Tricky Situation

[Kristal]

Hello all,

I did my first single-handed sail yesterday, from Woodbridge down to Ramsholt, and today I hope to take Crystal into the Orwell by myself too. Just a few things I wanted some opinions on, as it was definitely one of those trips where I couldn't wait to get to the pub after mooring up.

Firstly, the weather conditions were F4 - 5, over a fairly strong ebb, which meant that trying to raise sail (double-reefed) was an absolute nightmare with the wind always over the stern, except when we were blown sideways onto it. I managed eventually, after a lot of swearing.

Then, I discovered that the wind was driving us forward over the ebb, and that there was no way I could take the buoy's mooring loop off the samson post because of the weight of the boat being driven forward. I broke a boathoat in the process of trying to get it off. I eventually managed it by giving the motor full astern revs, and then leaving the cockpit to throw off the buoy as soon as it gave an inch.

I'm sure there is a more professional way to deal with situations like this when short-handed - any suggestions?

Cheers,

/<

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Twister_Ken]

Not quite sure I've followed the scenario but if I understand correctly, maybe it would have been possible to turn Crystal II on the mooring, that is to moor by the stern and not the bow, and then raise the sail head to wind? Similarly, that would also have put the mooring strop to hand in or near the cockpit, when the time came to cast off.

Might that have worked? And apologies if I have misunderstood the situation.

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[Kristal]

I think you're probably absolutely right - thinking about it, it would be very easy to moor her from the stern, and then she would have been happy with both wind and tide.

I had tried a hard-sheeted mizzen to take her into the wind, but the tide was too strong for that. It all makes perfect sense!

Cheers, Ken... will experiment today, as it looks from the forecast as if I'm not getting off of this buoy until tomorrow.

/<

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Mirelle]

You may enjoy reading Francis B Cooke's books; written up to 100 years ago they still cover this sort of thing as well as anything, because he covers singlehanding in east coast rivers (without an engine) in some detail.

Now, some solutions.

You are tide rode by the ebb, pointing up river, and you need to drop the mooring and turn round to beat down the river.

First one, which assumes you have some room, is to have everything ready to hoist, drop the mooring with no sail up, turn immediately onto a reach across the river, using the steerage way that the wind provides and the inertia, vis a vis the tide, that the mooring has given the boat, run the main up PDQ and tack as soon as she will answer the helm. Only then do you unroll the jib.

Second one - drop the mooring and run up tide and downwind under jib until you get to a space where you can luff and run up the mainsail. One way of doing this is to get some speed up, roll the jib and luff - she should carry her way enough to luff nicely and give you long enough to run up the mainsail.

Third one, more exotic, for use in very confined spaces, is to shift the buoy to the stern. Do not attempt to do this by walking down the deck carrying the mooring strop; the boat will snatch it out of your hands for sure. Take a doubled warp from the mooring strop outside everything, belay it aft and drop the buoy, shortening up the warp, kept round the cleat, as the buoy comes aft. Now you can hoist the mainsail and drop the buoy from the cockpit - after dropping the buoy you can unroll the jib.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Kristal]

Practice Makes Perfect

Thanks for all of those - I had a nice amount of room, because I was on your buoy!! I think the best solution for me would have been the latter, taking the buoy astern on a long doubled warp, as she wasn't behaving very well when I left the helm. Narrowly missed the catamaran at the end of Methersgate Reach.

But she did steer herself very nicely for long periods when full sail finally on, considering I was using the small hanked-on jib rather than the big genoa sans inner forestay (especially considering some of the F5 gusts yesterday). Worked a treat, and much better for single handed.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm sitting at Ramsholt, having decided that going round to the Orwell on my own is too dodgy with current wind speed and direction, and have to face the prospect of a very lonely 24 hours!! And it's about to rain, so I can't even varnish. I'm not sure I like singlehanding after all...

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[AndrewB]

Agree, except method 3!

In Kristal's shoes, I would have done the whole thing under jib alone and sworn to sort out the mainsail for quick single-handed raises next time. Taking the mooring to the stern is a last resort and prone to lead to all sorts of tangles!

Yes, Francis B. Cooke. Still THE authority on this.

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[Mirelle]

Lucky you!

Some things to do on one's own on a buoy in a nice river...

1. Bird watching

2. Whip all tatty ropes' ends

3. Correct the charts

4. re-organise and re-stow various lockers

5. Scrub the decks

6. Go for a practice sail in the river...

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Mirelle]

Re: Agree, except method 3!

I agree (3) is hairy, for use as a last resprt only, but it's in Cooke, and I have done it!

As I understand it, Kristal could not do the whole thing under jib, as the wind was over the ebb and he wanted to go downriver, so he needed to turn to windward and beat, and most (I agree not quite all) boats need some mainsail to stay reliably in a river. But certainly he could have got away from the mooring under jib, and luffed later to set the main.

One thing that you and I will agree on is the need for free running halyards, to hoist and lower sail fast!

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[Talbot]

As a fairly frequent single handed sailor, I have slowly been changing things to make it easier for a single person to cope. Two major items to ease the problem are in-mast reefing and a good autopilot. I have also just fitted self tailing winches.

I would not try to sail off a mooring or sail onto one by myself, although if I had to, I would rig slip ropes from aft. The main lesson for all manoeuvres is to think them o ut beforehand so that having completed one part, you know exactly what needs to be done next.

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[DeeGee]

Did the mizzen not even get you broadsiding to the wind? Nasty one, but I have done the Option 3, and found it nasty when amongst other boats, as I was without steering for some boat-lengths.

<hr width=100% size=1>Black Sugar - the sweetest of all

 

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Re: Practice Makes Perfect

Crystal II in Pictures<<<

What an absolutely beautiful yacht, do you have any internal photographs to put on the website, I would love to see her.



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[kinta]

I have a pully on each side of my cockpit. I tie one end of a rope to the tiller. I then thread the other end through one of the pullies, along the deck, through a pully at the bow, down the other side, through the other cockpit pully and make the end fast to the tiller. This allows me to steer the boat from the bow or mast area untill I get back to the cockpit. When I get to the tiller I untie both ends and pull on one end to dismantle the system. Coil the rope and put it away. It could be untied from the tiller and made fast to the stanchions on ether side untill needed again if prefered.

all the best
Don

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[Kristal]

Crystal II

Thank you very much!!

I will take some interior photo's for you now, and post them up - I've just got into Woolverstone Marina following my first single-handed ocean trip (a week for firsts is seems) and feeling elated.

She will very soon have her own website with lots of pics and specs on - I will keep you informed if you like. She likes to have fans!

/<

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Kristal]

Lucky Me!

Thanks for helping me pass the time, Mirelle.

1. Bird Watching - I got bored of the Ramsholt Arms barmaid after half-an-hour of steadying the binoculars on the boom.

2. Made a start at practising the Mal Anglaise on the halyards. It started to rain.

3. Corrected the charts. Wrote "PROBABLY INACCURATE" on them. In purple ink, too.

4. Reorganised, restowed, then unstowed and reorganised in the agreed fashion between myself and the co-owner. She would be livid. Moved the Bo'sun's stores around a bit.

5. Went outside. Rain had already scrubbed decks. Varnished the Bumpkin.

6. Practice Sail. Excellent idea. End up on the mud for four hours (but not me at the helm, I swear). Make our way back to mooring in the pitchy dark. Ravage boat with anchor chain whilst trying to clear the decks. Emerge the next day to find varnish knackered and decks covered with Deben mud. Head off to the Orwell.

It was great. Probably my best week sailing yet, actually, added to the successful passage around to Woolverstone (first single-handed at sea). And the weather is now gorgeous. Hoorah.


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Kristal]

That's really cunning - it would frighten the life out of me, though, steering a boat screaming along with me on ropes!! I shall try it out, but on a calm day.

Cheers,


/<

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>

 

[Benbow]

If I understand this correctly, you were trying to hoist the main and/or mizzen while held stern to the wind by the tide?! If so I would say you were extremely lucky to avoid damage to yourself or your boat. Sailing on and off a mooring is IMHO an essential skill to be practiced at every opportunity. When wind is against tide the solution is invariably to use headsail only. If you are nervous about the boat's behaviour in the time it takes you to stroll casually back to the tiller having dropped the mooring, you can rig a line through the mooring eye and run both ends back to the cockpit. Cast off by loosing one end then pull it all through.

The exception is when the wind is not strong enough to push you up tide. You can test this by trying to get the headsail pulling before you make decision about what do.

When the wind is across the tide and you are not sure how she will lie with the main up, I like to scandalise the main. ie totally depower it by slacking the kicker right off and yanking in the topping lift so the boom is cocked-up at a silly angle. After you have cast off you then have full main available just by dumping the topping lift and heaving in the sheet - sort the kicker out later.


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