Problems first day sailing in new used fish

M

mlee

New Member
I am a novice sailor. After reading some basic books on sailing and talking to a few people (and getting to go for a ride on someone else's fish), I took my newly purchased older boat out last Friday.

Everything went pretty well, and I had a good time practicing manuvering the boat and learning different points of sail with a couple of exceptions.

I was on a run when a motor boat went by me 10 to 15 yards to starboard on a parallel course. He produced a signficant wake. A little late, I decided to turn into the wake because it was already tossing me about. The hull was banging through the wake and the boom was also making an alarming amount of noise as it suddenly was moving about eratically. With little warning, the boom caught me on the forehead and knocked me out of the boat. I managed to hold onto the boat (whose sail had refilled), uncleat the mainsheet and climb back in. (I was wearing a lifevest!)

Any tips on how to deal with motorboat wake?

My other question regards the daggerboard. I was sailing fairly fast on a reach when I noticed that the daggerboard had begun to vibrate. I've checked the board (it is made of wood - the boat was made in 78) and it does not seem to be warped. Is some vibration normal?

For now, I've been sailing with the board completely down during all points of sail. Are there some points of sail where it should be partially withdrawn?

I'm going back out in a couple of days - any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Daggerboard vibration is normal.
Do not cleat the mainsheet!
Sounds like you were not moving much if the wake tossed you around. Treat the wake like any other wave: try cutting through it at 45 degrees.

Fred
 
Vibrating blades are common. If the edges have any nick in them it will likely vibrate. No big deal unless you are racing at the top of the fleet.

I highly suggest getting rid of the cleat. Constant trimming by having to hold the mainsheet will make you a better sailor.

As far as the wake goes:

Letting them slide under you (parallel) is easy but it will rock the boat a bit. You can counter with body position. Bearing away to ride with them as much as possible is not only easy, but fun as you can surf the waves.

Once you turn up into the waves, you are going to have to bash through them. Heeling the boat to leeward helps the hull slice rather than bash. It also helps keep the boom on the leeward side. If you are sailing close hauled and have to go through a big set, bear away to ...say a close reach... to get power in the sail to drive through the set, and once through the waves build speed and head back up to close hauled.

For a beginner, leave the daggerboard down. It will only cause potential problems with stability, accidental gybes where the board blocks the boom, and if you flip over, you want the board down too. Once you are comfortable with the boat handling, you can begin to raise the board a little on reaches and a lot on runs. Raising the board makes the boat more wobbly so be careful.

Good luck, have fun and keep the pfd on.

BTW...in case you were wondering, sailboats have the right of way over powerboats and a powerboat is responsible for his wake. That fly by sounds to be way too close. I'd give the guy a piece of my mind...although I can't spare much.
 
A lot of varibles here, but great advice has been given. Cleating the mainsheet in a breeze is an invitation for disaster. Keepng the board down will keep you from hanging up the lower spar in the event of an accidental gybe. As far as dealing with powerboat wakes a lot depends on teh situation and size of the wake. If you were on a run and the boat passed you head on it sets up a different senario compared to a boat overtaking you. When a power boat passes you head on the wake pushes you back and you have to power through them which is better to do at an angle. When a boat over takes you, the wake pushes you from behind and you can surf them. Also, on the run was your sail on the port or the starboard side. If it was on the port side, turning into the wake as it passes head on would put you into more of a broad reach and you can hit the wake head on or at a slight angle with power, but if the sail was on starboard, turning into the wake would make you more prone to gybe. If the boat was over taking you and if your sail was on the port side and you were to bear away to try to surf the wake you would be more prone to gybe where as if you turn towards the passing boat you would come more towards a broad reach bring you parallel to the wake and the wake will give you a lot of roll.
I don't know if it just seems like it, but sailboats attract power boaters. As I do recreational sailing I try to anticipate the best place to be when a power boat passes and I have had power boats change their course to come closer so the passengers can see the 'pretty sailboat'. It also seems that if the power boat slows down the wake increases dramatically making matters worse.
 
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