DaySailer.org Forum

I just bought my Daysailer last week and am dying to take her out to have some fun and see what may need attention. N. Alabama here and the forecast for tomorrow is cloudy with a high of 61 and winds 10-15. I'm a greenhorn but really want to go out. Will 10-15 mph winds be okay for a first outing?

If you take two experienced buddies with you 10-15 knots can be fun. If you are trying to single hand a DS with limited experience in those conditions, I suspect you won't enjoy it.

I'll 2nd what GreenLake said. The window for easy sailing is 5-10 kn of breeze. Anything less than that you need to be tuned in to how to sail in light conditions to make it go where you want, and anything more than that you are sailing in overpowered conditions and you'll want to have experience in high wind conditions. Also, if you're taking your significant other out and they are inexperienced, scare them once and it's a lot harder to get them to go out again. As you gain experience, conditions other than optimal can still be a lot of fun.

KC

Well put KC. Additionally, a complete inspection of the standing and running rigging would be in order prior to any water event. This would include mast, sail and rigging set up while on dry land. On the water is the last place you want to find out what is missing, not functional , or needs attention.

Okay, I'm going to have to 2nd what Kevin said, as well… and that's from personal experience (not the good kind).

KC

I 2nd everybody !

I understand your excitement. 10-15 mph (or knots) is a pretty good wind either way. I’ll assume you are going to go anyway so let us know how you first big adventure turns out. Brad

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I understand your excitement about wanting to get out there. I almost had a similar situation my first time out, but luckily a buddy of mine just happened to be at the dock. He's a seasoned sailer. I remember feeling like "Jojo the idiot circus boy with a pretty new pet." Sorry for the Tommy Boy reference. The good thing is that Rudy at DR Marine is more than happy to support your next maiden voyage. Keep us posted.

piparoo,

I think you may need to check and be sure that you had the shrouds connected to the chain plates correctly. You say that the ring that attached them was missing. This would be incorrect. It should be connected with the pin going through the turnbuckle fork (or shroud adjuster plate) which is on both sides of the chain plate. The ring is only a retainer to make sure that the pin does not come out.

I'm sorry you didn't get to sail on such a beautiful day and I'm glad you did not get hurt. It's a great boat you're going to have fun when you get it right.

Check everything over carefully for damage. It's likely that some of the aluminum in the mast got damaged where it attaches to the tabernacle.

Check your shrouds and chain plates carefully. If they are all original it's possible they need replacement, especially if the boat was in saltwater. A ten-year lifespan for shrouds is safe even in saltwater but you need to inspect it to make sure. If the shrouds have no kinks or no broken strands or there are no cracks in the attachments you're probably okay.

My first sail I had a similar occurrence, though mine was one of the turnbuckles broke. I did decide to replace all my rigging and got it from Rudy. Mine was a saltwater boat and is older than yours. Shortly after I replaced the rigging I heard a pop and the rigging became slack. That time it was the stem plate that holds the jib stay cracked and then bent up on one end (again saltwater corrosion).

KC

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Sorry to hear about your difficulties, but take comfort in knowing that whatever happened, it could have always been worse.

You could have been a mile away from the dock, all your rigging could have gone over the side, and conked you on the head in the bargain.
And the guy who towed you back could have been somewhere else.

That said, it sounds like the pin popped out of the chainplate and let the shroud loose. The circular retainer clip musn't have been on all the way.
Not a hard thing to overlook, especially on your first try.

Did you dry sail it first, before you hit the water?

Before I took my DS to the lake for the first time, I rigged it while still on the trailer in my driveway, just to make sure I knew how to do it correctly, had all the parts on hand, and looked somewhat competent in front of the other boaters at the launch ramp. I printed out the owner's manual from this site, and went through the rigging procedure step by step, just so I felt comfortable knowing I did everything correctly.

Of course, despite my precautions, I managed to screw up the installation of the gooseneck into the slot, and was about 50 feet away from the launch ramp when the boom popped out of the slot and dropped to the cuddy. Fortunately, the wind was light and there was no one else around to notice my gaffe, so I was able to correct it without looking like a schmuck.

Nothing goes perfect the first few times out. Especially if you're new to sailing

You mentioned the tabernacle got bent up a bit. It it's just the ears where the long pins insert, they can be straightened pretty easily. If the tabernacle surfaces are cocked out of plumb, you have to address that before you rig it again. You don't want the mast pointing anywhere but straight, directly in line with the bow and the rudder.

If it tilts to one side or the other, that's a no-no. Either the mast is bent, or the tabernacle surfaces, or both.

Piparoo wrote:After some fiddling, I got her off the trailer and moving away from the ramp, sculling.

I've done a little dancing and an occasional prayer but I've never fiddled when launching my DS

Piparoo wrote:Anyway, the mast looks okay and the tabernacle was only slightly bent but it was so disappointing to have to pack up and go home without getting to do any sailing.

Thankfully there were no physical injuries. Maybe a slight bruise to the ego but that soon will pass. Well maybe as long as you don't run into that helpful fisherman.

I know I usually do a dry sail in my backyard prior to the seasons first launch in which I completely rig my DS including sails just to check everything out. Most of us have a tale or two about an embarrassing day when sailing. I know in my early days my wife used to refer to us as the “Bumbling Butler’s” Thanks for sharing your bumbling moment. We can always learn from each other. Brad Butler