Author Archives: Mike Caskey

84th Sail: Rogue Puff

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Near Capsize

Rogue Puff!

Where Do I Begin, To Tell The  Story…?

8.8.23

                                                                                 84th Sail

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It was Tuesday morning. The weather report had finally settled on a near perfect day. Forecast was for temps of 69-89, with winds out of the West then changing to WNW by noon. Wind speed was predicted at 8 mph until 11:00, then 9 mph for the rest of the day, and rain chance in the single digits and sunny. How could I resist!

We arrived at Beatty’s Ford Landing around 10:00 am. My guest for the day was Alan. The wind was blowing westerly at around 10 mph. But I digress. I had some trouble getting the boat out of its parking space at the house. The port side sighting pipe on the trailer hit a tree and bent backwards. I had to stop and straighten the pipe, then jack my way out. It took about 10 minutes. We rigged the boat and launched shortly after noon. I found out only after I returned that I forgot to set the downhaul. This probably contributed to the sail giving more power that I wanted considering the wind. Just before I launched, I checked the weather forecast again. They changed it. Image that. Now the forecast was for 7 mph winds at noon, then 8 mph at 1:00, then 9 mph at 2:00, then 10 mph by 4 pm. Well they got the increasing winds part right, but it all came a lot sooner.

We started on starboard tack, but the winds were back winding us from the shore. We did have some trouble catching the wind, but not as much trouble as last time. Once out into the channel, there was plenty of wind, as usual. We switched to port tack and maintained it until we came about at channel marker D10. Winds were 10-12 mph with occasional puffs of 15-20 mph. Wind shifts were often 20-30 degrees. We sailed mostly from a beam reach to a broad reach, but occasionally a close haul. Waves were 18” increasing to 24” with light white caps. We sailed rapidly, passing Gordon’s Island in 35 minutes and the Lake Norman Yacht Club in less than an hour! We saw our friend, the osprey on the nest on top of channel marker D7. I caught site of a colorful sail in the distance probably near the Lake Norman Yacht Club. It was bright blue, with some red and yellow. That was the only sailboat on the lake while were there. A lot of sailors missed a lot of fun! As we approached channel marker D10, we saw a large marina to the west. The winds were increasing, and so was the pain in my back. The channel from that point on was much narrower. I had been in that channel once before, years ago. It would have been a lot of tacking on a windy day. After we passed the marker, we jibed and came about at 1:35. We sailed back on a similar path to the one we went out on, but a bit more easterly because the wind was driving us. We were sailing mostly on a close haul, but sometimes on a beam reach. Wind shifts were often 30 degrees, and one about 50 degrees. Then came the biggie about channel marker D6. The wind shifted almost 180 degrees and sent us back the way we came. We jibed and came about to continue our journey. We had no becalming lulls. Some were down around 6-8 mph, but they did not last long. Winds were increasing. They were normally around 12 mph but sometimes as high as 15. Puffs were in the upper teens to lower twenties. I yanked my mainsheet twice to save the boat. I also turned the boat into the wind on several occasions to avoid a capsize. Waves were about 24” with white caps coming and going, mostly coming. Alan questioned me again about the boat heeling. He said that he wasn’t aware that it was heeling. Several times on the trip, I told him to look and the water level on the opposite side of the boat. It was right up near the rim.

As we were passing the islands north of Gordon’s Island, I tacked couple of times to avoid running out of water. We also received some timely lifts to turn us toward the dock. You will notice on the map how the wind shifted more northerly at the islands. I have noticed that trend before. As we entered the main channel, just past Gordons Island, it started to get interesting. The wind was now blowing straight down the dog leg of the channel WNW. Waves increased to 30” with some boat chop and wakes to 3’. There were heavier white caps. The wind speed was about 15 mph with puffs up around 20 mph. It was also mostly cloudy so the water was grey. I sheeted out about half way, even though I was on close haul. I was trying to get a layline for the dock, but I decided to tack and cross the lake before approaching the bay. I tacked into the full furry of the wind. We got caught in a blow in the mid to upper teens. The sails were rattling and the boom was shaking! Now I know why the boom was shaking. The outhaul was not set! We could not achieve enough boat speed and a couple of tacks failed. On the third try, we tacked and sailed toward channel marker D2 at the point. I pointed out to Alan that this is what it looks like on the lake when the weatherman predicts 10 mph in Charlotte. (By the way, his predictions are almost always a few mph less on Lake Norman. I ignore the local prediction.)

 As we sailed into the bay, we were under the lee of the land, and the wind and waves diminished. Winds were 10-12 with some puffs in the mid- teens. The winds became variable with some dead lulls. They were often 1-2 mph and swirly. We would occasionally get a puff around 8-10 mph to move us along. I continued to tack my way toward the dock. My intention was to sail to the Rescue Station, then sail parallel to the shore and cut to port to the dock. It worked last time. I actually had to sail south of the Rescue Station because of the available winds. As we passed the Rescue Station, maybe 100 yards off shore, I had sheeted in my main preparing to drop it. Winds were less than 5 mph. We were just trying to limp the boat in. Suddenly, without warning, a huge puff came in off the land. Alan was thrown to the starboard side seat and I was  thrown to the deck on top of the tiller extender. Water poured over the starboard side onto the seat and cascaded onto the floor! (Ok, this is the third time that I have written this account of what happened. Actually, the whole thing happened in just a few seconds. I have only 2 pictures left in my feeble mind regarding the incident. One was the water pouring over the side onto the seat, then cascading onto the deck. The other was that I was laying on the tiller extender. I pieced together this description based on a phone conversation that I had with Alan Smith the next day. The rest is blanked out of my memory).   I lost my handle to the tiller. We both scrambled onto the port side seat, and the boat spun around to port and settled! Thank you LORD, we were saved from a capsize! We were both out of position to receive that puff. I realized that neither one of us panicked. We regained our composure, and got back on the seats. The water sucked out the automatic bailer and was gone by the time we got to the dock. We sailed slowly to the dock, but the wind gave out about 50 feet from the dock. We glided to a stop and then the wind slowly back winded us out. We got out the paddles and moved toward the dock. We then picked up a very slight breeze to port which allowed us to glide into the dock.

We crawled out of the boat onto the dock about 3:35 pm. What a crazy ride! It never got hot. There was spray flying in our face most of the way as we bounced and cut through the waves. It kept us cool, though the water was warm as bath water. That was the closest that I have come to a knock down.  Note: no pictures on the trip. We were far too busy and it was not safe to bring out the camera. We packed up and left for home about 5:30, tired, sore, and happy! What an adventure and what a day!

Weather Stats (at the airport)

Highest wind speed          15 mph SW               Our experience was higher

Highest gust                        22 mph SW               Our experience was higher

          Temp                                       70-87

Water temp                           86 degrees               Felt like bath water

63rd Sail: High Winds

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It was Friday. The day before, I was planning to go sailing on Saturday. The weather forecast changed my mind. The weather was predicted for Friday NNE 10 mph winds from 10:00 to 12:00 then diminishing to 6 by 2:00 pm with clear skies. The Saturday forecast featured 5-6 mph. I rose a 4:00 am to catch the morning wind, full aware that it would probably be blowing harder on the lake. I arrived at 7:00 am to set up the boat and launched about 9:00 am. I had already been warned by a fisherman coming off the water that the winds were strong. I had a tough time getting away from the dock because the point shielded the wind. It was swirling but generally very light. Finally getting a point of sail, I moved out into the channel on port tack. My intent was to sail on a beam reach past Gordon’s Island straight toward the causeway. The best laid plans… When out of the lea of the point I caught the wind (and the waves). There were moderate white caps and waves from 24” to 30”. The wind was relentless. Wind speeds were generally 14-15 mph with puffs up to 20 mph and very few lulls down around 12 mph. There were also sustained winds in the upper teens. There were also wind shifts with the puffs of maybe 20 degrees. I was up on the gunwales, on a beam then gradually moving to a close haul. I was spilling air, so I could not point up very high. The boat was crashing through the waves with spray flying in my face. The wind was drying my lips and my tongue out, so I was parched with thirst. I could not get to the water bottles on the deck because one hand was on the tiller and the other was on the sheets. The wind was dragging the boat to leeward. I was actually on course to reach a fountain near the shore south of Gordon’s Island and much further east. Before that I was approaching the shoals. I decided to sail south of the shoals and tack between the shoals and the shore. I waited to get a reasonable wind speed, the tacked quickly. I sailed NW on a close haul spilling air, then tacked again until I was south of Gordon’s Island. I thought that sailing under the lea of the island might help, but I was too far way. I tried to tack again, but the tack failed. I was spilling too much air and did not have sufficient boat speed to tack. I tacked again successfully a couple of times. Heading east, still south of Gordons Island, the big one caught me. I was on port tack and sensed that the boat was about to capsize. I yanked the sheets, but only the jib sheet disengaged. The boat settled somewhat  so I yanked the main sheet again and the boat settled in irons.  I reset the sails and headed on. I tried to tack again and failed again. I finally got a successful tack and headed back into the main channel directly across from Gordon’s Island. By this time, my old back had enjoyed enough hiking out.  I was on starboard tack on a close haul but spilling air. I sheeted out to a beam reach and came about. It was going to be iffy reaching the bay at the dock without jibing. The wind was shifting to and fro, toward and away from the point. I also sensed a bit of weatherhelm on the tiller.  I did not want an involuntary jib in this wind. I feathered enough corrections go get my around the point, then tacked to a beam reach for the dock. As I passed under the lea of the point the wind died, revived, changed direction, back winded off the shore, etc. When I was 300 feet from the dock, I sheeted in. At 100 feet, I dropped the main on a straight course for the dock. The main did not drop all the way. I ended up in a pile of sails and could not see where I was going. By the time I cleared enough sail to see, the boat was at the dock, but not the one I was aiming at. I crossed over to the starboard side and grabbed a horn cleat to stop the boat. I landed at 10:45 am.

While on the dock, I met a group of people, old like me, that were getting on a pontoon boat to go to lunch. The lady that owned the boat told the others that she brought them along for back labor. I quoted Ben Hur: We keep you alive to serve this ship. They also inquired about the sailboat. I quoted John 3:8 to them in the conversation. One of the men in the group quoted “Praise the Lord and come about”. I don’t know the source. I also showed him the Sonrise logo on the transom.

I was sore and beat up, but happy. After I packed up, I went straight to the chiropractor’s office. He took x-rays and found that my atlas was crooked as well as my back.

The only thing on the forget list this time was my hat. I had a spare in the cuddy.

I also spoke with a lady and her 3 year old child at the dock. She wanted to know the conditions on the lake. Her husband and daughter where out on jet skis. I told her about the waves and wind and the potential capsize. She asked me if that scared me. I told her not any more. I know what to do to avoid a capsize.

 

Weather stats:

Temperature:      64-85

Maximum sustained wind:    20 mph

Maximum gust:                      25 mph

Again, no surprises from what I saw on the lake.

 

Yes I still have more the learn. I can’t wait for my next lesson!

 

Mike Caskey #2789

 

 

 

50th Sail: Jubilee!!

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img_1308At long last, my 50th sail on the Javelin had arrived. Saturday morning, I had had about all  of my job that I could stand. I had to get away. The forecast was for 8 mph winds @ 11:00 then 9 mph for the rest of the day, all out of the NW. The downer was a prediction of 97 degrees, but PC with only a 20% chance of rain. Sounded delicious! When I hear 9 mph, I usually see 10-12 mph on the lake, which is the sweet spot for the javelin.
I was delayed somewhat because a Wildlife officer set up shop in the parking lot checking safety equipment on boats. Beth at home, and I on site, spent some time looking for the boat registration. We never found it. The wildlife officer did not ask for the registration or check my boat. I did get him to take my picture sitting in the boat. I launched a little after 11:00 with a strange new problem. img_1312The wind was blowing off the land straight down the dock. When I set up for port tack, it shifted to starboard. When I crossed to starboard, it shifted to port. I finally just let go of the dock, drifted out, found a broad reach, and sailed out. I gradually changed from broad reach, to beam to close haul. I was under the lee of the point until I reached the channel, where I saw the white caps. The chop was 18” to 24”. Winds varied from 10-13 mph out of the NW. During the trip, I faced 3 foot waves that slapped the bow up and down. The spray as the boat cut through the waves was thrilling! During the trip the bumpers were knocked off and the bow line was rocked into the water. I recovered it during a lull.

There were a lot of wind shifts and puffs were in the mid to upper teens. I was able to start on the west side of the lake and tack at a long angle across to the east. Then I would tack almost straight across, then back to the long angle. I was spilling a little air because of the strong puffs. Sometimes I could sail on a beam reach. I moved rapidly NE passing Gordon’s Island about 11:30 and the next island about 11:45. By 12:30 I had reached the Lake Norman Yacht Club. There were few boats on the lake by then. The winds were becoming increasingly variable. Lulls were down to 8 or 9 mph with stronger puffs in the upper teens. Then, a little passed the yacht club, I had my first potential knock down. The water was up to the gunwale. I kept turning the boat into wind, but the wind shift was huge. I finally sensed that I may be going over. I yanked the jib sheet and the boat settled. I rode out the puff, then continued NE. The winds became more variable, dropping to 4-5 mph and then blowing to the upper teens. I had another potential knock down and I yanked the jib sheet again! On my map, I saw that I was reaching the end of the wide part of the lake. I saw a mile marker. I decided that I would pass the marker then turn for the dock. Several times, I tacked to sail up stream and every time, the wind would shift and I would end up sailing almost straight across the lake, making little progress up wind. Finally, I decided to give it one more try. I tacked in the middle of the lake and it worked (almost). I was sailing on a close haul, straight toward the marker with land to starboard. I was between a rock and a hard place. The wind shifted slightly and I sailed between marker D 10 and the shore.img_1314 After several hundred yards, I came about, jibed (my only successful jibe of the trip) and started toward the dock. It was just after 2:00 pm.

Shortly thereafter, the wind died for the first time. I bobbed around for a few minutes, then I was on my way, under shifting winds of 7-9 mph with higher puffs. I would sail about a ½ mile anywhere between a broad reach and a close haul, mostly on a beam, then the wind would die again. As I approached the Lake Norman Yacht Club, I was running out of water again. I decided to jibe. Winds were about 9 mph. I pulled in the main sheet, started the jibe and the boom crossed over. About the time that the jibe was complete, there was a huge wind shift and a blow. The boat swung around 18O degrees and pointed into the wind. I was pretty violent!! I sailed on, on a close haul. Then the wind died in front if the yacht club. Two teen agers in 12’ Lasers approached me. I talked with them awhile, trading info about our boats. It was then about 3:00. Then I headed toward the dock. The winds continued to lull to almost nothing and puff into the teens, but generally around 8 or 9 mph. My hike out pads had ridden up in my pants to where they were ineffective. I could not get them down. I spent the rest of the trip, sitting on the gunnel bruising my bottom. I was pretty sore.

Nearing marker D5 I was running out of water again. I had the D5 marker and the shoal marker to starboard. I decided to jibe. The jibe again appeared to be successful, the same thing happened again. I had a huge wind shift. The jib sheet slipped off the cleat and the figure eight knot failed! The jib went flogging off into the wind!. The boat swung violently around and pointed into the wind. It had also drifted about 100 yards away from the marker. I had to pull in the starboard jib sheet in until I could grab the reach the port sheet that was flogging in the wind. I reset the sheet in the cleat and continued the journey on close haul.

I sailed across the channel, setting course to round the point, sailing mostly on a beam. Once around the point, I sailed in on a close haul. I dropped the main a couple hundred yards out and sailed in on the jib. The wind died a couple of times. I had to hail a boat that was about to take my leeward slot on the dock. They were kind enough to move the windward side. With one more slight puff, I glided into the dock for a perfect landing around 4:00 pm. What a ride!! I was sore and tired, with a headache and a sore bottom, and extremely dehydrated.img_1322

I pulled the boat out and parked beside another much larger sailboat being derigged. I started up a conversation with the guy who was wearing a hat and shirt from an unmentionable school. We discussed the trip on the lake. I found out that he had been given the boat that very day. He had sailed on smaller boats but never one this large before. It was an O’Day 222 1986. Then he saw my Calvary Church sticker on my truck and asked me if I go to Calvary. I told him yes and asked his name. It was Kyle,  the son of a friend at church.  I warned him about the trees in front of him in case he was about to pull forward with his mast up. He then admitted that he had planned to drive the boat down the street to find a storage place. He asked if there would be trees on the way out. I responded: Power lines!. I then met his wife Margaret. She asked me if I was Hope’s dad. She and Hope had been in youth group together. Small world.img_1325

Weather stats: Maximum sustained wind: 18 mph. Maximum gust: 25 mph. So much for 9 mph!

The Jubilee sail was quite an adventure. I will need to recover a few days before I try it again. My pressure job continues. While on the boat, I received a call from a restaurant that we finished a month ago saying that there was a leak in the kitchen again. I dispatched a plumber while on the lake. Today, Sunday, they called again to say that the water heater had quit for the 4th time. Tomorrow will be another day in paradise.

34th Sail 10/17/11 Sixth Single Hand We’ve Got Wind!

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Monday morning, my customer could not make up her mind about a faucet on my jobsite. I put the word out that this would probably the last adventure for the season.  No positive reponses. The weather bureau predicted nearly record high temperatures of 84 with 5-10 mph wind and no rain. Weather Channel went down over night, but their last prediction was 8 mph. I have come to understand this summer that their predicted speed was the lull speed. This understanding was definitely true today.

I started the rigging process and found that I had lost the protector wire for the rudder. I even looked for it in the parking lot where I had packed up last time. I ended up rigging a piece of cable. Then when I was about to launch, I found that I had not set the lower pental and had to pull the cable and thread a new one. I finally launched about 12:15 into what the weather bureau called an 8 mph wind.

I sailed north around the point an went up the main channel. The theory was that I could sail on a beam in and out of the main channel and only have to tack from the point back to the dock on the return. What I didn’t count on was that the main channel took a dog leg to the north. I was then sailing with the wind again, which meant  that I had to tack back. As I rounded the point, the white caps started up. Wind speeds were 11-12 with gusts to 15 or so. Riding on a beam reach, quickly ran to the west end of the channel, then headed north. I was able to pull in the main before jibing to keep it from radically swinging from one side to the other. A couple of miles up the channel, the boom swung across on a jib, and the mainsheet raked my glasses off my face. At first I thought that they had been swept over board. Then I found the clip on sunglasses on the seat, then found the glasses on the floor aft. I thanked the Lord for preserving my glasses. I need to find a new clip to hold them on. I sailed past mile marker 7, but never saw mile marker 8. It must a have been around the next bend. The scenery was gorgeous. I wish that I could have taken pictures. There was too much wind to handle a camera. I tacked at 1:10 and started back. The wind speed was increasing and the waves were a 12” and above. I let the main out about half way to handle the wind. This meant that my point of sail was inefficient. I was spilling a lot of air. I tacked my way back out to the easterly dog leg, negotiating the shoals at the entrance. Now the winds were 12 to 14 with puffs near 20. I was sailing between a close haul and a beam, with a lot of wind shifts. I tried to sail under the lee of the shore to deminish the power of the wind, but generally I tried to stay on close hall to feather against large puffs. The waves increased to about 18” with 2’ boat wakes. I only saw 3 other sailboats on the lake. One was a catamaran with a grey sail.

As I rounded the point , the waves were increasing and the puffs came more frequently. I decided that it was time to get off the water. I sailed across the channel looking for a layline to the dock. I had to tack because I was approaching a shoal. The tack failed twice because I was spilling too much air. I brought the main in some, and picked up some speed. Then the tack was successful. From then on, at each tack, the wind drove me off my layline. I had to tack 4 or 5 times to get a good layine up wind to the dock. Then I ran on a close haul and ended up slightly down wind the dock. I decided to sail right at the leeward dock then cut into the wind toward the windward dock. The plan worked, almost. I drifted a few feet from the dock then was taken back in the wind. I cut  the boat to port, picked up speed and came aoout again only to come up short again. The third time around, I had enough speed, a little too much actually. I rammed the dock at 2-3 mph.  The boat survived. I used the boat hook to pull into the dock. Once secure, I lead the boat around the dock to the windward side so that the wind would not push the boat away from the trailer. I then backed the trailer close to the dock so that I could pull the boat on the trailer. If my map tracing is accurate, this was one of my longest trips( about 17 miles).  Sailing on a beam in moderate to high winds had a lot to do with the distance.

I did a lot of praying on this trip that the”big one” would not capsize the boat. With water temperatures about 70 degrees, I did not want to swim. The Lord answered that prayer. The weather bureau said that the maximum sustained wind speed was 14 mph and maximum gust was 18 mph. From where I was, 14 was a frequent speed and the puffs were at least 18. I went home tired and sore, but happy.

32nd Sail 9/27/11 Fifth Single Hand Wild Ride!

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Tuesday morning, I had only a little going on on by jobsite.
A front was passing through, and uncharacturisticallly for September, it had been raining for several days. There was a thunderstorm at 6 am, but the weatherman promised clearing skies by 9 and 10 mph winds all day with 20% chance of rain and a high of 84. Sounds delicious!  I left  the house at 6:45. I stopped at a customer’s shop in Birkdale Village to adjust a shelf, then headed for the lake. I arrived at Beatties Ford about 9:20 to see white caps, and gray skies with a few breaks
for sun.

I launched about 10:45. The wind was blowing out of the SW 12-15 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Waves were 12” to 18”. One of those clouds sprinkled on me as I went out but that was all the rain that I saw. I was spilling some air because of the gusts. I tacked into the wind heading south toward the dam. Because I was spilling air, I could not point up very high and my progress was slow. A couple of the 20 mph puffs heeled the boat almost to the gunwale. There were very few boats on the lake. The cloud bans were crossing the lake so that it was difficult to discern between a puff coming in and cloud shadow. I saw one sailboat with a cabin from a distance crossing the lake a couple of times, but then it disappeared from my sight.

I was about 3 to 4 miles from the dock when a steady 20 mph wind came up from the SW. I was sailing on starboard tack on a close haul. I sheeted out the main and the jib until they were luffing. I kept the boat on close haul feathering into the wind to keep the wind from overpowering the sails. I also tighten the outhaul and the cunningham to reduce the power.  I kept the sheets cleated, but kept a hand on the sheets in case I need to luff one or the other to prevent capsizing. The sails chattered in the wind. I soon found out that this was no puff. The wind continued for 10 to 15 minutes, blowing me about 2 miles across this 3 mile wide section of lake. The waves increased to about  2 feet. I was approaching an island. I decided to sheet out the main and head back to the dock. I came about to a broad reach which pointed toward another island. So then I jibed, (or tried to!). I pulled the main in to lessen the force of the swinging boom. A puff hit and jerked the mainsheet out of my hand. The boat heeled and I was thrown to the deck. I lost the tiller and the boat spun around into the wind and settled. I then regained control and set a course across the lake toward the dock. Winds had calmed to about 12 mph but the 2’ waves lingered on. I sailed across the lake on a broad to a beam reach. I thought that the winds would be lighter
under the lee of the shore.

When I reached the windward side of the lake, the winds were steady at 12- 15. I thought that the wild ride was over. I decided to jibe and head back across the lake, still heading back toward the dock. I was wrong in my decision. About half way across the lake, the winds came back again. I rode out the wind in the same manner. As I closed in on the leeward side of the lake, I jibed and ran on a beam reach for the dock. The winds backed off again to around 10-12. I guess you didn’t  hear me mention any lulls. There were hardly any on the trip. One of 3-4 mph and a couple about 8 mph. I tried to figure out how I was going to keep from crashing when I landed. The wind shifted so that it was blowing almost straight out from the dock. Easy solution: I sailed in on a close haul then turned in straight down the side of the dock. I dropped my sails about 30’ out and glided straight in. I did have to grab the dock to stop the boat. I was traveling 3-4 mph when I arrived. A perfect landing! That’s 5 in a row! I landed about 12:30. I said thank you, Lord for the adventure and getting me back in safe. Once again the Javelin performed well in high winds.

The official weather report from the airport was maximum sustained winds of 16 mph with maximum gust of 21 mph. I never heard of a 15 minute long gust, but I was also not sailing at the airport. So much for the 9-10 mph prediction. This was just a little over a year from the 9/16/10 sail where we almost capsized.  The winds continued in this pattern for the rest of the day. I went home very sore from the fall and from battling the wind. Yes, I am ready to go again!

Near Capsize!

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Thursday, we adjusted schedules and headed to Beatties Ford. The weather services were predicting 12 mph with gusts to 21 out of the southwest. It was just too delicious to pass up. My guest for the day was again Alan. We launched about 12:00 noon. The wind was blowing about 14 mph at launch with white caps.

We quickly found out that the wind was blowing hard, very hard. We had difficulty tacking. We were spilling a lot of wind to keep us from capsizing. Because we let the sails out, we could not point up higher.  We sailed south toward the nuclear power plant. We wind came in waves with long puffs and short lulls. The waves were 12” to 18” with a few 24” after large boats passed by. There were almost no clouds in the sky. The wind kept increasing as we sailed toward an island, then tacked to starboard. We sailed toward a shoal marker on a close haul on port tack. We went to the lee of the marker but the wind was so relentless that I did not feel comfortable about tacking. We were running out of water, so I decided to come about and run back. When we turned, we came back to a beam reach. The wind hit us hard as the boom swung around the boat lunched over and water came over the slash rail on the seat. We thought we were going to capsize, but the very stable Javelin turned on into the wind and righted! We brought the boat to a broad reach a very quickly made our way to the middle of the almost 2 mile wide channel. We jibed with some difficultly to center us into the channel. We got a good lay line to the dock and I aimed to windward to the dock. We ran quickly on a beam to the dock, with spray splashing over the bow! We dropped the sails and drifted safely into the dock. We were only out for 1.5 hours. What a crazy ride. I called Beth and she noted the Weather Channel said that the wind was at 19 mph. The Weather Bureau said that the maximum sustained wind was 22 mph and the maximum gust was 28 mph. This was the highest wind speed I have ever been out in, or ever hope to.

16th Sail Solo! July 17, 2008

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John 3:8

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Thursday morning, I went again to Lake Norman, again to the Beatties Ford Access Area. Grace could not come because of VBS. I tried to find several people to come with me to no avail. I decided to single hand the boat for the first time. The wind was prediction was 7 mph by 9 am and increasing to 12 mph by noon then 10 mph for the rest of the day. Officially, that’s about what happened, but not where I was. Accu-weather recorded 10 mph at noon and 13 mph at 1:00 pm. The weather bureau recorded the highest wind speed at 15 mph with the highest gust at 22 mph. That is what I saw starting a 12:05 pm until I landed at almost 1:00 pm. The wind was shifty generally out of the ENE. The sky had puffy little clouds with temperatures of 65 to 90 degrees. A beautiful day!!!!!!!!!!

I took my time setting up, about an hour and ten minutes. I tried a new and better technique for launching. I tied off the bow by looping around the horn cleat at the dock. I let the boat drift with the wind. It was coming in from the lake at about 45 degrees to the dock and very light. This allowed me to let the jib flog and raise the mainsail in irons. Then I just pulled the boat end of the bow line. It slid off the horn cleat and I was under way.

The winds were so light that it took about 5 minutes to move about 25 feet. Then I picked up a lift and moved out into the channel. The dock was partially sheltered by a point to port. Once I came out from the shelter of the point the wind picked up. The winds were varying from almost calm to about 9 mph. This allowed me time to get everything organized and get oriented to single handing the boat. I had a lot of trouble, as usual, making progress up wind. Every time I tacked, there would be a wind shift of 2 or 3 points. It always seemed to be a header. I had very few lifts.

Finally I got a decent lay line to move toward Davidson Creek at the main channel. I decided to go up the main channel for the first time. I was running between a close haul and a beam most of the way. The winds had increased to about 10 mph with some higher gusts that caused me to hike out. I sailed past several islands and some expensive houses. The boat traffic was fairly light, but there were some large boats as well as jet skis. I sailed up near a bridge on Burton Road, then decided that I should head back. As I approached Davidson Creek the winds increased. About 12:05, I saw the first white caps. The waves were increasing as well. I had to tack out to the middle of the channel to get a lay line around the point. As I went on port tack. the wind really picked up. The waves were 18” high will higher swells due to large boat wakes. I was nearly a mile from land in any direction. I let the main out about ½ way sailing on close haul. I decided to come about  and sail for the dock on a broad reach. I let the sail all the way out. I jibed a couple of times with the waves increasing. I got caught in a couple of swells that caused the boat to heel severely to windward. Then the boat started to pitch from port aft to starboard forward.  I knew that this was dangerous and could cause a running capsize. With the sail all the way out I headed up to a beam reach. This stopped the rocking. I was now heading toward the dock.

I sailed into the dock area on the port side of the dock and then turned the boat into the wind. I dropped the main and sailed on the jib straight at the dock. The boat stalled about 10 feet from the dock. I paddled to the dock and threw the bow line around the cleat. A lady on the dock, with her 2 small children who were very interested in the sailboat, helped me tie off the stern.

The next challenge was to trailer the boat. Because of the heavy chop and wind, the boat was bobbing around like a cork. I submerged the end of the trailer in the water. I took the bow line and pulled the boat around to the first roller. Then I pulled the boat up with the winch. My rebuilt trailer, with the fitting tapered bunks, centered the boat and I came up easy. YES! I had successfully launched, sailed, landed, and trailered the boat single handed.

I broke down the rigging in about an hour and ten minutes, with a couple of phone calls for interruptions.  The trip home via Hwy 16 and I 485 was about an hour: much faster than the I 77 route.

It is a lot more fun to go with someone, but I am no longer bound to finding a crew when I want to sail. I was also amazed how fast and far I could go with a stiff breeze and 300 pounds less on board. I went from 3 people to 1 person. The trip was about 9 miles in less than 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

12th Sail The Pinnacles 10/20/07

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Saturday morning, Grace and I went again to Lake Norman, this time to the Pinnacle Access Area. Our guest for today was Alea. The wind with temperatures of 56 to 80 degrees. A beautiful day!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sailing turned out to be an adventure. We put the boat in the water at the dock with a 14 mph wind blowing directly into the land. We had large rocks to starboard and shallow muddy shore to port. We pointed the boat out into the wind and untied the boat. The jib was set to the wrong side and the boat spun around and quickly grounded broad side into the shallow muddy shore. All our efforts to free the boat failed. We lowered the sails, but the wind drove the boat against the shore. We paddled and pushed and poled in the mud to no avail. Grace got in the water and pulled the boat down the shore. We attached the anchor rope to the bow line. A fisherman pulled the boat to the end of the dock. He warned us that the wind was blowing hard out there. I responded by saying “Yes sir, that’s why we came! Then he used his boat to pull us out into the middle of the lake. After examining the pictures of the dock just before we launched, we would have had a hard time tacking out of the area judging from the wind angle and the objects on each side. The severe drought has caused the water level to be way down and narrowed the landing area significantly.

We sailed north under beam reach with winds from 9 to 12 mph. We sailed into a large cove and ate lunch with the wind pulling the anchor along. We had to tack out of the cove. Then we sailed north up the channel. The winds diminished to 5 to 7 with some absolute lulls. All of a sudden we saw a puff coming across the water out of the north. The puff hit us with 20 + mph winds which sustained for 2 to 3 minutes. There were (2) strong puffs within the gust that knocked the boat on the gunwale twice about 10 seconds apart. Each time I turned the boat into the wind to depower it. The second time I just pointed the boat into irons and let the puff pass. Then I turned the boat around and sailed with the wind toward the dock. The wind was swirling. It reminded me of Mountain Island. I was in front and to the side and behind then back to the front. No wind then lots of wind. Once on the way back we were hit with another strong puff. The water was up on the gunwale. I turned it into the wind to save the boat. We got a layline for the landing and sailed right up to the dock with out incident. Three potential knock downs in one day. What a day!!!!!

 

9th Sail Chestnut Tree June 23, 2007

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Our 9th trip on the Javelin was FANTASTIC!!!!! We got out earlier on Saturday morning. We were on the water on Mountain Island Lake by 9:30. The winds were out of the north. There were (2) radically different predictions. One said 3 mph in the morning to 5-6 in the afternoon. The other said 11 mph in the morning trailing to 3 mph in the afternoon. Weather channel won. Winds were 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 13 mph, with gusts to 18 mph. What a ride!!!

We were up on the gunnels all morning. I am getting the technique of tacking and jibbing down, but I need more work. I have found it easier to cleat the mainsheet just before the tack and make the maneuver without the mainsheet in my hand. I have not been able to pass the tiller extender and the mainsheet behind my back, as the Start Sailing Right book says. We also seemed to have no trouble with the boat waves, and most boats gave us a wide birth.

Our guest for the day was Adam. After sailing up to the Neck Road Access power lines, we returned to the bay north of the lower ramp around 11:00

He and Grace went swimming while I caught up on my phone calls and ate lunch. I noticed that the bridge on the Charlotte side of the lake appeared a little higher than the other side. We decided to try to get under the bridge. We sailed within 100 yards and dropped the sails. We paddled slowly between the rocks at the shore and the first pylons. The boat cleared about 6 inches. We sailed under sharply diminishing winds along the Charlotte side because there were (3) sets of power lines that appeared to be higher on that side. We made it under all sets, though the middle set looked a little close.

We sailed to Mountain Island. The last 3 hundred yards were aided by paddle. We noticed a NO TRESSPASSING SIGN. A family already on shore read the sign to us saying that we were not to be there after dark. We landed on the North end of the island and followed a trail to the opposite side. There were many families landed and day camping on the island. There was an excellent view of the dam. We were looking for the American chestnut tree that I had been told about when I was at State. We hike all the way around the island making side trips to the center to try to find the tree. We met a man that said he had been visiting the island for 30 years and had never seen a chestnut tree. He told us about a chimney from a house used to house men that built the dam in 1924. We saw the rock chimney but there was no evidence left of the house.

We continued back to the boat. We had not seen the north tip of the island, so we headed north. About a hundred feet from the boat, I discovered a chestnut tree. It was about 15 feet tall. I was quite healthy. We searched the area and found no other trees or chestnut logs or stumps. We brought back some leaves and a sprig off the tree to root. I may some day return to try to find the original tree stump. We did see a blue heron on its nest in the top of a tall pine tree near by.

The return trip to the dock took 1 ½ hours. There was almost no wind. The weather data, attached, showed 1 mph wind from 3 pm on. Adam and Grace paddled all the way back, a 1.4 mile trip. I was great to be able to sit back and steer and let the galley slaves do the work. We had a big hassle trying to get the boat out of the water. The landing was so crowded. The total trip was about 10 miles, our longest to date.

On the way home we were suddenly pushed into the next lane by a car that did not see us changing lanes. He was close enough to the truck to reach out and touch him when I shouted and changed lanes. I am grateful that there was no vehicle in the left lane. I had no time to look, only react.

2nd Sail First Trip On Our Own 6/19/06

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I took my boat out on Mountain Island Lake today, for the first time without a trainer. It was my second time ever in a sailboat. We made almost every mistake possible. We had to step the mast twice because we forgot to set the spreaders. We tried the same routine of setting the sails that we used with you but there was a stiff wind. The boat drifted back into the cove and the keel got stuck in the mud. When it was freed, we raised the mainsail. Grace was on the tiller. I went out to raise the jib. The wind was strong and Grace had a hard time controlling the boat. I finally got the jib up and discovered that it was upside down. I took the tiller and steadied the boat while Grace corrected the jib.

Once the jib was set, the boat took off fast. The wind was blowing from the south directly up the channel, and swirling. We ran downwind for a couple of miles. The boat was literally humming. We stopped in a small cove at the Charlotte City Water Works and the girls went swimming. Later we went up to the cove at Latta Plantation Park. We came out of jibe into a strong gust that nearly capsized us. I turned the boat into the wind and it righted. We went out with a prediction of 5-10 mph winds. I just got an official report from the weather bureau that the maximum sustained winds were 14 mph with gusts to 20 mph. When we got back into the main channel, there were light white caps. We ended up tacking all the way back up the lake in that wind. It was blowing directly up the cove but swirling. It took us about 3 hours to make it back. We dropped the jib and used the mainsail alone. On one tack, the wind changed direction, and we ended up back and the same place we had been at the beginning of the previous tack. One time, inside of 30 seconds, the wind shifted from close haul to broad reach, then after a minute back to close haul. When we reached the large mud bank on the Mecklenburg side, I was able to set a beam reach course to the landing. The wind died completely, one hundred yards from the landing. We paddled in. Then 20 feet from the dock, the wind picked up and almost rammed us into the ramp. Grace quickly dropped the mainsail.

My wife made me two wind socks about 8” long. We attached them to the shroud about 7’ above the deck. They helped a great deal.

I need to figure out how to reef the mainsail. I understand that these winds might be a bit much for a novice. I agree. We made it however. It was exciting. My daughter and her friend in the boat were a bit frightened.

Thank you for your help. Sailing has been a life long dream for me. It was my 54th birthday.