Another question you guys...thanks in advance!!!

[high tide is up]

Ok another dumb question from the "still driveway sailing gal"....I've read and read and reread everything I can get my fingers on and I still have a question    After both sails are up how do you run the lines back to the cockpit.  Ok the jib sheet I've read (if I get this) has 2 lines correct???  one runs starboard and one runs port???  outside the stays???  ok main halyard gets tied off to starboard side and jib halyard port side???  now I'm sitting back there (in the driveway) ready to "sail down the road" with the tiller in my hand and explain where the sheets come in here....My Grandpa used to say "You can't learn to ride the horse by reading a book ya gotta climb into the saddle".  And I want to launch this baby but I'm still waiting for my friend to come give me his expert advice.....

[Pacman]

Main and jib halyards are cleated on the mast.  They are coiled and the coils hang on the cleats on the sides of the mast.

The jib sheets are led back to the cockpit on the outside of the shrouds for sailing off the wind.  However, when I sail close to the wind, the jib sheets are led back inside the shrouds so the jib will be closer to the mast.

[carry-on]

Once your halyards are secured you only need to deal with the three sheets unless you need to re-tension the halyards.
As Pacman said, the jib sheets come back to the cockpit inside or outside the shrouds(side stays) depending on the wind conditions and where your cleats are set. One sheet is active and one is lazy. The active is the one you will tend for the tack you are sailing. So if you are on a starboard tack, wind from starboard, your active jib sheet is to port. When you tack or jibe to a port tack the active sheet shifts.
Now you need to deal with the main sheet. If you go back to diagrams 11 and 12 sent by Skip, you will see the main sheet made up to the end of the boom and running to a cam cleat on the top of the transom. You need to keep the main sheet handy because it is your emergency brake. If you get a surprise gust, you want to be able to let the main out quickly to dump air. So beginning sailors when alone , might want to keep the main sheet in hand so they can quickly release the cam cleat. I don't think the main sheet should be lashed down while sailing.
You have the tiller and main sheet in hand and if alone you need to trim(adjust) the jib sheet and main sheet to maintain sail shape. Sounds like a lot, but after a few sailing days you will gain comfort. On the 16, nothing is far from your reach. 
Fair winds to you.

[skip1930]

Dawn, During your first sail, and if you have a little wind and your not drift sailing, keep that sheet, the main sail sheet, in your hand as carry-on said. If the Com Pac-16 heels over a bit too much for your liking and comfort zone just let out some of this main sheet and you'll de-power the boat and she should return to a more even keel.

side bar: Just for poops and grins, click this. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/com-pac/ and just look~see at the cover photograph. It is Bob Burgess, the guy who wrote the book Handbook of Trailer Sailing in his Com Pac 16. She's in a bit of a blow. No problem. Cool pic that shows some of the sea-kindliness that these boats have.

As your sailing, check and look at the standing rigging, the two shrouds that are tac'ed [attached to the chainplates] at the hull and run up near the top-o-mast. The one that is on the windy side [windward] of the boat will be taught, while the other side on the windless side [lee side] of the boat will be a tad looser. And vice verse.

Nobody yet has said anything about running an optional line tied to the the back of the boom to a block/pulley at the top-o-mast to simply hold the back of the boom up off and out of the way of the cockpit. Remember the front of the boom is held up with a sail stop while the down haul holds the front of the boom down on top of the sail stop. This optional line does the same thing as the main sail does when when the sail is lifted up the mast with a halyard line.

This optional line could be cleat ed off on a cleat at the base of the mast or run through a cabin top block, a line organizer, and dead ended with a stopper knot down stream of a rope clutch. It is usually helpfull to slack off this line when the sail is up and taking a shape to capture the best wind. If you de-rig the boat everytime you sail maybe you'd want to forget about this line. Up to you.

In looking at your beautiful boat pictures, luv's the light blue non-slip areas, I see the Bulls Eyes [fairlead] that the head sail sheets can go through.  I have never used these on my CP-19. Maybe my 155% head sail is too long? Regardless, from where the head sail sheets are cleat ed on the deck outside of the cockpit combing you'd like to look~see a line of site from the cleat ed line, straight up that line, and that line of site ought to be pointing toward and ending somewhere about in the middle of the head sail. Just for starters. Moving these lines in and out of the bulls eyes, inside and outside of the standing rigging will all be sorted out as some sailing time is accrued.

BTW, what is that black thing on the inside of the port cockpit below the cockpit combing...it's sticking out! ouch...right where you'd be leaning against for a backrest? Kind of poky?

skip.

[JTMeissner]

Dawn, on my CP-16 I have tried running jib sheets both inside and outside the shrouds, and generally prefer inside running through the fairlead and cam cleat; this is with a standard 110 jib.  With a 155 genoa, the sheets need a block/cleat much further back which is what Skip mentioned because the sail is much longer and therefore sheeting must be outside the shrouds.

It looks like the PO of your boat used a few blocks at the front of the cabin top near the mast (in front of the teak rails) and cam cleats back along the aft edge to allow halyard control from inside the cockpit.  In this case the halyards run down the mast (are there blocks on the bottom of the mast?) through the turning blocks on the front of the cabin and back through the cam cleats.  This allows you to be able to lower/raise the sails while keeping a hand on the tiller and mainsheet.  I don't have this setup and just cleat the halyards to the mast as mentioned by Pacman.

Question: Are those blocks hanging on the fairleads at the front of the cockpit?  I'm at a loss trying to think what those might be used for.

-Justin

[deisher6]

Hey High Tide:
Some C-16's have turning blocks at the bottom of the mast to run the halyards back to cleats on the rear of the cabin top.  I cannot tell from your pictures if yours has these blocks.  Otherwise pacman is right on. 

I see that you do not have spreaders on your side stays so running the jib inside of the stays is doable.  I have never tried it on our C-16II, I could always trim close enough with the jib outside of the stays.  In fact until just now I have never considered if the working jib would hit the spreaders.  Anyhow you do not have the spreader problem.

Best of luck on your impending sail..... keep the mainsheet in hand or at least handy.

regards charlie

[high tide is up]

Man all of you guys ROCK!!!!  Those are exactly the answers I've been looking for!!!!  Now when I "sail the driveway"  I can vision what ya'll are talking about!!!  Thank you soooo much!!!  you can bet I'm going to reread all you comments quite a few times!!!!  This is the best forum ever!!!  Ya'll really take time out to help new sailors out like myself!!!!

[high tide is up]

Dawn, During your first sail, and if you have a little wind and your not drift sailing, keep that sheet, the main sail sheet, in your hand as carry-on said. If the Com Pac-16 heels over a bit too much for your liking and comfort zone just let out some of this main sheet and you'll de-power the boat and she should return to a more even keel.

side bar: Just for poops and grins, click this. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/com-pac/ and just look~see at the cover photograph. It is Bob Burgess, the guy who wrote the book Handbook of Trailer Sailing in his Com Pac 16. She's in a bit of a blow. No problem. Cool pic that shows some of the sea-kindliness that these boats have.

As your sailing, check and look at the standing rigging, the two shrouds that are tac'ed [attached to the chainplates] at the hull and run up near the top-o-mast. The one that is on the windy side [windward] of the boat will be taught, while the other side on the windless side [lee side] of the boat will be a tad looser. And vice verse.

Nobody yet has said anything about running an optional line tied to the the back of the boom to a block/pulley at the top-o-mast to simply hold the back of the boom up off and out of the way of the cockpit. Remember the front of the boom is held up with a sail stop while the down haul holds the front of the boom down on top of the sail stop. This optional line does the same thing as the main sail does when when the sail is lifted up the mast with a halyard line.

This optional line could be cleat ed off on a cleat at the base of the mast or run through a cabin top block, a line organizer, and dead ended with a stopper knot down stream of a rope clutch. It is usually helpfull to slack off this line when the sail is up and taking a shape to capture the best wind. If you de-rig the boat everytime you sail maybe you'd want to forget about this line. Up to you.

In looking at your beautiful boat pictures, luv's the light blue non-slip areas, I see the Bulls Eyes [fairlead] that the head sail sheets can go through.  I have never used these on my CP-19. Maybe my 155% head sail is too long? Regardless, from where the head sail sheets are cleat ed on the deck outside of the cockpit combing you'd like to look~see a line of site from the cleat ed line, straight up that line, and that line of site ought to be pointing toward and ending somewhere about in the middle of the head sail. Just for starters. Moving these lines in and out of the bulls eyes, inside and outside of the standing rigging will all be sorted out as some sailing time is accrued.

BTW, what is that black thing on the inside of the port cockpit below the cockpit combing...it's sticking out! ouch...right where you'd be leaning against for a backrest? Kind of poky?

skip.

Skip,

the boat came with an "auto tiller".  there's a plug to plug in this piston looking device and then attach it to the tiller...the old owner said he never used it....so we'll see.......

[high tide is up]

Once your halyards are secured you only need to deal with the three sheets unless you need to re-tension the halyards.
As Pacman said, the jib sheets come back to the cockpit inside or outside the shrouds(side stays) depending on the wind conditions and where your cleats are set. One sheet is active and one is lazy. The active is the one you will tend for the tack you are sailing. So if you are on a starboard tack, wind from starboard, your active jib sheet is to port. When you tack or jibe to a port tack the active sheet shifts.
Now you need to deal with the main sheet. If you go back to diagrams 11 and 12 sent by Skip, you will see the main sheet made up to the end of the boom and running to a cam cleat on the top of the transom. You need to keep the main sheet handy because it is your emergency brake. If you get a surprise gust, you want to be able to let the main out quickly to dump air. So beginning sailors when alone , might want to keep the main sheet in hand so they can quickly release the cam cleat. I don't think the main sheet should be lashed down while sailing.
You have the tiller and main sheet in hand and if alone you need to trim(adjust) the jib sheet and main sheet to maintain sail shape. Sounds like a lot, but after a few sailing days you will gain comfort. On the 16, nothing is far from your reach. 
Fair winds to you.

Thank you for your reply.....It's all making sence now...

[high tide is up]

Dawn, on my CP-16 I have tried running jib sheets both inside and outside the shrouds, and generally prefer inside running through the fairlead and cam cleat; this is with a standard 110 jib.  With a 155 genoa, the sheets need a block/cleat much further back which is what Skip mentioned because the sail is much longer and therefore sheeting must be outside the shrouds.

It looks like the PO of your boat used a few blocks at the front of the cabin top near the mast (in front of the teak rails) and cam cleats back along the aft edge to allow halyard control from inside the cockpit.  In this case the halyards run down the mast (are there blocks on the bottom of the mast?) through the turning blocks on the front of the cabin and back through the cam cleats.  This allows you to be able to lower/raise the sails while keeping a hand on the tiller and mainsheet.  I don't have this setup and just cleat the halyards to the mast as mentioned by Pacman.

Question: Are those blocks hanging on the fairleads at the front of the cockpit?  I'm at a loss trying to think what those might be used for.

-Justin

Hi Justin,

Thanks for the feedback.  yes those are blocks on the fairleads and I too am unsure of why those are there....the PO is to come down and help me launch and explain the boat...will let you know what he says...thanks again

Dawn

[skip1930]

copy paste italicized [not doing the quote thing.]

Dawn says, " Skip, the boat came with an "auto tiller".  there's a plug to plug in this piston looking device and then attach it to the tiller...the old owner said he never used it....so we'll see..."

OK I'll bet that thing in the cockpit back rest is the mounting for the auto tiller. And there will be some sort of a socket on the tiller and somewhere a plug to juice the auto tiller up.  Good luck with that. Have enough battery power? Most likely not especially if the auto tiller 'hunts' a lot a completes a lot of course corrections while transversing across the waves. Let us know how it works.

Me? I feel I should conserve every possible amp and electron so this is my solution.

skip.

[kickingbug1]

   send this gal some pictures guys ( you know the thousand words thing)

[kearns]

I inherited one of these from the previous owner of a Capri 22. It's made by Raymarine.  Here is a youtube video of one of them in "action". A google search under "auto tiller" will yield more advice and opinions about them  Personally, I never used it and so I followed my standard rule of thumb about boat gadgets ... less is more.  I put it up for sale on eBay and got a fair amount of money for it ... maybe $150 or $200... can't remember exactly.  They are not cheap gadgets. If you don't want to use it, I think you could sell it pretty easily.  Frankly, on a CP-16, which does not track particularly well to begin with, I think the auto tiller would require constant adjustment and you might as well (wo)man the tiller yourself and have fun sailing the boat with your hands, not with a button.  Just my opinion. -- Kevin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REoWZwI2U7g

[kickingbug1]

   the 16 is a simple pure sailor, which is what makes it so appealing. i would only invest in a tiller tamer of some sort. they are pretty inexpensive and easy to install.