Spinnaker Drills – Racing vs Cruising

 

Spinnaker Drills – Cruising 

Last Friday I had the Can Opener doing spinnaker drills double time quick on the foredeck of our buddy Cap’n André’s boat. 

The three of us cruised over to Langstone Harbour for the day, put the assymetric up and joyfully tweeked the sail controls all the way to maximise our speed.

A truly fantastic day. Not one thing I’d change about it. No sir-ee.

In the past, the Can Opener’s been skipper more often than not. So finetuning his skills on the foredeck is one of the many priorities I have for him. He worked like a trooper and I must say I was tolerably pleased with his performance.

When we’re out alone, he’ll be the one attending to the sail changes so it’s critical he gets it right… right after he finishes sautéing my fresh-caught fish juuuuust the way I like it.

 

Spinnaker Drills – Cruising vs Racing Performance

 

The number 1 racing spinnaker

On Saturday and Sunday, the Can Opener and I relocated to an ocean racer – delightfully named Cougar – to do a Junior Offshore Group race from Hamble to Poole and back again.

Great to be with a new team of eight, all stalwart men and women with a nostalgia and passion for racing that matches our own. The Can Opener was once again assigned to the foredeck – fantastic! 

Saturday had whisper light winds; Sunday produced a steady 18 knot breeze. I was thrilled that he could get practice in on varying wind speeds and on different deck set ups.

Every time you get on a new boat, you find a different set up. Lines laid differently, winches and fittings configured in new and interesting ways. Lots of new stuff to consider and file away in the old mental recesses for when we are laying out our own deck.

What’s the difference between cruising spinnaker hoists and racing hoists? Speedy, baby, speed.

I videoed the Can Opener hoisting on our buddy André’s boat. When I reviewed the video earlier today, I couldn’t believe how leisurely we approached spinnaker work on André’s boat. 

I guess cruising is all about taking it easy… but everything has a balance. And we’re gonna make that cruising balance a little more racy going forward.

Why? Because cleanly executed sail changes and foredeck work could be critical while cruising in an unexpected blow. 

Might as well get your speed and skill up cruising now for when you (may) need it cruising tomorrow!

The number 2 light racing spinnaker

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Previously: Spinnaker Drill

 

Home Cruising Grounds

Views of the Solent…

Sooooooo good to be home…

–Captain Cat 

 (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Sailing 2013 Begins!

Spring Events Schedule

What‘s on in Spring 2013?

We’ve scheduled ourselves for every lecture we can find in our area, some good courses, special events and even some brave-the-elements sailing! 

If we can find more, we’ll add to the list as we go along.

Here’s our list for Spring 2013:

• Boat Show lectures
• Cruising Association lectures
• 2 Cruising Association seminars
• Red Tabby lectures  
• Red Tabby’s Boat Show Cocktail Party
• RYA first aid course
• RYA sea survival course  
• Red Tabby Sailing Forum!
• passages with Cap’n Davie 
• Red Tabby J80 sailing?
• and, of course, the Red Tabby Cruising Committee dinners!

(OY! There’s research, organising and work to be done for the Cruising Committee too, Furrball! Not just mealtimes!  Speak for yerself, Oh Opposable–Thumbed-One…)

Great Bastet, it’s gonna be great!

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Castles – South Shore Of England

Why do we love cruising?

It’s the places you go, the people you meet, the food, the wind on yer whiskers… but last weekend it was the castles. 

We raced out of Poole on the Sunday and there, at the harbour mouth as we headed out to the start line, was sparkly Branksea Castle just glowing back at us from the shore. 

We get a kick out of castles, thinking about the history and who’s lived in them, the stories. Sweet to view them from the water too.

We can’t find too much info about the history of this particular castle, but it sits on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour – the island where Lord Baden-Powell and his boy scout camp started it all. 

Cruising makes learning history seem not just painless, but fascinating.                            

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruisin’ Lectures – Autumn 2012

Done! 

The end of the summer sailing season has come and gone. There are still a few chances to get in some on-the-water training in the next few months, but it’s also time to look forward to Autumn/Winter and plan for all the best land training this new season will bring.

I have set up a first draft of the Can Opener’s lecture schedule. There’s loads of opportunities to learn in the big city!

I’ve booked the First Mate for:

• 7 lectures at the Cruising Association
• 1 lecture at the Red Tabby Yacht Club (so far, hopefully more to come…)
• 4 networking events at the Red Tabby Yacht Club
• 2 trips to the Southampton Boat Show
• 8 mini-lectures at the Southampton Boat Show 
• 2 RYA specialist courses – First Aid and VHF

It’s a good start. 

Hopefully I’ll be able to load him with a few more learning opportunities as they arise this Autumn/Winter.

We’re taking it to the next level this year. We’re gonna do it aaaaaaaaaall!



–Captain Cat (transcribed by the Can Opener)

Crew Overboard – Steps for Rescue

  

If the worst happens and a crew member goes overboard, what are you going to do? 

Best to have practiced in advance to get them on board. That’s exactly what we did with Bernard Mitchell last week while we were training with him.

And practicing in advance gives two great learning outcomes – one is how to actually do it. The other is just how hard it is to get the boat back to the right place by the crew in the water, to hold the boat steady nearby and to get a wet and exhausted person back on board.

 

Here are the ‘Crew Overboard – Steps for Crew Rescue‘ notes that the Can Opener recorded – undiluted wisdom straight from the snout of the awesome teaching genius that is Bernard:

 Crew Overboard  

Steps for Crew Rescue –  

How to Get ‘Em Back on Board

1. notice
2. shout
3. point – one person continuously pointing at crew in water
4. stop – heave-to 
5. toss Dan buoy over
6. check for lines overboard
7. start engine
8. press MOB button on VHF/GPS to send distress signal
9. sailing/reaching backwards and forwards in front of  crew in water (no more than 75 yards away) while equipment to pick them is readied (on the side you are going pick them up on)
10. approach them at 40-60 degree angle – don’t gybe, always tack
11. lasso crew and attach them, squished up against side of boat
12. then use hoisting equipment to get them on board

‘TO DO’: When your boat is at its berth, practice using your hoisting equipment to lift various team members from a prone position on the dock… up into the boat.

The more we practice in advance, the better prepared we’ll be. We have a ‘skills & drills’ list for the team – this is top of the list.

Anything else we should add to the ‘Steps for Crew Rescue’ list? How often have you practiced Crew Overboard procedure this season? We know we haven’t practiced nearly enough.

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Flashcards

Yes indeed, the First Mate is buckling down and doing some serious cruising and navigation study. He’s so motivated he even created flashcards to review with! 

Flashcards are great to tuck in a pocket before we get on the tube. And a lot lighter than dragging around those hefty cruising textbooks in the man bag.

Knew there had to be some good purpose for all those useless Wharton business cards…

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

What’s On The First Mate’s Nightstand?

What’s On The First Mate’s Nightstand these days?

Books, books and more books to read…

The Can Opener has been toiling away at his studies and we are pleased with his progress. 

Here are the books piled sky high on his night table that are in various stages of being read:

• La Longue Route, by Bernard Moitessier
• Cruising Under Sail, by Eric Hiscock
• Mettre Les Voiles, by Antoine
• Coastal and Offshore Navigation, by Tom Cunliffe
• Ocean Sailing, by Tom Cunliffe
• The Racing Rules of Sailing, by Paul Elvestrom
• Offshore Sailing, by Seifert & Spurr
• Don Casey’s Sailboat Maintenance Manual, by Casey & Compton
• Yachtsman’s Emergency Handbook, by Hollander & Mertes
• The Voyager’s Handbook, by Beth Leonard
• The Seaworthy Offshore Boat, by John Vigor

Any other recommendations for good books for the Can Opener to read?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Cruising Texts
Previously: A Big Bunch of Book Reviews

Sea Miles

So how many sea miles will the Spain to Greece delivery add to our nautical log?…

…About 1300 nautical miles!

Prerequisites to complete the RYA levels are:

• Day Skipper – 100nm
• Coastal Skipper – 300nm
• Yachtmaster Coastal – 800nm
• Yachtmaster Offshore – 2500nm

So we’ll have covered enough distance to qualify for all of the levels by the time we finish. 

We’ll keep working on getting even more sea miles in our log though. We need to keep gaining experience, building new skills – one of the beauties of the cruising life is the non-stop ride of continuous education. 

You can never have too much experience under your belt.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Learn to Cruise

Previously:  Sailing Strength Training

Bryan Willis, The Rules in Practice – Reviewed

 

Links at bottom below post

Book the Captain just finished snoozing on: The Rules in Practice 2009-2012 by Bryan Willis

How have the racing rules of sailing changed since the 2005-2008 version?

What are the new rules and how are they used in a racing?

A truly dense book that I had to snooze devotedly to get through. It’s not the volume of pages that takes time – it’s actually a pretty thin book. It’s the fact that the analysis of each rule takes time to really sink in as you consider the situations from each angle. 

I set myself 15 pages a night to digest and got through it in a week.

Bryan Willis, world championship umpire and judge, IYRU committee member and Olympic jury member, explains how the new racing rules work…

The Best Parts

• good intro comparing key changes for the 2009-2012 rules versus those from 2005-2008
• clearly drawn diagrams – made even very complicated multi-boat situations clear
• well laid out
• every rule methodically covered from every angle

Wishes

I was hoping for more useful hints on how to use the rules well to gain tactical advantage. The constant exhortation to err on the side of caution is commendable. But there’s no redress given that will make up for being badly fouled by another competitor.

More emphasis on how tactics are being successfully used with the revised 2009~2012 sailing racing rules would have made this book even more helpful.

Conclusion

This book is a good investment for any racer. The rules were clearly illustrated and analysed as he considered each one in detail and from the perspective of every boat involved.

I’m going to check out Paul Elvstrom Explains the Racing Rules of Sailing next.

Ever read Bryan Willis’ The Rules in Practice? How did you find it?

Any good recommendations for books on tactics and use of the sailing racing rules?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Book Reviews
Next: World Cruising Survey – Reviewed

Previously: Care and Feeding of the Sailing Crew – Reviewed

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