed.

[@michaelfinn8818]

The joy of sailing is well worth the risk if unexpected gusts. Thanks for the videos. They get me through the winter..

[@SailingKateLouise]

Glad you like them! but I think I need more ballast, cheers Paul

[@MrHSIE]

Bah ha ha - loved the “Over confidence” reference. Great edit. Really wonderful visuals and audio levels. Well done. 👏😃

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks for watching and check out the videos you will love them, Cheers Paul

[@craigdouglasmartens7037]

Always entertaining! Mirror dinghy champion KZN South Africa. 2NO cadet and avid sailor. Keep it up! Traditional sail rules!!!!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks Craig

[@timthomson4824]

Beautiful cruising grounds you pick. Your shows are like being away for half an hour

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thank you so much for those kind words and your support, cheers Paul

[@markdelawarr4189]

Cheers, great videos. Really enjoy them.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks Mark, thanks for watching, Cheers Paul

[@leahbailey7470]

Great, thanks!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks for watching, cheers Paul

[@Kameleonline]

10:42 - "Is making these video's worthwhile?" Mate - totally! Let me tell you, I spent the (UK) winter watching you, Roger and WelshSailingBoy - and y'all inspired me to the most fantastic summer ever - dinghy cruising, camping on board, exploring, going on adventures - I've had the best summer! All thanks to your videos (and the others'). Had the boat for years, but never really did much with it. But seeing you gave me confidence to try it by myself, and its been awesome. Very similar boat, 18ft, gaff rig, no cabin (but a boom tent and I built a bed platform) - but a lot more ballast: 100kg centreplate, and 160kg of gravel in hessian sacks. I still had several hairy moments like yours, it was v windy summer this year. I just dumped the sheet and hyked out as far as I could. Keep the videos coming, and know they've inspired at least one person to go "all in" this summer!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Wow thank you so much, such kind words. I did spend about 3o years living in the UK and sailed with my dad at Frensham Ponds in Surrey in a Graduate dinghy. Fun times but often wet and no wetsuit. I did a lot of Kayak camping with a hammock- checkout "myplacestopaddle" on youtube but as I got older decided to return to sailing. I'm glad you are sharing in the joy of dinghy cruising.....just get a camera and share it with us all, cheers Paul

[@Helliconia54]

happy for you that you DIDN'T go over. Love your boat. We sail a Hartley TS16. We have melbourne's Port philip bay to play in I wish we had your waters. Looks fantastic.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks John. Yep Pittwater and the Hawkesbury offer some interesting locations and luckily I'm only a few hours from Port Stephens and Myall lakes further up the coast, within 3 hrs drive. Thanks for watching , Cheers Paul

[@mikeu5380]

Always a great time Sailing Kate Louise! Thanks, Paul, and cheers from Japan.

[@SailingKateLouise]

my pleasure and thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@mikeu5380]

@@SailingKateLouise "Keep reefed, hang loose..."

[@stephenbrown1689]

Glad to see you out on the water again Paul nothing like a bit of excitement to keep you on your toes. Keep them videos coming. Cheers Steve

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks Steve....Myall lakes is calling soon!

[@stephenbrown1689]

@@SailingKateLouise yes let's hope the weather improves

[@stevefinch710]

Love your videos

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks Steve, glad you liked it, cheers Paul

[@pwhfisher2388]

Good for you Paul you didn't go over, good job! I enjoy your videos and the scenery in your part of the world. Keep up the good work, I look forward to your next video. Thanks!

[@SailingKateLouise]

thanks mate thanks for watching cheers paul

[@stefanm67]

Your videos really are excellent. Excellent content, well delivered and beautifully edited. What a lovely place to sail albeit with those tricky winds.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks, yes I am lucky to near some pretty nice waterways and only an hour north of Sydney, cheers Paul

[@theresnobodyhere5778]

all great fun gets your adrenalin going ,and is good for the heart, i bet it got you thinking

[@SailingKateLouise]

Sure did, but it's a good way to learn the limitations of your boat, and never take conditions for granted, thanks for watching and check out the other videos, cheers Paul

[@sailingseriously2035]

Love your work…Have never left a comment but based on the fact I get a tad excited when an.episode drops and your commentary I thought it appropriate. Really enjoy what you do…Regards Ian

[@SailingKateLouise]

My pleasure....thanks for watching, I hope to do more videos over the summer and when we get out of lockdown, Cheers Paul

[@daleskidmore1685]

K.L. looked beautiful with all that sail on in the closing shot Paul. Hopefully you will get to do some overnighters soon.

[@SailingKateLouise]

hope so thanks for watching, cheers Paul

[@rockykoast7065]

I enjoy the videos. 👍 Hoping to do more sailing and maybe some dinghy cruising in my Mirror a bit later in the year as I recover, get fitter & the weather gets warmer!

[@SailingKateLouise]

If you are in my part of the world....see you on the water, cheers Paul send me a photo to [e-mail]

[@mikefule]

1:48 You see, if you got one of those big white boats with an engine, you wouldn't have to do all that tacking and reefing and planning, and exercising skill, and judgement and you'd be there and back in less than half the time. Excellent video, thanks. You can't beat the simple charm of a tan lugsail and tiller steering.

[@SailingKateLouise]

and you didn't mention the expense of "one of those big white boats".....thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@orbodman]

Big white boat, eh? I do know a chap with one on Lake MacQuarie and his big white boat can cost him $1100 a day in fuel. Hard to have fun with that in the back of your mind. I'm with you on the boat with the lug rig

[@mikefule]

@@orbodman Crikey, he could have bought my boat with 7 days' fuel money.

[@SailingKateLouise]

@@orbodman wow $1100 a day that's madness!

[@geoffreyshepherd5874]

Great to see you back on the water,lovely sailing area and the odd tricky wind... You have made my week end and I always look forward to your videos . I have just purchased my first real dinghy a Devon Scaffie and hope to take her out at the local sailing club in the next week or two. Thanks once again for the inspiring videos.

[@SailingKateLouise]

my pleasure thanks for watching, cheers Paul

[@bertlbarm4374]

would it be possible to have a very extended rubber ring between mainsheet and the traveler in stronger winds or a strong gust, this ring goes off if the wind gets to strong for a moment, we here in austria use that on a special lake with little islands as the wind changes sometime its direction on the other side of an isle

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi Bertl, I have a tiler impeder with a rubber ring but I have never thought of connecting one to the main sheet and traveler an interesting idea , thanks for sharing and watching, cheers Paul

[@johnhippe1291]

Nice video. The lake looks like a beautiful place to sail. I find gusty days to be a bit frustrating. Especially when the winds are lighter but the gusts are high enough that one needs to reef. Go from under canvased to over canvased in an instant. Nice recovery.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi yes it can be a bit testing especially in a small boat. Here on Cowan Creek high sides doesn't help. Check out my Lake Macquarie videos, much bigger and great sailing. Thanks fro watching Cheers Paul

[@sailingpolly-adventuresona9709]

Great videos really enjoy the scenery and reefing challenges with those steep wooded valleys

[@SailingKateLouise]

Yep it can be interesting....thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@DowneastThunderCreations]

Good to see you back, Paul. I've had similar experiences. No worries - this happens to most sailors at one point or another (if they sail often enough). Your experience in this video is a good reminder of why it's a good idea to keep a spare pair of underwear onboard!😂

[@SailingKateLouise]

always do! as I normally get wet getting the boat back on the trailer.....thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@sailoutofagarage6212]

Thanks for posting. I have also been too optimistic and done almost the same miscalculation with almost identical sail configuration. Now I do reef early and stay reefed, but I also ease the mizzen sheet and hand control the main sheet. That way I manage to stay out of water without complicating things.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Do you have any tips on how to tack easily with just the genoa and mizzen? I seem to have a lot of trouble as without the main and with only a skeg keel there isn't much turning force? cheers Paul

[@sailoutofagarage6212]

@@SailingKateLouise Not really, I also have problem coming around when I have a strong head wind, as I had on my last sailing episode. I noticed it gets a bit better when I carefully balance the mizzen with the head sail. Loosen the sheet on the mizzen helps when I have a jib. With a genoa it might be too much sail area to get the same effect. Do you have a smaller head sail to try with? Otherwise I would suggest a reefed main.

[@tesslulu7039]

A ferry fantastic video Paul, a-boat time we heard from you again! Looking forward to a stream of videos coming out as lockdown lifts, hopefully schooner rather than later! Keep up the good work captain!

[@SailingKateLouise]

I love your work....cheers Paul

[@jamessandman3708]

Hey thanks for another great sailing adventure. I love the boat and the format and feel like I've been on the water, thanks!!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks for your kind words, I hope to do more videos over the summer and when lockdown ends, cheers Paul

[@richardjoy5060]

Thanks for the video, always interesting. Cowan Creek is lovely part of the world to sail in, except for the "bullets" coming over the hills. Well done keeping her upright!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Yep it did get a bit hairy, I'm putting a second row of reefing eyes on the main and getting a 12v bilge pump. I often sail from Brooklyn where the wind is far more predictable. Thanks for watching, cheers Paul

[@veronicadingle5957]

Appreciate and enjoy your filming efforts. I see there's a Stornaway 18 for sale in the ACT that has extra ballast. Tim D.

[@SailingKateLouise]

They are hard to find out of Queensland, built on the Sunshine Coast at Scruffie Marine. But great fun and traditional lines, thanks for watching Cheers Paul

[@granty245]

I do enjoy your videos, hope you make it up to the Myall Lakes!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Yep, so do I can't wait, I love it up there, check out the videos I did up there a few years ago, cheers Paul

[@papajeff5486]

Never sailed a dinghy. Never reefed a sail. What happens when you go over? Seems your bucket bilge works. Have you ever practiced going over under controlled conditions, just for practice? Might serve you well when it happens by force and weather, at the wrong time. Just a thought. My father’s sail boat was a 24 foot fiberglass Contender. Mine was a 17 foot Cat in Hawaii. I flipped it by mistake and threw my friend about 10 feet over my head and 20 feet into the capsized main. We had to swim and pull the main into the wind. We had a 2 inch rope tied around the base of the mast. When we stood on the bottom and pulled, the main tipped up enough to catch some breeze. Up she came. We climbed back a board and had a story. Just saying, it was a bad jibe, mistake. Thought I could do it. Anyway, capsizing under controlled conditions, is a smart exercise. Texas

[@SailingKateLouise]

Well hopefully I will never go over, but as she heels right over, she points into the wind and then levels up. There are built in buoyancy tanks so in theory she won't sink. I don't really want to try it out as that's a lot of water to bail. Capsizing a cat would be interesting. I sailed dinghys for years as a kid and we capsized a fair bit always interesting, thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@hwood9783]

Whilst I appreciate the practicality of a cabin, it was only in the closing shots did I realise what sweet hull lines your craft would have without a cabin. Trailer sailing, even with additional ballast, is never going to be incident free and best to learn from the experience and move on. Keep experimenting with the jib and mizzen combination as there are so many advantages in this sail combination. Finally, in the smaller boats I have owned, I tried to minimise electrical demand and feel a scared man with a bucket is far better option than a 12v bilge pump which are prone to block. Also, consider closing cabin hatch in stronger winds to stop flooding below and limiting bailing to cockpit only. Fair winds and please keep posting.

[@SailingKateLouise]

You can get a Stornoway 18 without a cabin and a smaller 16ft version called a Scuffie, but I quite like the luxury of a cabin even though it's very small. Any tips on how to tack with only a genoa and mizzen? I only have a skeg keel so turning without the main while tacking is quite hard. Thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@hwood9783]

@@SailingKateLouise Hi. As the foresail and mizzen are at the extremities of your boat they have to be balanced to ensure one does not dominate the other. This usually means furling/reducing the jib/genoa if possible (as foresails tend to be larger than mizzens) to achieve the required balanced rig. Also, I slightly oversheet the mizzen to help 'drive' the bow through the wind when tacking. A couple of other points. I noticed the lakes/inlets you cruise appezr to be narrow with a fair amount of tacking involved. If so, have you considered a boomed foresail? This would allow you to tack without having to adjust any sheet - foresail, main or mizzen! The other reason I like the foresail and mizzen combination (works with mainsail as well) is the ability to heave to easily by backing the foresail, just tack and not release the foresheet (this also works with a boomed foresail, but requires a ready rigged small preventer), and with the foresail and mizzen in 'opposition' a boat should gently forereach whilst you pot on the kettle, bail the cockpit, or get your fenders and lines ready for coming alongside etc.

[@wilsnich02]

One more day to go to easing of restrictions, I am in one of the LGA's with the 5km rule, cant wait to get sailing again. Always enjoy your vids. Never enough ballast when you need it and too much when you don't, we all get caught short at some stage. Maybe add a removeable water tank in the bilge and fill her up on the more vigorous days, thanks for posting. How much motoring time does your battery last for ?

[@SailingKateLouise]

Yep there are a few Stornoway Owners that have added extra ballast, I think I will as well. The 2X 12 volt wheelchair batteries fully charged(6hrs to charge), at the slowest speed about 1-2 knots last about 10 hrs, at the highest speed about 6knots about 1 1/2 hrs. I have never run dry but try not to use too much as it's meant to be about sailing skills. Thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@johnranyak1374]

Thanks for the lesson. Glad you didn’t go swimming that time.

[@SailingKateLouise]

so am I ,thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@christophe6065]

I'm wondering why you keep your main sail high over the cockpit, even when you have a reef on. I have the impression that higher the sail is and more the boat will heel. No ?

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi Chris yes you are right, I didn't think it was high enough to make much of a difference. It's the sudden gusts that are the problem...I need a little more ballast. Thanks for watching, cheers Paul

[@recidivist11]

How much ballast does the boat have, if any? your main looked really full , not sure if that is camera angle or just the nature of that style rig? love the videos keep them coming.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi , there is 80 kgs in the skeg keel, which is about 40 cm deep but no centre board, so righting motion is dependent on the boats breadth and ballast. Should probably add some more as I mainly sail singlehanded, and there is a lot of sail for a small boat hence it reacts quickly. Thanks for watching and check out my other videos on SailingKateLouise, cheers Paul

[@danoyes1]

Can you please tell us how much and what kind and where your ballast is located thanks!

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi there is 80kgs built into the skeg keel which is about 40 cm deep, but probably could add some more (sand /Cement) in the bilge. Thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@danoyes1]

@@SailingKateLouise thanks for the info! Very enjoyable adventure video, cheers!

[@SailingKateLouise]

@@danoyes1 Thanks for watching

[@sandystrait3878]

Great channel, and what a great time. Did you build that boat?

[@SailingKateLouise]

Hi alas no I didn't build her. She was built by the designer Derek Ellard at Scruffie Marine in Queensland. They are a kit boat, so building is much easier than just getting a set of plans. They will be available again soon from the U.S.and the new Stornaway Mk2 as well through a company called Secret Marine, cheers Paul

[@sandystrait3878]

@@SailingKateLouise Thanks!

[@perksy67]

Nice. I always have a few ‘silt socks’ on my sailing dinghy. If the forecast is for wind over 15 knots, I fill them with sand before setting off. And if I wet the sand, they’re about 30kg each. They also mould quite nicely into my bilge. Of course, if you haven’t filled them before you set off, and the wind picks up, it’s not going to help! Btw, I like your tiller extension. Did you make it?

[@SailingKateLouise]

What a great idea.....I was thinking concrete but sand is a much better idea, no I didn't make the tiller extension just re-varnished it that's all, thanks for watching cheers Paul

[@MikeAG333]

More ballast! Get a bilge pump! :)

[@SailingKateLouise]

I know....thanks for watching

[@bryanbadger6841]

Sorry mate. This comment is not about you. It's about the gorgeous Kate Louise. Being a newish subber here, I may have missed out on vital information. Did you build her yourself, or did you find her as a finished unit. I guess if I go to Google search I'll find plans and/or Stornaway 18 for sale. Thank you for sharing. Atb from across the ditch here in Nz.

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks for watching Bryan, I don't know if you've seen the other videos yet but checkout SailingKateLouise. I bought her 2 years ago from a gentleman in his 80's who had her built for him Stornoway 18's are a kit boat from Scuffie Marine in Queensland, but the company is up for sale so no sure about getting plans, but talk to Derek Ellard the owner and designer. Stornoways were also built under licence in the U.K. for a while. They don't come up for sale much in NSW not sure about NZ but I'm sure Derek could help you. Thanks for your support again, Cheers Paul

[@bryanbadger6841]

@@SailingKateLouise thanks Paul. I'll follow that through. Just a fun fact. I've been to the actual town of Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis. On the Western Isles of Scotland. Could you increase the ballast on K.L.? To improve the stability. Again many thanks for your response. Cheers.

[@poulidor69]

Close call,

[@SailingKateLouise]

Thanks for watching cheers Paul