[Public-List] First real sail of the year...

[Gordon Laco]

Good morning Jonathan - 

Ah the sails.   Somehow without thinking about it, I had fallen into the habit of grudgingly replacing sails one at a time as they lost the blush of youth… this being manifested by loss of shape.

Last year, probably prompted more by being flush with cash from the Hanks movie than wisdom, I must admit, I replaced both the genoa and the main at the same time.  So instead of one worn out sail and one good one, suddenly we had both in top shape at the same time.

The manifestation of this was remarkably sure power and easy control.  Of course I should not be surprised because I’ve been telling people for years that a suit of new sails is like increasing your boat’s ballast by 50% while at the same time making the boat lighter.  That’s my odd way of trying to describe the lower heeling tendency combined with the increased forward thrust.

I have remained loyal to Triton Sails all my life… Ron, the proprietor, is the son of Joe Fernandes, who was the founder of the company and the maker of the original factory-supplied sails for our boats.  Joe was also a close friend of my late Uncle Con who built our masts and standing rigging back in the day.  Ron understands how to build sails for ‘old fashion’ boats and respects what they need.  And he’s a nice guy to boot.   Getting to him in Port Credit is a bit o a hike for us, but that’s worth it to me.

So what makes new sails sweet?  The boat feels lighter, surer, faster, heels less, steers better, and of course there’s that nice crackle in new sails that don’t yet have the resin beaten out of the warp and weft!

Gordon Laco
#426 Surprise
(who supplies rigging, but not sails…)




> On Jun 17, 2020, at 7:26 AM, Jonathan Bresler <262alberg30 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Gordon,
> 
> Sounds like a very sweet return to sailing.
> Take it that previously, using the old sails, it was not possible to weather Snake Island?
> Tell us more about these new sails, Gordon.
> 
> Jonathan
> 
> On Tue, Jun 16, 2020 at 9:54 PM Gordon Laco via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org <mailto:public-list at lists.alberg30.org>> wrote:
> Hello gang - 
> 
> Well we took SURPRISE out for her first real sail of the year.  We sailed a bit on the way back to the club from our winter berth at Penetanguishene, but that was only for locomotion and not for the pure joy of it as tonight was.
> 
> We motored out of the club, seeing a turtle, which is always a treat but by no means a rare one.  Around the spit, then a few hundred meters to windward into Midland Bay.  We cut the engine back to a low idle, and up went the main.  I shut down the mill and used the boats forward way to let her fall onto port tack.  As the main filled and we heeled a few degrees, out came the genny and away we went.  SURPRISE began close reaching and smoothly accelerated to over six knots while heeling about ten degrees.   What sweet things new sails are.  
> 
> We set course for Snake Island and in what seemed only minutes found ourselves actually climbing to weather of it… the ruins of the never-finished stone cottage on it were invisible but I knew that ruin was there and I nodded in memory of the fellow who built it until he was lost bringing stone and mortar out to it one fall day.
> 
> Past Snake, we bore off then gybed around and scooted back toward Midland with the boom way out and a foaming bow wave.  Did I mention what sweet things new sails are?  The boat felt like she was on rails and her helm was light and scarcely demanding my attention to keep her to her work.
> 
> Too soon we were past the shoal buoy a mile out from the club, and we rounded up and to furl.  Under power we went back into the club, nudged into our jetty and that was that.  
> 
> First sail of the year.
> 
> Gordon Laco
> #426 Surprise
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> -- 
> Jonathan M Bresler
> S/V Constance Alberg 30 #262
> Annapolis/Eastport MD