Conference unifix::sailing

    My advice is you have a lot of variables asking for trouble.
         1. No motor.  The Elizabeth Islands have tidal current all
    around them.  Better hope for wind.
         2. Sailing alone.  No body to back you up or to offer input
    as to the best way to handle confusing shorelines.
         3. You are not exactly overflowing with experience, and to
    do this alone may be a lot to handle the first time.
         4. Twenty five miles is a long way in light winds.  It is even
    longer in heavy wind coming in the direction you want to go.  I
    would not count on six hours being enough.  Last weekend the race
    committee sent us on a twenty-one mile course that fully crewed,
    large racing boats did not finish in the six and one half hour limit.
         5. No radio is okay.  I hate 'em.
         6. Yes, a dinghy will slow you down a lot. Especially a heavy
    wooden one dragged behind an Ensign.
    
    In short, if you had more experience and a motor it sounds like
    a delightful time.  May still be.  But you are really tempting the
    gods.  At least get a friend to go with you.
    
    Dave

    I'll second Dave's opinion.  The current can really rip through here.
    And while the chances are that everything will go right, if the wind
    dies you could find yourself in a bind.
    
    Tarpaulin Cove is a lovely place to drop an anchor, as long as the wind
    isn't coming in from the northeast (in which case it blows right into
    the cove).  It's usually fairly deserted, last time we were there there
    were only about 8 other boats anchored.
    
    I'd take along an outboard or some means of propelling yourself if the
    wind dies.  We measured about 3.5 knots of current last time we went
    this route.  That could be a bit much to handle with oars.
    
    ... Bob

    I'll third Dave's opinion.
    Without a motor you are really pushing things. Most every place
    you would try to duck into in case of a blow or whatever would
    leave you at the mercy of the currents.
    Rent  a motor at the very least.
    Are you prepared via depth sounder and compass to find your way
    in dense fog?
    You will be coming thru some heavy shipping lanes.
    The weather promises to be cool. You will be subject to prolonged
    exposure, get chilled to the bone. Especially on your return trip
    if the prevailing SW wind, currents, ocean swells, passing ships,
    storm driven ocean waves conjur up a cross hatch of waves that will
    keep you soaked and stall your forward momentum.
                                                    
    Do you have sufficient anchor rhode to keep you off an unfriendly
    shore? Do you have some form of sea anchor available?
    1st priority for this kind of trip is an engine, 2nd and close is
    a knowledgable partner (who might not go after reviewing the
    circumstances).
    One last... can you lash the tiller such that you can get to the
    head, your lunch, or study charts?
    
    Don

    Are we throwing cold water on your trip, or what?!  My family used
    to cruise the same area as well as the Vineyard and Nantucket in
    a 21 footer (five of us!) so basic safety is easy to achieve.  I
    think the bottom line is that you really ought to do the trip, but
    get hold of an engine and a hopefully more experienced partner.
    Don't forget a bottle of really good wine.  Makes a sunset infinitely
    more enjoyable!
    
    Dave

    I think I poked into one of these 'get an engine' notes before and
    opened up a few comments, but what the hell....
    
    If you dont have a PROPERLY installed engine, well thought out and
    tested then forget it. An Ensign is a fine SAIL boat, dont clutter
    up its lines with a hundred pounds of metal hung on some bracket
    over the side, allternately dipping it under water and sticking
    its prop up in the air. 
    
    You are right on target in noting the time of the tides- why sail
    up hill? Ill never forget one guy telling me how he had spent 5
    hours clawing up current through the Cape Cod Cannal under power.
    When asked why he didnt wait for the tide- 6 hours maximum, then
    eaisly slide thru he looked at me like I was nuts to suggest WAITING.
    
    I believe the single most dangerous thing about the kind of sailing
    we do, is the SCHEDULE conflict- "Ive GOT to get home tonight"
    or "I'm headed to Elizabeth Islands and damn the currents."
    
    Plan your departure time, and have an alternate place in
    mind in case you make less progress than you planned. There is always
    an alternate destination.
    
    I sailed my 27' FOLKBOAT thru Woods Hole and in and out of Cuttyhunk
    lots of times single handed. Its great fun, go for it!
    

    
    
    	Instead of the Islands why not try the Sakonnet River
    	up to Tiverton, nice SW wind all the way, and then around
    	down the East Passage in Narragansett Bay over to the 
    	West Passage to Wickford, Dutch Island and out to
    	Point Judith. You will have the 15-20 knot winds without
    	the waves, land all around and plenty of safe harbors.
    	This route should be long enough for three days. The
    	valley up the river might have some early fall follage 
    	too. If the wind dies the currents flow at two to three
    	knots in places, so you will have to time your route. 
    
    	richard
    

    Make sure you have a current chart of Narragansett Bay, available
    from most local chart suppliers. The Current thru the narrow channel
    at the north end of the Sakonnet is a doosey!!!!

    Please wear a harness at all times. I'll second Ron's comments about
    working with the currents. If you can do it, schedule around them.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Ed

    I don't wear a harness at all times, but do wear a life jacket at
    all times when singlehanding.
    
    Don

    More on the Sakonnet.  There are two places that are about 1/2 mile
    apart that yo u will have to time your passage correctly or you will
    not get through without a strong motor.  The first is the narrows
    off of the Tiverton town beach and the second is an abandoned train
    bridge just north of that.  We had a hard time in a 40' foot boat
    with a hefty 75hp perkins diesel.  There is alot of traffic through
    there as well

    re .8 and .9
    
    If you're singlehanding and go overboard, then a lifejacket will
    keep you afloat - and if you're lucky you'll be rescued.  If you
    wear a lifeline at least you stay within a few feet of the boat.
    
    Personally I follow these rules -
    	* Little or no wind, alone or with friends - enjoy!
    	* Good wind, in company think about l-j, alone AWLAYS l-j and
    line
    	* Night - ALWAYS both, regardless of conditions. 
    
    I will always put on a line if going forward and there's any sign
    of waves breaking over the decks (freeboard on my boat is less than
    2') and the danger of slipping off is too great.  Gives me a sense
    of security to go on a pitching foredeck anyway!
    
    Brian

    I grew up sailing in Buzzard's Bay and along the Elizabeths.  I
    think that the trip you have planned sounds like alot of fun and
    is entirely reasonable IF you have the right attitude about it.
    
    1. Buzzard's (and Vinyard Sound) is a great place to sail.  There is 
    almost always a good (15-20 kt) breeze (usually Southwest)in the 
    afternoons, there are plenty of places to hide if the weather gets
    nasty, there are lots of good gunk holes to explore and the warm water
    (72+ F this time of year) makes Fall sailing far more comfortable than 
    it is elsewhere in these parts.
    
    2. Buzzard's can be an absolutely lousy place to sail.  The shallow
    bottom and strong tide/wind combination can create a miserable short
    steep chop which I have seen as high as 4-6' spaced about 20' apart.
    Squalls tend to get funneled up LI sound and roar into the Bay and
    Sound like freight trains.  There is heavy commercial traffic ranging
    from fishing boats to large ships.  There can be heavy fog this
    time of year.  The holes (Woods, Ribinson's and Quick's) all have
    VERY strong currents with the tides.  When the tide is running through
    Woods at the moon tides, I have seen the buoys dragged entirely
    under water.  It is suicide to try to go through Woods against the
    current unless you can make AT LEAST 8.5 kts under power, and even
    then its not fun.
    
    IF you are prepared to go off on your trip with the attitude that
    you may wind up leaving your boat in Cuttyhunk Harbor or Menemsha
    Pond, and if you are prepared to have your itinerary be dictated
    to you by the weather and conditions, and you have an Eldridges,
    a light list, charts and a cruising guide, then go for it.  Otherwise
    don't try this area at all as you run the risk of getting in serious
    trouble.

I think you should invest in slightly more gear before you attempt this
trip, or do it next summer when there is more pleasure boat traffic out
there.

You need to think about the things that can go wrong, and how you will
cope with them:

	fog -- if you are in fog for several hours, will your dead
		reckoning (in the presence of substantial currents) be
		good enough? A depth sounder would help a great deal to
		give you a better guess as to where you are. If you
		will rely on your anchor to keep you off the islands,
		how will you know when to drp it? Do you have a radar
		reflector? If not, you could be run over in the fog.

	weather -- changes in the weather may make it very difficult for
		you to avoid a lee shore. If the weather picks up,
		anchoring there might get scary or even life-threatening.
		A motor will likely be able to keep you safely away from
		a lee shore.

	gear failure -- if you have a rig failure or sail failure in a good
		blow, you may find it very difficult to cope with. A second
		person aboard would make this much easier. A VHF would
		allow you to call for help.


	I would consider additional gear in the following order:

	VHF (handheld?) It's cheaper than a motor, and it will keep you
	off the rocks (with the CG's help) It'll also help you get out of
	almost any equipment failure jam.

	Radar reflector (not very expensive and lots of peace-of-mind in
	the fog.)

	Motor (you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.)

	Depth sounder (maybe this should even be ahead of the motor.)


A good starting point for sailing safety is to compare your equipment to the
"typical" boat making a similar voyage. By that measure, your boat is on the
small side (although well within the typical range) of the boats seen in the
Elizabeth Islands. The vast majority of boats sailing there have motors, and
most have VHF and depth sounders.

If you decide to attempt the trip with your present equipment, you can reduce
your risk substantially by being as flexible as possible. Plan each leg of
the trip as a separate trip, keeping each leg down to 3-4 hours planned
duration. If you're still on schedule, you can start the next leg. If you're
behind schedule, rework your plans before you continue. Don't
even start a leg if there is a possibility of fog or heavy weather, or if
the wind is too light or variable.

	--RS	

    Can we please keep in mind that this poor guy only wants to go to
    the Elizabeth islands and not Portugal.  I'm surprised nobody has
    suggested an EPIRB.  Just get an engine, a life jacket and a buddy
    and you'll be fine.  Do not bother the Coasties to pull you off
    the rocks.  Stay off the rocks.  If you don't have a radio you have
    added incentive to stay out of trouble.  Don't forget the wine!
    
    Dave

    
    
    Thanks for the advice! I didn't expect that much response. And now
    that I'm scared . . .
    
    Well I'll be cautious, but I'll still forgo the motor. I've checked
    charts and tide tables so that I have more alternatives. There really
    was a wealth of information in all those responses. Thanks.
    
    Hope to be out tomorrow morning and back Monday nite.
    
    		Bob
    

    .14
    
    What would you have deleted? Based on the experience we understood
    him to have and the waters into which he was interested, I thought
    he got some good timely advice. How he responds is up to him. I
    wish he were available to crew with me this weekend.
    

    Re:-.1  I would eliminate the VHF.  The implication was that all
    he had to do was call for help and it would appear.  That is part
    of the problem with our overburdened Coast Guard.  People should
    not ever count on anyone being able to help.  That way if help does
    arrive, you can be pleasantly surprised :^).
    
    I would also bag the depth sounder.  This is an Ensign, a one design
    day sailor.  Radar reflector weighs almost nothing and takes little
    space, so that might stay.  The charts are key.  Keep 'em.
    
    The main thing is that it is easy to recommend enough safety gear
    to sink the boat when it may not all be necessary.  I still would
    not do it without the engine.  That is asking for trouble.
    
    Dave

    
    
    Bob,
    
    I was out sailing this weekend, off Westport, did you get
    caught in the 18-25 knots gusts that came up around
    12:30pm sunday without a warning except for the quick
    wind change ? 
    
    Please tell us, how every thing was and where you went to.
    You picked an excellent three days to go sailing the bay.
    
    richard
    
    

	It was a great, exhausting, scary weekend. It was a lot, conditions
changed suprisingly fast, and I REALLY appreciate all the advice I received!

	So here is a recap, along with a few more questions ( just to keep
this conference interesting ). I double checked Eldridges and sure enough I
confused 3pm and 3 hrs and would not have the current with me going up
Naushon on the Vineyard side. So I just went across to Cuttyhunk, where I
discovered they had rental moorings for $10! 
	Went out to Quicks Hole up the Buzzards Bay side and then up the
Vineyard side to Tarpaulin Cove, which is a beautiful anchorage that had a
number of fine wooden boats, including a canoe yawl.
	Came back down aiming for Quicks Hole with the wind suddenly building.
Tried to get thru the hole but found the bay side had at LEAST a 6 foot chop!
I decided I couldn't get across ( the hull sounded like a kettle drum ), but it
was a half mile back to the small anchorage in the hole. So here's a question.
I was close hauled, main and working jib, no motor, and never been in that
kind of chop. The waves seemed to have most of the power compared to the wind.
I did NOT want any sail power, so as I climbed up a wave I gybed her leaving
the sails fixed and watched my stern and used the rudder to steer. The
scariest part was surfing her back. The sight of those waves off the stern ...!
I had to keep the tiller hard over to windward and it took a lot of force,
probably due to some power from the sail. Should I have done it differently?
Sure I made it, but I don't want it to just be luck. And lets ignore the
'assume there would be chop, lower your sails, and motor thru'. With water
and wind there will always be the unexpected.
	Another question. Running a number one Genoa ( light wind ), I find
the bow is overpowered, i.e. the boat doesn't respond in a nice balanced way.
I admit that overlapping sheets will sure pull the boat along but when
singlehandling I find them to be an accident waiting to happen. It seems the
Ensign is not set up for this as the winches are too far forward, so drawing
in the jenny becomes a balancing act between rudder and winch and me wishing
I could be two places at the same time. And if she rounds up ( as happened more
than once ) she very quickly goes into a 30 degree heel with me on the low
side scrambling for the rudder! Any tips?

	Again thanks for all the advice. There were times I was mighty glad I
had a lifeline round me. I also found myself thinking thru my choices more
carefully. Thanks again.

		Bob

    Sounds like the kind of weekend my wife tends not to 
    forget, unfortunately.....
    
    Do I undersand you right that the waves were running 6' from
    south to north, and the wind out of the northeast?? Only the Bay!
    Usually I find the waves out of Quicks are west to east, but the
    wind east to west. 
    I don't quite understand what you were up against.
    
    I had an Ensign in fresh water and loved it...where are you
    sailing out of?
    
    Beau from Padanaram