The New Year's Day Non Football Regatta

Not many years ago, a group of friends here in Oriental, were invited to crew for the sailing vessel Bounty in the annual New Year's Day Non Football Regatta.
Here in Oriental, NC, not many people are that interested in football so every New Year's Day there is a regatta during the time when most of America is watching football.  The requirements of the regatta are that you use a sailboat to circumnavigate at  least three buoys if not more in the Neuse River off of Oriental.  After this stringent qualification of passing the third mark your vessel and its crew meet the requirements set forth in the race committees rules and regs.  Basically, the name of your vessel and its captain will be placed in a felt hat.  The name drawn is now considered the winner.  The purse includes free horsd'oeuvres at M and M's and dinner and drinks at your own expense.

You may even read and return to the shelf a children's adventure book written by our very own Bernie Harberts who spent much of the race aloft in the spreaders taking photographs of other competitors and our exuberant crew.

Meanwhile, Captain John is down below taking inventory of his exquisite French wine collection which has become airborne along with his laptop, cellphone and other miscellaneous items.
Bernie caught some of the crew sleeping on the job but fun was had by all.

Did we qualify to win? Yes!  Did we actually win? No, but there is always next year.
For more adventures with Bernie check out this clip from his offshore excursion.  Bernie Harberts: 65 days Alone at Sea

Rigging Inspection: Ascending the Mast

Here is where things get interesting in that you cannot go up the mast to inspect the masthead fitting without the use of steps or a boatswain's chair.  I for one, do not go up a mast unless the halyard goes through the masthead and back down to a winch.  Use your binoculars to get a better look at things aloft.  I do not suggest using an external block at the masthead unless you have no other choice.  Always use a safety line (another halyard) and a safety clip on your boatswain's chair.

If you are climbing up the mast using mast steps, most certainly use a safety belt. On a wooden mast the steps are usually screw fastened so check for any loose screws.  On an aluminum mast it is common to use stainless steel machine screws or pop rivets. Never trust only one step completely.  Try to spread your weight evenly between the steps.  Use your safety belt and a second halyard with a strong person (who likes you) to tail this safety line.

When you arrive at the lower shroud terminals check the fastenings holding the mast tangs to the mast.  Check the swage terminals for cracks or any unusual markings. This is when you will find out whether or not the standing rigging has been completely replaced.

As I mentioned earlier sellers may claim that the rigging is all new when in fact only the end terminals at deck level have been replaced.  Be suspicious even if both upper and lower terminals have been replaced.  Look at the wire very carefully to determine whether the wire was replaced at the same time.
Often the owner will show you receipts of exactly what has been replaced.  Most insurance companies recommend replacing all the wire every ten years.

Often masts have a compression tube fit through the mast so as not to compress the mast under a load. Whether you have two or four lower shrouds depends on what type of rig you have.  Most offshore type rigs have four lowers.

While we are on the subject, all standing rigging should comprise of at least one or more toggles where the rigging terminates allowing for proper alignment between the chain plate and the angle of stress.

We will talk about chain plates in great detail later in this purchase inspection series.

Rigging Inspection: Winches used for Standing Rigging

Moving up the mast to the winches: These winches can be considered part of the standing rigging.  What this means is that a winch that holds a cable furling system or a flying jib can also stand all season long or longer without inspection.  It may be a hassle to drop the system but it should be done at least twice a year.
Don't forget that the winch is a vital part of the standing rigging.  The system should be inspected for wear and tear, corrosion, frayed wire/rope and most importantly the fasteners holding the winch to the mast.  If the halyard is wire/rope spliced, be sure to inspect the splice very carefully and the cable for frays.  Inspect any cleats that are used to cleat the tail of this halyard.  Some modern sailboats use line clutches or line stoppers to hold this line fast.  Close inspection of these stoppers or line clutches is standard.  Check for wear and tear, corrosion and proper operation.
Remove the winch head and be sure the winch is well lubricated and the gears are clean. Clean and re-grease if necessary making sure the winch operates freely.  Make sure not to lose the small springs or clutch dogs overboard.  I am speaking from personal experience, this makes for a bad day.

Rigging Inspection: Standing vs. Running

The difference between standing and running rigging can be confusing. Standing rigging usually means fixed wire or cable and even rod rigging that is adjustable by way of turn screws (turn buckles) or dead eye and lanyard on older style boats.  Running is easily adjusted by way of block and tackle, winches and line.  Quite often one may overlook the combination between standing and running rigging for instance a roller furling jib that is hoisted by wire to a winch and left as standing rigging.  Here is where it gets confusing.  Although jibs, stay sails and even some mainsails are held in place by wire this is very common on modern cruising sailboats.  This rigging should be treated as both types, standing and running.
Early types of jib furls were actually an aluminum extrusion taking place of the wire fore stay.  In this application we would treat this as standing rigging and inspect it accordingly.
With even earlier types of furl systems the jib or fore sail was actually stitched to the fore stay wire. This would be treated as running rigging and subject to constant inspection because of the nature in which it operates.  This type of furling is subject to heavy loads and tremendous twisting stresses.  The more modern furling systems consist of extrusions, bearings, roller drums and in most cases the furling drum conceals the turn buckle, toggle, tangs and pins.
Whenever the drum and housing conceal the turn buckle, etc. you may find the original compression wire terminal fitting still in place.  This should be considered suspect and should be replaced as soon as possible with a Norseman or Sta-lock type fitting.  One should also consider at this time replacing the fore stay wire due to its age.
Consult your insurance company in order to meet their criteria and limits on age of standing rigging (10 years is common).

Monitor Windvane

Just yesterday a friend asked me to help him with his Monitor Windvane and sort out some things as the previous owner could not get it to work properly.  First and foremost, don't make it too complicated; simple means less to go wrong.
The previous owner had made some very small mistakes in the installation of an under deck autopilot using a boat shift cable to operate the vane's rudder, but making a very clean and out of the weather installation.  This is not the first time I've encountered this ingenious method to steer the boat but you must not let the electronic autopilot interfere with the operation of the wind vane.  During the installation a very small detail was overlooked. The two machine screws he used to mount the shift cable interfered with the rotation of the vane's wind blade, not allowing for proper travel and actually jamming the vane in place.  Small mistake, but big bad results. That little mistake made the entire vane inoperable.  Once we removed the screws, voila, a working wind vane.
The most common question I am asked about the Monitor Windvane is:

 "How can I stop the line that adjusts the wind vane to the apparent wind?"

 One cure is to pull more tension on the control lines via stronger bungee cord or multiple loops of bungee cord.  The instruction manual shows this clearly.  I have found that excessive pull on this line just makes it harder to adjust, therefore I suggest a much easier approach.
The sheave that is on the vertical shaft leading to the chain sprocket is adjustable up and down.  Make sure the adjusting lines are lead fair with no chance of chafing and as straight as possible leading to the cockpit.  The Monitor Windvane is notorious for this adjusting line jumping off the sheave.  Proper lead and tension is critical.  There are two methods of retaining the line around the sheave. One is to mount a small fair lead that will accept both leads just forward of the adjustment sheave making the line come in contact with about 80% of the sheave diameter.  This line guide will have little force on it but must be mounted securely.  The other method is to run a smaller adjustment line around the sheave one complete turn then back to the cockpit and adjust it properly with a bungee cord holding tension on the line.
I have had a lot of experience with different types of vane gear. Some work better than others.  For me its been the servo pendulum that has given the least problems and the best service.   One must marvel at the simplicity of it once you become familiar with its workings.   Rudder control lines must be as friction free as possible because of the continuous  back and forth movement of the lines.  Some people prefer the tail end of these lines to terminate at the end of a short section of stainless steel chain which latches into a chain hook making small adjustments and quick release possible.  The chain and hook assembly is shown in the manual and most manufacturers suggest this method be used under the tiller so as not to drag across the top of the tiller when released.  Alternatively, the method I prefer is to have two opposing cam cleats thru-bolted to the top of the tiller making it much simpler to make fine tuning adjustments and most importantly, a quick way to release these lines. This arrangement also keeps the tiller from lifting and is good at keeping the lines engaged while stumbling about in the cockpit.
I have often heard people naming their tillers with some pretty creative names.  Among them are Attila the Hun and Jesse Helms.  (Feel free to share yours)  It isn't any wonder we feel obligated to give our tillers endearing names; they make great crew who don't eat, sleep or have to take breaks.
One last thought while watching this amazing piece of equipment do its thing; don't forget to keep a good look out.

Rigging: Part 2 - The mast at deck level

There are three basic types of mast locations: Keel Stepped/through deck, Deck Stepped located on deck and Tabernacle

Keel stepped masts travel through the deck and are normally sitting on a mast step located in the bilge. This type of mast must be centered in the deck with the old style wooden wedges driven in between the mast and the hole in the deck.  There are many different types of wedges including composite materials and on most modern boats a two part polymer which sets up semi-rigid and can be removed at a later date.  This junction between the mast and the deck should be checked periodically for corrosion, rust, rot and mildew which can damage the spar making this area the weak link in the rigging. This inspection should also include the mast boot.
Deck stepped masts sit on top of either the cabin top or the deck. This type of rig will have a compression post inside the cabin which should also be checked periodically for corrosion, rust, rot and mildew. The mast step fitting on top of the deck or cabin top should be thru-bolted and well sealed.  Special attention should be paid to stainless steel bolts thru-bolted through an aluminum deck step.  The only safe approach to inspecting these bolts is to remove and replace them and make sure they are of the same grade of stainless steel.  There have been incidences where the mast was swept from this fitting due to corroded stainless steel bolts which sheered under load.  Any and all attachments to this fitting should be checked for damage and inoperable shivs if applicable.
Any and all tangs, bails, bolts and rivets are subjected to very high load of stress in this area and is common to all types of masts.
Boom vang bails, cheek blocks and weldments should also be carefully inspected.  I strongly suggest removal of these items for inspection.   You can't inspect what you can't see.
Reefing hardware located on the mast is often overlooked and yet is just as important as the standing rigging.
Modern tabernacles are made of stainless steel and require the same maintenance and inspection as the previous types.
The pivot pin and locking pin should be inspected for damage and corrosion regularly.

The Rigging: Part 1 - Masts and inspections

Quite often owners and brokers will tell you that the rigging on what could be your next sail boat has been completely redone.  Rarely is this the case.
To be sure you should contact a yacht surveyor or a qualified rigger to do an on-board and up the mast inspection. Once you have the report you will have a better idea of what you are dealing with.  Oftentimes you will discover that the rigging has not been replaced and only the cable ends at deck level were replaced with Sta-Lok or Norseman fittings.  One must consider not just the end fittings on the cable at both ends but the cable itself.  Rigging replacement should include turnbuckles, tangs, toggles and chain plates and let's not forget about the cables and any runners you may have.  Running back stays, jumper stays, bob stays and whisker stays are just as important.  Spreader fittings both at the mast and at the spreader tips should be carefully inspected or replaced.
The mast step should be of sound material giving the mast a firm foundation.  It should be replaced if there is any sign of weakness or damage.  The mast base fitting or locating timbers should be free from rot or splits and should be treated with anti-rot and anti-fungal chemicals.  Steel steps should be cleaned and sealed as often as necessary.  An aluminum mast and the lower end plate should be free from blistered paint or corrosion of any type.  Severe corrosion at the mast base can sometimes be cut off by a few inches to remove the corrosion.  The mast will sit short but the replacement of the rigging cables can compensate for this.  A few inches will not be noticeable nor will it adversely affect the performance of the rig. If the mast has to be shortened more than a few inches or even feet this is not a big deal.  The section to be replaced should be welded or screw fastened or perhaps pop riveted in place.  The method you chose should be approved by your surveyor/rigger and your insurance company.
We will continue up the mast with suggestions on winch pads, cleats, spreaders, tangs, bails and masthead fittings tomorrow.

Why Knot?

Losing or damaging a boat is the primary reason for tying proper knots.  More importantly, however, is the loss of life or limb that can result from improperly secured lines.  Everyone on board should be familiar with at least three basic knots: the bowline knot, the rolling hitch knot and the properly belayed cleat
It has been my experience through my many years at sea that the leading causes of injury is directly attributed to improperly tied knots or lines that were jammed and could not be released.  Your best insurance is education and practice.  It is your responsibility as the captain to familiarize everyone on board with basic safety information including basic knot tying.

How do I get rid of the goldish stain on the bow of our boat?

Some people would call that the Intercoastal Waterway mustache. Also stains from anchors and chains and some deck hardware can bleed out these same types of rust stains.

I have found that liquid Lysol toilet bowl cleaner works best on these and other type stains.  It is reasonably safe to use. You can apply it with a sponge, a sponge mop or if it isn't windy, I like to use an empty spray bottle which can be purchased at any dollar store for about a buck. If you use a bottle that you have on hand make sure you rinse it out thoroughly with fresh water and do not mix chemicals.

Apply the solution on the stain leaving it for approximately 15 minutes and then rinsing thoroughly with fresh water.  The process may be repeated if necessary. Be sure to protect any brass, aluminum or chrome items as it can stain these metals permanently.

Toilet bowl cleaners, Naval Jelly, LimeAway and lime juice will work quite well.  Some of these products contain Oxalic acids.  Oxalic acid can be purchased in powder form from your local hardware store.  Another product called On Off, which can be purchased at a local marine supply store such as West Marine, is very good at removing rust stains, calcium deposits and even crustaceans and barnacles. Oxalic acid and On Off work best but should only be used by professionals.  These acids can ruin your clothing, burn your skin and are extremely harmful if you get it in your eyes.  So read the product labels for whichever product you chose.  All of these products are hazardous if not stored and used properly. Mixing these chemicals can have violent reactions.  Do not mix these chemicals with household chemicals such as bleach, hand soap, dish soap, shampoo or any type of peroxide which can create highly toxic fumes.

As always, be sure to wear protective eye wear and gloves to protect yourself from injury.