Re: [bolger] Is Eight Enough?
David Ryan sounds like a guy *I* want to go sailing with!
Cheer up Dave, it wasn't humiliation you were experiencing. It was
Adventure! No one got hurt, you got free entertainment from your tax-funded
government employees, and you wound up with yet another great story that
will just get better and better as it ages.
Too much fun!
JB in Kennesaw, GA
Cheer up Dave, it wasn't humiliation you were experiencing. It was
Adventure! No one got hurt, you got free entertainment from your tax-funded
government employees, and you wound up with yet another great story that
will just get better and better as it ages.
Too much fun!
JB in Kennesaw, GA
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Ryan" <david@...>
To: <bolger@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 9:30 PM
Subject: [bolger] Is Eight Enough?
| FBBB --
|
| Lately I've been having second thoughts about my decision the Light
| Scooner instead of the Singlehanded Schooner. The very conditions
| that spoil surfing render the scooner unmanageable for one, and more
| than enough for the odd crewman or two I've been able to scare up.
| The boat spents so much time on its ear, I've started to think I
| should have built a Birdwatcher instead.
FBBB --
Lately I've been having second thoughts about my decision the Light
Scooner instead of the Singlehanded Schooner. The very conditions
that spoil surfing render the scooner unmanageable for one, and more
than enough for the odd crewman or two I've been able to scare up.
The boat spents so much time on its ear, I've started to think I
should have built a Birdwatcher instead.
Well yesterday I got a chance to find out how she sails with a full
compliment aboard.
I was rigging up the fore getting ready to go out solo when I Hobie
14 put on the beach. I asked the fellow sailing if he'd like to help
me take the scooner out.
He said, "Sure, can my friends come?"
"The more the merrier," and I walked back up the beach to fetch the
main and jib.
The next thing I new I had six people waiting to go out; 2 men and 4
women. We walked her out till we could get the rudder in, then piled
aboard. The sails filled and we were threading our way out through
the sloops anchored up just off the beach.
Seven people is not too many for the scooner. There was room for
everyone, the boat moved along smartly, yet even with all of us on
the weather rail (some sitting with legs outboard IRC style) the boat
was still healing sharply on the puffs. I cautioned my foresailman
that we were all in his hands, and more than once barked out from the
stern "slack the fore!" as we heeled down precariously.
We pressed on, close-hauled on port tack. I was nearly ready to call
"ready on the about" when it hit us. A zephyr came off the oyster
spit, lifting the seven of us high into the air. I threw the till to
lee, and scrambled over the rail, but it was too late. We were over.
The only question now was where or not she was going to flood before
we could get her upright.
When I decked the Margret Ellen, I widened the deck; partly to
accommodate my jumbo sized backside, but also in the hope that she'd
float dry when put on her ear. My calculations were nearly correct.
Under *ideal* condition the boat floats as dry healed past ninety
degrees as she does upright. But seven hapless sailors climbing and
clinging to her was not ideal conditions. The cockpits began to flood
and she kept going do until water started to pour into the still
unhatched after locker.
We got her upright with little trouble, but someone had gone right
through the mainsail which was now in tatters. Both cockpits and the
aft locker were completely flooded; recovery looked unlikely. One of
the other daysailors came by and took the 4 women off, leaving the
men to try and get the scooner back underway. But it was no use,
there was too much chop on the lake and too much water in the boat.
We took down the rig and tied it up. I told my remaining crew they
could swim to the weather shore, but they gallantly offered to ride
the swamped hull to the leeshore ("You need someone to help bail her
out.")
I won't tell you about the part where the Marine Patrol showed up; or
about the argument they got in with the Coast Guard about who would
or wouldn't tow us in; or the part where I swam over and asked them
if they weren't going to give us a tow, could they please leave so I
could be alone with my crew in our humiliation because that part of
the day was, well, humiliating.
I made a hatch cover today, and it looks like it came out pretty
nicely. I've still got to figure out a nifty way to dog it down. When
I get that figured out, I'll make a couple more for the midships and
forward lockers. Maybe even some foam under the deck (just like in
the plans.) Oh yeah, I need a new mainsail too. Anyone got a sail
with a 12' + foot they want to get rid of? Then it's back into the
lake for more testing, but this time I'm putting eight body on the
rail. Maybe that will be enough to keep her flat.
YIBB,
David
CRUMBLING EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
134 West 26th St. 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
http://www.crumblingempire.com
(212) 247-0296
Lately I've been having second thoughts about my decision the Light
Scooner instead of the Singlehanded Schooner. The very conditions
that spoil surfing render the scooner unmanageable for one, and more
than enough for the odd crewman or two I've been able to scare up.
The boat spents so much time on its ear, I've started to think I
should have built a Birdwatcher instead.
Well yesterday I got a chance to find out how she sails with a full
compliment aboard.
I was rigging up the fore getting ready to go out solo when I Hobie
14 put on the beach. I asked the fellow sailing if he'd like to help
me take the scooner out.
He said, "Sure, can my friends come?"
"The more the merrier," and I walked back up the beach to fetch the
main and jib.
The next thing I new I had six people waiting to go out; 2 men and 4
women. We walked her out till we could get the rudder in, then piled
aboard. The sails filled and we were threading our way out through
the sloops anchored up just off the beach.
Seven people is not too many for the scooner. There was room for
everyone, the boat moved along smartly, yet even with all of us on
the weather rail (some sitting with legs outboard IRC style) the boat
was still healing sharply on the puffs. I cautioned my foresailman
that we were all in his hands, and more than once barked out from the
stern "slack the fore!" as we heeled down precariously.
We pressed on, close-hauled on port tack. I was nearly ready to call
"ready on the about" when it hit us. A zephyr came off the oyster
spit, lifting the seven of us high into the air. I threw the till to
lee, and scrambled over the rail, but it was too late. We were over.
The only question now was where or not she was going to flood before
we could get her upright.
When I decked the Margret Ellen, I widened the deck; partly to
accommodate my jumbo sized backside, but also in the hope that she'd
float dry when put on her ear. My calculations were nearly correct.
Under *ideal* condition the boat floats as dry healed past ninety
degrees as she does upright. But seven hapless sailors climbing and
clinging to her was not ideal conditions. The cockpits began to flood
and she kept going do until water started to pour into the still
unhatched after locker.
We got her upright with little trouble, but someone had gone right
through the mainsail which was now in tatters. Both cockpits and the
aft locker were completely flooded; recovery looked unlikely. One of
the other daysailors came by and took the 4 women off, leaving the
men to try and get the scooner back underway. But it was no use,
there was too much chop on the lake and too much water in the boat.
We took down the rig and tied it up. I told my remaining crew they
could swim to the weather shore, but they gallantly offered to ride
the swamped hull to the leeshore ("You need someone to help bail her
out.")
I won't tell you about the part where the Marine Patrol showed up; or
about the argument they got in with the Coast Guard about who would
or wouldn't tow us in; or the part where I swam over and asked them
if they weren't going to give us a tow, could they please leave so I
could be alone with my crew in our humiliation because that part of
the day was, well, humiliating.
I made a hatch cover today, and it looks like it came out pretty
nicely. I've still got to figure out a nifty way to dog it down. When
I get that figured out, I'll make a couple more for the midships and
forward lockers. Maybe even some foam under the deck (just like in
the plans.) Oh yeah, I need a new mainsail too. Anyone got a sail
with a 12' + foot they want to get rid of? Then it's back into the
lake for more testing, but this time I'm putting eight body on the
rail. Maybe that will be enough to keep her flat.
YIBB,
David
CRUMBLING EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
134 West 26th St. 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
http://www.crumblingempire.com
(212) 247-0296