Newby

[lkm]

Hi All,
Congratulate me (hopefully), I'm now the proud owner of a 2005 Eclipse (if I read the Hull # ABV19020I405 = that indicates #20?).
I liked the Eclipse as a nice balance of small enough to be trailerable but big enough to overnight on occasion and take my 2 girls (5 yr and 9 yr old) from time to time.
I'll be sailing mostly on the north Chesapeake.  Any of you in this area?

I'll admit this is a new space for me.  Although I'm pushing 50, unlike others on the forum, I only been sailing a year, and that mostly in classes (I took the ASA101-104 series).

So, wish me luck and impart me with your wisdom.
- What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

Larry

ps boat is currently in shop getting cleaned up - will post photos when she gets out.

[capt_nemo]

lkm,

Lived in Bel Air, MD and sailed the Chesapeake for 20 years on 4 boats, 21', 25', 32', and 35'. The Chesapeake is truly one of the best cruising areas on the North American continent - enjoy it as much as you can.

Starting out tip 1 - spend some time "dry sailing" your boat on the trailer in your driveway. Become familiar with all the standing and running rigging, all the hardware (blocks, fairleads, & assorted cleats), reefing gear, mainsheet, boom vang, topping lift, lazy jacks, etc. Raise and lower all sails several times (lube the mast track?). Go through the process of reefing the main then shaking it out. The time you spend familiarizing yourself with the boat, in a relaxed atmosphere, will pay great dividends out on the water.

Starting out tip 2- sail your boat in a variety of weather conditions experimenting (SAFELY) with different sail rig combinations to get an early feel for how your boat responds under those different conditions.

For example, in Heavy Air (in a Chesapeake short chop) how does it sail with Main only, with reefed Main and small jib, with jib only. You may be surprised at what you experience. And, the exercise serves well in teaching you how your particular boat performs.

Fair winds and best wishes.

capt_nemo

[Vectordirector]

Hi Larry,

Congrats and Welcome,

If you have questions about the boat, this is the place to be.  Go back and read as much of the Eclipse thread as you can.  You will learn plenty.  The people here are incredibly helpful and friendly.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  We love to help new owners and talk about the boat.  The Compac factory is also a great resource for more in depth questions and boat specific parts.  

It is a great boat. Super stable for her size and easy to sail.   I'm sure you gained plenty of experience in your classes and are well prepared to sail the boat, but I hope you got a lesson on how to rig her as the mast system is a bit confusing if you've never seen it.  If you don't have experience in trailering, that will be a new learning experience every bit as important as sailing.  Practice backing up and get like it is second nature.  If you have never launched a boat you should have someone show you how it is done.  What other boats have you sailed?

My advice, and I've been sailing off and on for over 30 years, is, sail as much as you are able, practice, practice, practice.  The best way to learn it is to do it.  Oh, and wear your sunscreen.

Good luck, be safe, and most of all, have fun!

Vectordirector

[alsantini]

Welcome Larry.  All of the other Eclipse owners think you will really enjoy the boat.  It is a capable sailing vessel that you and your family will really enjoy.  I echo all the other comments about what to do first.  I also have taken the certification classes, although many years ago, and one of the recommendations that my instructor had was to spend the first day in a new boat under power rather than sail.  Dock it, un dock it, power it in squares to see how it handles different wind directions.  Put the board up and do a square, then put it down all the way - another square.  Run parallel to a dock, slow and under control.  Practice really tight turning where you turn not only the tiller but the motor.  Once you feel confident under power, sailing will be easier.  I am amazed at the crashes into docks, trailers, buoys, and other boats that occur because a captain does not know what his boat will do while under power.  For the first shake down cruise if you can take along someone who is a sailor, ask them to NOT sail your boat but be handy to help with lines, fenders, and possibly recommendations.  My first time in a sailboat 40 years ago, the mainsheet came disconnected from the boom (small boat).  I did not have the slightest idea what to do and actually got into the water to try and get the end of the line.  A gentleman sailing nearby sailed over and told me to get back in the boat and turn the tiller to bring the boom back in.  duh....  I have had 8 sailboats (5 with motors) and on each one I have powered around getting a feel for how the boat would handle.  Then, I went sailing....  Good luck and enjoy.  I wish you fair winds in every sail on your Eclipse.  What is the name of the boat?

[Mike K]

Hi Larry,

Congrats on the new Eclipse!  I still have a Com-Pac Legacy (currently in Florida) and more recently a Precision 21 (sorry everyone) here on the Chesapeake.  When I sell those, my next boat will likely be an Eclipse though, which is why I lurk here....  I've been sailing about 9 years, and took many of the ASA classes too like you did.  Over the years, I've sailed about 9 boats from a Hobie cat, sloops up to 32', and even a 35ft. cruising catamaran.  But I like the trailer sailors like the Eclipse best.  You can't beat them for fun for the dollar.

You mentioned that you will be sailing on the northern Chesapeake.  I don't know how "north" you are on the bay, but my boat is moored on the Bohemia River, near Elkton and Chesapeake City MD. (About as far north as you can get!)

About 5-6 of us met on 3 boats last month on the Chesapeake near the Elk/Bohemia River areas.  Naturally, we had a great time.  For details of that, see the posts on this site under "Group Outings and Com-Pac Events".  The sub-topic is HOTCR which is an acronym for "Head Of The Chesapeake Rendezvous".  A sailor on this forum named "ElkRiver" created that outing, and as his name implies, also sails up north on the Elk River near Elkton MD on a CP19.  It's too bad you didn't have the boat then, or let us know a little earlier, we would have loved to have you along, with or without your Eclipse!

Where exactly are you?  And do you launch off a trailer, or keep it in the water somewhere?  If you are up in our area of the bay or don't mind trailering up here, we might be able to get a mini rendezvous going on short notice!  If interested, drop me and maybe  ElkRiver a private message on this site and we can possibly coordinate an outing or day sail.  I'd love to see and maybe sail an Eclipse in the "flesh", after convincing myself "on paper" it would be my ideal next boat!

Congratulations and have many fun sails,
Mike

[lkm]

Thanks for the friendly responses and great ideas.

The prior owner was very helpful in showing me the mast raising and launching during the test sail. 
The first day I got it home I did raise the mast on ground a couple of times, and even had a overnight camp with the kids (prior owner had a customer boom tent we setup!)
But didn't think to try setting a reef on ground.  _Great_ idea.  Will do.
Also a great tip to get comfortable with the motor first.  I'll definitely do this as well.

The boat is named Figaro.  The prior owner named it that after the Mister Geppetto's cat (e.g. image) My daughters love cats so and the personality kind of fit (cute, playful) so I decided to keep the name.  I'm also 'figer in it out'

Mike, Regarding 'where' on the Chesapeake -
I'm currently 'north of north (end)' (my home is just north of Wilmingon, DE) so was thinking of putting in at Elk Neck State Park or Turners Creek on the Sassafras.  Both look to be about an hour away for me on the map, but open to best recommendations on that.   Yes, I'll be trailering, and would love to meet up with you.   And, definitely count me in for the next HOTCR. 

Unfortunately, I'm working this week, then need to fly the west coast for a week, and the boat is currently in Annapolis getting painted and a transom stress fracture repaired.    So I won't be able to even see the boat for a couple weeks until I get back.  But, perhaps we can meet up some weekend in June.   

[Mike K]

Larry,

June sounds great!  Let me know when you'd be ready to sail, and we can meet up.  I actually live in Newark DE, and drive down to the marina on the Bohemia.

As for launch sites, I have not tried to launch on the Sassafras River.  I don't know much about Turners creek boat launch, except I see you need a county permit to launch from there.  There's no one attending the area, so you have to apply for it beforehand.   http://dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/sassafras.aspx.  I once watched some small fishing boats and jet-skis launch out of there, but don't know about the ramp depths.  I tend to stay away from going deep into the Sassafras River because there are a LOT of huge powerboats way down in Georgetown/Fredericktown that cruise up and down the river and cause lots of wakes in the narrow sections.  But Turners appears pretty good, and close to the mouth of the river.

I'm on a mooring now at the Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor, but the last few seasons I used to ramp launch from the Bohemia Vista Marina ramp right next door.  In past years, I paid for a yearly ramp fee, and I kept my boat there on the trailer with the mast up, which saves a lot of time rigging.

The Bohemia Vista ramp is a single ramp, and it's rather old, but it has some new floating docks at the end.  They raised the price to $20 per launch (if you don't get the yearly deal), which is fairly high.  It can get busy on the weekends, but you can launch an Eclipse there 99% of the time except for the very unusual low tides when a strong wind is from the north (pushes water out of the Bohemia).  I've only seen this condition once.  If we do go sailing together, and you choose to launch from there, I can help you out raising the mast, rigging and launching your boat, then I can jump on mine as the marinas are side by side.

Elk Neck State Park, (Rogues Harbor) has a lot of ramps, and has a good parking lot.  Looks like it will cost you $12 to launch.  I never launched from there, but once arrived by sea and walked around checking it out.  The Chesapeake at Elk Neck  is narrow, with moderate boat traffic and has a shipping channel with some large ships going in/out of the C+D canal.  But just a mile or so to the north or the south of the Elk Neck ramps, it opens up nicely for more relaxed day sailing away from the traffic.

If you choose to launch out of Elk Neck Rogues Harbor, I could still help you get your boat ready, but I couldn't drive back to my boat easily, as it would take about 50 minutes by car.  But I could act as a willing crew member on your Eclipse, and show you around the Upper Chesapeake!

[Eagleye]

Hi Larry and Welcome,
It appears that since you have decided on the Eclipse that you have done your homework and know what you want.  This will be our forth season with our Eclipse and before that I never owned any type of boat whatsoever.  I have learned a lot and have a lifetime of learning yet to go.  Read as much as you can, start out slow, pick your weather, and sail sail sail..........

As a newbie myself the Madame Z has been a patient and forgiving sailboat.   Get to know your Eclipse well and she will teach you many lessons.

Best to You,
-Allen

[lkm]

Well - the boat is finally painted and back home.
Hopefully some driveway exercises and final work like adding the name and numbers this weekend and then hopefully next to my maden sail in 1 week assuming weather cooperates.
Photos

Also interesting while on blocks to see the drop keel - don't often get a chance to see the underside

[hoddinr]

Beautiful paint job!!

[alsantini]

Looks really great in dark colors.  Great job.  Keep us posted on future sailing and changes to your Eclipse.

Al

[Bob23]

Welcome Larry and she looks great in black. Are you planning to trailer much? We have an annual, very low key gathering up here in NJ. Capt Elk attended last year. I haven't posted anything about this epic event yet because...well, because I just haven't! Stay tuned for the Barnegat Bay Bash 2015. Hope to see you there!
Bob23

[Napier6]

Welcome Larry, I've got a 2005 Eclipse hull #28 "Skylark" also.  My two girls were 7 and 9 when we got her.  You'll love it, just try not to take them out on really rough days at first! Flat sailing so they aren't scared off.  Also, expect 5 minutes of sailing, then "when can we swim?" It's OK, just plan the swimming and sailing to keep them happy. I love the paint job.  I asked about a navy blue scheme, but was told it was not traditional.  I should have stuck to it, it's beautiful.

[Salty19]

Congratulations, the boat looks beautiful!

You'll do fine if you've had ASA classes.  Sailing is a lifetime learning experience.  In the meantime, get to know how your boat handles and ask lots of questions. 
First rule as you're sailing with kids is safety first. 

I would not take them with you the first few times out and definitely not in strong wind.  Learn the boat, gain confidence first. If you're nervous, the kids will be scared...