Maiden Voyage - Compac 16

[WhiteShad-O]

Hi everyone,

What a perfect day for a maiden voyage it was.  It wasn't beautiful in the sense of Florida sunshine, but it was a perfectly windy day ahead of the cold front that has now moved in.
On the advise of my dentist, a sailor himself, I trailered my boat to Dunedin.  Specifically, I found the Dunedin municipal marina where I met one of all people another Compac owner from this very site.  Yes, indeed; I met Bob Lamb, a fine and friendly gent who happened by my vehicle as I was prepping my boat for launch without any other plan in mind...just to stay safe and hopefully learn how to sail.   After a few minutes of conversation, Bob I expect, slipped up and said something about going out if he didn't have to run to Wal-Mart.  All I heard him say is that he had nothing better to do than to teach me something about sailing.  Well, I invited Bob to go out with me on my boat.  He just couldn't say no since he undoubtedly had fond memories of his Ol' Compac 16 which he once owned.  I figured he was eagor to help me on my first ever sailing experience or perhaps he didn't want to have to call the big yellow boat to come get me when I lost her!  Whatever his intentions, I had to invite him along and naturally it was destined that he accept the opportunity to appreciate our fine, windy blow that we were meant to enjoy.

Bob was instrumental in getting me started and giving me the confidence of having his salt on deck.  I learned how to sail!  I actually wasn't surprised by anything, having viewed some YouTube instruction beforehand and reading things on the Compac site.  My Pilot training and understanding of aerodynamics made sense out of all of it.  Naturally, I appreciate the Compac being kind enough as not to spill me out when I let go of the tiller on an occassion or two when I was distracted or changing sides, haha.   In the interest of learning, I experimented with every possible point of sail, tacking, gybing, pointing directly windward and wing on wing downwind.  Without a doubt, I was busier than was necessary to reach a point of destination, but that was by design to make the best use of Bob's presence and the well designed wind that had been put before us to enjoy and learn the cause and effect of different actions on our sailing.   

This experience was akin to the first time I flew an airplane.  Perhaps that was a tad more exciting, but this was an awful lot of fun.  I especially like that my input on the rudder and sheet(s), the angle of attack that I control and the general interaction that happens between the boat and the wind (that I control) makes the boat go.  I really enjoy that. I can see where I might like to try a faster boat, but I really like how stabile the boat felt even when heeled her over a bit with the tightened sheet and the jib.  We did start out with a few rolls of reef in the main (boom gooseneck rolled), but went to full sail and jib, which Bob mentioned he believes is a 110 genoa.  I have no idea, but it made a noticable difference as soon as we put it up.  Bob actually hoisted the jib, while I manned the tiller.  I've got to arrange some pullies back to the helm for controlling the haliards. 

I think I'll go this weekend, but this time I'll try the gulf up in my neck of the woods in Hudson.  The water is shallow here for a mile of so out, so that should give me a big enough lake to play around in and enjoy some scenerly.

Thanks to Bob for going with me and teaching me something about sailing.  I enjoyed the company and consider it my good fortune for meeting you, if you are reading this.

Eric Klee
Hudson, Fl
Compac 16

[skip1930]

Great story about a friendly tutor and a willing student. [Pulleys]

" I learned how to sail!  I actually wasn't surprised by anything, having viewed some YouTube instruction beforehand and reading things on the Compac site. "

Kind of like flying. One can learn how to fly in twenty minutes but it takes the rest of your life to learn how to stay alive. A skipisium.

Enjoy the boat. And a fine winter of sailing.

skip.

[Vipersdad]

Kind of like flying. One can learn how to fly in twenty minutes but it takes the rest of your life to learn how to stay alive. A skipisium.

Good one Skip.  Very true with many activities.

 
Viper

[Billy]

I've always said,
"sailing takes a day to learn and a lifetime to master."

Great story Eric! Glad you had someone ther to "show you the ropes!"
I would like to meet Bob and his Pilot House one day.

I sail in that area often.

[WhiteShad-O]

Skip,

Good point.  Staying safe and alive (in that order) will remain my objective while having fun on the water just as it is when I'm in the air.  I'm too scared of the ocean and of gravity to put myself in a precarious situation.  And I'm far to aware how things that go awry quickly even for an expert.  Neither the Sea nor the sky recognises even the best of us as an expert.

I will always welcome sound advice and shared knowledge from those with more experience, which quite frankly is everybody at the moment.  I am looking at this as a start of one of those interests that can carry me through the rest of my lifetime, hopefully.

Can someone tell me how I can post pictures on this site?. Copy and past apparently don't work after pressing "Insert Image", second from the left above the moticons.

[WhiteShad-O]

That moi at the helm, happy as a lark and holding her steady while Bob Lamb snapped the photo.



My yachting partner and tutor for the afternoon,  Bob Lamb is pictured above (the mainsail arrow pointing to "the man") on my bow.  I hope Bob's back isn't too soar from my tacking exploits.  I was enjoying changing points of sail more often than necessary to experience the wind / sail position change. Bob was such a good sport, sliding from side to side and helping me get familiar with releasing the jib sheet on one side and pulling it over to the opposite side as I tacked.  I see where the bigger boats would give a larger more comfy area up top.

[skip1930]

I see she has no life lines or stanchions or stern pulpit. And your mentor has no PFD on nor do you.
Seeing how your learning the boat, expect the unexpected.
"Accidents don't happen, you have to let them happen." Having said this I rarely use my PFD either. Shame on me. Do as I say, not as I do.

The U.S.P.S [see the link at the bottom of all my posts] is our squadron, one of many nationwide operations that offer classes in boat safety. Take a look~see.

skip.