Sailing Experience

has it been a few weeks yet?

 

Seems like it! But it looks as though it is going well?!

 

I started on the 7th, today is the 16th (I think) so it's over a week already

What took so long was the jigs. The glassing also takes longer than what I suspected, but if you have the correct width glass and you could wet it continuous (see quick building strategy thread) it should be much quicker to do.

The second small hull is also glassed. Will trim tomorrow if the wife doesn't shoot me.

Next step... fit the beams.

 

Fanie, in one word "farkinngroovinisgood" something similar to one seen on the back of a vwcombie used by some German backpackers. Still appropriate. Looks good!

 

Nice Fanie, looks good. When those babies are faired up an painted they will look like a million bucks. What colour are they gonna be?

 

Everyone knows red cars are fastest, but what colour boats - white seems the go?

 

Nope, black boats are by far the fastest!

 

Hi Tuks,

Sorry to disappoint you, but I have no real intentions to make them look good. They are really made very cheap (but strong) and simple for the single purpose of getting sailing experience and to experiment with some things. Chances are good I'll cut and paste various mods into it still... When I'm done with it, I'll probably give it away to someone else who wants to learn to sail.

The color will be white.

I must say the sailing community in SA sucks. Was fishing on the Bronkhorstbaai a while back, was in the water (not even on their property) and the **** head from the yacht club told me to bugger of. I told him where he can put his head and if he harrasses me some more I'll do it for him. He disappeared. But really, seems all the yachting communities here have this sick attitude and I'm not the stand in the row and be content type.

Btw, I have tested the launch of the Boxy Fisher's hulls from a trailer for assembly - it is going to work very well.

 

Danish, the black look has nothing to do with the new SA btw, it's because the closed cell foam I used is black. I like the color black too, but it's a bit much on a boat... morbid, won't you say, and hot as hell in the SA sun. Some places claimed 37 deg C (not F)... the black would go far beyond that.

Statistics (cars) showed that red car drivers are more agressive than other color car drivers... and green car drivers are more likely to make accidents.

Mmmm... since most of the boats I saw capsized were white maybe I must make the tri a different color

 

Well, yes, I know that about red-car drivers.

I was just playing at for instance carbon being black and black looks very stealthy.

 

Rant

Fanie. I am extremely offended by your coments. You insult the entire South African sailing community based on one experience, and I do not think that that is acceptable. I have had serious problems with anglers, but I do not slander them on open forums. At my sailing club, we used to turn a blind eye on fishing on the fringes of the property but after we found evidence of fires and broken bottles and had many other problems, we have decided that we would no longer allow them access to the property. On numerous occasions, I have personally found sinkers and hooks wrapped around my rigging on my moored boat and have found gelcoat damage from sinkers. I have even heard anglers boasting on how they cast their sinker straight through a hobie sail on bronkhorspruid dam. I have had to climb into the water in the middle of winter to cut fishing line from my rudder. Even after all these experiences I do not generalise and openly insult the entire South African angling community, because some people like to get drunk on the beach and cause problems, but there are also considerate anglers who are a pleasure to share the water with.

The situation with the club manager may not have been handled very well, but you will find that sailing boats onto and off the beach in some conditions is not a trivial matter and having fishermen in the shallows does not make this any easier. I also know that there are instances where sailors sail unnecessarily close to the beach and drag anglers lines, in many cases this could easily be avoided. Our waters are becoming more congested and we need to compromise.

Also the issue of "not on their property" may or may not be as clear cut as you think. I do know know what the situation on Bronkhorspruit dam is but the local waters around our sailing club are owned by Rand Water. I am not sure of the details, but I know that there is some agreement or legislation which gives the yacht club control over some aspects of the saftey issues in our local waters. It allows us to put no wake zones around the moorings and slipway, but it also makes us liable for certain saftey issues in the local waters even for non-members. Im not sure on the details but there was unhappyness from some commitee members a while back because they were liable for the actions of drunken boaters that they were not empowered to controll.

From this and previous posts it seems that this is not a one off incident, you appear to be frustrated because you have not been welcomed by the sailing community. This may be because your approach at getting involved in sailing is very unorthodox. I do not have a problem with it, but there are no programs or infrastructure set up to accomodate your approach. If you followed the more traditional entry into the sport, you might find the sailing community more welcoming.

Keep in mind that the organised part of the sport is mainly geared towards racing. The cruising sailors and social sailors tend to do their thing with little organisation and are therefore difficult to contact and get involved with. I apologise for the generalisation, but the freedom is part of the appeal of cruising. Also there are few cruisers because we are so far from the ocean. When you contact yacht clubs and ask them about a motor sailer so that you can go fishing they are probably not interested. Its much like someone contacting the bass angling association and asking for someone to teach them about flyfishing. Many bass fisherman are competent flyfishermen, but artlure angling is the norm.

Your plans of designing, building and then teaching your self to sail a motor sailer so that you can go fishing is pretty far removed from the interests of most of the inland sailing comunity. So please dont get frustrated and slander us.

I would like to apologise to the Boat Design Forum Members for this rant, It is way off topic but I felt the need to respond.

 

No, Tuks, don't apologise for the rant. Maybe we could start working on the attitude here, you being a sailing club member and all.

Firstly, I wasn't referring to only one instance, but many, the Bronkies was just one example. I wasn't on their grounds and I wasn't on their beach either but next to it.

I just came from a friend, asked him if he had any similar experiences, guess what the answer was

I cannot talk for the individual idiot that ruins everything as far as he goes, as you say breaking bottles, make fires indiscretely and so on, you unfortunately get them everywhere. These are the ****** you have to take on.

We are an art lure club, there are two art lure clubs in the Gauteng area. We have an impeckable record - both clubs. We are the guys that cut our motors and idle past you sailers, we don't drink and cause problems on the water, and we're not a rowdy bunch that molest or spoil other people's fun.

In fact, we are the only angling facet that is allowed special privileges like fishing in estuaries and reserves. If nature conservation needs to make a survey on fish in certain dams, guess who they call. Do a search for ecocare.

On numerous occasions sailing club members and ground keepers have acted rude towards other boats and people, much of it we have experienced first hand. Other club members can confirm this, and if I remember right it was discussed at some of our meetings before as well.

I have tried to contact a few sailing clubs in my area, all with the same two outcomes - 1. we don't take people on pleasure rides and 2. you have to pay R X000.00 and join the club.

I don't even know these people why the heck would I part with my money just to belong to a club ? Imagine I rock up there after paying subs and it's the same myserable crowd we ran in to before... now we're joining them ? No man, it doesn't work like that. If I'm going to be associated with a club I would like to know at least who they are and get some kind of relationship going.

I'm also not saying all of them are like that, but I am saying we've had numerous unpleasant experiences.

The dams and the water doesn't belong to these bozo's, it belongs to the state but may me managed by affilliates. If I silently fish an area that nut head doesn't have the right to tell me to get going.

If every one suddenly claims a piece of water where no one else may go, where would it leave us, or the sailing guys for that matter ?

My suggestion is to take on the guys that cause trouble on the waters, wet bikes or jet ski's are a frustration to everyone, litter bugs that doesn't take home their own rubish and so on.

This is exactly the type of situation where one idiot causes problems but every one else has to take the rap for it. Adress the problem and don't take it out on everyone else.

 

Why don't all the organized water users stand together and stomp out the trouble makers ? Put a big sign with every entrance saying trouble makers beware... bla bla bla.

Anyway. It's raining here which makes a nice excuse for not doing something on the tri... I guess any excuse would work.

 

Fanie, man that attitude is NOT restricted to South Africa. In sailing clubs you get two kind of people those that race and those that pose! Them as pose never go out but just drink and talk about how good they are! Those that race do much the same but occasionally they go out for a race and like racers everywhere (not just boat racers) once out racing they become the most pig ignorant anti social creatures on the planet*! there's only one thing on their mind - THE RACE - lesser mortals beware! Luckily when most of them get back to the clubhouse they slowly turn back into normal happy go lucky humans who will do what they can to help! Like all things there are some who cannot make the transition and remain pig ignorant, guess you found one of those. But as Tuk said they ain't all like that!

Then of course there are sailors - they tend to be out sailing! Or getting ready for the next sail, this of course involves many trips to the 'pub' where they are friendly people who as they know racers more than most avoid both racers and any stigma that could brand them as such.

You do often find 'crossbreeds' (poor racers who don't really want to race, just sail) sat in the corner of the clubhouse ignoring the racers and chatting amicably amongst themselves, go find them, they after all can be useful and fun - the problem is getting into the clubhouse.........if you want to!


* there are several others who get close but as most of them are not aquatic we won't go into them!

 

Wally, being competitive shouldn't let you undergo a personality change, it's a sign of immaturity.

Now see what happened. I should have just done what everyone else is currently doing - not say anything about it and every one would have been happy still thinking like they do. Now Tuks isn't talking to me or he's away on holiday and one unhappy sailor.

I've made some guides for the tri's beams and glassed a bit on the inside to stiffen the hull... amazing how a sandwitched piece of foam stiffens up... Of course it rained again. While it was still clouded after the rain I carried the parts out in the open to commence, and half-way the sun came out. The SA sun tends to kick the resin into gear like you can't believe... you just cannot work fast enough.

I still have to make the mast's plug before I can glass the remainder of the parts in place. I'm making provision for the jib I'm trying out as well as a bermuda rig if I change my mind later on.

The tri now looks like the Wright brother's aeroplane.