Frozen greetings

[Tangaroa]

My wife Annette and I planned to start full time cruising as I retire next year. We bought a Corbin 39 in 2003 and have been sailing lake Champlain to get both the boat and the crew ready.

Sadly, Annette passed away in a car accident last July. I have decided to keep the dream as she would have wanted me to. I am a soon to be singlehanded cruiser.

I already started to make changes to the boat ;

1- Installation of a boom furling system for the mainsail. This is an expensive addition. I choose the Furlboom system.

2- Installation of a bow thruster. The Corbin is a big heavy boat with lots of windage and a long keel. The bow thruster will facilitate docking in difficult conditions.

I still need the necesssities of a blue water cruiser, liferaft and other emergency gear, windvane self steering and the overhaul of my autopilot which I guess will become all important.


I need to learn more about this aspect of sailing. I will welcome any help and advice and will be looking forward to discuss with the members of this society.

Tangaroa

 

[tiger beetle]

Hi Tangaroa -

Anything in particular you have questions about? I would also suggest the Seven Seas Cruising Association as a good place to get lots of idea regarding yacht equipment.

I'm not a big fan of furling booms (or masts) for the mainsail, primarily due to the furling/reefing requirement that the boom be at a particular angle to the mast in order for the furling to go smoothly (I believe the angle is 90 degrees). If the boom is above or below that angle the furling won't work correctly and leaves the sail in a shape that doesn't sail well. I do like basic slab reefing with lines lead to the cockpit.

Does the Corbin really require a bow thruster? I've heard good comments from those that have thrusters, with the caveat that they are often under-powered such that when it's windy and you really want the thruster to do useful work they've found the units to be not strong enough to overpower the boat's windage - so the boat slides sideways anyway. But if you want one, they do look interesting.

- rob/tiger beetle

 

[haulback]

Welcome to the world of solo sailing!!

There is a Corbin 39 (Rio Nimpkish) on my dock, a pretty serious and practical looking boat.

Only advice I really have is to try to keep systems as simple as you can. This equates with not only less stuff to buy in the first place, but less stuff to maintain, fix when it breaks and replace when it gives up the ghost entirely. Not to mention that it all takes up on of your most valuable commodities on a small yacht......space.

Spend as much as you can on self steering - and have both autopilot and a windvane. Then learn to at least 'herd' the boat along with just the sails in case they both pack up or fall off. No matter what else happens - the boat has to steer itself at all times.

Teach yourself to heave-to in storm conditions.

Don't bother with dreams of when to leave and where you are going to go - the docks are littered with dreamers. Make a 'PLAN' and stick to it

Oh yes.... a really good idea to listen to all advice with the realization that it is all given to fit someone else's outlook on life, boats and sailing. You can pretty well ignore most of it and take out only the bits that you like.

So do whatever the hell you feel like...but DO something.

Jim/Haulback

 

[AlanH]

I've never once in my life messed with a bow thruster, but what I HEAR is that unless you get a model with a little door that shuts off the sides of the tube, they induce a lot of turbulence at the bow and adversely affect sailing performance. Again, this is totally hearsay.

Over and over again I read in the cruising rags to go simple. Do you really NEED a bow thruster if you're going to be anchoring out a lot? A seriously sized anchor and good rode, and then a backup anchor and rode....and then a nice dinghy with a decent sized outboard motor would seem to me to be a better place to spend the $$$.

Just my humble opinion, from someone who's done no cruising at all.

 

[ScottJ]

Hello Alan, you have pretty much answered your own question in your second paragraph. Most of the greatest places in the world have nothing to thrust up to and good ground tackle is preferred when "IT" happens, giving extra time to fix things. A good dinghy helps for landing in sand, pebble/rock, wood, and a minimum 5hp motor helps in planing and punching through rough surf. Two cents.

ScottJ
Islander 30