Seamanship Question #1
 

Had to jump on this one Katy!

"Bart Senior" wrote in message
t...
You are sailing upwind, offshore, when your backstay
parts at the masthead. The nearest land is 600 miles
to weather, and you have limited fuel, water, and food.

What should you immediately do? [1 pt Turn into the wind to reduce
pressure; sheet in the main to near the centerline and use the sail itself
along with the mainsheet to provide aft direction support. Secure both
broken ends to prevent fouling.

What steps can you take to prevent the loss of
the whole rig? [1 pt]

Going up wind the mainsail and mainsheet will act to secure the mast in
that direction. If you have running backstays consider using them. If you
have a proper four lower shroud setup to begin with that will, along with
usingthe main and mainsheet reduce the problem to manageable proportions.
Finally you can replacethe mains'lwith the topping lift if itisn't wimpy or
one of the forward halyards (the main halyard will be busy bringingdown the
main sail at this point, and use it in place of the topping lift. The
advantagehere is the mechanical purchase of the mainsheet to boom to sail,
topping lift, or otherhalyard gives you a good tight temporary fix. Which
to use depends on what rigging set up is present

What can you use to replace the backstay long enough
to get home? [1 pt]

Then one or all of the following. If you can secure the broken mast head
end of the backstay secure it aft with a bit of line and tighten using a
winch or even a truckers hitch. Make sure the broken deck end is not
fouling rudder or prop. Run the spinnaker or other spare foremast halyard
aft andsecure it. If all else is under control bridge the break. I keep a
short bit of stay/halyard wire and some wire clips in my emergency locker
for just this purpose.


What else can be done to pull the mast aft to keep
tension on the rig? [1 pt]

If you are using the sail/topping lift/halyard as a topping lift to
mainsheet configuration which means not using the mainsail you can run the
end of the mainsheet through a block to one of the winches. If you repaired
the aftstay with a clipped bridging wire you can't rig a hauling line to the
are of the wireclips andrun the same to a winch.


Limited fuel, water, food means something else went wrong earlier and also
means I can't float around waiting for Boats US. But in this circumstance
while I wouldn't pop an EPIRB I would send out a Pan message and ask to have
it passed to the coasties or similar.

M.

Seamanship Question #1
 

By small you mean less than 26' I take it. Never fear you wouldn't catch me
that far out in something less than 20' that's for sure!

M.

"Wally" wrote in message
...
SAIL LOCO wrote:

In reality however I wouldn't be 600mi. offshore
in a small boat.

A good point - I can't see me doing that, either.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Seamanship Question #1
 

Never catch me that far offshore in a 'wee' boat. 26' was small enough
even though it is a proper British built Westerly. BUT they sure are fun to
drive in the right places. My 18 footer was a Mercury class sloop. What do
you have?

Michael

"Wally" wrote in message
...
Bart Senior wrote:

I'd sheet in the main while I brought the second jib halyard to the
back of the boat. In reality however I wouldn't be 600mi. offshore
in a small boat.

Who said it was small?

I think it came from me referring to my 'wee boat' with the double lowers,
which is an 18-footer.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Seamanship Question #1
 

Thanks Wally! I'll look forward to the photos. I'm having all sorts of
difficulty posting some of mine to people so it looks like a trip to the
computer wizard store. Oh for the days of Eudora!

M.

"Wally" wrote in message
...
Michael wrote:

Never catch me that far offshore in a 'wee' boat. 26' was small
enough even though it is a proper British built Westerly. BUT they
sure are fun to drive in the right places. My 18 footer was a
Mercury class sloop. What do you have?

A Copland Foxcub, which I've called 'Hispaniola'. Not in the water - I'm
gradually doing what has turned out to be something of a restoration. It's
a
1972 and is the fin keel version (they also made bilge and swing keels).
By
all accounts, the fin keeler points well, which was a major reason for
choosing it. Once in the water, the plan is to use it for round-the-cans
club races, daysails and short cruises around my local waters - the Firth
Of
Forth in Scotland, which is big enough to require at least an overnighter
to
get to the more distant parts from the marina. One of my little ambitions
is
to circumnavigate all of the islands on the Forth, preferably in one trip.

I currently get a regular twice-a-week racing fix on a Sonata (22' 7") -
been crewing on that since the start of the season. I was out on a Sigma
38
today - the Queen Mary 2 was anchored in the Forth prior to heading over
to
Norway, so a few boats went out for a look-see (photos to webshots soon).
We
were out for about three hours, two of which were spent sailing in circles
around the ship.

The Sigma is the first yacht I've sailed other than the Sonata, and I was
most impressed. I had the helm for about 45 minutes to an hour and I was
surprised at how light it all felt. I had half-expected something that
size
to feel heavier and turn more sluggishly, but it all seemed eminently
drivable. Getting the jib in on tacks was easy enough as well, only having
to winch a bit if the timing wasn't quite right (wind was light at 8-9
knots).


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Seamanship Question #1
 

You are sailing upwind, offshore, when your backstay
parts at the masthead. The nearest land is 600 miles
to weather, and you have limited fuel, water, and food.

What should you immediately do? [1 pt]

What steps can you take to prevent the loss of
the whole rig? [1 pt]

What can you use to replace the backstay long enough
to get home? [1 pt]

What else can be done to pull the mast aft to keep
tension on the rig? [1 pt]

Seamanship Question #1
 

Bart Senior wrote:
You are sailing upwind, offshore, when your backstay
parts at the masthead. The nearest land is 600 miles
to weather, and you have limited fuel, water, and food.

What should you immediately do? [1 pt]

Point the nose into the wind to take the strain off the rig.


What steps can you take to prevent the loss of
the whole rig? [1 pt]

On my wee boat, I might be tempted to trust the double lowers until I can
jury rig something. Ease the jib halyard and maybe slacken the forestay.
Ease the downhaul and sheet the main n hard (or tighten the vang?) to try
and get the leech tighter than the luff? Possibly rig a line around the
mast, over the spreaders, and secure to some aft cleats.


What can you use to replace the backstay long enough
to get home? [1 pt]

Topping lift, perhaps (might not be strong enough), or the main halyard if
its feasible to sail under jib alone. If there's a spinnaker halyard, that
could be used.


What else can be done to pull the mast aft to keep
tension on the rig? [1 pt]


Could drop the main and attach a second line to the head, then raise the
main and secure the new line aft.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk

Seamanship Question #1
 

I'd sheet in the main while I brought the second jib halyard to the back of the
boat. In reality however I wouldn't be 600mi. offshore in a small boat.
S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster"
"No shirt, no skirt, full service"

Seamanship Question #1
 

You are sailing upwind, offshore, when your backstay
parts at the masthead. The nearest land is 600 miles
to weather, and you have limited fuel, water, and food.

What should you immediately do? [1 pt]
Put the boat in irons.
Quick grab the spin halyard and pull it around back and tie it down to
something, then reduce sail.....

What steps can you take to prevent the loss of
the whole rig? [1 pt]

Do what I said in number 1....

What can you use to replace the backstay long enough
to get home? [1 pt]

The spin halyard or you could use the jib halyard and just sail on the main

What else can be done to pull the mast aft to keep
tension on the rig? [1 pt]

Yark down the boom vang.... and tighten down the boom with the mainsheet...





--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein



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Seamanship Question #1
 

Let go the jib sheet Bring the main near middle traveler position and
get a much Leech tension as possible. Mainsheet, vang lazy jacks,jumper
stays (If available). Get the Jib down

Then on "Pneuma" I have enough tail on my topping lift to go thru the
low rail on my stern pulpit and back to a Jenny Winch to re-tension the
main. Then I'd set-up a Barber haul to make it a semi-permanent
back-stay and sail home.

Seamanship Question #1
 

SAIL LOCO wrote:

In reality however I wouldn't be 600mi. offshore
in a small boat.

A good point - I can't see me doing that, either.


--
Wally
www.artbywally.com
www.wally.myby.co.uk