[Public-List] Elderly Person Sailing Slowly Essay

[Mike Meinhold]

Hah-
 Agree with Woody, except ‘we win by leaving the dock’ came from skipper
Jay Bergquist, who allowed me to learn A30 foredeck by making a lot of
mistakes!

Mike
Rinn Duin 272
On Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 09:55 William Woodford via Public-List <
public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> Daniel,
>
> Absolutely loved your words and I thank you for sharing your problem
> solving skills.  I’ve been re-reading Zen and the art of motorcycle
> maintenance and your approach to the problem is a wonderful reminder of the
> proper way to examine an obstacle.  You sir have Gumption!
>
> Thanks again, you made my day.  Our fellow Alberger,Mike Meinhold, always
> says- you win by leaving the dock and clearly you are doing just that.
>
> I wish you many pleasurable voyages.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Woody
> US11
> On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 03:53 Daniel Swords via Public-List <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
>
> >
> > Epigraph
> >
> > The goal is not to sail the boat, but to help the boat sail herself.
> >
> > (John Rousmaniere
> >
> > Author of The Annapolis Book of Seamanship)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >     I am an elderly, single, live-aboard day sailor with an aging CCA
> > designed Alberg 30 sailboat.
> >
> >     I have reached the age and physical decline where switching from a
> > sailboat to a trawler was looming as a potential necessity.  So I began
> > reading forum posts on advantages and disadvantages of switching.
> >
> >     But most of those forum posts seemed centered on coastal voyaging.
> And
> > I wondered, if I lived on a trawler but wasn’t able to voyage what would
> I
> > do?  Just sit in my slip all day?
> >
> >     Also, being poor and considering that the cheapest boat I could own
> > was the one I already have, I became determined to see if I might keep my
> > sailboat but change my sailing habits. That was when I considered sailing
> > with only a double reefed mainsail.
> >
> >     Why only a double reefed mainsail instead of a furling jib?  Because
> > the mainsail attached to the boom is self tacking and easily trimmed
> > without winching.  Also, if caught out in storm conditions, my boat
> > heaves-to best with only a double reefed mainsail.
> >
> >     In this fashion I sail almost daily from sunrise to sunset, I am out
> > of the slip, off the grid, out on the open water, and yet I sleep each
> > night securely and comfortably in my slip.
> >
> >     When a sudden squall or thunderstorm approaches I don’t have to rush
> > frantically about in increasing wind gusts struggling to reef my already
> > reefed mainsail. My boat heaves-to best with just the double reefed
> > mainsail trimmed flat and tight and the tiller lashed to leeward. The
> > roller furled jib provides all the windage necessary to keep the boat
> from
> > tacking in high wind and rough waves. And with the double reefed mainsail
> > trimmed tight to the centerline, in the very rare occasion that it does
> > jibe, the jibe is very benign because the boom does not swing violently
> > across the hull. Hove-to in this fashion I can sit comfortably below in
> my
> > cabin drinking coffee until the storm passes.
> >
> >     On very windy days with gusts between 18 and 28 knots sailing like
> > this is like sailing on a live-aboard Sunfish but with no need for hiking
> > out.
> >
> >     The only sacrifice I have made to accomplish this much easier and
> more
> > comfortable sailing is boat speed. But boat speed for me has quickly
> become
> > relative and unnecessary, especially when daysailing. Having steerageway
> is
> > fast enough and at my age, if I were in some great need for speed why
> would
> > I be sailing?
> >
> >     An added benefit for me is that my boat is almost always entirely
> self
> > steering without the need for a tiller pilot or a wind vane. In moderate
> > winds I can sail any apparent wind course between a close reach (60° off
> > the wind) to a broad reach (160° off the wind) just by adjusting the
> > mainsail trim.
> >
> >     In light winds my boat has a very slight lee helm. In heavy winds my
> > boat has a very slight weather helm. And in moderate winds my boat’s helm
> > is basically neutral. I either lash the tiller very loosely to compensate
> > for the helm or often I can just let the tiller swing freely.
> >
> >     Even though I am elderly and always single-handed I can still
> > experience the enjoyment of open water solo sailing. Sailing like this is
> > like the difference between racing or jogging through the forest versus
> > meandering. I’ve kept my boat and extended my sailing pleasures and
> > abilities without spending a dime.
> >
> >     It did take some learning time and effort and patience. On my first
> > few outings I was thinking my boat just wasn’t one that sailed well on
> only
> > the mainsail. But with practice I soon discovered it was just a new and
> > different skill which has been an added enjoyment to learn. So if you do
> > try this , stick with it and practice.
> >
> >     The skills of sailing and self steering and heaving-to with the
> > minimal and most controllable sail, the double reefed mainsail, are
> useful
> > skills for any sailor to learn. And you may increase and extend your
> > sailing enjoyment and delay switching to a trawler by several years.
> >
> >
> > Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
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