Greenheart
Well-Known Member
Apologies, this is more like a blog double-bill than a quick readable post...but after years talking about it, I finally sailed my own boat again, albeit only for 40 minutes.
Yes, this evening it finally happened. The old Osprey finally went for a brief swim, and I learned a good deal.
Most of which I already knew, but needed prodding to remember.
Such as, attach the mainsail to the boom before it goes up the mast. Not sure why I thought it would easily slide along the boom track after it was already flapping in the wind, but I'll know next time.
The cunningham needs sorting out...it was constantly too long or too short for the sail's position on the mast, and horrendously tangled in the other string at the mast-foot.
The halyards are incredibly tough to haul up...I know they're never effortless, but that was really tough. Do I need bearing blocks at the masthead?
How on earth is the centreboard meant to stay down? The lift-line worked well, once I untangled it from the vang, but as we sailed along it kept sliding up, and SWMBO couldn't summon the strength to lever it down again. Should there be another tackle, to keep it down?
I'll need to vaseline the balers, or they leak a fair amount when the boat's going slowly.
I smashed my newly repaired rudder on something, so I'll be busy with the Gelcoat Filler again...and shouldn't there be a tackle to lift the rudder blade? There's a tackle to hold it down (just what the centreboard requires and doesn't have), but I was fretting that it'd be smashed into the beach on returning, because it doesn't swivel up on its own.
Sorry there were no pictures taken...SWMBO left her phone in the car, and mine was safe in the watertight area ahead of the cockpit; and to be honest, I was sweating at the prospect of capsizing or ramming the kiddies in the nearby racing fleet, as well as giving SWMBO instructions which she doesn't receive easily...so all in all, there wasn't time for photos. Besides, I was wearing old clothes over my wetsuit, so I looked like a flooded Fenland farmer.
SWMBO refuses any instruction in advance, not even a casual half-hour chat to get to know the ropes and their functions...and then in the boat, she suffers from a total inability to listen and look when I'm pointing at something she needs to push/pull etc.
I think it's attention deficit, or a total failure of spatial dynamic sense, or perhaps she just wishes I'd bought a motorboat...
...but words like up/down/left/right...no, honey, right...right!...THE OTHER RIGHT!!...words like that just don't seem to hit home...which is pretty hopeless when someone is part of a dinghy crew, and doesn't know enough to think for herself.
But that's a different matter. We sailed, we weren't injured or traumatised, and no notable damage came to the boat...so, a big success in my book.
In spite of the Osprey's size and power, I've always hoped I might eventually make serious use of her whilst singlehanded, and SWMBO's reluctant involvement encourages that hope for me. I'm certainly surprised at how easy the boat is to haul out and round the hilly dinghy park...she's only 30kg lighter than a Wayfarer, and I've seen four adults straining to shift one of those...not sure why, I'm certainly no Hercules.
If I can put a deep reef in the mainsail without doing terrible harm to its shape, I reckon I'll be able to sail her alone. I'll get a trapeze harness when I'm paid. I'm guessing that if I sail on mainsail alone, I may be able to maintain balance by having the centreboard one-third raised, hence well astern of the normal centre of lateral resistance.
It really was fabulous to be sailing again. And what a great boat; thank you Seajet, for convincing me to buy an Osprey. No fuss or scary lack of stability, just effortless pace in the light evening breeze.
Thanks to everyone here, who has helped me with information and encouragement.
Yes, this evening it finally happened. The old Osprey finally went for a brief swim, and I learned a good deal.
Most of which I already knew, but needed prodding to remember.
Such as, attach the mainsail to the boom before it goes up the mast. Not sure why I thought it would easily slide along the boom track after it was already flapping in the wind, but I'll know next time.
The cunningham needs sorting out...it was constantly too long or too short for the sail's position on the mast, and horrendously tangled in the other string at the mast-foot.
The halyards are incredibly tough to haul up...I know they're never effortless, but that was really tough. Do I need bearing blocks at the masthead?
How on earth is the centreboard meant to stay down? The lift-line worked well, once I untangled it from the vang, but as we sailed along it kept sliding up, and SWMBO couldn't summon the strength to lever it down again. Should there be another tackle, to keep it down?
I'll need to vaseline the balers, or they leak a fair amount when the boat's going slowly.
I smashed my newly repaired rudder on something, so I'll be busy with the Gelcoat Filler again...and shouldn't there be a tackle to lift the rudder blade? There's a tackle to hold it down (just what the centreboard requires and doesn't have), but I was fretting that it'd be smashed into the beach on returning, because it doesn't swivel up on its own.
Sorry there were no pictures taken...SWMBO left her phone in the car, and mine was safe in the watertight area ahead of the cockpit; and to be honest, I was sweating at the prospect of capsizing or ramming the kiddies in the nearby racing fleet, as well as giving SWMBO instructions which she doesn't receive easily...so all in all, there wasn't time for photos. Besides, I was wearing old clothes over my wetsuit, so I looked like a flooded Fenland farmer.
SWMBO refuses any instruction in advance, not even a casual half-hour chat to get to know the ropes and their functions...and then in the boat, she suffers from a total inability to listen and look when I'm pointing at something she needs to push/pull etc.
I think it's attention deficit, or a total failure of spatial dynamic sense, or perhaps she just wishes I'd bought a motorboat...
...but words like up/down/left/right...no, honey, right...right!...THE OTHER RIGHT!!...words like that just don't seem to hit home...which is pretty hopeless when someone is part of a dinghy crew, and doesn't know enough to think for herself.
But that's a different matter. We sailed, we weren't injured or traumatised, and no notable damage came to the boat...so, a big success in my book.
In spite of the Osprey's size and power, I've always hoped I might eventually make serious use of her whilst singlehanded, and SWMBO's reluctant involvement encourages that hope for me. I'm certainly surprised at how easy the boat is to haul out and round the hilly dinghy park...she's only 30kg lighter than a Wayfarer, and I've seen four adults straining to shift one of those...not sure why, I'm certainly no Hercules.
If I can put a deep reef in the mainsail without doing terrible harm to its shape, I reckon I'll be able to sail her alone. I'll get a trapeze harness when I'm paid. I'm guessing that if I sail on mainsail alone, I may be able to maintain balance by having the centreboard one-third raised, hence well astern of the normal centre of lateral resistance.
It really was fabulous to be sailing again. And what a great boat; thank you Seajet, for convincing me to buy an Osprey. No fuss or scary lack of stability, just effortless pace in the light evening breeze.
Thanks to everyone here, who has helped me with information and encouragement.
