Know anyone who cruises without an engine ?

[jlavery]

But the vast majority of Loch Drumbuie is too deep for convenient anchoring - over 15m (and up to 38m) other than a thin strip round the edges plus the Eastern end - which isn’t ideal in strong Westerlies. It’s one of these places where I think its evocative name and reputation exceeds its quality as an anchorage (along with Puilldobhrain and Tinkers Hole).
(But I am delighted if everybody else thinks it is wonderful and goes there, keeping the better locations empty)

But the vast majority of Loch Drumbuie is too deep for convenient anchoring - over 15m (and up to 38m) other than a thin strip round the edges plus the Eastern end - which isn’t ideal in strong Westerlies. It’s one of these places where I think its evocative name and reputation exceeds its quality as an anchorage (along with Puilldobhrain and Tinkers Hole).
(But I am delighted if everybody else thinks it is wonderful and goes there, keeping the better locations empty)

Yup, there's a magical other location very nearby.

 

[Minerva]

Yup, there's a magical other location very nearby.

There’s a good handful of very nice anchorages near by!

 

[MisterBaxter]

Reading the older yachting books, Claud Worth for example, you can see that cruising without an engine was much easier when nobody had an engine. Yachts were rigged with huge sail areas for light winds, but their rigs could be snugged right down in bad weather - topsails down, topmasts housed, jibs off altogether, bowsprits pulled in. There were no marinas - harbours had enough open space to sail right in. And all harbours had various blokes around the place ready and willing to assist you in various ways, both from the shore and from workboats, for an appropriate fee.
There's a romantic idea about sailing without an engine, harking back to 'doing it the proper old way', which I'm as susceptible to as anyone; but we forget that they had a whole infrastructure to facilitate them that just doesn't exist any more.

 

[Wansworth]

Reading the older yachting books, Claud Worth for example, you can see that cruising without an engine was much easier when nobody had an engine. Yachts were rigged with huge sail areas for light winds, but their rigs could be snugged right down in bad weather - topsails down, topmasts housed, jibs off altogether, bowsprits pulled in. There were no marinas - harbours had enough open space to sail right in. And all harbours had various blokes around the place ready and willing to assist you in various ways, both from the shore and from workboats, for an appropriate fee.
There's a romantic idea about sailing without an engine, harking back to 'doing it the proper old way', which I'm as susceptible to as anyone; but we forget that they had a whole infrastructure to facilitate them that just doesn't exist any more.

Yes I think your correct,many boatmen about knowing what to do

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Reading the older yachting books, Claud Worth for example, you can see that cruising without an engine was much easier when nobody had an engine. Yachts were rigged with huge sail areas for light winds, but their rigs could be snugged right down in bad weather - topsails down, topmasts housed, jibs off altogether, bowsprits pulled in. There were no marinas - harbours had enough open space to sail right in. And all harbours had various blokes around the place ready and willing to assist you in various ways, both from the shore and from workboats, for an appropriate fee.
There's a romantic idea about sailing without an engine, harking back to 'doing it the proper old way', which I'm as susceptible to as anyone; but we forget that they had a whole infrastructure to facilitate them that just doesn't exist

Sea-Change Sailing Trust

Which makes the above quite amazing. Even if I had all the nessary skills I don't think I could cope with the stress.

 

[bluerm166]

Thames barge MIROSA based at Iron Wharf Faversham has no engine.I am sure she too is skillfully handled but for convenience has her own ancient tug.

 

[westernman]

Reading the older yachting books, Claud Worth for example, you can see that cruising without an engine was much easier when nobody had an engine. Yachts were rigged with huge sail areas for light winds, but their rigs could be snugged right down in bad weather - topsails down, topmasts housed, jibs off altogether, bowsprits pulled in. There were no marinas - harbours had enough open space to sail right in. And all harbours had various blokes around the place ready and willing to assist you in various ways, both from the shore and from workboats, for an appropriate fee.
There's a romantic idea about sailing without an engine, harking back to 'doing it the proper old way', which I'm as susceptible to as anyone; but we forget that they had a whole infrastructure to facilitate them that just doesn't exist any more.

There is no problem in maneuvering an engine-less boat in a marina.
Almost all marinas have everything required for it.

I.e. two rubber dinks and a couple of guys to catch lines.

 

[B27]

There is no problem in maneuvering an engine-less boat in a marina.
Almost all marinas have everything required for it.

I.e. two rubber dinks and a couple of guys to catch lines.

The blokes who put yachts in the hoist from the pontoon and back don't usually mess about opening the hatch, turning on the batteries etc etc, they just use a few warps and fenders.

 

[MisterBaxter]

There is no problem in maneuvering an engine-less boat in a marina.
Almost all marinas have everything required for it.

I.e. two rubber dinks and a couple of guys to catch lines.

Yes, of course. But it's a very different situation to when nobody had an engine.

 

[westernman]

Yes, of course. But it's a very different situation to when nobody had an engine.

Only in that the marina staff are more lazy these days.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Only in that the marina staff are more lazy these days.

There weren’t any marinas before yachts had engines.

 

[westernman]

There weren’t any marinas before yachts had engines.

There were called harbours but fulfilled exactly the same functions.
And they were often a bugger to sail into and moor up without a tug or some help from people handling lines.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

There were called harbours but fulfilled exactly the same functions.
And they were often a bugger to sail into and moor up without a tug or some help from people handling lines.

It’s always been a bugger for us, we’ve never owned a halfmaran cruiser. Any harbour is tricky for us. Staff or no staff. We can make way with each of us on an outrigger with a stand up paddle, we’ve usually got 2 on board. Obviously just a couple of knots, so no good if there’s any current to speak of.

 

[MisterBaxter]

Only in that the marina staff are more lazy these days.

I don't think it's about being lazy, more that there were people who helped out as part of their normal daily work before, whereas now it's an occasional thing that they might not be ready for.
But also berths were laid out differently then - obviously only a tiny fraction of the number of yachts, and arranged with engineless boats in mind. Often yachts mixed in with the fishing fleet, which was also engineless, in harbours away from the south coast.
As I say, if you read Worth's descriptions of cruising, it's an entirely different world, one arranged for the convenience of engineless craft, whether commercial or pleasure.

 

[Gsailor]

I left my mooring once and engine failed within 20 seconds. 2 rows of moorings to stbd and 2 more to port - all very close.

Fortunately I always have sail covers off as part of my preparation and I was fortunate wind was on the beam, so I unfurled a bit of foresail and control was recovered.

I also have anchor ready to drop from controls in cockpit ( a piece of rope), at an instant (but that could have fouled in such a closely packed place).

 

[Gsailor]

A tip from the great John Goode was for a crew member to stand at the bow and hurl a bucket forward and pull the boat along. Never seen it done but a 1950's clang bucket would probably help.

I thought the magazine John Goode ran, “Sailing Today” was excellent and different from the two other main rivals.

I still have the plastic chart plotter somewhere that he designed.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I left my mooring once and engine failed within 20 seconds. 2 rows of moorings to stbd and 2 more to port - all very close.

Fortunately I always have sail covers off as part of my preparation and I was fortunate wind was on the beam, so I unfurled a bit of foresail and control was recovered.

I also have anchor ready to drop from controls in cockpit ( a piece of rope), at an instant (but that could have fouled in such a closely packed place).

Just because it's hard doesn‘t mean we wouldn’t try. We too don’t leave the mooring without preparing to sail. Jib cover off, main ready to hoist. We might have trouble sailing through the yar bridge though. I think just finding a mooring would be our goal.

 

[Frogmogman]

A few weeks ago I followed an engineless Thames Barge (Blue Mermaid) from Walton Backwaters to Pin Mill on the East Coast. Skillfully handled through Harwich/Felixstowe ports.

Do you know of anything your way that still goes without ?

Of course, the great Don Street cruised the legendary Iolaire for decades without an iron topsail.

 

[dunedin]

There is no problem in maneuvering an engine-less boat in a marina.
Almost all marinas have everything required for it.

I.e. two rubber dinks and a couple of guys to catch lines.

Perhaps in Costa Brava marinas with loads of staff. Many northern marinas are unmanned, and pay electronically - with perhaps somebody walking round the pontoons once a day.
But I agree with the earlier post - the watermen, open anchorages and other facilities for engineless boating have gone

 

[dgadee]

Yesterday race - the boat which won had an electric engine which wasn't working. Moored outside the harbour and paddle boarded in. That's sailing. He is young, too. Well, young in comparison with all the old codgers about these days. He said he'll have to get round to finding out what's wrong with it.