Fortunate

[roadnsky]

Yesterday was a beautiful sailing day...

Temp: 74°
Wind: 15-18k

Late in the afternoon, just as I was ready to head in, the wind began to steadily build. Rose all the way to 35k steady with gusts at 40+
Dropped sails, fired the A4 and headed in.
No issues motoring in.
(Well, it WAS a challenge docking solo with that nasty cross wind!)
Anyway, buttoned up the boat and went home thankful for my trustworthy A4 getting me in against that blow and chop.

Today, I noticed that my neighbors jib was ripped when I got down to the dock.
I asked him, "What happened?"
He explained that when the wind came up yesterday, his jib roller jammed and his diesel wouldn't start.
He was being blown onto a very rocky area and dropped his anchor as a saving measure.
(He was sailing solo)
The Park Rangers had to come out and rescue him.

I felt kinda bad because I saw him out there and never realized at any point that he was having trouble.
My bad because I didn't have my radio on (usually do, I swear ) and he said he was calling on the radio for help.
He's an old salt and usually very savvy, however he is pretty advanced in age (69) and I've seen him have some issues doing certain things physically.
He is ok, but shaken and his vessel has some other damage besides just the jib.

Before I went out today, as I passed down the companionway, I gave my pretty little beast a kiss of gratitude on her head.

The point of my post is: take care of your A4 and it'll take care of you.

[hanleyclifford]

I see a lot of jibs like that in Edgartown harbor in the summer. One reason why I've never installed one on my boat.

[roadnsky]

...One reason why I've never installed one on my boat.

Yeah, every year I consider installing one.
And then...

[jpian0923]

It'l Don't!

[Dave Neptune]

Kiss a frog maybe

Jerry, when very pleased with my boat after a harrowing experience the last thing I would kiss is the "HEAD" yech. I may pat her on the transom or a kiss on the bow however I would leave the "HEAD" for it's own special duties.

Good to hear your neighbor did get back OK. I too have been caught in some nasty stuff on the Colorado at Powell and Meade. It's always wise to be prepared. I do suggest that any time things start going amiss that you do kick the radio on. If nothing else you may be of assistance just doing VHF relays for those summoning help. Been there done that!

Dave Neptune

[roadnsky]

...I do suggest that any time things start going amiss that you do kick the radio on. If nothing else you may be of assistance just doing VHF relays for those summoning help.
Dave Neptune

I know. I feel just terrible that I didn't have it on.
I normally do, but just didn't in this case. No excuse, but lesson learned.

I didn't mention earlier, that I wanted to ask him more about what happened and what steps he took that led to his predicament.
(I'm interested in how things went so far wrong)
But I didn't want to press him or embarrass him after such a tough experience.

[romantic comedy]

Are guys here against roller furling?

I think RF is great. It needs to be done correctly though.

Maybe that guy had halyard wrap? That is totally avoidable. I see many poor installations done professionally.

Maybe he did not have enough line around the furling drum? When there is a lot of tension and the sail wind tightly, it takes more turns of line. Again, avoidable.

Maybe he could not wind it in in the wind due to not having a dedicated winch for the furler?

[hanleyclifford]

When I first started out with an old wooden sailboat the wisdom around the yard was that roller furling was for yuppies and sissies. My cruising friends who sometimes did round the world trips did not have it--until they did. Now I look at my friend's Danish built 40 foot cutter rig with two roller furled headsails with some envy. It is a fact that if you have roller furling on the ICW you are much more likely to use the sail. Running forward to drop a sail at each bridge can be a PIA. Sooner or later we are all corrupted.

[ndutton]

I have never had a roller furler that sooner or later did not develop problems. EVER! Same thing on Kalina a month ago. Line jammed on the spool, couldn't roll up the genny doing 6.5 knots in at least 20 knots of wind right outside the main L.A. Harbor entrance. Tom Thatcher to the rescue going forward to turn the drum by hand as I maintained tension on the furling line.

They're great when they work which is most of the time for me. BTW, the drum has since been replaced with a continuous line type, a separate saga unto its own.

The old saying was sails go up and down, toilet paper goes round and round.

[Overdraft]

Looking at the picture, it appears that this is a "flying" sail, i.e. the luff is not attached to a foil on the headstay. Those can not be reefed by partially rolling up. They are intended for off-wind sailing, and are not usually left up--are hoisted when desired and unfurled. When done, are supposed to be furled, dropped and stowed. May not be a good choice for single handing.
IMHO many people are highly satisfied with good quality roller furling gear attached to a foil on the headstay.

[thatch]

Being able to deploy and roll up my headsail from the cocpit while single-handing certainly makes for a safer day, in my opinion. I have, on a couple of occasions however, had to go to the fore deck to unravel a fouled fourler line. At times like that, having a dependable auto-pilot and and a trusty A4 turns a potentially bad situation into controlable one.
Tom

[Mo]

I love a roller furler and won't ever go back. I broke one...busted the hell out of the drum in a gale in 2009. Ordered a new one through sailmaker friend Brad.

"Brad quotes me a Harken and Furlex. I asked which is better and he said "furlex" ...."OK, order one for a 40 foot boat and make it fit mine." $2800.00 later.

He did and I told him to tell the supplier to send if Fedex...they screwed that up and sent it UPS...of course it didn't show up next day so I said " I don't want it now". Brad calls the guy tell him to send one Fedex right away or the guy is not buying it. It showed up the next day and Brad had cut etc and installed in a couple of hours...big heavy stay etc in it...good rig. The one that came UPS showed up 3 days later. Nice furler, heavy duty for my boat and oversized but one can still screw up and get yourself in trouble...I did.

I had my new one jam last year...my fault and I was in traffic. Called incoming tour boat and told him I had trouble and he altered well off to the port as I went on deck. Mine had a knot got tangled and be drawn into the drum as the sail let out....the trick to prevent this is to have 1 wrap around the winch/drum as you let the sail out...if windy, 2 wraps...it works. My sail was fully out so I just let go the halyard and dropped it to the deck. Headed in downtown, had a beer and sized up the situation. It looked worse out there but I had it sorted out in minutes once alongside.

[romantic comedy]

I have seen a lot of furler installations with the halyard that leads thru a pad eye on the mast at the upper end. I am wondering how easy it would be to drop the sail with that set up.

[roadnsky]

...Maybe he did not have enough line around the furling drum? When there is a lot of tension and the sail wind tightly, it takes more turns of line. Again, avoidable.

I looked at his drum and that's what it looked like to me.

[roadnsky]

Looking at the picture, it appears that this is a "flying" sail, i.e. the luff is not attached to a foil on the headstay. Those can not be reefed by partially rolling up. They are intended for off-wind sailing, and are not usually left up--are hoisted when desired and unfurled. When done, are supposed to be furled, dropped and stowed. May not be a good choice for single handing.

I wondered myself why he didn't just drop the halyard (and the headsail) and raise a reefed main?
Or at least drop that headsail and then the anchor until he could figure out his diesel issues.
He is an "old salt" and a former merchant marine, so I don't want to second guess his decisions and as I mentioned, he has some limited physical ability.
I AM SURE, if those conditions were present before he went out, he would likely not have been out there.
This blow came out of nowhere, and was exceptionally nasty...