Photos Sailin' on

[Durp]

• uh I fucked up. Please delete this blank post?

 

[Durp]

Here are a few pics I took under way. I am awful at not taking enough photos, as I am more concerned with keeping my wine glass full and the wind in my sails.

The boats!

The ramshackle little one was the double stuff Oreo, our learn to sail boat. I was clueless when I got it, and she taught me so much.

The blue PH boat is my current home, 1960 Rawson PH 30. We are slowly doing a full refit to kick it out in big blue. Hoping to take to the Pacific in a year or two if it works out. We were going to go this coming August, but I want to spend more time on tall ships learning celestial navigation, and we are flying to Israel to be bums abroad for a month.

The tall ship is the Lady Washington, and I was lucky enough to be gifted a 32 hour transit by one of my grampa salt friends. Life is good when you are a wharf rat I plan to become a tall ship sailor for part of the year to finance cruising.

 

[landpirate]

uh I fucked up. Please delete this blank post?

I can't delete your post I'm afraid, because it's the first in the thread it'll delete the whole thread.

 

[Deleted member 125]

damn man great photos. where were you headed?

 

[todd]

lovely pics

 

[Rob Nothing]

Beautiful. I'm jealous.

 

[James Meadowlark]

Sailin' On is my favorite Bad Brains song. Saw them live decades ago when I was a young man.

 

[Dmac]

Those tall ships are so f-ing cool! I wonder how many miles of rope ore used on the rigging? @JimH1991 I bet you have learned a lot about Knots and rope splicing. Do you have a favorite Knot?

 

[Durp]

I have learned quite a lot so far @Dmac, but I am still a novice, and have heaps to learn. I think sailing, line work, and all the trades involved are fairly simple to understand the basics to get you going, but a man can spend a lifetime trying to master them.

My favorite knot, that is tough, but it would be a modified double constrictor on the bight. It is an extremely strong knot that will hold anything together, with out having to mess with finding the ends. The way I tie it is easy to do one handed, and with a slight variation in how you pass the final bit makes it able to be untied quickly with a tug on the slack, non load bearing end. The load bearing end tightens the not as more force is applied, so it is also very useful for clamping as extreme pressures can be generated.

I am not really heading anywhere until my boat is fully refit. I cruise around between Olympia, WA up to an sometimes past Victoria, BC.

ATM, we do still spend a fair amount of time dockside, as I can chip away at repairs easier on land next to the boat. This will hopefully be my home for the next 10 years at least, so I want to put the forethought and effort to make her comfortable and safe far off shore.

 

[Bedheadred]

Super cool!! Tell yer lady I say hi and she's looking lovely!! and give Katie a belly rub for me!

 

[tacopirate]

Nice pics man! Sailing is an art, much of it is easy to learn but I've never met anyone who would say they mastered it. I've been sailing a good while but hardly know anything compared to some folks. The Rawson looks very nice, it has an old look to it. How does she sail?
Hope you have fun in Israel!!

 

[Durp]

@tacopirate I totally agree with you on sailing being an art. The rawson sails well. The fastest I had it was 7.5 knots close hauled way over canvassed and pushin' it in a blow, 12 knots down wind with a following sea. The boat was just screaming, full sails up. I got caught out alone in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and did not feel in danger. Even in 6ft of waves with the occasional breaker, she was well mannered considering. Ideally, I would not like to run that hard for fear of over stressing, or breaking things, but I wanted to see what she was capable of. I knew I was going to have to raise more sail after I got through the straight, and just felt it was worth picking up a few pots and pans rather then heave -to then dick with a sail change or reef. It takes a bit to get her moving, but when the wind picks up the decks and cockpit stay dry, and she is well mannered. She has a bit of weather helm. The sails are fine for around here, but too poor of shape for voyaging. Soon as tropical sun hits them I suspect the thread will just pack it in. rigging is from the 80's so I am due on a full refit.

I am building an auxiliary rudder based wind vane system for self steering, and plan to modify and enlarge my current rudder or build a new one entirely. I am leaning heavily to converting the boat to a cambered panel junk rig, unless someone can convince me that I could outfit my boat to a cutter for less. The junk rig is very appealing to me because I am paranoid about rigging failure, and trust my skills to install an un-stayed mast. The whole junk rig is DIY friendly, which means parts are available every where in the world. The ease of reefing, tacking, and gybing, are all appealing to me. I am trying to keep the costs to a minimum, but I do not wish to sacrifice safety. My boat is a cruiser, and thats what it was intended for, I doubt I will loose much performance since my sails are old any way. I guess I am just sort of weird, so I like weird boats.

If I did just decide to re-rig the standing rigging, I would consider this method - https://www.riggingdoctor.com/life-aboard/2015/8/10/synthetic-rigging-conversion

I like the idea of eliminating the hardware. I also really think the line rigging with dead eyes would by beyond sexy on my boat Then I would have to build hardwood deadeyes, rope stopped blocks, and attach everything with lashings. lol... boats...

 

[bakeratj1]

How could I do something like this as a helper? Any suggestions?

 

[tacopirate]

Jim, I'm surprised that boat could handle 7.5 knots but I've read they're well made. She has a nice looking keel on her. Lead, obviously? I'm sure you replaced the halyards, I can't imagine using anything that old for too long. How is the mast/boom? I've read that boats from that era were often manufactured with cheaper aluminum, though I don't know that to be a fact. Rope-stopped blocks and homemade deadeyes for the win, I think! I like that picture...

 

[Durp]

@tacopirate when the boat is on a 17 degree heel it has a 28 ft waterline. I probably had a following current too. That is just what the gps was putting out, so it might be a bit off. It is hard pressed and not quite comfortable at that rate. She is very comfortable around 6.2 knots regardless of conditions if reefed right, anything more it must be howling and over canvassed. The running rigging is only a couple years old, the standing rigging isn't good enough for offshore work, but is 5/16 in wire so it is way over sized and good enough till August. The boom is heavy by modern standards. It is sort of strange, has a strange goose neck, found a picture in the Hiscock's book of the same brand/ model unit, so I guess I have a roller reefing boom. The main is set up for slab reefing, I would need a flatter sail with no battens with soft wove fabric to try the roller. The mast is quite agricultural. It was an over sized aluminum pipe that had a taper cut out, clamped and welded. Not the most elegant, and the foot was painted last time it was re-rigged. I am not expecting corrosion issues when I drop it. Simple, robust, and over built like every thing else on the boat. I bet it is heavy. The sails are 20 or 15 years old by my guess. The keel is cement with iron ingots, 5000 lbs supposedly. Not quite sure because the boat weighed in at 14,000 lbs unloaded, it was weighed when the previous owner had it surveyed. Lead would be better, and is truly the only ehh point on the boat. Seems to be dry and in good shape. I have not have had any problems, it is an internal ballast, and the boat has a dry bilge. Mine is number hull 4, 1960. She is a total dog in light airs, unless you are fine to motor. It is almost not even worth pulling up the hook or casting off the lines unless there is force 3, and that won't even get us to hull speed. She needs that just to keep helm.... I think the solution is a monster nylon drifter.

As to getting a position as a helper on any sort of vessel, you just need to spend enough time at the docks and eventually someone will need an extra body. Make friends with boat folks.

 

[xpolx]

Aaaaargh this makes me feel landlocked and hankering to get back to boutline awesome pictures and stories

 

[xpolx]

I meant boat life haha