Hammock Spinnaker

I'm curious if anyone has suggestions about how to improve this for using my hammock as a backup sail/spinnaker. I'm mainly concerned about being able to depower from the cockpit. Thanks!
 
One of the greatest weaknesses of the Sunfish (IMHO) is the lack of any means of reducing sail area. I am aware of the various adaptations out there, and they are fine for racing/day sailing, but they really aren’t adequate for us normal sailors who are reluctant to venture out into 30 mph winds and 10 foot waves! I think the hammock idea has merit, although control is obviously an issue. I know have you are considering various ways of clearing the sail. I have been wondering if an off-the-shelf kayak “kite sail” might be an option.
 
Kudos to ya, AIR, for experimenting this way... I always enjoy your videos, lol. What if you install grommets or maybe reinforced 'pockets' to hold a pole across the hammock at its midway point to keep the hammock spread wide, then rig a line to turn the hammock from the cockpit and dump air? That'd be pretty simple, and you've already shown that the hammock can power the boat (downwind, at least). Just my $.02, I think you're onto something, lol. And I also think you need to sail the length of the Baja Peninsula, that would be AWESOME! Always wanted to do that with my Laser, she could've handled it too... I just never had the time, or when I had the time, I didn't have the money (same ol' story, lol). Such a voyage would make for a great video movie, aye? Be like one of those Thor Heyerdahl flicks, lol. Cheers!!! :rolleyes:
 
I'm really appreciating all your useful comments. If you haven't seen yet, I did another video about sailing with an actual sheet. That seemed to work way better. That's obviously not the end solution, but I'm planning to make a small clip-on sail for the Sunfish for my next trip...4 days around the Apostle Islands this month. I will also be checking out kayak/sup sails and likely experimenting with a hammock again on my next trip.
 
Ah, the Apostle Islands... you lucky dawg! I once delivered a load to a warehouse in Ashland, WI, right there on the shore of Lake Superior, and I thought how cool it would be to sail out there to those islands. Turned out the warehouse worked a deal with my company to load my wagon in the morning, so the manager gave me permission to camp out right there behind the warehouse. It was actually quite pretty, with a green lawn, some trees by shore, and a nice sandy beach a stone's throw away. My truck was empty by midday, so I grabbed shorts and a beach towel and took a swim in the lake, lol. Locals told me the water would be cold, even in summer, but that wasn't the case in the shallows, it was like bathwater, aye? :rolleyes:

After my swim, I donned some fresh clothing and took a walking tour of Ashland, which is a very nice little town. There's a splendid boardwalk which follows the shoreline, and I wound up at the Hotel Chequamegon (I totally botched the pronunciation at first, lol). Cool place, I had a few beers in the bar and checked out the historic photos on the walls, kinda like a 'Hall of History.' Walked back toward my truck and stopped at another bar, this time a dive bar, and some locals there told me they had a powerboat and they'd gladly run out to the Apostle Islands if I threw in some beer, money for fuel, etc. Gave me their phone number in case I found an opportunity to go the next day, but the warehouse personnel were too efficient and my truck was loaded pronto, so I left town for my next destination. :cool:

Never did make it back to Ashland, more's the pity, but I have fond memories of that burg, and I had a good time swimming in the lake... no worries over 2-ton Great Whites either, lol. I'll hafta dig up some photos of Ashland, I know I have some in my scrapbooks. Nice place, if I ever decide to live near Lake Superior, I'll be somewhere on shore between the Apostle Islands and Pictured Rocks. Very pretty coastline there, at least what I saw of it... I know it gets heller cold during the winter, but the late May day and night I spent there along the shore could not have been better, as far as weather goes. So I'm JEALOUS once again, AIR, lol. Have a good time in the Apostle Islands, they looked very nice from my vantage point in Ashland. Hey, beats Compton, North Philly or the Lower Bronx, that's for sure! I don't think there are as many drive-by shootings either, lol... ;)

Edit: I lucked out and found the pics pronto, as much of the scrapbook collection dealt with earlier years. I didn't bother removing the photos from this particular scrapbook, I figured you'd be able to see the trail of my little Ashland adventure, lol. I forgot about that old fort, or replica fort, whatever it was... and that railway pier was a regular feat of engineering, lol. One shot shows where my truck was parked in the dock---it stayed there overnight until it was loaded in the morning, but you can see how nicely situated it was, right there on the shoreline... almost like my own private campground, complete with sandy beach, lol. You can also see the Hotel Chequamegon in a couple shots, and a nice little marina complete with boat hoist, aye? Here ya go:

IMG_3002.JPG IMG_3003.JPG IMG_3004.JPG IMG_3005.JPG IMG_3006.JPG IMG_3007.JPG IMG_3008.JPG IMG_3009.JPG

Pretty cool place, almost like a vacation destination in its own right, with the Apostle Islands within sight (though ya can't really see 'em in these photos). Meh, I still remember the views, awesome little town with friendly inhabitants... oh, yeah, that first shot shows some of the nautical decor in that burg, I liked that one lakefront home with the ship's wheel out front, probably belonged to some retired sea captain, lol. Cheers!!! :D
 
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Ah, the Apostle Islands... you lucky dawg! I once delivered a load to a warehouse in Ashland, WI, right there on the shore of Lake Superior, and I thought how cool it would be to sail out there to those islands. Turned out the warehouse worked a deal with my company to load my wagon in the morning, so the manager gave me permission to camp out right there behind the warehouse. It was actually quite pretty, with a green lawn, some trees by shore, and a nice sandy beach a stone's throw away. My truck was empty by midday, so I grabbed shorts and a beach towel and took a swim in the lake, lol. Locals told me the water would be cold, even in summer, but that wasn't the case in the shallows, it was like bathwater, aye? :rolleyes:

After my swim, I donned some fresh clothing and took a walking tour of Ashland, which is a very nice little town. There's a splendid boardwalk which follows the shoreline, and I wound up at the Hotel Chequamegon (I totally botched the pronunciation at first, lol). Cool place, I had a few beers in the bar and checked out the historic photos on the walls, kinda like a 'Hall of History.' Walked back toward my truck and stopped at another bar, this time a dive bar, and some locals there told me they had a powerboat and they'd gladly run out to the Apostle Islands if I threw in some beer, money for fuel, etc. Gave me their phone number in case I found an opportunity to go the next day, but the warehouse personnel were too efficient and my truck was loaded pronto, so I left town for my next destination. :cool:

Never did make it back to Ashland, more's the pity, but I have fond memories of that burg, and I had a good time swimming in the lake... no worries over 2-ton Great Whites either, lol. I'll hafta dig up some photos of Ashland, I know I have some in my scrapbooks. Nice place, if I ever decide to live near Lake Superior, I'll be somewhere on shore between the Apostle Islands and Pictured Rocks. Very pretty coastline there, at least what I saw of it... I know it gets heller cold during the winter, but the late May day and night I spent there along the shore could not have been better, as far as weather goes. So I'm JEALOUS once again, AIR, lol. Have a good time in the Apostle Islands, they looked very nice from my vantage point in Ashland. Hey, beats Compton, North Philly or the Lower Bronx, that's for sure! I don't think there are as many drive-by shootings either, lol... ;)

Edit: I lucked out and found the pics pronto, as much of the scrapbook collection dealt with earlier years. I didn't bother removing the photos from this particular scrapbook, I figured you'd be able to see the trail of my little Ashland adventure, lol. I forgot about that old fort, or replica fort, whatever it was... and that railway pier was a regular feat of engineering, lol. One shot shows where my truck was parked in the dock---it stayed there overnight until it was loaded in the morning, but you can see how nicely situated it was, right there on the shoreline... almost like my own private campground, complete with sandy beach, lol. You can also see the Hotel Chequamegon in a couple shots, and a nice little marina complete with boat hoist, aye? Here ya go:

View attachment 47176 View attachment 47177 View attachment 47178 View attachment 47179 View attachment 47180 View attachment 47181 View attachment 47182 View attachment 47183

Pretty cool place, almost like a vacation destination in its own right, with the Apostle Islands within sight (though ya can't really see 'em in these photos). Meh, I still remember the views, awesome little town with friendly inhabitants... oh, yeah, that first shot shows some of the nautical decor in that burg, I liked that one lakefront home with the ship's wheel out front, probably belonged to some retired sea captain, lol. Cheers!!! :D

Your pictures and description bring back memories. I went to college in Ashland! I spent much of my time on the big lake sailing, snow kiting, kayak surfing, guiding sea kayaking trips, and swimming. That was a great place to be distracted from studying. It sounds like you make good use of your time when you are able with looking for adventures. Do you live in New York? Feel free to check out my other videos for some other adventure ideas as well. And don't forget that the shore isn't far away if you are on the East Coast!
 
Haha, small world... and no, I don't live in New York, I'm currently living in the high desert in Cochise County, Arizona, surrounded by mountain ranges which soar to roughly 9500' elevation in places. Not-too-distant Mt. Graham rises to 10720' elevation, with a primo little lake at 9000', lol. Anyway, I hope you take some video of the Apostle Islands when ya go this time, I always enjoy those videos! At least you're out there doing it, ya know? Not just some nautical armchair expert, lol... ;)

As for making good use of my time, I've always been that way... during my 'trucking daze' I had a blast checking out various locations! I don't drive anymore, not over the road anyway, I might drive locally here in Cochise County, since it is so scenic here and the highways & byways are relatively uncrowded. Makes for a nice change from all that traffic on the coast... I don't miss that traffic at all, lol. That was literally INSANE, that heller crazy traffic out there!!! Ugh... :confused:

Here, during 'rush hour' I might see half a dozen vehicles, lol... one of the benefits of living in the boondocks!!! I'm enjoying a nice quiet Sunday morning here, very peaceful... we had rain earlier, so the cats & I hung out on the view deck and shared quality time, lol. Except for Tiger, he ran indoors after one roll of thunder, he's a big scaredy cat when thunder rolls, lol. Meh, it won't hurt him to hide under the bed or couch for awhile. Well, gotta go, I'm gonna make a good breakfast here shortly, startin' to get hungry after my usual juice and herbal tea. I'll leave a link to a story about NYC, you'll get a laugh or two out of it, no doubt... :rolleyes:

Monkey Business In Manhattan

And a few shots of the kittehs on this rainy Sunday morning:

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Phoenix & Crackhead are riding out the storm while hanging out under two different sets of wooden steps... Phoenix waiting for the rain to stop so she can roam the 'hood, Crackhead being his usual goofy self and attacking my carpet slippers whenever I walk up or down the stairs. That's Bear sharing a cuppa tea with me, Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice with a tiger on the box label... gets all of the cats' approval, that tea box, lol. Bear also likes playing with my carpet slippers, even when I'm wearing 'em, lol. No slave to fashion this morning, I'm wearing work socks with the slippers to offset the cool morning. It's warming up now, but it was cool & fresh earlier with the rain and all... and we need the rain, can never get too much in the high desert unless you're in a flash flood zone, lol, but the cats & I live high on a hill, so no worries. Hmm, I just noticed that my carpet slippers are covered in catnip, and my socks have cat hair all over 'em from various kittehs rubbing up against 'em... this is how life goes when you're a cat lover, lol. CHEERS!!! :cool:
 

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