Ep 39: Narragansett Bay Cruise - Day 1

[@josephmccarthy4527]

I can not believe you do not have more viewers? I have sailed the north Chesapeake Bay, on an off, for twenty years and your videos are all great. I have sailed a Catalina 22 and a Bristol 26 and have come to the conclusion that a Rhodes 22 maybe the best boat for the north Chesapeake. Your videos are very helpful. The north Chesapeake is shallow in many areas and rivers and the wind in summer can go from not to forty in minutes. I think your boat would be a good solution. I like your courage with the better part digression. No need to heel for speed. Safety first. I look forward to the next video. Hope you do not get discouraged by the lack of viewers. I will spread the word as I can. Best! Joe

[@svsilverheels7185]

Joe, Thanks for the kind words. I have to admit that while I hope the videos contain bits of information that may be useful to others, I mostly make them for myself, and I'm not terribly concerned about the number of viewers. The Bristol 26 looks like a nice trailerable boat; more spacious than the Rhodes 22, but the centerboard version does draw about a foot more water. I am getting braver as I gain experience, as you'll see later in this trip. --Peter

[@tedboender]

How do you connect your anchor line to the bow cleat? Reefing the IMF main in a good breeze isn’t easy. I find I must point directly into the wind in order to furl in the mainsail. There’s just too much pressure on the sail otherwise.

[@svsilverheels7185]

Ted, I did a poor job of explaining the anchoring system in the video, so I'll try to do a better job here. The main objective was to anchor from the bow eye rather than the bow cleat. I started with a 10' 3 strand mooring pendant (1/2" was the smallest I could find pre-made). This came with a steel thimble in one end and a spliced eye in the other. I cut off the eye, and re-whipped the end. I then attached the thimble end of the pendant to the bow eye with a shackle. When it's not being used, the pendant is tied off to the pulpit. When I initially drop the anchor, I don't bother with the pendant, I just tie off the 3/8" anchor rode to the bow cleat. After things have settled for while, I'll attach the pendant to the rode. I find the place on the rode that's 10' short of my desired scope (my rode is marked in 10' increments). I tie the pendant to the rode at this point using a rolling hitch, then let out rode until the pendant is taking the strain. I allow for a couple of feet of slack in the rode, then tie it to the bow cleat with a standard cleat hitch (around once, cross twice, around again, or O-X-O). If I haven't answered your question, please ask again. As for furling the IMF main, in the past what I've always done is start the engine and use it to point the boat straight into the wind and then furl. Not only is this maneuver a bit of a PITA, it always struck me as somewhat un-seaman-like to have to rely on the engine in order to furl the main. So, in the instance I describe in the video, I was able to do a sort of aborted tack, to get the boat pointed close to the wind, then slack the main sheet and furl the main by two to three feet. I was then able to fall off the wind and get underway again. I've managed to do this exactly once. I need to find opportunities to practice the technique to see if I just got lucky once, or if it's a skill I can develop.