On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 10:06:35 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:


Agreed. But, you're thinking like a racer and I'm thinking like the
one armed paper hanger singlehanding around in narrow busy waters. I
get help a lot of the time but often end up short tacking home up a
narrow channel while the tired kids read down below. I lose more
speed trying to crank and steer at the same time than I would bearing
off a bit with the jib too tight, but I need the boat to point.

Do you have hanks or furling? I single-hand a 33 footer through some
channels near here and find that I'm glad I've still got the ability
to point high.

I also pre-wrap my winches and transfer the handle prior to tacking. I
basically cruise like I'm racing, because I get more out of the boat
that way. But then I like racing OTHER people's boats, absorbing
tactics, and bringing it all back to a more fruitful cruising
experience.

"Thinking like a racer" and the Chinese fire-drill approach aren't
mutually exclusive. To watch me from a distance I tend to be very
still except for the head on a gimbal action of checking sail trim and
the local traffic. Then there's 15 seconds of prep, 15 seconds of tack
and 15 seconds of prep for the next tack. Then it's back to Captain
Bobblehead (with appropriate breaks for beverage maintenance).

The dodgiest parts of singlehanding for me are raising the main if I
don't feel like putting the tillerpilot out and docking, thanks to
prop walk.

R.

"rhys" wrote

Do you have hanks or furling?

Roller furling. I would have preferred it if the boat had come with
hanks because I wanted to give my kids a chance to learn foredeck
work. (Remember how beat up I got here over how "irresponsible" that
was.)

"Thinking like a racer" and the Chinese fire-drill approach aren't
mutually exclusive.

Hardly a Chinese fire-drill. The key is to be deliberate, organized,
and thinking ahead. I just meant that I would be willing to give up
the speed gained by letting the boat accelerate under a slightly
fuller jib in order to be spend the time I would be flattening looking
for traffic and verifying the new course. If stiffer jib sheets would
let me do that, I would put up with their being harder on the hands.
As you or someone up in the thread pointed out, my crusing rig is
probably so flexible that the sheets are not going to make that
difference.

--

Roger Long

On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 20:08:59 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

"rhys" wrote

Do you have hanks or furling?

Roller furling. I would have preferred it if the boat had come with
hanks because I wanted to give my kids a chance to learn foredeck
work. (Remember how beat up I got here over how "irresponsible" that
was.)

Heh. Such folk probably wouldn't enjoy seeing my four and a half year
old son (lashed via a lanyard) on the tiller for short stretches in
light airs, either. He has to use the extension and stand on a locker
to see forward, but he's getting a feel for the relationship between
sail, course and rudder angle.

"Thinking like a racer" and the Chinese fire-drill approach aren't
mutually exclusive.

Hardly a Chinese fire-drill. The key is to be deliberate, organized,
and thinking ahead. I just meant that I would be willing to give up
the speed gained by letting the boat accelerate under a slightly
fuller jib in order to be spend the time I would be flattening looking
for traffic and verifying the new course. If stiffer jib sheets would
let me do that, I would put up with their being harder on the hands.
As you or someone up in the thread pointed out, my crusing rig is
probably so flexible that the sheets are not going to make that
difference.

I agree. Solo sailing, I tend to tweak less, and instead go for
"80-90%" efficient, because it's easier on me and the gear. If I'm
feeling particularly lazy, I will just poke about under main alone, as
the prevailing summer southwesterlies make going in front of Toronto a
windward/leeward beam reach both ways. I find a mile south of the
city, I'm clear of most of the traffic anyway, and my loud music and
"male noises" will only offend the fish.

R.