With the auto bailer, keep it plugged until you get some water in the cockpit. It only works when you are moving. Yesterday, I was out on Tomales Bay and accidentally opened it with my foot so be careful of that. Have a great time and post some photos!View attachment 46723
If It only works when you are moving, why is it called an "automatic" bailer?With the auto bailer, keep it plugged until you get some water in the cockpit. It only works when you are moving. Yesterday, I was out on Tomales Bay and accidentally opened it with my foot so be careful of that. Have a great time and post some photos!
I very much enjoyed this video of your first time out. As has been stated,"Been there, done that." Your boat's hull reminds me of my Oldfish in Wisconsin and the sail is like my new boat out here in California. You will get better quickly and I hope you post some more videos of your progress!
Excellent!
You've just experienced what we all have--being introduced to the "art" of sailing.
I confess to having a grin on my face throughout the video. (Which played well, belying all the apologies).
The music, which was close to a requiem at the beginning, stumbled happier as the wind (and skills) picked up. Good "show"!
It seems winds that accompany "occasional whitecaps" is most enjoyable, but starting with calm winds wasn't a bad thing. When I can't tell where the wind is coming from, I sail a circle until something happens.
You might also find what we're calling the "Geezer-rig" will make your next sail even better.
New Sunfish owner questions
Hello...I just purchased a nice '77 Sunfish. Please pardon the clueless questions. The previous owner raced it and has the sail rigged low so the gooseneck is about 8" off the front deck and the boom is fairly horizontal with the deck which isn't going to leave me much room in the cockpit. I'm...sailingforums.com
we've all been there - good on you for being willing to share your experience.
at your launching, it would probably have helped to have the daggerboard in, at least partially - your boat was sliding sideways.
and on a light wind day light that, it can be really easy to get stuck "in irons" and confusing as all get out on how to catch the wind and get out of that condition. been there, done that!
Definitely, been there. That launch looks tricky. Maybe keep sail rigged but down and dagger partially in (but not scraping bottom) while you paddle out past the rocks, then raise the sail when you’re clear.
Once you got a breeze, though, you were bending it! You seemed to get the feel for it quickly.
Be decisive and have a little momentum when ‘coming about’ (pushing tiller fully TOWARD the sail to change direction)
Be careful when turning the tiller AWAY from the sail, as gybing unknowingly will land you in the lake in a hurry.
I enjoyed the video. Loved the imperfection of the Titanic music at the end! Thanks for sharing your experience. Keep sailing, it gets better!
You will learn much faster getting feedback from videos like this.
A bit more wind early on would have helped, but a telltale will help you see which way the wind is coming. A piece of coat hanger with some yarn on it, taped to the top of your upper boom will do the trick. When the boom kept changing sides
on you I think you were heading straight into the wind.
And as pointed out, the boat doesn’t turn without the board in. The boat more or less pivots on the board, so you were just drifting sideways into the rocks.
Parts of this may provide some pointers . https://www.sunfishclass.org/documents/learn_2_sail_in_3_days.pdf
Sailing in light airs is a valuable skill which you will want to cultivate, but to be honest with you, I think you should learn to sail on days with at least 7-10 knots of breeze, minimum... that will keep your boat moving nicely in the water and allow you to focus upon learning maneuvers. You'll have enough 'training' to sail in light airs when the wind dies on ya, as it inevitably will during some future voyage. NOAA Weather usually puts out a pretty good marine forecast, all you have to do is punch in your zip code or town name & state. You did pretty well toward the end, especially on your first day out, so "no more apologies!" [Lol, a line from some Smiths tune, can't remember the song title.] Nice touch with the Titanic tune, at least you didn't strike an iceberg! It was good of your pop to offer moral support by being there, even if he wasn't very helpful to ya, lol. One last bit of advice: if you see THIS dude in the water, be sure to give him right of way pronto, even if you're close-hauled on the starboard tack, lol.
Godzilla
Yield right of way under the obscure 'Law of Gross Tonnage!' You'll be doing yourself (and your boat) a big ol' solid favor, lol.
P.S. I always wondered how it would feel to wear that cheesy costume... slam-dancing downtown on some ridiculous set, lol. It'd make a cool costume for a Halloween party, rig up a flamethrower to roast any fooliots who gave me grief, lol.
Good stuff! The music sounds a bit like its from the Seven Samurai soundtrack.
Tell-tales are (marginally) helpful but only if you have wind flowing across your sail.
It would probably be more helpful to make (or buy) a wind indicator that connects to the forward upper boom. They are very useful for catching small breezes and shifts in the wind, especially when you are in the water and struggling to find the wind.
This is an extremely cool DIY version:
Making a Sunfish Wind Indicator
Hi everyone, I made a wind indicator for my Sunfish a while ago and have been very happy with it. I thought I would share it here with the hope that someone finds it useful. The design is similar in concept to the "coat hangar" model, but uses a flat piece of stainless steel which I think...sailingforums.com
I made mine from a coat hanger and some cassette tape.