Wayfarer - great little boat

[lw395]

Back in my Dad's dinghy sailing days, it was entirely normal to singlehand whatever you had.
The weather limit is always lower, but a good helm can get around when grossly over powered.
With modern sail controls etc it ought to be easier.

But I enjoy going for a blast when it's windy, so having the use of an old Laser is a really nice addition to the boat I choose to own. Does one boat ever do everything? Is owning one boat ever enough?

 

[Greenheart]

Back in my Dad's dinghy sailing days, it was entirely normal to singlehand whatever you had...a good helm can get around when grossly overpowered.

Whenever I doubt my sanity and reasons for optimism, I cheer myself with the glorious memory of a really old boy at Bosham in the early 'Nineties, who launched his Flying Dutchman as I launched my Topper...

...he singlehanded the twenty-footer against the F3 sea-breeze, to East Head before me. He didn't hoist the genoa, didn't use trapeze or wear a wetsuit (he wore a Guernsey jumper, I recall)...and he didn't wear any personal buoyancy! Take that, Health and Safety! :biggrin-new:

Does one boat ever do everything? Is owning one boat ever enough?

A resounding No! to both questions.

 

[Seajet]

Was that what you told the inquest ?

 

[Greenheart]

No inquest was necessary...that's why I mentioned it. The old chap understood how to ease the biggest and most challenging of conventional dinghies, with a 110sq ft mainsail, beating for five miles into the steady sea-breeze without getting wet or flustered.

It's not something I'll forget...and a helpful reminder that my own ambitions aren't exclusively daft.

 

[Zagato]

A friend of mine is thinking about selling his Wanderer, looks a great little boat, can put an outboard on it, 14' long, sails it in Chi harbour. I was thinking of buying it for a couple of grand when my Drascombe sold but I cannot bring myself to sell my boat... I still fancy the Wanderer as it would be great for my kids...

 

[DJE]

If anybody is interested there is a talk on Wayfarer cruising at Hill Head Sailing Club on Friday evening.

https://www.facebook.com/events/307512749974777/

 

[Kelpie]

A friend of mine is thinking about selling his Wanderer, looks a great little boat, can put an outboard on it, 14' long, sails it in Chi harbour. I was thinking of buying it for a couple of grand when my Drascombe sold but I cannot bring myself to sell my boat... I still fancy the Wanderer as it would be great for my kids...

We quite like our Wanderer. SWMBO and I are both the wrong side of 5'6 and she in particular finds the bigger boat a bit difficult to handle because when sat on the gunwhale her legs don't reach the toe straps. It's also quite tricky to right without full crew weight, and of course you can't really sail at full power in stronger winds.

The Wanderer solves most of these issues, at the expense of being a bit slower and a bit wetter. When it gets a bit choppy I would rather be in the bigger boat, but you can't have everything can you?

 

[dragonvc]

The three worst places to be if circumnavigating Isle of Wight would be in vicinity of Bridge Bouy in a f5-6 or worse and if tide turned not nice,St Catherine's race with wind over tide,and I am told entrance to Chichester harbour on the ebb,not really the best place for cruising wayfarer well laden.
As for dan cranes FD being single handed the mainsail area quoted at 110 sq ft is about half way between a Phantom T 105sq ft and contender at 120sqft however still a lot of boat to single hand.

 

[Greenheart]

Yes indeed...although the point wasn't that I had doubted it could be done, but rather how effortless the old chap made it look.

 

[dragonvc]

Apparently effortless sailing is great to watch whether by a 17 yr old or a 70 yr,sadly I am finding at 70 much more effort required in a dinghy but the yacht is ok

 

[rwoofer]

The three worst places to be if circumnavigating Isle of Wight would be in vicinity of Bridge Bouy in a f5-6 or worse and if tide turned not nice,St Catherine's race with wind over tide,and I am told entrance to Chichester harbour on the ebb,not really the best place for cruising wayfarer well laden.
As for dan cranes FD being single handed the mainsail area quoted at 110 sq ft is about half way between a Phantom T 105sq ft and contender at 120sqft however still a lot of boat to single hand.

Quoted Phantom sail size is measured area. Actual area is more like 11m/120sq foot.

 

[dragonvc]

I built Phantom 88 from a kit really enjoyed as a boat slight snag that I only weighed about 10and half stone however won loads of light weather races should have won a light weather race at nationals in the 70s.The original brochure had 105 sq.ft but I am sure your figure is right.Having been near Bridge bouy in my 23ft Minitonner in mid 20s breeze I would not have wanted to be in a wayfarer in those conditions the race was the RTI so pretty good from safety point of view.We were fine and completed but lots of knots round back of the island.

 

[Daydream believer]

Weight does not have to be a problem
My son sails a Phantom & has been loosing weight by the stone to become more competitive. He finds he is going faster the lighter he becomes. Up wind he often comes in the first 3-4 at the windward mark. (The top sailors are really good) He feels that it is technique rather than weight that wins.
Here he is on his way to winning an open at Creeksea SC
Has to beat wandering about in a Wayfarer or trying to single hand an Osprey any day of the week - assuming you want some excitement in your life that is:encouragement:

 

[Greenheart]

Weight does not have to be a problem

Hmm, thanks DB, but in dinghies, I reckon the tall and the heavy are rarely at a disadvantage. It may seem like a disadvantage when there's very little wind, but as soon as it's blowing more than ten knots, which is usually, you gents have a big upwind advantage.

I really like the Phantom for its muscular simplicity, light weight, and the fact it isn't a Laser - but with its whopping mainsail, smaller beam than the Osprey, and the fact it doesn't have a trapeze, it's unlikely to be easier for a 70kg man to keep upright in a F3+.

And on the calm days, I know I'd always regret not being able to set 325sq ft downwind, inc spinnaker. Not that I ever have, yet.

Handsome boat, the Phantom, though.

 

[Thistle]

Coming to this a bit late but ... .

If there is any rot around the downhaul, you may need to drill out the whole section to good, dry wood (2-3cm hole drill), chamfer the edges then fill the hole with clear epoxy. Tape at one side and pour from the other is probably the best way. When the epoxy has set, fair the open side and re-drill through the epoxy. You might consider doing something similar with the nick at the top of the leading edge before it gets any worse.

 

[Greenheart]

I like this photo from a Cornish Wayfarer cruise last year, on Youtube. It shows dinghies aren't too basic to allow food-preparation.

The whole video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOJHyuZUFc

 

[Seajet]

We cooked soup and stew under way in a Fireball, on a calm winter sail.

 

[Blue Sunray]

I like this photo from a Cornish Wayfarer cruise last year, on Youtube. It shows dinghies aren't too basic to allow food-preparation.

The whole video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOOJHyuZUFc

Trangia kettle, utterly brilliant piece of kit.

 

[Greenheart]

That kettle really is a neat little bit of lightweight multi-purpose kit, I'd not seen it before. Cheap, too...

https://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/...Vqr_tCh0Dcg-OEAQYAyABEgK0w_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I know food on board is a subject that's been worked pretty hard on the forum, but stew on a Fireball, Andy? Just warming it up, I hope, rather than browning the floured braising steak in a frying pan then giving it the whole four-hour simmer in Burgundy and stock?

 

[Seajet]

Dan,

we were teenagers at the time the only ready meals were Vesta's and fast food was a Wimpy mixed grill; have a guess whether it was the heated up job or the Cordon Bleu...