Sunday, January 22, 2017

Outhaul Jammer

As I continue to work on my book on "Faster Cruising" I found myself feeling like the cobler with no shoes for his children; I don't always follow my own advise, even when I know I'm right. In the book I argue that cruising boats are often lack the rigging and hardware needed to make basic trim adjustments quickly and easily, as though cruisers don't care about efficient sailing or understand the fine points. I care, but I have to admit my cruising cat doesn't have the quick access to fine trim that my performance cat had. I aim to fix that.

Case in point. My PDQ 32 came with a good boom and internal reefing, but the main outhaul was secured to an undersized cleat . To tension it under load, you take the tail to a mast-mounted winch, wrap the line under the cleat, and lift the line sharply when taking the line off the winch in an attempt to minimize slippage before that first wrap is on the cleat. Boy scout at best.


A few days ago I removed the undersized cleat (closely spaced holes on the seam) and I tapped four new holes to secure a proper jammer. Now I can ease the outhaul in a blink and tighten with a winch in control.

The smaller line is for the lazy jacks.

Why a double jammer? The few times I have found myself sailing with three reefs (winds gusting to over 30 knots) I found I needed a better way to winch the clew down. The tack is easily secured with a loop through the reefing tack and under the gooseneck, but there is no internal rigging for a 3rd reef. Thus, I tie a bowline around the boom under the reef clew (like the other reefs), go up through the reefing clew, and back to a snap shackle-equipped snatch block at the main outhaul. From there the reefing line is threaded through this new jammer, allowing a mast mounted winch to tension the clew outhaul.

The only challenge is to remember to thread the reefing clew while hoisting.

[The jammer came courtesy of freecycle--it patiently awaited re-purposing for several years in one of my might-need bins. Whooppee!]

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Drogues in Action--Small Scale Testing Duplicates Gale Conditions

Why the interest in drogue if I'm not going to cross an ocean? "As a coastal sailor, why should I care?" Because a little over two years ago I bent a rudder on a submerged log. Only because I had a catamaran did this avoid becoming a serious problem (I have a spare rudder). Other wise, take your hands off the wheel and tell me how you plan on getting back home. It's not that easy.

However, this post is not about emergency steering. I'll get to that later. This is about drogues for speed limitation is serious storms. It turns out that they have not been telling us the who story.

___________________

Parachute sea anchor, speed limiting drogue, or JSD (Jordan Series Drogue).  Sailors that have never used them will argue, and even those that have used them generally remember what they saw but don't understand it. My nature is to expereiment until I understand.

 How many people have a full collection of 1/3 scale drogues? [Cone, Small Shark, Delta Drogue, Gale Rider, Sea Brake]

Small Scale Testing

The trouble with testing full scale drogues is that you need a full-scale storm to test them in, and mistakes have full scale consequences. Not a forgiving classroom in which to demonstrate things things that fail, and only by knowing what fails can we understand what works. It is also a mistake to build a scale model and believe everything you see, without understanding the theory and how scale up works for engineers. But that is how I have spent the last 30 years, so I know a few tricks.

These drogues are 1/3 scale, run at 80% speed, in smaller waves, and at reduced scope. Combined, these scale factors give a realistic picture of how a speed limiting drogue functions in gale conditions. In the first example I show a Seabrake 8 standing in for the real-world Seabrake 24. Like all drogues, it pulls out of the water only when a following wave catches it; at that moment,  the angle of the rode to the water suddenly becomes steep, like an anchor on short scope, and out she comes. As soon as the wave passes, she settles back into the wave face. The conditions were mild.


In the real world the danger here is three fold:
  1. A wave may strike the boat while the drogue is out of the water. Not very likely in a moderate storm.
  2. In a serious storm, the drogue may spring out of the wave and be thrown far forward. Sailors often claim the wave threw it forward but they are only 1/3 right. The greatest factor is actually the contraction of the nylon rode (think rubber band) as the tension comes off, and that of the wind. This effect was minor in the video because the rode is oversized compared to common practice. This is also part of the case for using a polyester rode with a drogue and not the more common nylon. Several manufacturers specify non-stretch rodes.
  3. As the storm builds, right when you most need the drogue to work, it will fail. That is when the load is peak (required to pull the drogue out) and that is when the waves get steeper.
I then added a second drogue in tandem, 30 feet farther back (Delta Drogue 24, standing in for a Delta Drogue 72). The conditions are also now near gale force (sustained over 30 knots with heavy rain). As you can see, the first drogue runs closer to the surface, the result of the secondary rode tension. On the other hand, the secondary rode stabilizes the primary drogue when it does pull out of a wave, pulling it back in quickly. The first drogue may take slightly more of a beating on the surface, but the pull, measured by load cells, is far more stable (15% fluctuation vs. 60% fluctuation). A fair trade-off.

These waves are only about 5 feet, but considering the scale factor, these are 15-foot breaking waves. Pretty tough.


It is worth remembering that both of these trial were at the same speed (4 knots). In reality, adding a second drogue will slow the boat significantly, also making the tandem drogue far more stable. Another way of looking at it is that a tandem drogue can handle 40% more wind (70 knots vs 50 knots sustained) before the first drogue begins pulling out--a pretty big difference--and far more if we consider overall stability of the combined system.



_________________


 Gale Rider 30. A little small as a speed limiting brake (they make larger sizes), but my favorite for emergency steering. Very smooth and easy to handle.

The other things to consider are these:
  • Redundancy. You have two.
  • You can adjust to the strength of the storm.\
  •  Smaller drogues can be carried. This is no joke on a larger boat, since large drogues get very physical to handle in a blow. I later tested full scale models in gale conditions, and it was a workout.
  • A smaller drogue is more useful for emergency steering. This gives you the ability to transition between emergency steering and speed limiting.
However, full-scale speed limiting drogues and emergency steering are for future posts.

-----

A detailed treatment and more data are included in "Faster Cruising," which I should complete in a month or so.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

When to Splice


There's a lot of snobbery surrounding splices and knots, as though knots are only used by hacks that can't splice. The thing is, I know perfectly well how to splice most materials--I've published several articles on testing of splices and knots--but I only splice when it is the logical answer. In fact, I find it embarrassing to have splices where a knot is the better choice.

It comes down to four differences:
  1. knots are easier to redo
  2. splices are stronger
  3. splices are lower profile but longer
  4. knots are more abrasion resistant in double braid

The Marlow Splicing Fid is my long-time favorite for 3-strand. You push it through to open a spot, insert the strand, no matter how frayed, and it pulls it back through. Very fast.




When to Splice.

High Strength
Won't Hold a Knot. This means Dyneema/Spectra in most cases. Fortunately, a bury splice is dead simple and a brummel not much more difficult.

No Room. Rubbing with tackle. Sometimes a knot will get in the way, though often this can be avoided by trying a different knot or rotating it 180 degrees.

Snagging. Splices are generally smoother to run, though flipping a knot over can help.
  • Genoa Sheets
  • Safety Tethers. 
Can't be Constructed Any Other Way
  • Soft Shackles
  • Adjustable Stropes
Adjustable strope. From "Keeping a Cruising Boat on Peanuts."

    The Brian Toss Wand is my favorite for double braid. I use a cut-off hollow knitting needle for single braid.


      When Not to Splice

      Must be Re-Made at Some Frequency.
      • Halyards. First, I like to cut a few inches off every few years to move any chafe spots. Second, halyards are sized for stretch, not strength, and as a result are massively over strength. 
      • Most tackles. Should they twist-up or a component fail, knots are easier to re-do.
      Splice Will Jam. A splice makes the rope fatter. Sometimes this causes a jam in a block. It also keeps tackles farther apart than a knot.
      • Halyards
      • Traveler
      • Davit tackles 
      Abrasion. A double braid splice caries nearly all of the load on the cover on one side, and it is vulnerable near the throat. A knot breaks inside and is thus generally unaffected by wear and UV.


      Old Double Braid

      Even if a splice would be nice, old double braid rope is impossible to splice, IMHO. The solution is either a knot (obvious) or a sewn splice. These can be just as strong as a conventional splice, although they do required protection from UV and chafe. When don properly, they'll last as long as the rope. Much industrial
      splicing is sewn.

      My genoa sheets, made from a salvaged big boat halyard.  The cover is 2-inch tubular webbing. This splice is 5 years old. From "Keeping a Cruising Boat on Peanuts."



      Dynamic Rope

      The tight cover makes a splice nearly impossible. Additionally because it is dependent on both the core and the cover the splice is complex.  Most industrial tethers are sewn.

      This is my deck tether. 8 mm ice climbing rope.
      a. Yes, those are screw lock carabiners. I keep them well-greased, and because of the boat design, they generally stay on the jacklines.
      b. The rope is sewn. Do NOT try this unless you have done a lot of sewn joint testing.
      c. One leg is 2', the other 10'. This is for a cat with narrow side decks and a wide fore deck. On my try I use conventional tethers. 

      But note that I have a storage spot for the spare tether.

      Thursday, January 5, 2017

      The Bookstore


      Over the past ten years I’ve published more than 200 magazine articles, on topics ranging from simple product reviews to complex engineering analysis.  Lamentably, a magazine format doesn’t allow the writer to present complete ideas and the back-up they deserve. Instead, magazine style demands punchy headlines, read-at-glance text, and lots of pictures. And yet I have truly enjoyed the process of writing for magazines, the broad range of topics it suggested, and the great people I was able to work with. I've been encouraged to take on research that otherwise would have gone wanting.

      In these books I’ve gone back to my original text, before it was cut for size. I’ve added material where new research or experience suggested, and corrected a few things where the passage of time and miles of sailing have taught me better. I've added whole topic areas that simply aren't magazine fodder. I hope the full story will, help you solve problems, extend your sailing horizons, and encourage critical thinking about all you read and your sailing experiences.
      It’s been my pleasure.

      [click on either the PDF or Kindle link, depending on which format you need. The PDF contains slightly better detail and is updated more frequently.]



      How-To books

      Keeping a Cruising Boat for Peanuts
      As much as I love sailing, putting my daughter through college and funding my 401K are more important. Transitioning from professional engineer to writer has transformed my habit of living efficiently into a passion for spreading funds thin. I like to think of it as a challenge for the imagination—it’s more fun that way.
      I’ve written over 200 equipment reviews and engineering articles for popular sailing magazines, all based on laboratory and hands-on testing. I’ve spent 30 years learning how to maintain, fix, and upgrade. I've also spent 35 years as a chemical engineer, and my wife thinks I live in my basement shop. 

      As a result I’ve become a fair hand most crafts, never get stuck in the field with something I can’t fix, and I've learned to spread money thin, without compromising speed, reliability, or function. Although I've written on many topics, my wife assures me this is the one I know best. My magnum opus? 

      Check the Table of Contents link to glimpse the range of topics covered. Everything from cheap maintenance and effective multi-step water treatment, to installing air conditioning, solar, modifying keels, and other upgrades minor and major.

      Like the fellow on the World War II poster, abandon all pretense of dignity, and enjoy 30 years of methods proven to keep money in your pocket.





      Rigging Modern Anchors

      Rigging Modern Anchors

      First print edition, 2018, by Seaworthy Press. About 156 pages.

      I've been setting and trusting anchors with my life (climbing) and my boat (sailing) for 35 years. I've been testing and documenting anchor testing for 5 years, and I've spent the last two sifting, collating, and analyzing all that I have learned. The result, I believe, is a complete description of what is actually going on below the waves, not just descriptively or as oral history from an old salt, but with numerical back-up everywhere I could provided it. I hope it helps. I know I sleep better. From the back cover of the book:

      “Rigging Modern Anchors” demystifies anchoring with today’s modern anchors. Through years of systematic testing, Drew Frye has produced a new benchmark of understanding based on empirical data instead of anecdotal wisdom, passed down from one sailor to the next without proof or deep understanding. In “Rigging Modern Anchors” we dig deeply into the how and why of anchoring, using hard numbers as our foundation.




      Included are in-depth discussions of anchoring basics, loads, scope, and the effects of cyclical loading, soil consolidation and bottom characteristics on holding power. Special attention is given to problem bottoms such as very soft mud and rock. There are anchor-specific observations, discussions of tandem anchors and rigging methods, plus an extensive appendix containing test data, open source designs for bridle plates and anchor turners, strength and toughness for various chain types, anchor connector recommendations, anchor sizing guides and more.

      Proper anchoring technique, rigging, and gear selection is vital to the safety of ship and crew. Instead of hoping your anchor and rigging scheme will hold, read “Rigging Modern Anchors” and be sure.
       


       



      Cruising Fast, Cruising Small


      PDF, 2019, First Edition, 288 pages

      I cut my cruising teeth in smaller boats, and now I'm back at it, sharpening my small boat cruising
      mojo on my F-24 Mk I trimaran. From Chapter 1:


      One Keeping it Small
      This is not a book for racers. Although I raced performance catamarans in my youth, I’ve lost my taste for it. This is not a book for bluewater cruisers. Popular magazines are full of tales of daring-do, circumnavigators, and crossings to the Mediterranean. It’s not a primer for beginning sailors, although I mean it to be readable at all levels. It is simply a compilation of ideas that may help you cruise a little bit better in the boat you have. If you like it a lot and decide to cross oceans, you’ll be better served by a larger boat and a different book. In this book we’ll keep things small and simple.



      For many of us, the pull of the water is summed up by this powerful quote from The Wind in the Willows; “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” But that Chapter one quotation is often stretched completely out of context, into a moral imperative to ditch all and go to sea. In fact, in Chapter 9, the very same innocent water rat, so taken in chapter one with the river and his clinker-built rowboat, spends a day with a charismatic seafaring rat. Our simple, provincial water rat is so completely mesmerized by the vast and sweeping stories (exaggerated, no doubt) told by the wayfaring rat about his adventures aboard a coastal freighter and the mysteries of the many ports of call, that immediately upon returning home he begins to plan his own departure to the sea. He tries to explain his new compulsion to his friends but can’t find a rational argument. He fights through fits and seizures until, in his own words, he regains his sanity.

      The Seafaring Rat spinning yarns.
      The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 9.

      What most of us need is a miniature adventure. It suits the time available. More to the point, it fits our priorities. We have families ashore. We have friends. We have shore-based interests at least as important and valid. In other words, the myth, yea the fantasy, of casting all aside and following the winds across an ocean isn’t something we’re avoiding out of cowardice, but rather because it makes no damn sense to us. For heaven sake, we’re land animals, and we like it that way.

      On Keeping it Fast

      "People sail for fun and no one has yet convinced me that it's more fun to go slow than it is to go fast."
      The late Richard "Dick" Newick

      I don’t understand sailing slow. I mean, I like relaxing and I don’t care for racing, but I like to sail as well as I can and like a boat that is properly tuned. I like getting where I’m going, not drifting about. Fast is fun. I can always reef and slow way down, if that is what my mood requires. Sometimes it does.

      I don’t understand racing, at least not anymore. I mean, I have raced, and I understand the rewards of completion, both with yourself and others, but the way many look down on anything not related to victory on the course seems narrow minded, to me. No weekend cruises. No fishing. No balance.

      That said, if you want to race, good for you! Many of  the upgrades I’ll suggest are speed or handling tweaks, and many will work within your class rules. Skip changes that add significant weight and read the section on shaving weight twice. Store your daysailing and cruising gear in bags that can be hauled off the boat in minutes; I hate disorganized clutter anyway. I think you’ll find our mind sets are not that far apart. Some would argue my cruising is racing without the formality.

      I’ve found happiness in daysailing and fast cruising, and so this book has a natural slant in that direction, towards multihulls and sport boats. But that doesn’t mean I’m a racer at heart. I like understanding what makes a boat go and I like practicing good sailing, but I’d take a bad week of cruising over an hour’s recrimination over why we didn’t win any day.

      So yeah, while this book is about trailerable multihulls and sport boats like the Corsair F-24, Seascape 24 and J-70, it’s also about anything under 30 feet that you promise to sail well.

      It’s about fun boats!





      Singlehanded Sailing for the Coastal Sailor

      PDF, third edition, 2019

      For many of us, the pull is summed up by the powerful quote from The Wind in the Willows; “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” But that chapter one quotation is often stretched completely out of context, into a moral imperative to ditch all and go to sea. In fact, the very same innocent water rat, that was so taken with the river and his simple clinker-built  rowboat in Chapter 1, later spends a day with a charismatic seafaring rat in Chapter 9. Our simple, provincial water rat is so completely mesmerized by the vast and sweeping stories (exaggerated, no doubt) told by the wayfaring rat about his adventures aboard a coastal freighter, and the mysteries of the many ports of call, that immediately upon returning home he begins to plan his own departure to the sea. He tries to explain his compulsion to his friends but can't find a rational argument. He fights through fits and seizures until, in his own words, he regains his sanity.
      What most of us want is a miniature adventure that fits within the time available. More to the point, it fits our priorities. We have families ashore. We have friends. We have shore-bound interests at least as important and valid. More likely our need to singlehand is a practical thing; “I want to go sailing. Now.” 
      I’ve written this for coastal cruisers. I haven't circled the globe, but I have sailed 25,000 miles round and round the Chesapeake and along the Atlantic coast over the past 30 years, most of it alone. I’ve accumulated the practical sort of 15- to 50-mile day sort of experience that matters, navigating shoals, anchoring or docking daily, and returning to my real life after a few days to week afloat. We don't sail gold plated boats we bought from a dealer. We sail 5- to 30-year old boats and we spread our upkeep dollars thin, but without sacrificing function or safety.

      Specific thoughts for the solo sailor? Just a few. Know your limitations and stay within them—the thoughtful beginner can be safe. Be a jack of all trades—whatever fails, it’s all on you. Choose your weather and be flexible—who were you trying to impress? Go home when it’s not fun anymore.


      Faster Cruising for the Coastal Sailor
      Kindle 2017, about 200 pages
      Buy now2017, PDF, 183 pages, $8.00.
      Table of Contents
      This book is about covering more miles from dawn to dusk, without running yourself ragged in the process. It’s not about racing disguised as cruising. I’m not pushing new sails, obsessive sail trim, or watch keeping routines. It certainly is not about sleep deprivation and crossing oceans.
      It is about:
      ·         Getting the most from what you’ve got.
      ·         Simple modifications that bring big benefits on small dollars.
      ·         The basics of short-handed sailing.
      ·         Efficiency in all things.
      ·         Getting where you’re going a little earlier in the day, with more time to play. 
      I've done a little racing, but for me, it was always about the joy of moving well, and not about turning a good day on the water into an exercise in exhausting focus. If you want to dawdle some days that’s OK too. I’ll make it easier.



      Cruising Guides

      Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula—A Guide for the Shoal Draft Sailor

      Table of Contents

      The writing of this book has been a 10-year labor of love, summarizing all we have learned in six circumnavigations, and all we have learned of this trip from locals and other sailors. I remain baffled by how many race around the Delmarva, rather than visiting the small places and absorbing the flavor. True, the prospect and the reality of piloting changeable inlets is intimidating, and we'll take you off the beaten path, but mostly these are places any boat could go, that had the time; I have describe both the conventional paths, and the more adventurous and rewarding alternatives.

      We brought back the details of a world known only to watermen and local sailors. I hope I have brought real life this tale; I know how deeply I enjoyed the time spent with my family.

      Tuesday, January 3, 2017

      Opening a Book Store

      I've been writing more and more these past few years, working hard at making a living doing something different from the corporate race that dominated my life for 35 years. I've written more than 100 magazine
      articles for Practical Sailor, Good Old Boat, and Sail. It's been a fun and educational process, researching all manner of sailing minutia I couldn't other wise have justified. I've been working with fascinating and knowledgeable people I wouldn't other wise have met. The minor rub is that magazines require a punchy style with lots of pictures, simple points, and minimal text. Many times I turned in a written a report that was as tightly edited as seemed possible, without cutting vital supporting detail or explanation, only to see it cut 75% with a broadsword. I didn't blame them or get sore about it. They had a page count to hit and a format to follow. But it's hard to communicate complex ideas that way.


      Books are longer. The author has the space to express finished, complete ideas, something magazines, internet forums, and blog posts never can. If an interesting rabbit hole beckons, you go down there and don't climb out until you found the bottom and figured out what it all means. For  nearly a year I've been sifting though my old article notes, doing new research to fill the holes, and well, sailing a lot and thinking about it.

      The result will be collection of books that will be dribbling out over the next few months. Most are well along, and the first new offering will be available in a few days (Singlehanded Sailing for the Coastal Sailor). Some of these will be just for Kindle, and others will be publish conventionally:

      • Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula--A Guide for the Shoal Draft Cruiser. has been out there for a while, available for Kindle through Amazon, 247 pages. $6.99
      • Singlehanded Sailing for the Coastal Cruiser. I was tabulating seatime in my Coast Guard experience log, and it seems I sailed over 25,000 miles in short hops, most of it alone. Kindle through Amazon, 143 pages. $6.50
      • Rigging Modern Anchors. I've written a lot on this and done a lot more testing that never made it to print. I believe this will make it in on paper.
      • Keeping a Boat on Peanuts. If you've followed this blog you know I can spread money paper thin. But you've only see the tip of the iceberg. Kindle, about 300 pages.
      • Faster Cruising. Not the racer kinda of book, talking about laminate sails and advanced electronics. The stuff you can do with no money to get more miles into a cruise. Not all of it is about speed. Kindle, about 150 pages.

      The Book Store will show up as a blog post in a few days, and will then migrate to the top bar. A few sample chapters will likely be posted as each becomes available. Maybe you'll see something there worth either reading or recommending.

      Sunday, January 1, 2017



      Circumnavigating Delmarva Peninsula—A Guide for the Shoal Draft Sailor


      Table of Contents     
                                                                 
      Acknowledgments                                                                                        4
      Map: Course of 2006 and 2007 aboard Cherokee Sun                                    5
      Preface                                                                                                       7
      Trip Summary 2005 to 2012: Anchorages, Stops and Inlets Transited                8
      Preface to Second Edition                                                                            10
                                          ___________________
      Departure                                                                                                   12
      Lesson 1: Preparations                                                                                 14
      Day 1: Deale to Solomons Island                                                                   24
      Lesson 2: Single-handed and Shorthanded Sailing                                           30
      Day 2: Solomons Island to Cape Charles                                                        33
      Lesson 3: Kids                                                                                             41
      The Cape Charles Impact Crater                                                                   49
      Plate: Smith Island, Southern Point                                                                 50
      Day 3: Cape Charles to Wachapreague                                                          52
      Plate: Cobb Island, Southern End                                                                   58
      Plate: Hog Island Inlet                                                                                   59
      Plate: Hog Island Inlet and Broad Water Area                                                60
      Plate: Wachapreague Inlet                                                                             61
      An Alternative Passage: Cape Charles to Wachapreague        
      by the Virginia Inside Passage                                                                 63
      Hurricanes, Swell, and Night Sailing; Cautionary Tales                                    72
      A Brief History of Cobb Island                                                                      76
      Day 4: Wachapreague to Chincoteague                                                          78
      Lesson 4: Settling Down for the Night                                                            83
      Day 5: Chincoteague, a Non-Sailing Day                                                        85
      Lesson 5: Safety                                                                                           88
      Day six: Chincoteague to Ocean City                                                             97
      Lesson 6: Tips for the Trailer Sailor                                                                101
      Day 7: Ocean City to Cape May                                                                    103
      Days 8-11: Interregnum - Cape May with Family                                            107
      Day 12: The Approaching Storm                                                                    110
      Day 13: Cape May to Chesapeake City                                                          111
      Day 14: Chesapeake City to Deale                                                                 114
      Three Weeks Later                                                                                       116
                  ___________________

      Appendix I: Cruising Guide                                                                            117
      a) Delaware Bay and Atlantic Coast from Cape Henlopen to Cape Charles
      b) Camping Opportunities on the Delmarva Barrier Islands and Chesapeake Bay
      c) Chesapeake Bay—Details and Corrections of Interest to the Shoal Draft Sailor     
                                                                                                           
      Appendix II: Access: The Delmarva Barrier Islands and Chesapeake Islands
                                                                                                                         151
      Appendix III: Recommended Reading                                                            155
      Suggested Inserts                                                                                          159