Maiden Voyage - Sailus Interruptus

[calden]

Well, I drove over to Lake Coeur d'Alene today to put my newly acquired DSI in the water. Arranged with a sailing friend to meet my wife and I there to show me how everything goes together. He's got a West Wight Potter 15 and as we were getting everything together kept remarking "this is is a very nice little boat. It's got to be faster than the Potter."

He was amazed at the way the mast is stepped - he'd never seen such a long keel-stepped mast that one is expected to simply pick up and plop in. We got it in alright, but it left me discouraged at the thought of trying to sail alone, which is one of the components of my sailing infatuation dream - being able to take it out for several hours on an early Saturday morning, all alone. Back to that later.

So everything's looking good - he pronounced the sails in very good condition, and man, they looked great when hoisted - I could feel the breeze catching them. Barely able to contain my excitement, I said "Let's get the engine on and get it in the water." He said "Engine? You got an engine with this?" I hadn't revealed the purchase price because I was apprehensive that he would scoff at what I paid for it. But he got it out of me and said it was a fair price, proclaiming that I did very well indeed, especially with a newish Nissan outboard as part of the deal.

So now I'm feeling really to get in the water. I drive it down to the loading area and the thing just slides right in. The seller had tried to start the engine the day I came but apparently fouled the plug. Having not actually seen it running, I was a bit dubious of it starting up, but the thing stepped right up and started great. My wife and buddy jump in the boat and we're off!

Or so I thought. Another boat owner came by and noticed that, er, um, er, my registration year was 04, and this being a Saturday and all, there were plenty of patrols out on the lake (very popular place for all kinds of boats.) When I bought the boat, the seller was unable to find the title and so applied to get a replacement title which he is sending to me, so I can transfer title and register it. This hasn't yet come (bought the boat last Tuesday) but I thought I was okay to at least try it out somewhere because I had a copy of his registration. Figured I could get by with a "borrowing friend's boat, thinking about buying it" routine. But I hadn't noticed this wasn't a current reg, and didn't even see the "04" sticker on the bow.

My friend agreed that the patrols are very aggressive, and he had no idea how much the fine was. So I wisely but sadly decided to trailer and go home. Just as the wind was picking up! I couldn't help myself and let loose with a few salty descriptions of how I felt, and later needed to apologize for my attitude.

So, we decided, at least I got a shakedown of the operating procedure and hoisting sale, and doing the famous mast balancing act. In fact, I decided to try unstepping and stepping the mast according to a post I saw on this forum yesterday. This involves standing the mast upright, resting on the ground and geting in the boat, and up on the cabin deck, all while holding it upright, then picking it straight up and plopping it in.

I was able to do this but felt the forces of physics ready to tear the thing out of my hand and send it into the Nautique parked a few spaces away. (Not really - I wisely tried this away from all other vehicles.) But it was pretty touchy to do this, and then it wasn't easy to get the end of the mast directly on the step plate bolt. Nor was it easy to have it slide down my hands with all the hardware, blocks, and stays slicing off bits of flesh.

I think I need to go the hinged mast route. Is this considered just as robust and strong as a solid, one-piece keel stepped mast? Seems like it would be.

On the final upside: My buddy told me that given how cool the boat is and the good price I got, he was actually feeling a little envious. I'm not pleased that he feels envious - but I am happy with the validation of a seasoned sailboater that my research and buying decision was, in the end, pretty sound.

Now if I can just get past the loading dock!

Carlos

[Mike M.]

You'll make it, Carlos. This sounds a little like my maiden voyage. Buy the boat and for one reason or another, it's four weeks before I can get around to launching her. Finally! The day comes. A friend is coming from an hour away to crew, the lake is 25 minutes from the house, I've checked out the boat ramp location. He calls and is leaving the house, just enough time for me to run out and get PFD's, which didn't come with the boat. Also pick up ice, beer, sandwiches...we're going to have so much fun we won't want to come home for dinner!! He calls from my house and is there already and set to go. I'm five minutes away. Strange sound coming from the rear of the truck. Oh, no! A flat, six blocks from the house. Pull into a little station/store to get some air...it is really, really flat! Their compressor is out. Call him, "bring the air tank off the back porch." He comes, there's no air. He goes to another station, airs it up, brings it back and the tire still won't air up. Darn! Must be a big hole. Remove the tire, go to local good station who does tire repairs, they're closed (it's now after noon). Go to little old place with handpainted sign out front, "Tires Patched--$5" Wait through two other tire repairs. Race back to truck. Start to mount patched tire. Truck rolls off the jack! Finally, finally, get it jacked back up, tire mounted, get home, hook up boat, drive to the boat ramp...two hours after the scheduled time. Start to rig the boat in the parking area (never having done it before, there's much head-scratching and discussing and cussing). Figure out we're missing the bolt for the hinge pin on the mast step. Also figure out we can use the safety pin from the trailer hitch. Get her rigged...except the forestay (a term we didn't know at the time so kept calling it that 'long wire thingie with the little thingamajig on the end') finally figure out we have to put forward pressure to the mast in order for the forestay to reach. Get 'er done. Back into the ramp, launch!!! Hooray! He stays with the boat while I go back to the parking lot. By the time I walk back down to the ramp, he's hollering, "I think you need to go get the truck, the boat's sinking." The week before, I have searched for a drain plug somewhere in the hull, feeling certain there is one. The boat has been setting for a year and there's some trash (leaves and twigs) in the bottom but I move the leaves around and can't find one. It didn't take him but a minute after launching to find it! There's a nice little three inch spout of water coming up. I run get the truck, reload and pull her out to the parking area again. Search through the boat for something that looks like a plug. Remove the thermos type plug from the flotation tanks and try that. It doesn't work. Call the marina on the other side of the lake...they don't have one in stock of the right size but have one that might work. Go to the marina, pay exhorbitant price for used brass plug that looks too big...it is. Finally decide to whittle a plug. What do you know, it works! Finally, three and half hours after our 'scheduled' time we are in the water and sailing!!! Sail for about two hours before the wind dies completely, leaving us still about a quarter mile from the ramp. We paddle, a lot. Just as we are reaching the shallows and the boat ramp, the lake Patrol comes roaring up. He's noticed the out of date registration on the bow. He was nice about it and let us slide but warned us to have it done before we sailed again on 'his' lake. I had the registration, just didn't think it had to be on yet.

So, trust me, you'll get out and it will be as great as you think it's going to be.

Good sailing,

[michaelyogi]

Those are some great stories!!! Makes my maiden voyage seem very uneventful. Although the waiting aspect is verrry hard!!
The deck stepped mast is a great way to go, Carlos. Makes raising the mast easy as pie. My one suggestion is to make sure you can raise the mast from over the transom. That way you can attach the shrouds before raising. When the mast is up it is somewhat stable and allows you to attach the forward stay in relative comfort and safety. Plus the solo raising is possible. A compression post under the mast step is required.
I think D&R Marine has mast tabernacles for sale. I just designed a custom one and had a friend fabricate it out of some stainless steel. It was a more expensive way to go but the tabernacle is beefy and fills a few extra personal requirements.
As for the registration, yeah, leave it to the government to ruin a, ah..., good dream. (family web site)
Better luck next time and yes it will be a good voyage...