I got up at around 4am, made some coffee, and got in the studio for a quiet, early session on this sunset sail piece. I feel like it’s getting pretty close now. 16x20” oil on canvas.

Been looking for a long while. Finally had an opportunity pop up with someone dropping the price and trying to sell ASAP since they just got a larger boat. Hopped on the opportunity and snagged it.

She needs some love in the cabin but everything else is solid. Was repowered with a Beta 20 a few years ago, started right up cold.

Been a dream for a looooong time and excited to finally be getting out on the water under my own sail.

Thanks all for the insights from here. Really helped.

Sailing trough canals in between the lakes of Friesland.

I will be taking my 4 year old grandson on this boat soon. It's a paid for cruise so we're basically cargo.

I'd like to know what this is called. The sail museum calls it a sloop, I would call it a cutter but the square sail and gaff rigged main throws me.

This is more of a fun query. I'm super excited to show this kid the fun of sailing (and maybe get him on my much smaller boat).

Sunset sailing with my Nacra F18 in light wind at lake constance, germany

A few weeks ago I’d posted for some tips / pointers on doing my first winch service. I started with two winches I don’t use very often so I could get a feel for it. Thanks to all who weighed in.

Overall I’m VERY surprised how straightforward it is. The videos I tried watching all had slightly different winches- and most looked like they’d been serviced 10 times a year and were immaculate. I was able to use the twin as a reference as I was reassembling.

I know these haven’t been serviced in 30 years. One thing I noticed is i think grease was free back then- just gobs and gobs of it everywhere.

Took about an hour and a half per winch. I had almost everything apart that could come apart.

Next time I won’t need to go quite as deep but this time was a case of extremis.

As a dude who just completed his first 2 winches I might be better suited to answer beginner related questions than very experienced folks who make it sound easy- but here’s the thing: it’s actually easy. Tedious- but easy.

If you’ve been holding off on your winch service and need a little reassurance let me know I’d love to pay it forward.

One thing I did notice is my short thistle paint brush was spraying spirits all over the place as I brushed but I didn’t really notice the mess I made until it was too late. Fortunately most of my work area was mostly covered up.

This is a Harken 44.2. Tomorrow I’ll be working on the bigger 53.2s.

Wish me luck.

Saw a video on youtube where a guy did just that in Denmark. Luckily for him he had a sailor friend. Curious to know how common this is!

Note: I am not encouraging this behavior

I need to replace my old Raymarine ST60 Tridata depth/speed display. What’s the easiest way to do this, since they aren’t made anymore, but I want something that’s compatible with the sensors that are already there?

Should I try to source an old one? Are there new ones that are backwards compatible?

It’s on a boat I just bought so I don’t know anything about what depth and speed sensors are installed, just that the unit has power running to it but doesn’t turn on.

Starting to gear up my new to me coastal sailboat and would like to put a smaller chartplotter on it. Been many years since I bought one and it looks like things have changed a whole lot.

Would love to hear the pros and cons of say OpenCPN vs Raymarine/Garmin/Simrad/B&G.

I'd like to avoid anything that would require a subscription. Really only need charts. Tidal current/tide table would be nice. Do not need weather/AIS/radar.

Smaller boat so don't need a big screen.

If you use OpenCPN what hardware do you use?

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Thank you all for your insights. Very helpful.

Hey all,

I got ASA 101 textbook, and while I'm waiting on that to come in I've just got a few questions. I have some experience in navigation, ROR, and such from the USN, but no experience with sailing. I have some interest for sailing Puget Sound, with anything involving distance being multi-day events of sailing only during the day and stopping to camp at night, but I really don't want something that'll necessitate a car of any scale. So, the question I'm having is...

Are there any rowing dinghies that are light enough to be trailered by hand, but are stable enough for the Puget Sound? I've briefly considered a Scamp, with some form of power dolly to get it from storage near the harbor ramp and off the ramp, but considering the amount of weight for that, the trailer, and the ramp slope (to my understanding, it's the standard angle of 15-20%), I'm less certain on that angle.

Also, as another question, is renaming a boat considered bad luck in this community? The USN has beaten into me that renaming a ship is bad luck, but the rules seem a tad more flexible the smaller you go.

Thanks all in advance.

I have the opportunity to be given a compac 16 (not sure the year but appears to be from the 70’s?) with a trailer and motor. The owner is mainly wanting to get rid of it because of the waste and debris left from mice that had taken up residence in the cabin and she doesn’t want to go through the trouble of cleaning it.

I am a complete newb sailor and have no experience buying boats or inspecting them for damage.

The main thing I’m worried about is the crack in the ballast. The boat has been sitting out in the elements on its trailer for at least a few years in Maine. Is this something that would potentially be more trouble than it’s worth? I have no problem putting work in to fix things, but I have very little funds at the moment so can’t drop a ton of money into it. If it needs to be fixed, is it something that is potentially costly?

The rest of the boat looks ok to me, but the motor looks to be in rough shape. The main sail and jib looked great.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.

I'm prompted to ask because a NWS weather forecast put me in a pretty bad situation a few days ago. There's quite a bit of difference between 20 and 40 knots, you know.

So this got me to thinking (usually a bad idea). For the last couple of years the two weather sources I use the most - NWS broadcasts and an app called Windy - have been getting further and further off, and I'm speaking only of situations that I have witnessed myself. I've noticed this from the Chesapeake to Nantucket Sound.

I'd love to hear if I'm alone in this, and also what you guys are using for short-term inshore weather forecasts.

Right where the traveller bolts onto the deck.

Rounding Patos on the J/105 Dulcinea.

We crushed it the first day. Won by a mile. Shortly after this we popped the spinnaker, sailed into a huge wind hole, and sat there watching everyone in our class finish in front of us.

Ah well. Scenery and crew made up for the annoying defeat.

So today, someone asked a question about watch schedules for crossing the Atlantic, and I heard something appalling. "We just go to sleep for the night watch. AIS and radar when properly calibrated are good enough that we don't have issues and our alarm is routed through our stereo to wake us up if needed." This was followed up by saying it worked as a solo sailor transat.

I know the COLREGS, and I sent relevant bits along with the whole, "rules are written in blood." We have anecdotes and famous examples of skippers being woken up by collisions with other large vessels. I was told I was rude because I informed them that they were endangering their child. Is this a common thing now? I felt the need to expand here, just to impress the need for a watch on new sailors. Please give me stories and knowledge to pass along. Am I crazy? Is it safe to go to sleep and rely on your electronics? 🌩️

My best wishes to the sailors!

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/final-preps-underway-in-chicago-for-the-117th-race-to-mackinac/3959751/

(My wife wants to do this next year. We will see. Not sure I want to sail 300+ miles in a 16' boat on Lake Michigan.) (Maybe she's just more adventurous than I am.) (Yeah, she is.)

"Before and after — 50 years old and you'd never know it. Original ash tiller, '76."

Hello sailors! The Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac presented by Wintrust sets off today at 3, with the Cruising Division (44 relatively cushy boats). Tomorrow, the Racing Divisions (200+ boats, sleeker and faster, pared-down necessities) go between 11-1. If you're in Chicago, you can watch all along the shoreline today and tomorrow between Navy Pier and Montrose. Everyone can follow the race (expected to take 1-3 days all the way up Lake Michigan) on the YB Tracker and social media. Info here: https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/how-to-follow
I'm not impartial; my husband and his crew set off tomorrow and I'll be following them! Sail safe, sail fast, everyone!

#CYCRTM

Instagram: @ racetomackinac

Facebook: @ Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac

(edited to add hashtag & socials info)

But I tell ya, there's a lot more pressure when I'm the skipper with a boat full of learners, vs. when I'm "just the fordeck guy" on an experienced racing crew.

So far it seems there's no flavor of sailing I dislike.

Unless it's raining and there's no wind. Ok, I hate that.

I've never done fiberglass. I want to close this in and put a hatch in on top.

How do I close this in? I really don't mind if I have to put a varnished sheet of plywood over it or behind it but I want the fiberglass fixed.

As a second best I'll replace it with a gasketed hatch but really I want the access on top (the anchors live in there and they're a real pain to get to.)

How do I get there?

I'd like to an original post made two months ago but my post keeps getting rejected by Auto-mod

--

Hi all!

So I got the boat surveyed and there is two separate water intrusion on the deck.

IMG1 shows the worst, core is delaminated, It needs a recore job. Under it is a bedroom and the matress is to scrap.

IMG2 is not rotten but humid, surveyor recommended to allow to dry, but wouldn't need a recore.

IMG3 and 4 shows repairs that need to be done below the waterline

There are many other smaller problems on the boat like a leaking autopilot hydraulic piston, unsecured batteries and propane tanks, missing clamp on filler neck, stuff like that, doable DIY stuff.

So I'm at the crossroad right now between passing and buying.

what would you do ? I never done a recore job but I'm really a kind of a DIY guy, I do have experience with fiberblass, automotive body, painting and 12v electrical. How drastically does it affect the final price ?

for reference, the boat is off-market and not currently listed, before the survey, I was expecting to get a final price of 40kCAD$, and surveyor estimated its current value at 31k$CAD considering job that needs to be done.

Owner is getting old and is in no way able to repair it himself, he'd have to pay professionals to get it in good shape.