Mariner's Web

A Strategic “Sail Plan”

October 21, 2011 – 11:46 pm
To sail outside of one's safe harbor... a skipper should have a strategic sail plan which enables seamanlike boat handling in heavy air and sea conditions.  Unlike storm tactics, this sail plan is a storm strategy, a methodology that enables skipper and crew the ability to reef and continue to sail efficiently and under control in heavy air. Preparing the boat... to implement this strategy by design of a sail and rig configuration which will enable dynamic movement of the Center of Effort as needed, for depowering and reducing heel in heavy air, while retaining enough driving force to keep the boat on its feet through heavy seas. The  masthead rigged sloop... the target for this discussion is a "boomers" sailboat of the twentieth century, with an overlapping genoa + modestly sized mains'l.  This rig has withstood the test of time in light to medium air, but can be a handful as the wind ...

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Onboard Wifi

March 14, 2011 – 8:03 am
Update Dec 9, 2011: We have successfully tested and implemented a Client Router and External 8dBi antenna for wireless reception on our cruising boat.  We now have over 20 WiFi signals at our dock where we had none before. We also just received notice of a new release of the most powerful USB antenna solution, with a built in hotspot to boot.  More details to come... read on for original article. Original Post: We have found it a challenge to say the least, to find adequate Wi-Fi connectivity along the US East Coast while cruising this past year.  While coastal cruising the Wi-Fi connectivity issues seem analogous to SSB connectivity for the offshore cruiser.  Antenna selection, installation, and tuning is necessary to improve Wi-Fi connectivity for high bandwidth data, similar to an SSB installation for voice. Introduction: To connect to the Internet from a boat to a hotspot on shore it is in effect establishing ...

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Sailmaking and Rigging – Made in America

February 28, 2011 – 12:08 pm
Recently we visited one of our major suppliers of sailcloth and another supplier of rigging hardware.  With the loss of many manufacturing industries in America it is indeed refreshing to confirm that the materials used in our customer's sails are Made in the USA. [caption id="attachment_339" align="alignright" width="184" caption="--- New England Textile Mill ---"][/caption] In touring the Connecticut textile mill we learned that this is one of the few remaining mills in New England.  It is a charming brick building, a sprawling complex with a waterfall exiting from under the building fed by the mill pond across the street. You could almost picture the old wooden paddle-wheel that used to provide renewable energy to the facility before modern day consumption of fossil fuels became the norm. In touring the facility it was a joy to meet the proud American workers who still manufacturer quality products for customers around ...

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Done and Dusted – The Kiwi’s put on a clinic at The Louis Vuitton

March 21, 2010 – 11:16 am
No worries for the home team Kiwi's as they won 2-0 in the final match of the Auckland Louis Vuitton Trophy Regatta - as they saved their best sailing for last with their excellent teamwork and tidy boathandling.  That is not to say that they did not have to fight hard against tough Italian teams in the final matches along with all of the other up and coming teams in the International Americas Cup Class.  One of their semi-final wins was a fantastic finish and one of the finest pieces of boat handling orchestrated at this level of 17 person crews.  They turned the 80' boat 360 degrees to clear a penalty in 34 seconds at the finish for a one second/one meter win. The close action was some of the best ever broadcast -  considering it was sent over the internet to the world with live video streaming and ...

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Lead Free Sailing in The America’s Cup

February 15, 2010 – 3:04 pm
The Trimaran "DogZilla"  (USA BMW-Oracle) defeated the Swiss Catamaran Alinghi to bring back to the USA the oldest trophy in international sports - the America's Cup. This is the first time a Cup challenger has won a Deed Of Gift (DOG) head-to-head match race.   Unlike the past 25 years or so when the Cup defender had accepted challenges from the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, this race was decided on the water in a 2 out of 3, head-to-head match race.  But only after a year of delays and numerous lawsuits did the race default to Deed Of Gift.  Under these rules there are very few restrictions put on boat design and you might say the sky's the limit and you'd better have deep pockets to compete! This 33rd America's Cup was won 2 races to 0 by the USA for the second time in a multihull with a ...

Posted in Racing, Rigging, Sailing, Sailmaking | 2 Comments »

Top Ten Tips for Sail Trim

February 3, 2010 – 11:55 am
As I prepared to give a comprehensive (but short) sail trim and rig tuning seminar I noted key phrases or rules of thumb to remember while trimming your sails for maximum efficiency and fun.  After giving the seminar I had a request to come up with a top ten list. Here are my top ten tips for sail trim in no particular order: Sail Trim Top Ten Helm - The helm should feel balanced and comfortable to hold in your fingertips.  A few degrees of weather helm is desirable for a margin of safety. The key is to maintain this balanced helm through varying conditions with sail trim and angle of attack. Heel Angle - Depending on your boat and conditions one should sail the boat as flat as possible with no more than a comfortable angle of heel of 10-15 degrees in a breeze. Angle of Attack - When sailing close hauled with the ...

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Sail Trim – It’s Kind of Like Jazz

January 31, 2010 – 11:08 am
There is an old adage that "life begins" at the age of 40 - and I tend to agree since that is about when I got my first sailboat and also became an aficionado of jazz music.  I just gave a sail trim seminar to around 30 people associated with our Boulder Valley Sail group.  The feedback was good but I had no idea how hard it would be to pack it into two hours.  It occurred to me during my preparation that sail trim is kind of like jazz: Expressive (sail shape) Improvisation Making & creating in the (lifting) moment Responsive to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment (puffs, lulls, shifts, waves) Syncopation Disturbance or interruption of regular flow (keel, sail plan, angle of attack) Unexpected deviations and unequal durations (s-turns, balance,trim) A ...

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Measuring for your New Sails

January 9, 2010 – 10:02 am
We do a lot of sail quotes - most of which are initially done based on standard rig dimensions from our extensive database of over 7000 boats. But if a customer wants to take the next step in ordering a new sail I always recommend a measurement of the boat. I make myself available to the customer to assist in this process - one of the real values that a local sailmaker can provide.  If you sailmaker does not provide this service you may want to shop around. Case Study: I once sailed on a 25' sloop which had just recently been upgraded with new racing sails of a nice laminate cloth. They held a good shape and flew nicely. The problem was, that in light air, the second batten would get hung up on the backstay. It would usually require help during a tack in light ...

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The whole of the sail-plan is greater than the sum of it’s parts

January 6, 2010 – 12:57 pm
This is a variation on a well known phrase as it applies to fore and aft sails and sloop rigs. The goal of an accomplished sail trimmer is this greater sum. The interaction of the headsail and mainsail trim in combination can result in a significant improvement in the driving force of the total sailplan.  The force may be further improved with another foresail and the cutter rig with the caveat that you will eventual reach a point of diminishing returns. The effectiveness of a cutter rig is dependent upon many factors such as sail and rig design and apparent wind direction and velocity. There are some general sail trim considerations when two or more sails are interacting in the same flowfield: Circulation of Air Flow - Each sail has its own circulation with a headsail slowing the flow on the mainsail in the area known as the "slot". Slot - The area ...

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Mares’ tails and mackerel scales, make tall ships trim their sails

November 29, 2009 – 11:07 am
Or, as a variation, Make lofty ships carry low sails. In the absence of instruments, clouds are the most useful aid to weather forecasting as they are visible clues as to what is going on aloft.  Mares' tails are hooked-shaped cirrus clouds and mackerel scales are cirrocumulus which appear as bands of fish scales, both high altitude clouds above 20,000 ft.  When both are seen together it is a sign to the mariner of a storm front bringing in a weather change within 24 hours.  A common fair weather cloud that should be familiar with their cauliflower-like appearance of flat bases and domed tops is the vertically formed cumulus cloud.  If they begin to build into mountainous cumulonimbus clouds upwards of 50,000 ft then this is a sure sign of atmospheric instability and likely thunderstorms.  An anvil head may form at the top which indicates the edge of the troposphere and ...

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Safe Furling

September 22, 2009 – 8:07 pm
The life of sailcloth is greatly reduced by prolonged exposure to the sun's UV rays. Once a sail is rolled in part of it is exposed to the elements and cloth degradation begins. Unless you opt to use an external cover such as a zippered sleeve, which is not always practical for the typical cruising boat,  the exposed sail area should be protected with a sacrificial cloth sewn to the foot and leech. This brings up several  issues for the boat owner to think about; which side of the sail is exposed, additional weight aloft, sail shape, durability, and the choice of materials and installation methods. A majority of the cost of adding UV protection is in the labor costs but the choice of material is an all important one.  Over time many materials have been used (and experimented with) but realistically they can be narrowed down ...

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Sail Allowance (Boat Buyers Beware)

August 20, 2009 – 3:59 pm
Recently a customer has been boat shopping for a 28'to 32' cruising boat to sail out of San Carlos, Mexico.  This is a popular port for Colorado sailors to reach the  Sea of Cortez and beyond - and he wanted an estimate on a new main with 3 reef points.  These waters are know for some robust winds, similar to SF or the Windwards. The next step in his boat shopping was a sea trial on a prospective boat. BUYER BEWARE!  If the sails are over 10 years old and are "typical" crosscut Dacron sails, it is inevitable they have stretched out over that time, no matter how careful the owner is. That is the nature of the beast of Dacron sailcloth. A thorough visual inspection is always required of the sails but during a sea trial it should be noted how deep the draft is and where the point of ...

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Top Ten Tips for Race Crew

February 16, 2009 – 7:53 am
As first mate preparing a crew for the upcoming Heineken Cup, I came up with my top ten list for race crew to be thinking about prior to our practice time on the water. Here are my top ten tips for race crew in no particular order Racing Top Ten Key characteristics for crew - Concentration; quick reaction time; analytical skills; a desire to learn and improve; fun to sail with! Communication - If something doesn't look or feel right provide feedback to the team, pay particular attention to crossing boats and/or boats obstructed from view behind a sail. Flat is fast - when heeling excessively (more than 15-20 degrees) the boat encounters negative forces, ie: decreasing center of effort and lateral resistance, which result in loss of boat speed and pointing (leeway). Be aware of balance on the boat and move weight to windward and amidships when appropriate - particularly in increasing wind conditions ...

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Flat is Fast (or is it?)

January 12, 2009 – 10:43 am
Sailboat balance is a result of Center of Effort from the sail plan combined with the Center of Lateral Resistance provided by the keel appendage. While in a racing seminar sailing J/24's in Florida's Key West, I first heard the term “flat is fast” - in reference to angle of heel. Minimizing heel angle is almost always the goal of our race crew. A couple of exceptions to this rule that come to mind are: when sailing in our typically light and rarefied Rocky Mountain air we heel the boat enough to assist in sail trim when the wind Gods are not cooperative; and we may heel the boat to weather to project the asymmetrical windward and sail deeper. But with that said it is a fact that in sailboat design and theory the keel or centerboard provides lift (like an airplane wing) and so as a boat ...

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Open Source and Sail Design Software

February 20, 2008 – 9:04 am
In the software business many companies have made their fortune in software development and sales. With the increased competition from the worldwide base of competent programmers, the concept of "open source" software has grown astronomically. Take the OpenOffice product, which is an office suite application that can be freely downloaded in place of purchasing an over-priced word program which used to be the defacto standard. Open Source software licensing provides a way for the common person to obtain free software, implementing the concept that people all across the world can (and will) contribute human resources to the development of a product to make it more viable and robust over time - and the concept works! Talk about world unification! Sail design software is an extraordinarily expensive proposition for the average sailmaker to be able to purchase for use in the loft. It is a tough case ...

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Colorado Wind

January 2, 2008 – 5:46 pm
When I am visiting other parts of the country people don't seem to comprehend that I have been racing one-design sailboats for over a decade in Colorado and Wyoming. Isn't it mountainous ski country to the west with semi-arid high plains to the east? Yes and the lakes are mostly man-made where the sailing season can be shortened by things like low water levels and snow-outs. Each season we typically have a few races that are run inadvertently as windward-windward courses (180 degree shifts), or we may have a race day that consists of a time-out followed by a race where the fleet puts a reef in. The average wind conditions, I would say, is light, but with enough patience it may often become heavy. The wind here in Colorado is best described as fluky, from light to heavy air. An ambitious Colorado sailor just released a ...

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Navigation and the $5 Radio

December 20, 2007 – 12:44 pm
Have you ever noticed the abundance of books on the subject claiming Celestial Navigation Made Easy? I met a bloke who was my celestial navigation instructor who claims to have done latitude navigation by triangulation on AM radio stations broadcasting from major cities on the US Eastern Seaboard. Although he has swallowed the anchor he indicated the cheaper the radio, the more directional it is. Just turn the radio to its best reception and take a bearing on the city. If two or three major cities are in range then you have a fix! Lets face it, a modern GPS is becoming inexpensive and makes navigation akin to following the freeway exit signs. My personal interest in Celestial Navigation is driven by the seafarer's notion of steering by the stars. The great side effect in studying it is to broaden ones horizons so to speak, ...

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Knots to You

December 20, 2007 – 12:35 pm
Our Colorado crew has been busy planning for Antigua Race Week in May. Since most of us are seasonal sailors the subject of a knot review came up. I had just received a message with a link to Grog's Animated Knots and we found it to be a great resource. As usual one website leads to another, and another... One of my favorite knots of late is the square riggers buntline hitch - "better than a bowline", as it will not shake out. So grab a line or two and browse some interactive knotty resources and practice a little marlingspike seamanship (no that's not a typo, I picked up on the old spelling in The Riggers Apprentice by Toss). And don't forget to call your local sailmaker for rigging needs and advice. Knotty WWW Links: Knots Gallery Marlinespike Intro Ropers Knot Pages Grog's Animated Knots

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The Onboard Computer

December 20, 2007 – 12:18 pm
With today’s sophisticated navigational software, digital charts, and interfaces to many sailboat systems such as GPS, radar, sonar, and radio, it’s hard not to agree that a computer is fast becoming necessary onboard equipment. While the ideal solution may be an integrated system built-in to marine specifications, the reality is that the portable laptop PC is what most recreational boaters will purchase and use. Considering the needs of the mariner a laptop should be built to rugged specifications to protect your valuable data. It should also have a display for viewing in outdoor daylight conditions and perhaps some degree of water resistance. In comes Group Mobile, who provides a guide to rugged PC technology and what appears to be a good cross-section of products available today. Although they refer to many high end products I would recommend the FAQ for an introduction to rugged duty features and go from ...

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The Sailor’s Airbag

December 20, 2007 – 8:40 am
While researching sea anchors I came across an article on the web that takes anchoring outside the box. It contains a great analogy of a sailboat at anchor to an arrow on a tether. Find it here. The website provides a lot of information for the series drogue, aka the sailor’s airbag. The drogue is arguably one of the best products out there for riding out a storm at sea. Although this is a commercial web site it is refreshing to note that the author openly shares the data and specifications for designing a series drogue with his fellow mariner. If you are considering a series drogue outfitted for your boat contact Red Sky Sails who has access to the equipment and supplies needed to design and build one for you.

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