Oh yes—always carry a spare nut and bolt.You can do this, bro... maybe not the entire distance at this time of year, but you can make a heller voyage and have a blast, just be prepared for adverse conditions, potential equipment failures, etc. Like Norcalsail, I'm interested to see & hear what happens on this voyage... keep marine safety your primary concern, and you'll be alright. Good luck to ya, and I say that as a hand who has done such voyages... not long-range in the traditional sense of ocean voyaging, but definitely long-range for small craft, AYE???CHEERS, BRO!!! BE SAFE & MAKE US ALL PROUD, LOL...
Nice trip! What is your boat's name? We have quite a few pirates along the Gulf now.
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I was thinking how great it was that you were pretty much able to predict the timing of the journey. Such a prediction can be difficult of course as you never know what the wind is going to do. 52 miles in about nine hours so maybe a bit over 6 mph? Really cool...
52 miles... WOOHOO!!! Nice voyage, you're officially one of the "Long Rangers" now with that little boat!!! Always steer clear of working craft, regardless of size, show 'em a little courtesy and they'll look more kindly upon small craft sailors in general... I always made a point of giving 'em the road, even if that meant temporarily heaving to and letting 'em pass. Good write-up on the voyage, I could feel the boat speed while tearing along on a fast reach and run, LOL. Had a similar problem aboard the Minifish while sailing the length of the Salton Sea: had to dodge steep surface chop at speed or the bow would pitch hard, leading to flooding of the cockpit and a potential "death roll" (not fun when the wind is gusting well over 20 knots). I'm thinking electronics aren't so hot aboard small craft, UNLESS those electronics are "ruggedized" and bulletproof for marine use... the only thing remotely electronic I used to take with me on my voyages was the small Canon cam, wrapped in a Zip-Loc bag and then placed in a small waterproof case with car keys, a copy of my vessel registration, etc., the case clipped to an eye strap in the cockpit. !!!
Great trip and great write up.
Do you have nylon lock nuts on your tiller bolt?
Those large ships are a pain.Some are so large, you have to sail to windward to avoid their "wind shadow". Many larger sailboats have discovered this, with the loss of their entire boat!
Other large boats are so fast (relatively speaking), like Florida's shrimp boats, it's hard to judge where to go. Shrimp boats, and other fishing boats, also head out in long and very-determined lines.
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How old is your boat? Do you have a port in it? Have you leak tested? If it doesn't leak you can dry out that extra water.
First, congrats on the trip!!
If the boat really weighs 200 lbs, it is not going to handle well and it is probably making the nose-diving in waves worse. The rack idea isn't a bad one, but you will need for it to be aluminum or SS. Powder coated steel will rust and it'll quickly be a mess. I'd also try to have it not be as close to the cockpit as you show. Going downwind or on a reach there is too much chance of the sheet snagging on it or your cargo. It may not work at all do to the geometry of the boat, but it seems worth a closer look.
To get the boat down in weight, use the drying techniques on the forum. They work, and replacing the foam is difficult and can destroy the boat.
Lastly, don't bother with a life raft. A Sunfish is unsinkable and you will be a lot better off just staying with it in case of some type of disaster rather than trying to inflate the raft and get aboard (and you won't have to deal with the weight and size of the raft.
I like this option, but I still think it would be nice to have a set place for everything cleanly laid out where everything has its place strapped in. No doubt though that this is the most budget friendly option. Thanks for the comment!For storage check out a truck bed bungee net they are under 30 dollars . Cut it down for a perfect fit...
If you found yourself sitting on the same tack, and in the same spot, a port installed in the seating area can hold a small storage bag—which can keep lots of cellphone chargers dry. (And still function to dry the hull prior—and to help weight the boat to windward). A second port adjacent to the skipper can hold a sandwich and a bottle of Gatorade or water.You will get lots of help on the forums, can you can also search. Putting a port in would get more airflow you can also get bags to fit in the port for storage. drying out, sunfish that is
Sunfish inspection port drying fan
I've been storing some white Styrofoam™ blocks from 1957. Used to float a wood swim raft that is "long-gone", they've been stored out of the sun. Only the top ⅛-inch is fragile, and the blocks could be used again.It is time consuming but doable to scoop out the yellow expanding foam that holds the blocks in place and replace that, they hold most of the water weight. DO NOT replace the white blocks, they are impossible to find. You don't need lots of clamps, we made some out of 4 inch PVC pipe.