First sail on the boat

[mlthomas]

We finally completed the conversion from power to sail.
Here is the vid of our first sail out, sorry for the poor camera work, editing etc. As this is also the first time with the digi camcorder and attempt at editing the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea14lCJsj8g

Back to sailing, very nervous about the first slip by ourselves. SWMBO had never been sailing until the day before when we went out as part of the handover, she has been out a couple of times but there had been no wind so we were motoring, which we were used to in the last boat. So there was the bite of doing it for ourselves as well as fingers crossed that she likes it!

Whitehaven as a sea lock to go through before you get out. Managed OK, might not have been the fastest entrance and exit of a lock but nothing was hit, banged or scraped.
Once we were out, whilst hoisting the main the halyard wrapped around the top spreader, which was interesting to go and release, swmbo getting very nervous while I was on the mast steps – me too!!
Couple of other bits and bobs we got wrong or could do better next time as well, but hey, learning curve is vertical at the moment.
Came in after a few hours, through the lock, through the marina and turned to come in stern too, all the way back down past the other berths, lost way at the last minute so put the power back on.....prop wash!! Very strong prop wash, gave us a bit of a moment for the last two feet. So we have a new plan to come to that we think we can do without the scary bit right at the end.
All tied up and waiting for tomorrows tide.

 

[Vanilla]

Brilliant - well done and sounds like a VERY smooth first go out. You've got a brave SWMBO

 

[photodog]

Looks Great!

Nice looking boat and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves!

Only thing I would point out is you need quite a bit more Mainsail Halyard tension.... This would give a better set to the main... get rid of the wrinkles at the front of the sail and probably sort the flapping in the leach as well.... which would allow you to point higher.

Looks great!

 

[Haven't-a-Clue]

Werll, apart from the prop wash bit, sounds like you got away with it! If it was anything like mine a few days back, sounds as if you had a good (if initially nail-biting) trip. I certainly did, but have to say that as the Solent was unusually quiet (well, the bit I was in, anyway). I just decided to say the hell with it, what can go seriously wrong and just unfurled the genoa on a reach and cut the engine. Wheee, and I was off, nothing spectacular, 12-15 kts apparent wind on the port beam and 3.5 - 4.5 SOG. Nothing went seriously wrong and I'm hooked! Weather permitting, next weekend I'll be at it again, can't BELIEVE it took me so long, 4 years ago I hadn't even thought of having a boat! Of course, it does help having knowledgeable friends (as in, one of them found my current boat and pronounced it "a good 'un". And he was right.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Very good, congratulations, I wish you many more happy sea miles.

 

[jason -and the arguenauts]

Along with all the other free advice, I picked up on "Managed OK, might not have been the fastest entrance and exit of a lock but nothing was hit, banged or scraped.". Yotties dont often understand that mobos require speed to keep control and vice versa. You have a keel which means you can and should take manoeuvres like locks slower than you did in the mobo.

As for the berth, why not berth bows in? I's usually easier to go stern out of a berth and turn than go in stern first.

 

[MoodySabre]

Well done - that looked lovely. Bet you found it more exilerating than 20knots in a mobo. You will find with practice that prop kick can be your friend (sometimes ).

 

[photodog]

Driving Backwards/ Propwalk.....

As a aside.... having the confidence to do a lot of reverse driving is a very good thing... and you should not be put off by the prop walk that you experienced... I suggest you must have let your speed fall off quite a bit and then given it a lot of welly..... just keep the boat in tickover , or maybe a small amount more if there is a lot of wind.... the advantage of going in in reverse is that when you come to stop the boat using power... you get no prop walk...so the boat doesnt suddenly leap away from the ponttoon fer instance.... and when emerging you have more positive control because you are getting wash over the rudder such that you have control almost immeadiatly.... So just watch your speed when coming in... less is usually more in a yacht as others have noted...

 

[PaulJS]

Brilliant!

Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Neddie_Seagoon]

Great. Assume you will be planning a sail to here?

 

[Elessar]

You have a keel which means you can and should take manoeuvres like locks slower than you did in the mobo.

Well done to the OP on an excellent first trip - a good result in any "new" boat setting aside the different handling charicteristics.

However my experience is that it is easier to manouvre a mobo slowly than a yacht. I notice that yachties tend to come into marinas at speeds that to me seem breakneck - a thread on here a while back explained that you need a certain speed for the keel and to some extent the rudder to have any hydrodanamic effect so thus there is benefit to having some way on in a yacht. On my planing mobo there is no keel, so you get blown everywhere whatever speed you go at, so I go slow and utilise the engines and propwash (I have a choice of which direction) to my advantage at a speed my brain can keep up with (ie in gear at tickover 20% of the time, in neutral the other 80%). I'll happily sail or motor a boat, but I do find a mobo easier to handle in the confines of a marina, but having said that I've far more recent experience in mobos. If a mobo is going fast in a marina or revving engines then get some big fenders out fast because it is quite unneccessary.....

Sorry, rambling. The OP may not be able to go slower in locks than he did in his mobo was the point!

 

[photodog]

"I notice that yachties tend to come into marinas at speeds that to me seem breakneck"

Excess speed is not nesecarily the preserve of the Mobo'er.... I am continually amazed at the speed peeps will drive around at.... one of our neighbors is forever backing in under huge speed and using his tender as a big bouncy thing.

I think that as you know, less is more, even in a mobo...I have to admit on our S34
I never found the need to go quickly to maintain control... twin outdrives and a bow thruster tend to overcome most problems.

 

[mlthomas]

Hi All

Thanks for the comments, we’re about to head off to try to do it again. Yes the sails weren’t set particularly well, we were just pleased to get then both out and even better when we got them both away, we have a long way to go.
Will have another go at coming in stern to, easier for boarding etc. I did lose too much speed and thinking about it I had taken off the drive and was using the boat speed for the steerage.

 

[ChrisDownes]

Looked like a nice first trip out - well done

As for the stern to berthing, practice makes perfect as you know. Try it under different conditions as well and you'll soon master it. What can really go wrong, so long as you have plenty of fenders out / available.

You'll soon learn the handling characteristics of your new boat over your past Mobo, so just enjoy getting out there and cruising at very little expense (providing the winds blowing).