My idea of hell...

General chat about boats
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Nessa
Posts: 2290
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:16 pm
Location: East Angular

My idea of hell...

Post by Nessa »

...is sailing the moth in light winds like we had yesterday. Of course I ignored all the advice to try a first sail in winds above 5knots, and attemtped to give it a go. Not, however, without first letting da yoof test it for me; he capsized almost immediately (he likes to sail standing up, nuff said) and then several times more, could not get back in the boat and drifted ignominiously to shore.

Inspired by this I gave it a go, making sure I had a strong windsurfing chap to hold it for me while I got in and drifted away from the bank very very slowly. What followed can only be described as awful. I quickly realised how low the boom is, how tippy the boat is, hopw awkward a fully battened main can be and most importnatly, how much I needed to non slip the floor.

The rudder was so light that I could feel nothing, and I quickly realised the only way to tack was to do it with body weight and sail trim. I also realised I just needed to squat in the middle of the boat because of the light wind, which was just as well, because every time I ventured up one side I slid back into the middle again.

Unless you are one, you can have no idea of the pressure felt by a Senior Instructor who knows that the eyes of all her cadets are upon her as she complete ignores the five essentials of balance, trim, daggerboat, course and sail setting whilst attemtping to not tip violently from side to side. Eventually I made one lurch sideways too many and felt the windward wing gracefully skimming the water. At that point I was so hot and bothered what followed was actually quite welcome and to my joy I found the boat was pleasantly easy to right.

Getting in was another matter. I did manage tnot to flip the thing, but only because another SI sailed up and held on to the leeward wind while I hauled my sodden body out of the drink and then spun around a few times on the skid pan that is the floor of the boat. Such exertion meant there was only one thing to do: get a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.

In true moth style it has now developed a crack along the foredeck where one layer of something is coming away from soemthings else. The silver of the duck tape matches the red lilac nicely though. Should you now be looking for the boat on ebay, given the horrendous nature of my suffering? No. While it isn' the sheer, smooth joy of the contender, when it does go, boy does it go! Just right for a speed freak like me.
The Peril
Agamemnon
Lovely little Cadet
OK 1954
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Finn 469
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jpa_wfsc
Posts: 1188
Joined: Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:52 pm
Location: Oxford (Work) Coteswold Water Park (Sailing)

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by jpa_wfsc »

sounds awfully familiar...
j./

National 12 "Spider" 2523
Finn K468 'Captain Scarlet'

British Moth, 630, early 60's 'Pisces'

!!!! Not CVRDA !!!!
Comet Trio - something always ready to sail.
chris
Posts: 2474
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:43 pm
Location: somerset

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by chris »

I assume this isn't the British moth? that did so well in the non-existant winds at Bristol avon yesterday.
But your vivid description reminds me of the entertainment provided at Baltic Warf some years ago by someone with a moth, still on the learning curve, in winds too light to get going. The expletives reverberated off the SS Great Britain and Cabot's Mathew every time there was a capsize, one way or the other, which really was every three seconds. It made a great spectator sport from our table at The Cottage pub.
Nessa
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Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:16 pm
Location: East Angular

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by Nessa »

naw, it was me in the purple peril...I now have bruises to match!
The Peril
Agamemnon
Lovely little Cadet
OK 1954
Xena Warrior Princess
Finn 469
Laser 2
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bert
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Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 4:09 pm
Location: all over the place

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by bert »

The secret to a tippy boat is that you need wind to lean against then it is surprisingly pleasent.Never go out unless there is at least 5Mph of wind to support you,Doe`s sound a bit of a bad day.
Garry R
Posts: 856
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2004 1:01 pm
Location: Chapel Allerton Somerset

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by Garry R »

Nessa - by now you must have at least one boat for every condition of wind known to man so I respectfully suggest that it wasn't the wrong type of wind just the wrong boat that you took on the day! Just like there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!
PaulM
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 6:23 pm
Location: Hampshire

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by PaulM »

A total lack of breeze is not necessarily impossible - it just takes practise........I have a photo in an old newsletter that shows it but can't post it.

You wouldn't believe it to look at me now, but I used to be able to crouch between the front of the daggerboard and the kicker, to keep the weight well forward. You have to keep very still compared to most boats, and move quicker, and if you allow just a small amount of heel you have the weight of the mast to balance against - just don't let it start penduluming, let it go one way or the other and catch it as the wing hits the water. Have you put buoyancy in the ends of the wings, round the bars or inside the pockets? That will help somewhat; but temporarily, or for light weather only, you could lash some slabs of foam or big bundles of bubblewrap under the trampolines.

The first, borrowed, Moth I sailed was a Mistral design, very rounded and tippy but with a footwell so you could get your weight low, which was actually not hard to stay aboard in a drifter. My own first Moth was wide and stable, but like yours had shiny new paint in the self-draining cockpit, and I fell out 7 times in as many minutes on the first try.....

Surfboard wax is supposed to be good for shiny cockpits; another old Moth trick is a bit of fine sand scattered onto fresh paint. To save the weight of the sand (!) some guys would sprinkle sugar on the wet paint, then when it had dried dissolve it with hot water to leave the roughness in the paint.

Paul
Michael Brigg
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Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:11 pm
Location: Gosport, UK

Re: My idea of hell...

Post by Michael Brigg »

Nessa wrote: ...At that point I was so hot and bothered what followed was actually quite welcome and to my joy I found the boat was pleasantly easy to right..
There is a joke along these lines where Adolf, or Ghenghis, or for that matter any other tyrant, so I suppose Aggamemnon counts for that too :wink: is being given a tour of Hell to see the accomodation. He sees several pariahs standing up to their necks in warm pooh sipping iced tea, and thinks to himself that Hell actually isn't so bad.

At which point Old Nic pops up and shouts:-

"Right, Tea breaks over, Back on your heads!" :twisted: :twisted:
Michael Brigg
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