FEBRUARY 25, 2020: SAIL FASTER / HOMER LIGHTHALL

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

SAIL  FASTER!

Homer Lighthall

I have a friend that likes to say “all sailing is, is doing 1000 things exactly right!”  The more I learn about sailing, the more I see the truth of this statement.  Rules, tactics, strategy, steering, crew synchronization, the list goes on and on.  Tonight’s presentation by Homer was an excellent recap of things you can do to make your boat go faster. He broke it down to cheap and easy things you can do, more expensive things and things you can do when hauled-out to make your boat faster.

Homer had a comprehensive list of inexpensive things you can do to make your boat lighter. Unloading things not needed and emptying holding tanks will make your boat lighter.  I like to think that if I can lighten my boat and get it to sit ¼ inch higher out of the water, the energy saved by not pushing through this much water is substantial.   Homer emphasized the importance of getting people out of the cockpit and up on the rail.  Keeping your bottom clean is critical to reduce drag. It is also critical to watch for loose kelp so you don’t get “hitchhikers” that will really slow the boat down.  You can reduce windage by eliminating dodgers and life rings hanging on the stern pulpit.  You can move the anchor from the bow to the cabin sole, right behind the mast for better weight distribution.  Using a bull nosed anode on the prop just ahead of the strut will decrease drag and setting your folding prop so the blades are vertical and locking the engine in reverse to prevent prop rotation is critical also.

More expensive options are to get a folding prop (about $1000) and when replacing equipment consider the weight of the item you are replacing. Homer talked about the difference between the weight of cargo versus moveable ballast (crew in the right place). You can also remove clutter like all the manuals and stacks of paper in your chart table.

There are more expensive options that can be employed when hauling your boat out.  You can move up to at feathering prop (Gori or Maxiprop) which can cost about $2000.  Feathering props work better in reverse than folding props (Martec).  When applying bottom paint, you should use a thin knap roller with thinned paint or even better, have the bottom paint sprayed on.  You can have the bottom faired to take out all irregularities and remove all transducers and thru hulls that are not being used.  Homer spelled out the difference between the two types of Trinidad bottom paints.  There is a Trinidad Pro which is marketed to boatyards and Trinidad S marketed at stores.  There is not difference between the two paints.

Other options are to fair the rudder and keel removing all irregularities that create turbulence and drag. It is also important to make certain the back edges of rudder and keel are square, not round for proper release of water flow. Fairing the bottom of the keel is often overlooked since it needs to be done when the boat is suspended.  One amazing thing that Homer pointed out was the importance of using the proper track on your forestay.  When you know you are going to be on one tack for a long time, like sailing back from Monterey, use the track that causes the least turbulence.  For instance, if you know you are going to be sailing predominantly on port tack as you would coming back from Monterey, use the starboard track.  If you have 40 feet of luff and create smooth flow by employing this technique, you could actually see a difference over a 20 mile sail.

Next Tuesday will be our last Tuesday night seminar.  We will spend this time discussing potential changes that are going to take place this year in our Tuesday night sailing.  I am working on getting our Tuesday night sailing recognized by the yacht club.  If all goes as planned, we will have a Notice of Race, proper Sailing Instructions, new course cards and there will be a registration process in order to be recognized in our event.  I have presented this to the board of Santa Cruz Yacht club and it needs to be approved by the regatta committee.  If all goes as planned and we are all registered for the year, there will be no difference in the “fun factor” between last year and this year other than knowing the rules we are following. I will have a copy of the proposed NOR, SI’s and course cards that I will have printed up and laminated for distribution once approved by the regatta committee. Be sure to show up for this discussion.

Barry Keeler

Sailing Pair A Dice