[Rhodes22-list] Test sail in Edenton

[KUHN, LELAND]

Eileen and Steve,

Welcome aboard!

You've probably heard the saying that the two happiest days in a boat
owner's life are the day they buy their boat and the day they sell it.
I don't think you'll hear that from a Rhodes owner.  Each year I enjoy
my boat and sailing more and more.

When I bought my Rhodes I considered myself as a "complete novice" also.
If you haven't had a sailing lesson you probably don't need one but it's
a great confidence booster.  I'd see if I could hire Stan or one of his
crew for a couple hours of instruction.

When I think back to my first year, the basics of sailing (getting from
point A to B) seemed easy.  I'm a slow learner and it took me a little
longer to catch on to some other concepts.

If you want to sail from point A to B and back to point A, start out
sailing into the wind and remain upwind.  If you start out downwind it
will probably be a struggle to get back to your starting point.  Wind,
waves, and current can push you downwind further than you think.  Of
course you can always motor back home.  Motoring is not a sin and my
outboard is one of the most important options on my boat.

The Rhodes is an extremely easy boat to sail but it carries a lot of
sail for such a light boat.  This is a great feature if you want to go
fast but as a new sailor I almost always had too much sail out.  Every
time I'd hit a gust of wind the boat would heel over on its side.  It
actually will only heel to about 40 degrees but the first few times it's
really scary until you realize that it won't tip over.  Heeling the boat
to an uncomfortable tilt can be fun and exciting but if you go much
beyond 15 degrees it will just slow you down.  You'll probably be okay
with the full mainsail up to about a 10 knot wind; it's usually the big
Genoa that will need reefing early.

Reefing the sails is a skill that takes practice.  It's incredibly easy
to do in light wind.  It's incredibly difficult to do in heavy wind IF
THE WIND IS PUTTING PRESSURE ON YOUR SAILS.  It sounds so simple in
theory but when you're on your side and want to reef in some of the
Genoa you'll need to head into the wind to take the pressure off of the
sail.  If you can't sail into the "no-sail zone" you may have to motor
into it to take the pressure off of the sail.

All of these things sound so simple and easy now but it took me awhile
to catch on.  That reminds me--you might not want to drink too much
alcohol your first year out.

Good luck!

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  AT EASE
Kent Island, MD


-----Original Message-----
From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Eileen and
Steve
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2010 2:48 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Test sail in Edenton


Hello, I will admit it, we have been lusting over the Rhodes 22 and have
been
lurking around reading this board for weeks now.  After a visit with
Stan,
we have decided to rent one of Stan's boats for the weekend, hoping we
love
it enough to get one of our very own.  We are completely novice sailers,
so
any advice you have for us regarding the boat or the Albemarle Sound
would
be greatly appreciated.  In the long run, we will probably be based out
of
Smith Mountain Lake in VA, and this boat seems perfect for there.

Thanks
Eileen
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