Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
Long live the robot lawnmower.
Indecisions in the Solent and a confession...
- Thread starter FairweatherDave
- Start date
winch2
Well-Known Member
Ye olde gaff day sailer went back in the water recently. Due to No1 suffering a protracted spate of ill health the entire process was left to moi, so a lot to think about. Got the boat sorted (or so I thght) , made some mods etc..and picked some reasonable weather for the off, fine but 'gusty', and got going.
Half way down the channel the gusts are picking up. I already had a reef in so all's well I thought, tho I kept thinking, 'something doesn't feel right'. Its now really getting silly and I'm wandering why I can't let the main out easily, important as she doesn't round up like a modern boat.... I then look back only to find to my horror I'd fitted the mainsheet assembly "upside down"? with the c;lam cleat now up by the boom!
Anyway sails down, engine on and that was that (extremely disappointed with myself and the subsequent ruination of the day). Just when you think you've ticked all the boxes boating has a habit of adding another one, right at the bottom of the page!
Half way down the channel the gusts are picking up. I already had a reef in so all's well I thought, tho I kept thinking, 'something doesn't feel right'. Its now really getting silly and I'm wandering why I can't let the main out easily, important as she doesn't round up like a modern boat.... I then look back only to find to my horror I'd fitted the mainsheet assembly "upside down"? with the c;lam cleat now up by the boom!
Anyway sails down, engine on and that was that (extremely disappointed with myself and the subsequent ruination of the day). Just when you think you've ticked all the boxes boating has a habit of adding another one, right at the bottom of the page!
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Boathook
Well-Known Member
That's why for my first sail of the season, I like no more than 10 knots of wind, including the gusts !
Allows mistakes like that to be easily rectified.
Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
We wouldn’t start til june or July if we waited for that. From April to then, it seems to be 20kn from the ENE here, unless it’s 30 from the SW and raining. We must have had 3 months of NE winds this year.
Boathook
Well-Known Member
I seem to remember April having little wind. I seemed to motor everywhere !
winch2
Well-Known Member
" A man that never made a mistake"...etc. I think it's all to easy in boating to become complacent, That serious error has focused my mind 1000%, and Ive learned to step up and it feels very good. I like this awkward squally weather so went out yesterday... black clouds everywhere with gusts a plenty and had a terrific afternoon on the water. Maybe within reason its good to make a serious error once in a while.
FairweatherDave
Well-Known Member
I like the idea of making mistakes, but make them small ones. What bugs me is when I repeat the mistakes. Or, having solved a problem I get the same problem later on and still have to go up the same time consuming blind avenues before I sort it again. I guess each time the context is slightly different, you come in at a different angle. Experience!
FairweatherDave
Well-Known Member
Have you been stalking me?
. Mowed the lawn yesterday and worse, cleaned the windows! But to be fair I am clearing the decks of overdue jobs killing time waiting for Floris to pass....then we're off....what'll go wrong on this trip? If nothing goes wrong there's nothing to talk about!
Stemar
Well-Known Member
As a confirmed coward, I'm entirely happy to talk about those glorious days with a steady F4 on the beam followed by a quiet anchorage, an apéritif and a glorious sunset.
Stories that start, "The windex gave up at 55 knots..."? Thanks, but no, thanks. Been there, done that, ended up in A&E.
FairweatherDave
Well-Known Member
Trust me, none of my mistakes will have winds over 20 knots, unless I make a mistake 
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Chiara’s slave
Well-Known Member
We can’t afford one in much over 20kn of wind, and get very careful indeed. The sense of power in the boat lets you know well in advance that things are getting serious. Like entering Poole on a spring ebb in a F5 south easterly. You just know you should have thought that throughTrust me, none of my mistakes will have winds over 20 knots, unless I make a mistake
