Favorite Memory

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This is one of my favorite sailing pictures.  It “puts me back there”  No matter where I sailed, this is what I saw most often…..  My “action center”.  This particular organization of equipment morphed over the years until I developed THE most efficient means of navigating “SYL !!”  This is how you sail a Seawind 1000; the big Explorer chart laid open to the current location on the big shelf beside the helm with the computer’s GPS hockey puck holding the page down… with the spot transmitter riding loose beside the rope clutches (that exact location provides the best signal)

The first green line is the mainsail down haul, the white and blue it the spinnaker halyard, the orange fleck line is the main halyard, the outside green line is the jib sheet… so in this picture I’m on a port tack because the jib sheet is on the starboard winch.  The white / red line going thru the standing pulley is the starboard spin sheet.  When I first got the boat I tied off the jib halyard at the mast, it was previously run to the winches but I did not see the need.  That also frees up a rope clutch so if something breaks I have a spare… I can restring a line to an open spinlock.

In light air I only take 2 wraps around the winch with the jib sheet so it will pay out easier… that means I’m in a descent amount of breeze in this picture.  The only line I wrap more than 3 times is the main halyard.  My main halyard is a single purchase line so it’s quite a hard pull to get her up.  Most mornings…. that orange fleck line gets my heart pumping like a mad man!  I don’t think I have ever winched her all the way up without stopping at least once.  That line is why I lose weight every time I go sailing… my heart is definitely pounding every time I raise the main by myself.  The best way to raise the main is to catch Linda before she starts breakfast and have her help me.  I go to the mast, reach up and grab the main halyard before it goes inside and haul down  on it while Linda holds my slack.  I can raise it by hand until it starts lifting the boom.  When that weight hits…… it’s winch time.  That leaves me about 5 feet of haul to manage with the winch.

Good memories recalled.  I’m looking forward to going back.  

SYL!!  Rusty

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