Running backstays: A simple way to stow them
IF your boat has running backstays, chances are you will want to get them out of the way when not using them. If you are actually sailing you will want to get the leeward one secure so it does not bang around.
Offshore passage: Winter capsize, roll over and recovery and dismasting in Class 40 yacht
Offshore and ocean passages are sailing adventures not to be taken lightly even in the balmy months. The following account is extremely valuable reading for all who venture to sea in small boats.
Solent Stay: Offshore sailing rigging
Regular readers will be familiar with my interest in the “solent” stay, particularly for those sailing offshore, short-handed. A couple of nights ago I borrowed some new, lightweight, strong and inexpensive Antal thimbles from Euro Marine Trading in Newport and rigged up the demo shown below.
Jessica Watson: Australian Transport Safety Bureau preliminary report
Any one reading this website will be familiar with the Australian Teenager Jessica Watson, who, while on her first departure (aiming at a solo non-stop circumnavigation) from Queensland, on Australia's east coast, was involved in a collision with a bulk carrier.
J44-Offshore rigging refit
This post discusses some of the details I saw on a J 44 that had originally built for the then named BOC, single handed round the world race in the late 1980’s. The boat seems to have changed hands but is still outfit for the ocean.
J-105-Offshore sailing modifications
Regular readers will know I have spent some time on a J 105 doing distance races. This post discusses some of the issues that pertain to a J 105 (or any boat frankly) when contemplating going offshore. The fact that we are going double handed makes the ideas used even more important to the average cruising couple I reckon.
J44-Offshore rigging
Readers of a certain age will remember a J 44 named Zafu entered in the BOC, precursor to the Around Alone now the Velux 5 oceans. I saw this boat at Brewers Cove Haven boat yard in Barrington, Rhode Island earlier this week. There were some interesting things to note I thought.
Short-handed sailing: The Solent stay and sail, in practice, for offshore use
The Solent stay is described elsewhere on this site http://www.practicallysailing.com/blog/hankon-jibs-and-the-solent-stay as a sail set on a separate stay that is roughly parallel with the head stay and perhaps 12-15 inches aft of same. This article discusses some details of attaching the stay and the boat and the process of installing a reef in the sail for use offshore
Offshore passage making in small boats: Two Offshore capable open 30 footers--- open as in sans Cabin ...
The literature of offshore and ocean sailing full of remarkable voyages in small boats. A quick thumb through my reading list on the home page here identifies many transoceanic voyages in "small" boats, less than say 30 feet LOA. For a look at the latest generation of boats operated by the Outward Bound organization, designed to be (and in the bigger picture instill self sufficiency in the participants) self sufficient and seaworthy to make such passages mark your calendar for next weekend 23 and 24 May in Newport.
Offshore sailing seminar: Discussion on the latest in offshore sailing.
A seminar is to be held on Saturday and Sunday May 30 and 31 Hosted by Newport Yacht Club, Long Wharf Newport RI and presented by the US Class 40 association. To get updated on the latest in sail handling, boat design, autopilots, deck layouts, navigation systems, furler's, batten car systems and many other items of equipment and systems of interest to the short handed community make it a date to attend. You can even sign up for a sail on one of these solo offshore boats.