----- Original Message -----

From: Brandon McClintock  W3576

To: Al Schonborn

Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 6:14 PM

Hi Al,

My apologies for not writing for such a long time.  I have been keeping up on your website but have, out of embarrassment, felt reluctant to write for a while.  Mainly because on my third time out I did a really stupid thing and dumped.  I felt like disqualifying myself from the Exalted Order of Competent Wayfarer Sailors.  I even thought seriously about giving it up altogether.
No need to be embarrassed, Brandon. I have capsized dozens and dozens of times in my Wayfarer plus in other boats (Fireball, Laser, Albacore mostly). Julia and I still hold the all-time W record since we capsized W3854 in every one of the 12+ events held in 1978. I like to think of capsizing as having the complete sailing experience!! The main thing is to learn from mistakes and limit future similar "stupidities".

Everything was going just swimmingly during the mid-morning sail to a small marina for a cool drink and snack.  In the afternoon, we headed out to sail back to our starting point.  The wind was picking up and it was so much fun that I couldn't resist sailing a little longer.  Well, the wind continued to increase and there were lots of whitecaps.  I was using my old sails but was managing to keep the lee gunnel a few inches above water while beating.  My arms were aching from constantly playing the mainsheet.  I suspect the wind was at least 20 kts if not higher.  A quick glance at my GPS showed 8.4 kts. I had never planed until that day.  It was glorious.  BUT it really was time
to head back.
Wow! Sounds like a fine sail!! Bet your old keelboat had trouble giving you 8.4 kts!!! What we do while going upwind in capsize-prone conditions is undersheet the jib by an inch or two (ease the jib sheet an inch or two from the position we'd pull it into in lighter winds) which lets us sail with the front of the jib luffing a bit and provides a buffer against any wild shift that may blow into the wrong side of the jib. I capsized our Lightning that way once in the 50s on Lake Ontario!! All three of us were hiking hard when suddenly the wind shifted and blew into our sails from the "wrong" side. 

On the last board to weather we were closing on a rock levee pretty fast and, for some reason that I still cannot fathom, I went for a jibe instead of tacking.  Maybe old keelboat habits; I'll never know.  Nearly instant death roll.

Amazing how often one can have those "What was I thinking??!!" moments!! You probably want to work up to heavy air gybes with lots of practice in gradually increasing wind strengths!!

Quick synopsis: neither of us had on our life jackets (REALLY stupid);

lucky you that you got away with it - I know the feeling though: on the second day of our 1997 North Channel Cruise, Doug and I were romping along under spinnaker on a glorious day in gradually increasing winds when we realized we had gotten lost. I suddenly realized that we were in "wall-to-wall" whitecaps and capsize potential with our aft tank wide open - something I'd never risk while racing! Lucky us, we stopped and closed the hatch while having learned a cheap lesson! see the log if you like, at http://www.wayfarer-international.org/WIC/Cruise.Logs/1997McGregorBay/CR97day2.html

was able to right the boat 3 times but couldn't get the main down or mainsheet completely slackened so the boat just kept turtling;

have a look at "Helping Yourself and Others", more specifically my self-rescue page and then let me know what questions remain

 

finally, we were spotted and assisted by a powerboater (bless his petroleum-based soul); lost a few bits of gear to the bottom and a few more to immersion; discovered that the watertight tanks weren't.

especially for a cruising sailor, making sure the tanks are functionally watertight should be the #1 priority!! We can further discuss this if you like!! 

I suppose in retrospect it was a good thing.  I had sailed a dinghy maybe 20 times in my life and that was over 40 years ago (Ches Cruise excepted).  It was my first capsize and not being experienced at properly righting a boat was assuredly a disadvantage.

see above 

It's taken quite a while but I've decided to hang in there and get back on the horse. 

I am really pleased to hear it!! 

 

But I definitely want to invest in getting the boat rigged for a trysail. 

I highly recommend that! As I have mentioned before, my view is that I only need two modes: full sail (and damn the torpedoes!) and whenever that may be too much sail >> trysail!!! 

 

Which brings me to the question: what would you advise as far as trying to find a suitable sail for this? )Your website, having one made?)

a used Wayfarer genoa will do great!! I can advertise for you or Tony Krauss (copied) may have an old raggedy one (which is all you really need!!) from his extensive W276 sail inventory that he might be able to let you have cheap!!

Have a look at Ken's trysail article for adaptation ideas. I have inserted pics of our trysail, modified with mast-track slides by Heider, though in retrospect, I could equally well have asked him to add a luff bolt rope like the mainsail has!

 

 

 

And, I've seen the pics but still don't quite understand how to do the running rigging for the sail; i.e., are there two sheets that feed to the quarters and blocks of some kind or is there just one sheet leading from the aft end of the spinnaker pole and to where?

As you can see above, we ran a rope from the "boom" end down through the mainsheet swivel cleat! That works quite nicely. The key to remember is that, with only one sail, it's easy to get into "irons" by not keeping your speed/steerage capability up - in which case the solution is to push both your tiller and boom to the same side of the boat and sail backwards until the wind blows into the "right" side of your trysail. At that point, let go of the boom but keep the tiller where it was until backwards momentum is lost. Then sail away. Remember to think ahead here: the stern of your boat will go in the direction your rudder is pointing when you go backwards: so don't come out of irons with your bow pointing at an imminent hazard!! 

If you can help with any advice on this, I would much appreciate it.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you'd like me to phone, Brandon!!

Thanks for whatever you can advise.

Down but not drowned,
Brandon W3576

P.S.  I do hope all is going well in your vascular plumbing department.  I wrote to Richard to compliment him on his outstanding article on the Ches Cruise and he said he missed sailing with you due to a medical appointment or some such.  I hope all is much improved.

Am feeling considerably better of late. Sorry I was such useless company when you were here - I was getting into the state where all I wanted to do was rest! Overall, the "procedure" seems to have helped quite a bit since I can now walk fairly briskly for 30 to 45 minutes instead of gasping for breath after 5 minutes.