Does anyone have any information on any long distance type cruises of Com-pac yatchs that one can read. IE...Gulf of Mexico crossings, Bahamas crossings, great lakes crossings, ICW trips? Can't wait to hear back. Thanks
Might want to read
Handbook of Trailer Sailing
by Burgess
Sail the Caribbean with both a 19 and 16...skip
Thanks, I have the book and I am reading it now. I was wondering if there was anything else available.
Hello, I found this article on the web of a Cp-16 sailing from Key West to the Bahamas.
http://www.photoboto.com/psyched_up.htm
Before I let my subscription lapse into the sunset an article about sailing to Hawaii was mentioned in Small Craft Adviser...having no desire to go to Hawaii I never read that story...archives?? maybe. skip.
Hi
This is not about a cp but I think you will enjoy this sit. www.microcruising.com
Some nice story's and excellent pictures of a couple sailing to the Bahamas from Florida and other cruises in a homebuilt "micro cruiser". A good way to spend some time when shore bound.
mrb
I took my Compac 25 from Indiantown Florida down to Lake Worth inlet and "crossed the stream" in 08. Went from the West End on Grand Bahama Isl. through to Hope Town (Elbow Cay) and stopped at many of the Abaco islands on the way through.The CP 25 was a great Bahamas boat as there are many shallow ereas and the 2 1/2ft draft was great.Took the "don't rock passage" to get from the Green Turtle erea across to Treasure Cay erea and south without having to go outside using "the Whale" passage. I find shallow draft a true asset.Even when getting in and out of Black Sound the tide really didn't matter.Fun sailing by other boats aground or anchored waiting for the tide.With care, even a CP 19 would easily do the trip.
Every Sailor ought to read Robert Manry's 1965 adventure book Tinkerbelle. And stop in to see the actual boat in Cleveland, Ohio where Manry worked as a newspaper reporter. I like the visit to Tinkerbelle by a U.S. submarine, mid-Alantic...
skip.
Does anyone know of a good tutorial to prepare a smaller Compac (16-23) for long distance ocean cruising. I feel I could live on mine if I could just be sure she wouldn't leak if broached or capsized. We were knocked down last year and she shipped water from someplace (possibly the rub rail?) Has anyone tried to make these little boats watertight?
thanks mrb, liked your post. Like reading about micro cruiser, newt, I think we have a leak around the rub rail too. However, sailing the ocean blue in our sixteen, "shiver me timbers" not old enough to try, only a babe, a little over 60.
www.microcruising.com
Here's a site with lots of information about Manry and Tinkerbelle, including the entire book and video footage put together by Manry. I have his book and read it numerous times as a young adolescent. Its a great read
http://www.clevelandmemory.org/manry/index.html (http://www.clevelandmemory.org/manry/index.html)
http://www.clevelandmemory.org/manry/index.html
I enjoyed the fact that Bob Manry sailed in an Old Town Mf'g. sailboat. I have an Old Town Panobscot canoe and almost kind of felt a kinship between the boats. Can't explain it. I saw a poster once of the Old Town Boatworks and all the 'wood chucks' had on ties, vest, shop aprons, and a hat as they were busy making beautiful boat and piles of wood chips in the 1800's.
A few years ago at the Door County Wooden Boat Show a fellow exhibited that same Manry hulled sailboat and it was for sale. I tried to interest the DCMM into purchasing this boat and then I thought I'd cut her down the middle plus make the additions Manry did and have people walk through the cut displaying both the inside and outside of this marvelous vessel. All the supplies would be on board, exactly like the cut-a-way drawing shown in the book. Just like was done with a model of Dick Rutan's Voyager Aeroplane, first to fly around the world non-stop and displayed at Oshkosh, Air Venture Museum in Wisconsin. But no one wanted to spend the sum of $2500.00. It would have been a 'drive to destination' here in Door County.
skip.
Read the book, Cruising in Seraffyn. The author is Lin Pardey. She has several sequels. Also, her husband, Larry has several highly recommended books.
Dinghy Cruising, Single Handed Sailing, Gipsy Moth Circles the world, Sailing Small, A speck on the sea, One hand for yourself, one for the ship...just to name a few.
I took my rub rail off and silicone caulked all the way around. i am in the process of adding hinges to the rear hatch and a gasket. I have thought of purchasing buoyancy bags that I can inflate and deflate, putting them well aft of the sleeping berths, but if she is sealed up tight I don't think you'll have much of a problem.
I have never been knocked down, but have side slipped. She is designed to heel 40 degrees and side slip from that point on. But if it's gust and you have a larger sail area, it's possible.
You said you were knocked down and turtled? She is designed to self right as well...tell me what happened?
Last year I was out sailing in Utah's second largest lake, which is a big puddle about 30 miles long and over 10 miles wide. We were way into the middle when we got hit by a microburst. It his us at about 60 knts, and visibility was poor (about a mile) so I had less than a minute to see it and respond. Unfortunately I was holding my grandson when I saw it coming. I had enough time to hand him off below, turn the boat into the wind and it was there. We were already on reefed sails, but it quick overpowered the keel and we broached and then knocked down (80-90 degrees) spreaders and boom in the water. In that condition we rolled the jib and she popped up. Ran with the wind under reefed main for a couple of minutes, and the wind was gone. At 80 degrees- she didn't ship much water into the cockpit, but did ship some down below. As far as I can tell, first time she has ever had water in her bilge.
The ports were under water too---that could be where the water came from, but I think it was the hull-deck joint.
BTW- thank you for the PM's and the responses. I think I am going to seal off the joint with 5200.
Newt,
I agree with your conclusion, it was likely the hull/deck joint leaking. The protrusion style joint is perferated at the chainplates and allows passage of water through the joint. I removed the chainplates on my 19 and cleaned the failed silicone mess and rebedded with generous amount of 5200 after reinstalling chainplates. Had to stuff backing on inside of hull to prevent flow of 5200 as the opening was sizeable. Leak is no more. Please remember that anything you may wish to remove in the future like your ports will be very difficult if bedded with 5200.
The only concern I have with your plan to cruise the seven seas in a 16 footer is that your balls may be too big to fit in that little boat. I just completed a short cruise of the area in my 19 and one of the days was spent in the Gulf of Mexico between Charlotte Harbor (on the South West Coast of Florida) to Fort Myers Beach, a trip of about 40 or so miles. There were 6-7 foot waves left over from a passing front the night before. I never felt in danger because I stayed out beyond any breakers, but sure got tossed around pretty good. It made for a long and tiring day. I wouldn't want to think of being caught at sea in a gale in this small a boat. Sure many folks have lived to tell the tale, but there are probably just as many untold tales of those who didn't. If you've read Gypsy Moth, think of the occasion that the vessel was broached on the crest of a large breaker and only luck prevented her from being dropped over the crest to a certain disaster. Could have been a book never written.
Newt,
A quick follow up to my last post: If you are going to be cruising with no itinerary, of course you can pick favorable weather - but are you prepared to live the absolute minimalist lifestyle for those cruise periods?
Here is a pic taken while in the Gulf - do have to admit it's times like these that attachment to shore side things doesn't seem very relevant.
Oops - I guess we can't do pics here yet - if I can find your email here I will use that to forward the pic.
Ron
You better send me a copy of that picture too.
Ron, you had the Idafoil rudder too right? My wife and I were out a few weeks ago in conditions we probably should've turned back...bent the rudder! Didn't know it till we were back at the dock. That was NOT a fun day...and to think I took a vacation day from work for that. Ever hear "A bad day of sailing is better than a good day at work"? Yeah, I think that's supposed to go "a bad day of fishing..."
I should have gone to work that day!
Hey guys- lets get one thing straight- I'm no hero! I wished I wasn't there when the microburst came through, but we just had to handle it anyway. On the gulf I am usually chartering... and I am very aware of the "flip formula" that says when breaking swell's height is half your lenght you have a good chance of capsizing. I know and practice with anchors, sea anchors, drogues, etc. My Compac (which is a 23) does not go out of port with winds above 20 knots and storms moving in. BUT...and this is a big BUT...I do get caught out there sometimes, so I feel it necessary to have my boat watertight, have harnesses and attachment points, and generally be as safe as I possibly can.
The minimalist lifestyle I have talking a while about on these threads. It works great for me when I am alone. I enjoy my time spent that way, but when I bring the admiral on there is a whole different set of issues. Consequently I go out about half my time with family, and about half of it with myself. I am looking into cruising the great circle with just me and my Compac. I wold be very happy to see your pic Potcake. It sounds like you had quite an adventure.
If you want a true hero in a small boat, go to Sailfar and look at Amgine- he is crossing the Pacific to Hawaii in a 25 ft boat. (Pacific swells btw, make the gulf swells look pretty tame)
I think of myself as pretty wimpy, I just manage to get out of the trouble I fall into...:)
As previously posted, Tinkerbelle was a great read. Here is a link to "Shrimpy"...a caprice 18fter that Shane Acton sailed around the world. Seems to be a free download and a great read ! http://members.lycos.co.uk/marybonney/