Coastal Navigation Class is Underway!

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Bruce S. Liese

For the past twelve years we have been offering Coastal Navigation classes to the sailing community and this past Sunday we kicked off this year’s class with another group of enthusiastic students.  Class began at 11 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. at Kansas City Sailing in Lawrence.  All agreed that the six hours flew by!

During this session we covered coastal navigation publications, tools, charts, dead reckoning, taking bearings, plotting fixes, and much more.  The time was filled with lectures, discussions, practical charting experiences, laughter, new friendships, pizza, and beverages.  Three co-instructors assisted in teaching this session and thanks are due to these volunteers for time spent helping new students: Pat Allen, Matt Gatewood, and Sabrina Nichols.

As promised, the Powerpoint slides for this course are linked below. These are large files so it’s recommended you right-click these links, then select “Save as …” to download each file to your computer:

Coastal Navigation, Part I

Coastal Navigation, Part II

In addition to these resources, here’s an amazing video posted on YouTube this week that’s pertinent to our class.  Take a look and you’ll understand the importance of understanding currents, set, and drift!

An essential component of this class is homework.  We’re using Mike Pyzel’s (American Sailing Association) text but its important that you seek other resources, for example www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.  This site and others are very informative and educational.

As you study at home please bring new insights, questions, and comments to this blog.  Your input will really enhance the course. I look forward to hearing from all students interested in Coastal Navigation – past, present, and future!

Posted in Coastal Navigation, Sail Education | Leave a comment

Coastal Navigation and Epoxy/Fiberglass Seminars in Chicago

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Bruce S. Liese

I’ve been working on three new seminars for the past month and I’m very excited about them.  I will present them for the first time later today at Kansas City Sailing and then again at the Strictly Sail Show in Chicago next weekend.  The three topics are “Epoxy/Fiberglass Sailboat Repairs,” “Introduction to Coastal Navigation,” and “Advanced Coastal Navigation.”

I’ve used some of my slides from last year’s Coastal Navigation class but most of the slides are new.  I’ve also divided the curriculum in half with the first half for “beginners” and the second half more advanced.  Each seminar is only sixty minutes so I’ve got to pack a lot into the short time.

I’ll be writing more about these seminars but for now you can download copies of my Powerpoint slides for all three presentations, below.  These are large files. It is recommended you right-click these links, then select “Save as …” to download each file to your computer:

Epoxy/Fiberglass Seminar, Strictly Sail Chicago

Introduction to Coastal Navigation Seminar, Strictly Sail Chicago

Advanced Coastal Navigation Seminar, Strictly Sail Chicago

I hope you enjoy these.  I welcome any corrections, feedback, questions, etc.  Please just ask!

Posted in Coastal Navigation, Sailboat Repair and Maintenance | Leave a comment

Dock Lines Bad Enough to Make a Grown Man Cry…

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Bruce S. Liese

It’s January here in Kansas and the weather can be extremely unpredictable.  In just hours mild and sunny conditions can turn into a frigid wintery blizzard.  In this climate lots of sailboat owners leave their boats in the water – some out of necessity (e.g., those who don’t own trailers) and others in order to sail on those balmy 50-degree days.  Some boats are left in their slips unattended for as many as six months without a single visit from their owner.  Over that period of time lots of things can go wrong.

I recently got a call from a sailboat owner who asked me to check on his boat during my next trip to the marina.  What I found was shocking: his tattered dock lines (pictured above) were barely hanging by their last fibers and some were stiff and brittle as dead twigs.  As a result one fender (barely recognizable as a fender) was torn up while pinned between the dock and boat.  Only by a stroke of luck was the hull spared from significant damage.

After receiving this failing dock line report the owner was inspired to get his dock lines replaced.  Now his boat is safe and secure in his slip.  This got me thinking about the Do’s and Don’ts of in-water storage and dock line health.  So here it goes…

When docking your boat in a slip for extended periods:

-Do check your dock lines often (at least monthly).
-Do tie dock lines as tight as possible, with no slack in them, so your boat can’t gain momentum in its slip as winds blow it back and forth.
-Do use high quality three-strand premium nylon rope for dock lines.  It is designed specifically to stretch and recover as nature pushes your 2,000 lb. – 20,000 lb. boat back and forth.
-Do be sure to use bow lines, stern lines, and spring lines.
-Do use proper cleat hitches when tying off the dock line.  Remember, your finished cleat hitch should look like “two roads under a bridge”.

-Don’t leave slack in your dock lines.
-Don’t expect your dock lines to stay taut without regular adjustment.
-Don’t count on rubber snubbers to keep your dock lines taut.  They are vulnerable to becoming brittle and breaking.
-Don’t skimp on dock lines.  Doing so is classic “dollar-wise, penny-foolish”.
-Don’t count on your bow and stern lines to keep your boat from drifting forward and back.  This is the job of your spring lines.
-Don’t secure dock lines to anything but your boat’s horn cleats (e.g., stanchions, winches, pulpits, cam cleats, etc.).
-Don’t tie fenders to lifelines.  If your boat gets pinned against a dock the fender may tear the lifeline and stanchions off your boat, which is obviously not cool.
-Don’t wrap your dock lines around dock cleats a million times thinking it makes your boat more secure.  It just makes them harder to remove and adjust, especially in the winter when they are likely to freeze on the cleat.

Think of good dock line health as an insurance policy, designed to protect your valuable investment.  Choose the right size, design, and diameter dock line and then tend to your dock lines on a regular basis.  And each time you visit your boat take a look at your neighbor’s dock lines.  You’ll be amazed at how many boats are at high risk for certain disaster next time the weather becomes harsh.

Posted in Sailboat Repair and Maintenance | 1 Comment

The America’s Cup World Series – Even better than imagined!

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

Competitors heading for the start line (photo by Rich Wells)

We’re back from the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) and there’s so much to report.  We spent five days aboard Crusader, our 38′ Catalina in San Diego, with Rich, Brandi, Barb, and Earl. As I previously reported we were one of only twelve boats marking course boundaries.  Each day we were assigned a different position and on most days we were close enough to see AC crews hard at work beating, reaching, running, rounding marks, passing other boats, being passed, and eventually winning and losing.

The 6' x 16' flag that now hangs in our shop (photo by Rich Wells)

We arrived at our positions each morning at around 11:45.  We were given a gigantic 6′ x 16′ grey America’s Cup flag that we hoisted up our backstay with our main halyard.  (This flag now proudly hangs from the north wall of our shop.)  As spectators approached the course we would politely ask them to stay behind us.  Not a single spectator argued or became hostile.  In fact most spectators were friendly and gracious.

For much of the time our closest neighbor and spectator was Larry Ellison, the owner of Team Oracle.  He was on his sailing yacht that we all guessed was well over 100′ in length. My crew continually suggested that we drop by their vessel and ask to borrow some “Grey Poupon”.  I resisted the temptation.

We watched as Sweden, New Zealand, Korea, China, Spain, France, and the U.S. competed in various events, including match races, fleet races, and time trials.  When competitors weren’t involved in a particular event they would sail right up to boats like ours, on the course boundary, just for practice and probably to have some fun.  In fact, one of these awesome 45′ catamarans sailed up to a spectator boat and lifted one of his hulls right over the deck of that boat.  It was crazy!

Jimmy Spithill flying a hull (photo by Rich Wells)

For more of Rich Wells’ awesome pictures you can click on this link.  As you can see from Rich’s photos, there were times when these boats sailed within a few yards from Crusader.

Team Oracle Coutts - Less than ten yards from us (photo by Rich Wells)

Since we didn’t need to be on the course until midday we were able to eat breakfast and get some exercise each day before heading for the race course.  On Saturday morning Cathy and I were running along the waterfront when I saw someone I recognized.  After saying good morning and asking about his plans for the day I invited Peter Harken (Founder and President of Harken, Inc.) to join us for the day’s activities.  As you can see in the photo below Peter and his friend Edit spent the afternoon aboard Crusader.  You’ll notice that I look particularly entranced.  Rich took this photo as Peter described the series of events that led to his inventing the first ball bearing marine block.  Wow!

We learn about the birth of Harken ball bearing blocks from Peter Harken (photo by Rich Wells)

Being on the course boundary was an amazing experience.  But it was made even sweeter by the fact that the U.S. team, Oracle Racing Spithill, won both the Match Racing and Fleet Racing Championships.  A detailed description of these victories can be found on the ACWS website.

We ran past the AC Harbor each day for added inspiration.

Posted in One-Design Racing, Sailing Clubs, One-Design Fleets, and Yacht Clubs, Sailing Destinations | 2 Comments

We’ll be at the America’s Cup World Series in just three days!

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese
America's Cup World Series Race Course, San Diego

Kansas City Sailing will provide one of twelve Stake Boats marking the ACWS course in San Diego (dotted line)

The America’s Cup is the world’s premiere sailing event and Kansas City Sailing will be in San Diego for the America’s Cup World Series in just three days (Wednesday – Sunday, November 16-20).  We’ll be one of only twelve Stake Boats marking course boundaries (dotted yellow line above).

Approximately every three years the best sailors in the world compete to win the world’s #1 position in sailing.  After almost 18 years the United States has won back the title of America’s Cup Defender.  The other teams participating in this America’s Cup World Series as Challengers include France, Sweden, China, New Zealand, Spain, and Korea.

Cathy, Earl, Barb, Rich, Brandi, and I will be aboard Crusader (our Catalina 38), just meters away from the AC45 racing boats.  Here are some previews we’ve been watching:

America’s Cup World Series, San Diego – Preview #1

America’s Cup World Series, San Diego – Preview #2

America’s Cup World Series, San Diego – Preview #3

America’s Cup World Series, San Diego – Preview #4

America’s Cup World Series, San Diego – Preview #5

And here’s everyone’s favorite video of the ACWS Capsize Club, which took place on the last day of the ACWS in Plymouth, England: Action!

Be sure to look for us on the San Diego course next week.  We’ll have a gigantic grey flag hanging from our main halyard at the top of our mast.  The races will stream live on AmericasCup.com and YouTube.com.

Posted in One-Design Racing, Sailing Clubs, One-Design Fleets, and Yacht Clubs, Sailing Destinations | Leave a comment

Kansas City Sailing Will Play a Role in the America’s Cup World Series

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

Kansas City Sailing will provide a Stake Boat at the America's Cup World Series in San Diego, November 16-20

This evening we got amazing news.  We have been chosen to provide one of twelve Stake Boats at the upcoming America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) Regatta in San Diego.  As a Stake Boat we will be assigned a position (on our Catalina 38) at the edge of the race course where we will mark boundaries of the course.

This America’s Cup is especially exciting since our American Team Oracle recently returned the cup to the United States after it spent too many years (approximately 18) on foreign soil.  The teams participating in this year’s series include: Aleph (France), Artemis Racing (Sweden), China Team, Emirates Team (New Zealand), Energy Team (France), Green Comm Racing (Spain), Oracle Racing (USA), and Team Korea.

The AC45 Catamaran will be raced during the Series.  This boat is the forerunner to the AC72 that will be raced at America’s Cup Finals in San Francisco, 2013. The AC45 was designed by the ORACLE Racing Design and Engineering Team.  It’s a high-tech, grand prix race boat powered by a wing that towers more than sixty feet above the deck.  The AC45 is known to sail as fast as 30 knots.  Here are some of the AC45′s dimensions:

Hull Length – 44 feet
Maximum Beam – 22.6 feet
Mast Height – 70.5 feet
Maximum Draft – 8.8 feet
Displacement – 3,086 pounds
Wing Area – 914 square feet
Jib Area – 516 square feet
Gennaker Area – 1,345 square feet
Crew – 5 people @ 187 pounds each

The dates of the San Diego America’s Cup World Series are November 12-20, less than three weeks away.  As you can imagine this should prove to be an amazing experience.  We’ll do our best to bring the highlights back to Kansas City in stories and pictures.

You can learn more about the America’s Cup World Series at: www.americascup.com.

Posted in One-Design Racing | 1 Comment

Furlers + Winches + Halyard Wrap = Serious Danger!

Posted on October 8, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

 

This is what happens when you force a stuck furler!

Roller furling systems are among the greatest inventions known to sailors.  Particularly furlers designed for reefing can make heavy weather sailing safer and more comfortable.  Docking, close quarters maneuvering, and single handing can all be made easier with a good furling system.  When installed, maintained, and used properly furling systems are (at their very least) convenient and (at most) life saving.

A typical high quality furler consists of many different parts.  The most important of these are the foil (or extrusion), swivel, drum, and furling line.  The foil typically consists of individual sections, with connectors that hold foil sections together.  Connectors also function as bearings that enable the foil to smoothly rotate around the forestay. The swivel, attached to both the jib halyard and head of the sail, is designed to raise the jib and remain stationary at the masthead as the foil rotates.  The drum, which contains the furling line, turns the foil so that the jib can be rolled around it.

After the jib is hoisted onto the furler and cleated off it’s ready to furl.  However, if the angle of the halyard to the foil is too small or the halyard becomes slack, the risk of a halyard wrap is increased.  Halyard wrap occurs when a jib halyard or spinnaker halyard get wrapped around the foil and lock it in place as the drum tries to turn it.  When extreme force is applied (e.g., by using a winch with a winch handle) the foil is eventually torn apart and and the forestay may be unraveled and sheared off.

Take a look at the photos above and below. These are of a furler destroyed by halyard wrap.  The entire forstay snapped at the masthead and the furler crashed violently down on the deck.  Fortunately the boat was a Catalina 30, whose shrouds are led forward and aft. The forward shrouds kept the mast from crashing down and causing terrible destruction, injury, or even death to those in its path.

It’s most likely that the damage done to this furler and forestay occurred because crew, attempting to furl in the jib, found it difficult to turn.  They likely placed the furling line on a winch and cranked it with all their might.  Unbeknownst to them they were ripping the foil apart and untwisting and weakening the forestay until it snapped.

So what lessons can be learned from this near-disaster?

Professional riggers who install furlers are reminded to maintain adequate halyard angle while installing a furler. They are also encouraged to educate boat owners about the causes and dangers of halyard wrap.

Boat owners and crew are urged to watch for furler problems and never force a furler that feels stuck. Immediately upon feeling that your furler is stuck, stop furling and carefully examine all components of the furler.  Keep a pair of binoculars onboard to look up and see if your halyard is wrapped.  And if all else fails, drop your jib, rather than furling it, to determine what the problem is.

Furler, after forestay has sheared at the masthead due to halyard wrap

Posted in Safety, Sailboat Repair and Maintenance, Standing and Running Rigging | Leave a comment

Don’t get caught with your mast down!

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

Oh no! What happened?

The season has just started and we’re already seeing disasters out in the sailing community.  As you can plainly see this boat (above) has dismasted.  The natural question is “What happened?”

A closer look at the other side of the boat reveals that somehow the stem fitting (between the cleat and running light) designed to secure the forestay, tore out and the mast came down with a vengeance.

Look carefully and you'll see the stem fitting hanging against the port cabin

Perhaps the most disturbing image was the foredeck…

A truly disturbing image

Like most mishaps on a sailboat, this could have been avoided.  Boat decks are typically designed as composites, where core material is sandwiched between two layers of epoxy and resin.  Much of the strength, thickness, and stiffness of the deck comes from the integrity of the core material between the fiberglass. In this case the core appears to be plywood.

When a boat begins to develop leaks around the deck, core material may be compromised.  In other words, it may soften like a dry, stiff sponge that’s gotten soaked. This softening can be detected prior to a disaster by putting weight or pressure all along the deck to check for soft spots.

Too often boat owners make this terrible mistake: They notice that their boat interior is damp or water is pooling inside the cabin and they wipe this water away, satisfied that the problem is solved.  This clearly doesn’t resolve the root problem – that the deck leaks and is severely compromised.

The lesson to be learned here is this: Carefully check for deck leaks and soft spots.  Take them seriously.  Deck leaks can occur anywhere you find deck hardware or other mounted equipment (including stanchions, around the mast, bow and stern pulpits, toe rail, etc.). And certainly don’t be one of those naive sailors that purchases a used sailboat without checking for deck softening or evidence of leaks.

Simply said, don’t get caught with your mast down!

Posted in Sailboat Repair and Maintenance, Standing and Running Rigging | Leave a comment

Speaker Placement?

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

Question: I’d like to put speakers in my cockpit so I can listen to Jimmy Buffett while I sail. Is either one of these locations a good place to cut through and put flush speakers? Or should I consider somewhere else?

Eenie, meenie, minie, mo; where shall my speakers go?

Answer: Great picture and question!  Place the speakers where people are least likely to lean against them and where they are most easy to install.  Good access is essential.  Hope that helps!

Posted in Sailboat Repair and Maintenance | Leave a comment

Sail in Paradise!

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Bruce S. Liese

Photo by Bryan Culver

Question: “Where can you sail in Kansas?”
Answer: A picture is worth a thousand words.

This photo of a Kansas sunset was taken at the east end of Clinton Lake after the winds died down.  It’s time for a beverage, don’t you think?

Wow Kansas!

Posted in Sailing Destinations | Leave a comment