martha jane cruise
Jane Fans!
I recently made a four-day trip down to the broad waters at the mouth
of the Rappahannock River and into the Chesapeake Bay as a shakedown
cruise for my Martha Jane "Terrapin". I don't read too
many real-time "actuals" in the forum (with a nod to Topaz).
Most of
you guys seem to be builders. So I thought you might enjoy hearing
from a new user of the pre-upgraded
classic original. I replaced the mast with a much lighter aluminum
spar. Otherwise, the boat is per plans.
I was alone at the helm, without relief or any self-steering devices,
so after so many hot summer days of 12-hour cruising, full of wind
and waves, I was thoroughly all in. Nevertheless I got to do some
good shaking down and observing of things in winds that, without a
gauge, I estimated at Force 6 gusting to 7, waves 2-4 ft. In a word,
the boat did very nicely. The flatbottom sharpie gets my vote.
Upwind or across, she wants to spend all day at 10 degrees, but
doesn't mind getting laid over much farther. I would prefer more
weatherhelm in the boat at normal heel. In fact, my boat has slight
leehelm until about 25-30 degrees of heel. One afternoon, a bit
overpowered double reefed and on the wind (& my eyeglasses completely
salted over with spray) I doused the mizzen. The boat slowed too much
as well as increased leehelm until it was uncomfortable steering.
Reefing the mizzen is a solution here, but I did not try it. Reefing
the mizzen? Yes, stow the sprit and take two wraps around the mast
and the sheet angle is fine loose-footed. Requires zero new equipment.
I used to reef the main clew-to-clew but have gone back to a tack-to-
tack system, leaving the naked clew end of the boom over the water. I
dipped it a couple of times in some very big tops when sailing large
but the boat did not seem to notice.
Perhaps the nicest thing of all is how well she handles in following
seas. Whether the waves are quartering or dead aft, the boat is as
stable as a catamaran (well, almost) and the sheets let out all the
way present as much sail as a spinnaker or a dairy barn, take your
pick.
Two things I did not like. There is enough occasional hard slapping
on my trapdoor to spring my sprung-lath catch system, necessitating
trips aft to reset. The trouble was much helped by a convenient 5-gal
gas jerry. The other was heavy flooding of the bow well. One of my
boxes worked loose up there and effectively blocked the scupper. The
water was a foot deep at times, and caused me to heave to and
surrender a leading position in an upwind race with a 40-some footer
with masthead genoa and a 30-something under main alone (too much
wind for him!). And maybe one more thing. Again, shorthanded, I
ruined a few come-abouts in much wind and big water by jumping to the
brokenwing weather board lanyard too soon before the boat was settled
down on the new tack up to speed. I had to train myself to ignore the
noise & spray beforehand.
As for that blunt bow, I sort of enjoyed seeing it, every once in a
while, lay a fist into green water. This actually happened seldom and
did not significantly slow the boat.
Once or twice I saw the boomkin go under water in a very tall wake.
Heading home upriver in Force 5 and 6, beam reach, I managed a 30 nm
port tack in five hours, or 6 knots average, corrected to 5 for
flooding tide. I would not be surprised getting knotmeter readings of
twice that in spurts, but, like I said, I was shorthanded. The time
allows for the fact that during the day I lay to and reef and unreef
dozen times. And I bungled half of my reefs and had to start over so
many times I was furious with myself. What could be simpler than
reefing in a blow?
Cheers,
Ed Haile
I recently made a four-day trip down to the broad waters at the mouth
of the Rappahannock River and into the Chesapeake Bay as a shakedown
cruise for my Martha Jane "Terrapin". I don't read too
many real-time "actuals" in the forum (with a nod to Topaz).
Most of
you guys seem to be builders. So I thought you might enjoy hearing
from a new user of the pre-upgraded
classic original. I replaced the mast with a much lighter aluminum
spar. Otherwise, the boat is per plans.
I was alone at the helm, without relief or any self-steering devices,
so after so many hot summer days of 12-hour cruising, full of wind
and waves, I was thoroughly all in. Nevertheless I got to do some
good shaking down and observing of things in winds that, without a
gauge, I estimated at Force 6 gusting to 7, waves 2-4 ft. In a word,
the boat did very nicely. The flatbottom sharpie gets my vote.
Upwind or across, she wants to spend all day at 10 degrees, but
doesn't mind getting laid over much farther. I would prefer more
weatherhelm in the boat at normal heel. In fact, my boat has slight
leehelm until about 25-30 degrees of heel. One afternoon, a bit
overpowered double reefed and on the wind (& my eyeglasses completely
salted over with spray) I doused the mizzen. The boat slowed too much
as well as increased leehelm until it was uncomfortable steering.
Reefing the mizzen is a solution here, but I did not try it. Reefing
the mizzen? Yes, stow the sprit and take two wraps around the mast
and the sheet angle is fine loose-footed. Requires zero new equipment.
I used to reef the main clew-to-clew but have gone back to a tack-to-
tack system, leaving the naked clew end of the boom over the water. I
dipped it a couple of times in some very big tops when sailing large
but the boat did not seem to notice.
Perhaps the nicest thing of all is how well she handles in following
seas. Whether the waves are quartering or dead aft, the boat is as
stable as a catamaran (well, almost) and the sheets let out all the
way present as much sail as a spinnaker or a dairy barn, take your
pick.
Two things I did not like. There is enough occasional hard slapping
on my trapdoor to spring my sprung-lath catch system, necessitating
trips aft to reset. The trouble was much helped by a convenient 5-gal
gas jerry. The other was heavy flooding of the bow well. One of my
boxes worked loose up there and effectively blocked the scupper. The
water was a foot deep at times, and caused me to heave to and
surrender a leading position in an upwind race with a 40-some footer
with masthead genoa and a 30-something under main alone (too much
wind for him!). And maybe one more thing. Again, shorthanded, I
ruined a few come-abouts in much wind and big water by jumping to the
brokenwing weather board lanyard too soon before the boat was settled
down on the new tack up to speed. I had to train myself to ignore the
noise & spray beforehand.
As for that blunt bow, I sort of enjoyed seeing it, every once in a
while, lay a fist into green water. This actually happened seldom and
did not significantly slow the boat.
Once or twice I saw the boomkin go under water in a very tall wake.
Heading home upriver in Force 5 and 6, beam reach, I managed a 30 nm
port tack in five hours, or 6 knots average, corrected to 5 for
flooding tide. I would not be surprised getting knotmeter readings of
twice that in spurts, but, like I said, I was shorthanded. The time
allows for the fact that during the day I lay to and reef and unreef
dozen times. And I bungled half of my reefs and had to start over so
many times I was furious with myself. What could be simpler than
reefing in a blow?
Cheers,
Ed Haile