[Rhodes22-list] Seaworthiness and survivability thoughts.

S/V Lark Colealexander at hotmail.com
Sat Feb 25 14:40:56 EST 2017


Thanks Mary Lou, I'm glad you still hang on this list.   My years on the
Buccaneer 18 have made me a bit jumpy (maybe in a good way, maybe too much
so).  The Bucc is designed to be raced by two, so solo I don't have enough
rail meat in wind.  Mistakes mean swimming.   Inattention means swimming.  
A jammed furling line almost meant swimming.    A pop up thundercell at dock
waiting for my turn at the ramp almost cost me the boat with fiberglass
damage from waves dropping it on the dock.  It did cost me a decent jib (it
wouldn't furl tight, since it was luffing hard causing a sympathetic
vibration up the mast).    Most of my 2016 hours were on the polite Rhodes
but I returned to the Bucc a couple times after DNR kicked the R-22 out of
the marina for the winter.   My avatar photo in a wetsuit is actually a
selfie in the old boat in a calm.   After spending most of the summer on the
Rhodes I got overcocky planing past a  26 footer under my main alone and
TURNED to chat with him.   Wind shift and tiller drift meant I switched from
the high rail to the low rail to the water faster then it took to read this.  
Jibe Ho.  The Rhodes would have let me off with a warning.  

Last years roadtrip to Ky Lake was a good primer, one day was windy enough
the local fishermen tried to tell me it wasn't safe to go out.  But I only
had four days for the trip.   I was the only boat under 30 
foot.  I also know how much worse Erie gets.   I did fine with half sails,
but suddenly finding myself under full sail would have been a distraction.   
I'm trying to plan for the predicaments I know I won't always avoid.   I'm
really hoping for Erie this summer, and more next year.



-----
Alex Cole
S/V Lark
--
View this message in context: http://rhodes-22.1065344.n5.nabble.com/Seaworthiness-and-survivability-thoughts-tp52883p52903.html
Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at Nabble.com.


More information about the Rhodes22-list mailing list