Adventures of Salacia

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Single Handed....Sort of

Went to the boat today with the intention of starting her engine and airing her out. Weather report today was pretty crappy for sailing. I've been looking forward to going out but the wind forecast today was dismal at best. I love sailing but I have better things to do than just sit flat out in the bay. We were pleasantly surprised when we got down to Sal that there appeared to be a very nice breeze. We immediately agreed to go for an impromptu sail. We hanked on the the drifter and then I took over. I think it's called "ghost sailing". I handled the boat the whole time, from casting the lines off to docking her afterwards. First mate got to relax and hang out as I untied us and maneuvered away from the slip. We motored out of the inlet because of the northerly wind, which was light but steady, only 2-3 knots. Once clear of the inlet I hoisted the drifter and away we went.......slowly. I was actually surprised at how well Sal went. She managed 2-2.5 knots in no more than 4.5 knots of wind. That drifter sure helps her along. We only hoisted the drifter because neither one of us wanted to hear the slapping of the main, as the bay was filled with motor boats. After a short sail we headed back in. We had gone out on a whim so we didn't have any snacks or water. We were just out there for a quickie! As we approached the inlet I turned Sal into the wind, pulled the drifter in and started the engine. While transiting back to the slip I kept running through my mind how I would get Sal into her berth and tied off. I approached slowly and turned her as I usually did. With the bow gliding into the slip I put Old Sal in reverse to scrub the last bout of momentum, jumped onto the pier and secured the rear spring. She was secure in the slip. I admit the weather was more than forgiving today but it was still a big relief to guide her into the slip almost perfectly. The first mate was impressed. I have to say that today was a very light wind day and probably won't get many that perfect but it was a good start. If I can find some free time this week after work I may head out again.

Poor Boat

This poor classic looks like she has seen better days:(

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Random Pictures From Sequoia Nation Park

We had a great trip to the very remote and beautiful place. It's hard to imagine the size and age of the Sequoia trees there. From what I read some of these trees are over 2300 years old and 285ft tall! We were only there for 5 days and really only got to scratch the surface of this national park. We had a great tour guide that showed us all the great places. We saw rivers, waterfalls, caves, trees and wildlife. Although I think all the bear signs are just a scare tactic to add to the experience...We didn't see any bears! Below are some random pictures of Sequoia and Kings Canyon showing what an amazing place this is.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Single Handing

Over the next few weeks I will be setting our Sal up for single handed sailing. I am doing this because while I have the best first mate there is.....she doesn't always like to bob around in the bay without a destination. I single handed an O'day Daysailor II and 19ft wooden sharpie as a kid. I have also gone solo on Sal before on the last leg of our trip home with her. It was quite easy as there were no slips to get in and out of. I am fairly confident I won't have a problem with the sailing portion of singlehanding, but I am working now to set up our slip for this. We share a berth with another sailboat, meaning there is no finger pier on our starboard side with the bow in. I am terribly afraid of being blown into that or another boat.

The first mate was very hesitant about the idea but as long as I have all of the safety equipment that I need, she's ok with it. I have a harness, tether and jacklines that I will use once away from the slip. I also have a nice handheld ICOM waterproof VHF radio that I will keep clipped to my harness. I have a whistle that I will keep on me and a strobe light.
As far as Sal goes I have most of the lines run back to the cockpit. I also set up a downhaul on the jib in case I need to get it down quickly. That also runs to the cockpit. This will save me a trip to the bow. I have rigged her very simply so it should be fairly easy to handle all the lines. I still have to install a padeye in the cockpit.....might do that this weekend. Still contemplating a tiller pilot. I will probably hold off on that because of expense. While out sailing the last few times I had been working on a sheet to tiller setup that works ok for now....I will have more time to mess with it once I get out there by myself.