Fall Sailing in May & The Importance of Good Knots.

Weather: Winds WNW at 15 knots, Temp: 53F, Skys: Clear, Sea-State: Calm, Pressure: 1013 mb. Time: 1100-1500

Crew: Sparkles & Pom Pom

First sail for the season today. Apart for it being fairly cold for May, the conditions were excellent with winds out of the WNW at 15 knots. This made for a spritely sail.

There were many firsts on this sail. This was the first time we used the CRV to tow which worked well. We also installed the mended centerboard (fin sticking out the bottom of the boat), but not before flooding the bilge and needing to pumped out before going underway. This was also the first time we used the new reefing system (way to reduce sail area) and the topping lift (method to keep the boom up when no sail is on it). No spinnaker today, given our north south course and moderate breeze there was no role for it today.

I quickly gave the helm to Pom Pom who successfully navigated us up and down the middle pool of Hoover Reservoir. As she gained confidence, she started pushing the envelope, until a big gust nearly knocked the boat down. We were a little more cautious after that. The reefing system seemed to be working well, however, there leach (back part of the sail) seemed to be a bit too loose and was luffing (fluttering) quite a bit. I may have to move the aft reefing blocks forward a little to but more tension on the leach.

By 1430 we were getting pretty cold, especially since the near capsize left us a little wet. We aimed the boat back to the dock and started sailing in. This was already going to be a difficult approach as the dock was directly to windward (meaning we would need to go into the wind to get to dock), but as we turned to begin our beat back the boat lurched violently. We saw the boom swing out to leeward and then into the water. I quickly noticed the knot that attached the mainsail sheet (the rope used to control the main sail) had untied from the end of the boom.

At this point we lost our power and were stuck right up against a rocky leeward coast (quickly being pushed into the rocky shore). We quickly dropped the mainsail and brought the boom onboard, unfurled the jib sail (the smaller forward sail which we had kept stored given the already moderate winds) and used it to tack back into the dock. This was a harrowing experience and, in fact, occurred right were we broke out center-board last season. I now dub this area, the "Hoover Triangle." (It actually is a triangle). You may be asking, why did the boom crash into the cockpit if I had a topping lift. Well, I did not think to tie a stopper knot and when we released the mainsail halyard the boom went down, and the topping lift line went right out of the cam and up the mast.

The take away is that I still need to work on my knots. The knot attached to the boom should never have given way. I am now using a bowline knot which should never come undone instead of the simple hitch I had been using before. Everything has been re-repaired and we are all ready for our next sail. Freeze warning tonight so we made sure the bilge and other components were good and dry when we closed the boat up.