adapting to getting older

[Tranona]

Starlight 35 has shorter LWL, displaces more, but carries a whole 2m**2 more sail area than your boat. Maybe he didn't realise you were racing?

But I always thought the Starlight was a "real" sailing boat in a different league from my cheap and cheerful job. Thanks for putting me right - but it does beg the question as to why the OP finds it such a handful to sail.

Perhaps all the owners are actually deluded - must be something about the boats that justifies prices, even for old ones that are twice what my old similar size Bavaria sold for.

 

[TQA]

My attention has been drawn to the 4 speed trimmer winches made by the French company Portos.

They seem to get rave reviews and also have survived racing use by people on the likes of the Route du Rhum including Peyron.

Any comments?

 

[brian eiland]

Winching a large overlapping genoa in a breeze on a beam reach is quite a strain for most people, much more so in my experience than when tacking - when generally would hold the boat close to the wind to aid sheeting.
So don't over worry in that aspect.
And boat change would be a very expensive option, compared to some selective optimisations.

Electric genny winches are an option - but the new Pontos 4 speed winches would be worth a look and are getting rave reviews.
Personally I would want the halyards and reefing lines led back to the cockpit - but could be a hassle doing this if not a design option on this boat type. However, many seem to like controls at mast so there must be ways of doing it.

Assuming you have a stack pack main, if sailing solo I might have simply headed up and dumped the entire main into the stack pack (should happen without going on deck), unfurled the full genoa to sail under jib only - and then put the kettle on for a cuppa. That's the big benefit of larger genny compared to a small blade jib - can generally do a lot of lazy sailing with the mainsail cover still on - though this is where better winches are needed, as more tricky to sheet in when tacking with no mainsail up

How about two roller furling/reefing headsails, NO mainsail, and a roller furling mizzen sail.

I call it a single-masted ketch. http://www.runningtideyachts.com/

 

[brian eiland]

This was my expectation when I got a stack pack but unfortunately the sail only comes about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down under its own weight so I still have to go up on the cabin roof to pull the last part down. This in spite of copious Mclube annd changing to a smaller diameter rope for the halyard.

I say get rid of the traditional mainsail and replace it with a mainstaysail,...that roller furls/reefs.

 

[brian eiland]

I am ten years your senior birdseye and at your age changed to a motor-sailor ... being the only one HR ever made, more sailor than motor. Not the solution for a purist, I agree, but it keeps me happily cruising the northern Adriatic, usually single-handed.

I've been a BIG fan of motorsailers for years.

Here is one design i really like

...more discussions here:
Motor Sailers by Philip Rhodes & John Alden

 

[Birdseye]

But I always thought the Starlight was a "real" sailing boat in a different league from my cheap and cheerful job. Thanks for putting me right - but it does beg the question as to why the OP finds it such a handful to sail.

Perhaps all the owners are actually deluded - must be something about the boats that justifies prices, even for old ones that are twice what my old similar size Bavaria sold for.

Chip. Shoulder.

 

[Tranona]

Chip. Shoulder.

Not at all. Just having a dig at those who have a low opinion of AWBs making excuses for a boat that seems to be held in high esteem.

Could easily afford to own one of those boats, just don't think that it would either meet my requirements, nor represent value for my money.

 

[johnalison]

Both Starlights and Bavs do what it says on the tin, but in different ways. In cruising terms, we have found that generally, boat speed is largely dictated by the waterline length; something that Westerly demonstrated nearly fifty years ago with their Laurent Giles designs.

 

[Poecheng]

Tranona,

Genuinely interested in your Bav33/St35 trip as I have thought of the St35 for the future (presently S290).

Were you pressed/tweaking away/informal 'racing' (as many do when see a similar boat) and what was the St35 doing as far as you could see? Or were you both approaching the trip approximately the same way?

Appreciate it is difficult to tell unless you are side by side but interested in your response.

TIA

 

[BrianH]

I've been a BIG fan of motorsailers for years.

...more discussions here:
Motor Sailers by Philip Rhodes & John Alden

My goodness, a feast of motorsailor discussion. Thanks for posting. Oh, and welcome to the forum - do stick around, I think we motorsailor fans are a minority here.

 

[reginaldon]

I see old Fred Drift has shown up!

 

[Tranona]

Tranona,

Genuinely interested in your Bav33/St35 trip as I have thought of the St35 for the future (presently S290).

Were you pressed/tweaking away/informal 'racing' (as many do when see a similar boat) and what was the St35 doing as far as you could see? Or were you both approaching the trip approximately the same way?

Appreciate it is difficult to tell unless you are side by side but interested in your response.

TIA

Pressed, tweaking, racing are words that do not exist in my sailing vocabulary. I was lolling in the cockpit with the boat sailing itself most of the time without the autopilot. There was very little about, even though it was a lovely Sunday afternoon with a favourable tide and wind. just coincidence that we were sailing parallel. I expected him to streak away from me, which I guess he might have done if he had put up a kite. he seemed to be sailing just like me - all plain sail and enjoying the ride.

I only mention it because of the constant sniping here about how superior older boats are compared with AWBs and the Starlight is considered to be one of the best. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks earlier in stronger winds going the other way with a Moody 336, another well respected boat.

No doubt the Starlight is likely to be a better boat in heavier weather, but for this elderly fair weather sailor that is not a priority. The comparison though is interesting as the OP has a Starlight which he is now finding hard work. I have never sailed any of these older boats, so can only make comparisons by third party observations. However, my last boat was a 2001 Bav 37 and I changed for the same reasons as the OP - it was getting hard work and the new boat with its lighter fractional rig, greater stiffness and better laid out controls is a vast improvement.

 

[brian eiland]

My goodness, a feast of motorsailor discussion. Thanks for posting. Oh, and welcome to the forum - do stick around, I think we motorsailor fans are a minority here.

I just joined yesterday, and I sent in about 3 or 4 reply postings as I read thru this subject thread.
But it appears they have gotten 'censored out'?? Is there a lot of that activity on this forum?
Brian

 

[brian eiland]

Alden 57

Here is another motorsailer I very much like the looks of

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/motor-sailers-philip-rhodes-john-alden-16721-8.html#post693163

 

[Poecheng]

Many thanks Tranona - very interesting.

 

[Terra-Loon]

I love this thread, hopefully if I look after myself I've still got 30+ years of sailing ahead of me.

Inspirational!

 

[jckaye]

Had the same issue on my Starlight 35. New Pontos trimmer winches solved the genoa issue, a Pontos grinder solved the main and spinnaker halyard problem, so now even my granddaughter can bring in the genoa when overpowered. Even got a good price for the old Lewmar ones. Next up is changing to a Harken 8:1/4:1 main sheet cascade so now the main sheet will be a doodle as well.

 

[silver-fox]

I think the OP's post raises two interesting issues; the first is physical capability and competence, which has been widely debated. The second is loss of confidence from the experience that increasing age is accompanied by diminishing physical capability.

Not knowing what your limits are can be unnerving.

The good news however is that many of the symptoms attributed to ageing can be due to lack of fitness. Speaking from personal experience everything seems heavier and more difficult for the first few weeks of the season than it does when I have acclimatised. (Let me hastily point out before going further that I used the term "many" - NOT "all" of the symptoms! There will be those plagued with arthritis and other chronic conditions and can do nothing but find ways to live with the condition that limits them).

My suggestion to the OP, who has clearly had experiences that have made him consider his sailing future, would be, keep sailing be slightly less adventurous next season and see what happens to his appetite for sailing and his confidence, before even considering anything hasty like a change of boat or hobby.

 

[BrianH]

I just joined yesterday, and I sent in about 3 or 4 reply postings as I read thru this subject thread.
But it appears they have gotten 'censored out'?? Is there a lot of that activity on this forum?
Brian

It's common to delay and monitor the posts of new subscribers - it keeps out the riff-raff (not sure how they let me in). You should have official approval by now with instant postings. Have fun!

 

[Birdseye]

Had the same issue on my Starlight 35. New Pontos trimmer winches solved the genoa issue, a Pontos grinder solved the main and spinnaker halyard problem, so now even my granddaughter can bring in the genoa when overpowered. Even got a good price for the old Lewmar ones. Next up is changing to a Harken 8:1/4:1 main sheet cascade so now the main sheet will be a doodle as well.

Interesting comments. Let us know how you get on with the \Harken gear. Fo9r myself I think I will go electric sheet winches if I do anything other than current practise of simply reefing the genoa.