This trip was planned to trial two new ideas to extend my cruising range from more than 2 nights away. I need the minimum luxury of having ample power and ice to last the entire trip. Through the advice of some friends and readers of this blog I decided to upgrade my cruising gear with two new features: SOLAR POWER and DRY ICE.
POWER: I had destroyed my starter battery by not keeping it properly charged and letting it run down completely. It had developed a ‘memory’ and I could finally only charge it about 30% of its original capacity. The last time I tested it under full charge I could get only about 7 hours of power to run lights and my fan before the ‘low power’ light came on. Live and learn. I cracked open the casing and with the help of the internet found a near exact replacement from a local battery manufacturer here in Singapore. Total cost: S$43 (US$35) far below the cost of buying a replacement to the starter battery itself. I had already replaced the built-in working lights with LEDs and enjoyed the extra feature of having a built-in air compressor to inflate the tires on my trailer. I did a transplant operation with the new battery in the casing and made a vow to keep it properly charged.
To help with this aim near the same store where I found the battery (Sim Lim Square) I found a store selling small solar panels. I bought a 5 watt model and tested it under the full sun it was giving me a strong charge of 16+ volts. I mounted it on a wood & cork ‘bulletin board’ and arranged some ties to be able to lash it to the hatch of my boat to recharge the battery during the day. This way I could top up the power used by my battery the previous evening to run the lights, fan, charge my devices including blackberry, and DVD player. Total cost S$48 (US$40) both upgrades on my power supply cost much less than buying a new starter battery or even a new car battery.
ICE: A reader to this blog kindly pointed me in the direction of a place here in Singapore where one could buy a supply of dry ice 24 hours a day on the ‘honor system’, depositing the payment (S$25 for 5 kilo) in a box. It was my first experience with the stuff except for Halloween parties. 2 nights before my trip I brought it home in a cooler and put it in a back storage room. My dog, Mary immediately realized something was different in her little world. Her sensitive nose must have caught a whiff of the carbon dioxide as the dry ice sublimated. She growled and barked until I finally put the cooler in a different area. The idea was to use two coolers – one with a block of ice and my drinks and food for immediate use, the second cooler was to contain another block of ice, some other frozen food items and cover it with dry ice. The idea as to keep the 2nd cooler closed until my first supply of ice had fully melted, and then use the 2nd ice block and frozen goods about the 3rd day. Well on sailing day I came to discover that my 5 kilo of dry ice had actually turned into about 3 kilo before I had even packed the cooler, I bought it too early. Lesson for next time. Fortunately the place to procure the dry ice is on the way to the marina.
So – with two new features to extend my cruising range I planned a 3 night 4 day trip – which is not my longest cruise but the longest one where I’ve stayed aboard the whole time. Destination: Southern Islands and Sentosa Cove: I wanted to discover two NEW destinations – one was ‘Little Sister’ Island (I had stayed at her “Big Sister” several years ago) and surprisingly all the time I’ve sailed around the Southern Islands I had never sailed into the biggest and most famous one: Sentosa. I planned this trip around Singapore’s National Day – on 09 Aug (Tuesday) and taking Monday off I had a 4 day weekend!
Time taken: 2 hours 15 minutes -11 km distance covered
16:50 Yoshie helped me launch off the dock and I waved goodbye as I motored out into the choppy churning seas. Skies in the east were very dark with probably a big storm out in the South China sea. I was running against a strong East flowing current and so my progress under power and jib sail was quite slow – averaging only 4-5 km/h. I didn’t want to raise the mainsail as I was doing some chores to organize the boat while underway and the wind was gusty enough that I would need both hands to keep on course and under control. Yoshie called me from the Changi seasports center and again from the Tana Merah ferry terminal as she watched my progress from both places on the way ashore.
The wind died down about the time I approached the Bedok Jetty and I watched a beautiful fiery red sunset as I tied up to the mooring ball in front of Manamana seasports center. I made sure the condition of the mooring was secure enough as last time I found the mooring rope to be quite frayed on one end. I anchored from the bow as the waves were still quite choppy and the boat could ride them better anchored forwards. Also this could avoid a possible breaking wave spilling over the transom if I were anchored aft as I often do. I dined on a fresh tuna sandwich bought a few hours before at the yacht club. The waves became calmer into the evening as I enjoyed playing with the shortwave radio and talking to my wife and some friends by phone. Most of the news I was catching on the BBC was very bad – riots in London and the financial markets continuing a meltdown. Well it’s hard to consider the world going to hell as I was rocked into a peaceful state of mind by the sea and open sky surroundings, sipping on my ice cold ‘mocktail’ of slushy frozen grapefruit juice and Sweppes Bitter Lemon. A few days at sea in front of me to look forward to, life is good!
08:00 Roused from a deep slumber, I looked out the hatch at a beautiful sunny day. Weather report called for late morning thunderstorms but it sure didn’t look too bad now. As I was eating my breakfast of sweet roll, yogurt and ice coffee, I was already underway at 08:45 motoring out deeper into the Singapore straits. As the wind was favorable I raised the sails and enjoyed the pleasant breeze – although the sun overhead was merciless. As I was rolling along at a nice clip I saw the storm approaching from the West. It was blowing in quite fast just as I was about to cross the Keppel fairway, a busy shipping lane. Wow I could even see the strong winds approaching and quickly lowered the sails just in time to be hammered with strong gusty winds at 25-30 knots. The condition of the sea turned into frothing mess of whitewater. I turned on the 360 degree light at the top of the mast to give other ships some visibility of my boat and battened down the hatch, securing the keel and grabbing a life jacket. For about 20 minutes I was pounded with these strong winds and pellet like rain that actually hurt as it hit my skin so hard. Breaking waves over the bow I changed course and now I was running with the wind and seas pushing me hard from behind. I considered deploying the sea anchor but as I was still in the shipping lanes I thought it best to get out of harms way as soon as possible.
10:30 In the Buran Channel – I prepared to change course for my destination – Sister’s Island. In addition to the strong gusty winds and heavy seas I found the Sister’s fairway very hard to manouver with the churning waters in all directions – it would be like sailing in a washing machine. It seemed at sometimes that the storm was clearing but then I’d be hammered again and again with the very strong winds and seas. I thought I could make it to the little Sister’s Island but not knowing where to anchor I didn’t want to get too close to the shore in these heavy weather conditions. I decided instead to go to the relatively sheltered bay where the dock which I call ‘Rengit’ is located. Sure enough, the seas were much easier to negotiate in the bay and I found myself a place to tie up at the dock as the wind and rain continue to batter me around. I walked up the stairs to the sheltered entrance to the dock area – to meet a few fishermen and workers also getting out of the rain. I looked at my watch and it was noon.
As the sun was coming out again – I was debating with myself about continuing on to my destination, but looking at the tide tables it seemed that the flood tide was moving and the Sister’s fairway is one of the most treacherous in Singapore waters at times with strong currents, over-falls, eddies and whirlpools. I decided I liked the comfort and security of being tied up to the dock instead.
As the weather cleared I found the dock was in constant use by charter boats bringing groups of people. It’s one of the few places they can tie up for free and let people off to have a walk around the island. In fact I spoke to a few skippers of these charters and they all told me to enjoy it while we can, as when the island is developed for housing it will probably be a lot more regulated if not off-limits completely. I found my desire for solitude lost as many people would come and look and my boat and launch into a conversation. I enjoyed it to a point and the day passed very quickly. I got to know the skipper of the large motor yacht named Dennis Tan and he gave me a lot of interesting information about his boating life and future plans. Today he and a helper had a charter of a Chinese family celebrating two birthdays. Dennis gave me a tour of the luxurious interior of his boat and I enjoyed the air-conditioned comfort as the family offered me some fried beefoon noodles and a drink.
Dennis showed me several places under the dock where live coral are growing. Amazing – beautiful fragile pink coral growing just 5 nautical miles from the Singapore city center.
To avoid the irritating motion of bumping against the dock all night – I set up two lines to tie up diagonally – with another line tied up to a cleat that would allow me to pull up to the dock to go ashore. I also put up my tent fly cockpit shade to get out of the sun, and my new solar panel to soak up the sun to top up my battery.
As sunset approached, I prepared a bag containing a book, my hammock, and some water. I took this video as I was leaving the dock for a nice long walk to the beach and then over to St. Johns island:
One of my favorite and most peaceful places – the causeway between Lazarus and St Johns Island, where I had just taken a nice cold shower.
I return to find the dock empty except for my dear Sirena in pitch black darkness. I pull up and board the boat, enjoying this excellent anchorage. I had brought some food to cook ashore but all the free food I’d received from the visiting charter boats had filled my belly pretty well, so I settled for some cold drinks and salsa and chips. I peeked into the 2nd cooler and found while the dry ice had pretty much evaporated the frozen food and ice block were still completely frozen. Hurray for the wonders of dry ice! I couldn’t make it through a DVD that I brought, just too sleepy and I slept solid through the night knowing that I was safe and secure in this very peaceful (and free!) anchorage.
06:00 I awake before sunrise and go outside to enjoy my peaceful surroundings. I see the bumboat has returned to it’s same spot on the jetty, but all is quiet. I give a call to my daughter in Seattle and we enjoy a nice conversation. The fan had run through the night and battery condition was still showing as ‘good’. Ice in first cooler had melted to a small sliver so I replaced it with the now melting ice block from the 2nd cooler. I decided to enjoy a little more sleep.
09:00 I awake to see some curious people standing on the dock staring into my cabin at me. I hope I wasn’t snoring, they immediately dissapeared into a group of other people getting back on a charter boat that had pulled up for a rest stop. I decided I had better get up and join the rest of the waking world. I looked at the tide tables and determined that the best time to make the crossing over to Sentosa was around 11 am when the tide was most slack, but thought I would like to get there earlier in order to make the best use of my day in Sentosa Island. So I had myself a nice breakfast of fresh cut pineapple, yogurt, a chocolate muffin and coffee while enjoying the cool of the morning in the shade of my cockpit tent.
09:35 I untie all the lines set up in my clever configuration and set out the solar panel to charge up the battery. Leaving the cockpit tent up, I motored out in reverse and then turned the engine around for my departure of Seringat Island.
09:55 I’m around the point past the marker “Renget” and getting ready to cross the Buran Channel towards Sentosa.
10:40 – I’m at the “P” dock and call the portmaster for instructions. I’m told to proceed to the berth #Z-8, which I could see on the row of docks just across from me. I found a marina staff there waiting for me to help me tie up and explain about the water and shore power outlet. On the other side of the dock was a line of 8 or 9 megayachts tied up to the dock and mooring lines.
After a rather lengthy walk to find the dockmasters office – I completed several pages of paperwork and was now officially a temporary member of ONE°15 Marina club as a ‘crew’ man.
Visiting Crew Pass
I took the opportunity to explore all the wonderful facilities of this marina, which was like a 5 star resort. One could see it was doing well with the marina nearly full with very expensive yachts and megayachts. The smell of money and garlic was in the air as I passed a restaurant and found myself a nice spot at poolside.
Yoshie and Robert found me later at Berth Z-8, presenting me with a Big Mac for lunch which I most gladly accepted.
Cheeseburger in Paradise
At berth Z-8
My solar panel
We take a drive around Sentosa Island – first time in several years. We check out all the familar spots, Tanjong beach, Imbiah Lookout, Siloso Point, etc. We find that unlike before ALL the places have paid parking and so we use the 15 minute grace period to do a little looking around before being charged for parking. It’s a little bit disturbing to see a lot of the natural setting used up with the new megaresort, especially the sprawling Resorts World Sentosa. One of the two “integrated resorts” (political talk for “casinos”) built in Singapore. While the developments are quite impressive and successful one wonders what the long term impact of having two big casinos on will have on this little country. The casinos won’t get any business from me. Citizens and permanent residents of Singapore need to pay a S$100 (US$83 entrance fee) unline the foreign high rollers who get in for free.
Yoshie and I - Facing Keppel marina from West Sentosa
Robert and I - Keppel Marina
Sentosa Merlion as seen from Resorts World
After exploring many of the new sights – including having a look at the new Universal Studios theme park from outside, we headed back to the marina about sundown after eating another big greasy American meal at Chilis.
Back at the marina I enjoyed both sitting in the cockpit of my boat in the cool of the evening, and strolling around the very nice facilities of the ONE°15 Marina. The choice of lighting and music around the different facilities made the place an extremely pleasant experience with many nice little touches such as these decorations overlooking the marina from the entrance area.
Glass decorations - One15 Marina
Evening at berth #Z-8
I did a bit of reading and stayed out in the pool and jacuzzi until 10pm. The place was fairly active with plenty of people walking along the dock still until late at night. The position of the berth was perfect as it caught the breezes from the marina entrance right into my cozy cabin. I soon found myself in deep peaceful sleep.
I woke up to a beautiful morning in Sunny Singapore on her 46th birthday, Singapore National Day. A few days before I had raised the Singapore ensign:
The stars and crescent moon look familiar to the original Muslim Malay inhabitants of this Island republic, but the official explanation according to the source of all knowledge (Wikipedia) is:
The Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Rules define the flag’s composition and the symbolism of its elements: red symbolises “universal brotherhood and equality of man”, and white, “pervading and everlasting purity and virtue”. The waxing crescent moon “represents a young nation on the ascendant”. The five stars “stand for the nation’s ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality”
The ensign is the version of the national flag that is designated to be flown by Singapore registered seagoing vessels, of which Sirena is one. Colloquially it’s known as the ‘smiley face’ version of the Singapore flag.
06:30 I awake – fan still powered at full speed and battery condition showing ‘good’, I make a few calls and then make my last use of the wonderful facilities at the resort marina. I did take a pass on the S$28.88+++ (US$24.00+++) breakfast but I had a nice swim, shower and shave at the Marina Club. I had paid my bill of S$14.99 (US$12.50) which included S$9.99 for berthing (measured by the foot) and S$5.00 as minimum charge for water, use it or not. What a great deal to stay at a place with such class! I was ready to go and wanted to get started but I was told I needed to get departure clearance from the portmaster and the portmaster’s office didn’t open until 09:00. I did some reading, had some breakfast on the boat and then was waiting from about 08:45 at the portmaster’s office for it to open. As it turned out the formalities of departure were really not necessary - no questions about if I had anything from the minibar the night before, etc. But anyway I did enjoy my remaining time there in that wonderful place.
09:15 I untie the dock lines and store them, bring out the solar panel and lash it to the hatch top and motor the short distance out of the marina and into the Buran Channel. Winds were straight out of the East – right on my nose most of the trip and so sailing was not an option. With a full tank of gas I puttered across the busy Keppel fairway and into the safer waters of the Eastern Bunkering anchorage where ships lie at anchor. I could see the way they were pointing that the tidal stream was also running against me but probably at a fraction of one knot so I chugged along quite well under the drone of my 2.5 hp motor. The speed of the tidal stream increased and when I stopped to refuel I did so alongside a long ship at anchor. Well – in the few seconds it took to fill the little tank and start the motor again I had drifted back the entire length of the ship I was alongside and so I could see then that the tidal stream was stronger than it appeared.
The return journey was fairly uneventful and frankly a little boring. To allow for quick raising of the sails if the direction of the wind allowed it, I did not use the tent fly cockpit shade – and so much of the late morning and early afternoon I was directly exposed to the UV rays of the sun. When I sail on such days I wear my longsleeve sunshirt, gloves on my hands and I have a blue and while (official colors of Sirena) Batik to keep my legs and feet from being fried crisp. I found that the ice block had completely melted the but water was still ice cold. I enjoyed munching on the remaining green grapes from the cooler as if I were some mythological god being fed by nymphs. The imagination runs a little wild when there’s time to kill at sea.. I don’t know if I enjoyed the taste as much as the fact that they were ice-cold. To find respite from the heat I would soak a towel in the cooler and then put it, dripping wet over my head and under my hat. The shock of the icy water helped to keep me alert and also protected the back of my neck and part of my face from the sun nearly directly overhead.
“Who was that masked man?”
12:45 – With the Marina now in sight I raised the lapper sail and let it help me push on a reach back to the marina, taking some of the strain off the motor which ran like a champ the entire trip. Before that I had refilled the tank, the 2nd time for the entire trip – so I estimate I used 2 liters with the engine running 2/3rds speed against the tide most of the way for 24 km- not a bad little motor and quite easy on the wallet as well as the ears.
13:25 – I lower the jib and as I am approaching the dock at the slipway just as another boat being launched. As I’m slowing gliding into to tie up at the dock the boat is getting perilously close , but it seemed that the skipper had things under control. The other boat apparently was not compensating for the drift caused by the crosswinds from the east and before I knew it I saw the skipper – eyes focused straight ahead smashed his back edge of his stern into my bow creating a very ugly sound. I immediately forgot about docking and was very concerned about what had happened, as the other boat just continued to motor out of the marina. I dived into the water to have a look at the damage. As it turned out – the collision had put a nice little scratch just aft of Sirena’s name on the bow – definitely noticeable but apparently a superficial wound without any structural damage. I was a quite angry at the skipper of the other boat for the ‘hit and run’ and discussed with the driver of the tractor who had just helped to launch his boat. He saw the incident and supported my position. He told me that the person at the helm of the boat was a ‘new member’ and just recently got his boating license. Well – this scar was just one of several ‘badges of courage’ (or sometimes carelessness, rather) most of them self-inflicted over 8 years of use. I did have a little talk with the skipper when he returned, to inform him of a little subject called ‘manners’ which apparently he did not learn in his boat license class or the classrooms of life. It was a kind of lousy way to end a fantastic 3 nights, 4 day adventure to a beautiful and convenient destinations. Any tips how to rub out an ugly scratch? I don’t want to get mad every time I see it, and I’d rather just go sailing than to nurse a grudge. At that time in my heart the Singapore ensign I was flying should show a frowny face rather than a smiley one. Like most wounds that leave a scar they are really painful at first and need time to heal. This little boat has become an extension of myself! And she is tough and like me all of the little scars, there are stories to tell with them. S*** happens and you deal with it and then move on. Amen.
In conclusion:
*-The two new toys performed beyond expectation: The new battery held the full charge well and the solar panel was the perfect complement to the new battery inside my portable power supply. I used the battery to run lights, a fan, charge my phone and blackberry and to power up a portable DVD player The dry ice did it’s job properly but I did not - I should have waited until the last minute to buy the ice and pack the coolers. A good point for next time. 5 kilo should see me through 4 or even 5 days at sea with the luxury of ice cold drinks and food which is very lovely in the heat of the equatorial sun. Beyond 5 kilo I could extend my range but then the boat becomes limited in other aspects of food and other gear needed for the longer trips - so I I’ve successfully found a nice extension to my cruising range of a couple of days for ice and unlimited amount of time for power.
*-I got some good practice in heavy weather conditions during the squall encountered the morning of 08 Aug. Surely one is safer out at sea if the boat is kept under control than anywhere closer to land – especially unfamiliar land. “This too shall pass” – fortunately the worst conditions of Singapore’s thunderbursts only last for an hour or less, and it take twice that amount of time for my heart to stop beating out of my chest.
*-Singapore is not only a great place to live and work, it’s a fantastic place for a small boat sailor like me. Plenty of places to explore nearby and where one can find people camping, toilets and showers are free to use. Majulah Singapura! Happy 46th anniversary for this little red dot on the map.
Sirena’s skipper was given an honorary commission and this cap by his older brother Dale, for his 52nd birthday today:
So when “La Bamba” is played – Capt. Bri can really truly sing the lyrics: “yo no soy marinero, soy capitan, soy capitan, soy capitan!”. “Captain Bri” is not to be confused with the Asian pronunciation which sounds like “Captain Bligh”, although some of his crew (wife, children) might consider that more appropriate in his foul weather days.
Captain Bri’s profile
-Born 15 July 1959 in Salt Lake City Utah – did not see the Ocean until about age 9
-Dreamed of sailing as a child and as a teen attempted it once with a friend with no training and no wind on the Great Salt Lake.
-Started sailing & windsurfing in earnest at age 40
-Graduate and former member of Hayama Marina Seasports Club (laser, dinghy sailing), Zushi Japan 1999.
-Owner of two different Mistral Windgliders 2000, 2002 sailed around many lakes & seas of Japan and U.S.A.
09-10 July Cruise with three of Capt. Bri’s favorite ladies
Sirena hosted my wife Yoshie and my dog Mary on an overnight cruise to the East Coast Park. That counts three out of the five ladies in my life. The missing two are my lovely daughter, Serena who is now studying in Seattle in the far away U.S.A., and my Mom back in Utah.
Route of 9,10 July 2011 Journey
July 9, 2011 Sail to the East Coast Park
16:30 The dock lines are released – setting us off on an overnight journey into the late afternoon sun. Nice winds 7-8 knots from the South and choppy water greeted us as we motored out of the marina. Mary, our 7 year old ‘Doxie-Pin’ was so excited to explore every area of the boat and was spinning around and squeaking in excitement, almost mistook the sounds she made for a dolphin at times. Mary went on a few day sail outings years ago when she was a little puppy. But this was the first time that she as well as Yoshie would be travelling on an overnight journey.
Yoshie’s first attempt at an overnight aboard Sirena was back in 2003, tied up to the dock at Yokohama Bayside Marina. The pitching and bumping against the dock made her seasick and so in the middle of the night she got up, grabbed her purse and the car keys and went home to our place in Kawasaki. I woke up and found her missing and thought that she had gone overboard or had been abducted by aliens in the middle of the night but the cellphone revealed the less than dramatic truth.
Hoping for better results this time, both Yoshie AND Mary took dramamine about an hour earlier. A reputable website recommended 8 mg for every 1 kg of dog weight.
Just out of the marina the motor was stopped, sails raised and a straight 270 degree course was set, with the sails gratefully giving shade from the sun. The conditions were excellent for a steady and quick sail on a reach.
18:00 We rounded the Bedok Jetty and sailed close the crowded Sandcastle beach area. We sailed past the Manamana seasports center and had a look at different options for anchorage. Capt. decided to sail to his usual spot at mooring ball at Manamana seasports center. Upon inspection of the mooring ball he found it frayed and quite thin in areas. Normally it would be fine but under severe conditions capt. wondered if we would break free. This mooring ball has been Sirena’s overnight anchorage for several years on countless sunset sail trips. It has been excellent because it saves the captain the job of anchoring and managing the scope, and the sleep depriving task of doing ‘anchor checks’ to make sure we’re secure and not dragging when conditions change. What a shame it has now become unuseable and in need of repair.
18:30 Anchor is down and we motor towards the beach, preparing for arrival. Sirena’s belly kisses the golden sand and the boat turns sideways, taking an small sandy wave over the cockpit rail. Yoshie and Mary stepped off and went for a walk. Capt Brian stayed with the boat and secured the anchor rode through the bow eye, but tied off at the stern cleat for easier access to avoid continually going out to chest deep water to keep the boat from bouncing off the shore on the breaking waves.
This beach was the same place we anchored on the 1st night of the $67 long weekend trip. Close to the seafood center Yoshie went and bought some fried rice and we enjoyed it after an excellent sunset in the west. Mary had a lot of opportunities to eat ‘people food’.
21:00 We board Sirena and pull out into deeper water. Mary claims the captain’s seat cushion as her throne as we move all our gear out into the cockpit and make a table with the cabin hatch door. A consistent cool breeze of 4-5 knots blows out of South keeping us very cool as we enjoy our conversation and sights of the night at sea. Yoshie decides to retire and takes the port bunk. Captain follows a while later, and Mary took her usual spot as a little love-ball at our feet. But was always alert and during the night we would wake to see her looking out the hatch at the ships at anchor and the moonlight bouncing off the waves, wagging her tail.
July 10, 2011 Return to SAFYC Changi
A few deep ventures into sleep during the night with a couple of times waking up, checking the anchor, checking the weather report by phone.
05:15 A brisk breeze wakes me up as we are bouncing in the waves. Captain starts to check a few things on the blackberry and the next thing you know, the sky is lighter in the East with a few fluffy clouds above me taking on a pink color. Mary comes out of the cabin and sits with me in the cockpit and together we watch an awesome sunrise in the East. Yoshie opted for the eyeshades and turned on the electric fan for the first time of the trip.
08:30 Yoshie finally arises from her slumber and complained of poor sleep due to the rocking of the boat and the sound of the keel bouncing back & forth. The worst part apparently was the captain’s loud irritating snoring during his short periods of deep restful sleep.
After breakfast of fruit, croissants and yogurt we beach the boat and go ashore. A long stream of runners in a marathon running on the path make it tricky to cross to the toilet and showers, except to join them running with them for a few yards.
09:50 Back aboard Sirena, we pull out to deep water and raise the anchor, lower the keel and rudder and start the motor. Winds are light and variable. We slowly motor-sail around the Bedok jetty and hug the coastline. The drone of the motor and the sound of rushing water make Yoshie decide to return to the cabin for an extra dose of sleep.
10:30 We arrive at the seasports center before tana merah, and the captain want’s to check out mooring opportunities since he has lost his secure anchorage at manamana.
11:30 We have lowered the sails and motor to the dock. A friendly yacht club staff passes us in a rescue boat, with out verbally saying anything he got the message that I was heading in and leaded a lift up the slipway with the tractor, he turns around and motors back to the club before us. Within minutes the trailer is there for an easy recovery with Yoshie and Mary sitting in the cockpit. A good ending to an excellent overnight adventure with the with and dawg.
Observations:
*-At first we had Mary always secure on a leash cleated in the boat. During the sunset cruise of day 1, the boat would occasionally heel 15-20% sending Mary scrambling to find a footing. We found that Mary has exceptional sea legs and for the rest of the time in the boat she was free to roam around.
*The amount of dog hair found in the cabin and cockpit was amazing!
*On the return trip in the cool of the aircon in the car, Mary collapsed into a deep and needed sleep. She hadn’t had this much sun, fun and adventure in all her life. Yoshie was a little less enthusiastic and equally tired but I think she has a better understanding and less jealous of this ‘other lady’ in my life. As we look over the horizon into retirement I’m trying to sell her on the idea of cruising and this was a nice little win in that direction.
Prelude: The “Frugal yachtsman” or the $67 Long weekend
The West Wight Potter 15 is the essence of Frugal yachting. While I curse when I see the marina fees I am paying, when something breaks and needs repair, yet I can’t think of an activity that has provided better quality value for money than taking mini cruises with my West Wight Potter, Sirena. 22 April 2011 was a National holiday in Singapore to celebrate Good Friday. I’ve just returned from this 3 day weekend totally relaxed and happy as a clam, as if I took an expensive holiday at a luxury spa. Yet I did the total of the costs of this weekend and I came out with a whopping $67 for three days! Here’s the breakdown:
Descriptions with prices in Singapore & US dollars:
S$
US$
4 Homemade Riceballs with seaweed & pickled plum (umeboshi)
3 big blocks of Ice and box of ice cubes (tap water + electricity)
S$0.05
$0.04
Battery usage for radio, flashlights, camplight, and to charge other devices
S$1.00
$0.81
Shampoo,soap,razor & shaving creme (all from hotels)
S$0.00
$0.00
Potato Salad (imported from USA) 1 pint – I miss my Mom’s Macaroni salad!
S$8.00
$6.45
Malaysian Canned Chicken Curry
S$2.65
$2.14
Pita Pocket Bread (sesame) 6 pieces Singapore made
S$3.35
$2.70
3 assorted mini snack chips (American)
S$2.75
$2.22
Esso 2000 gasoline run by car during trips to/from marina and camp
S$12.00
$9.68
3.4 Liters of Esso 2000 fuel run by outboard during trip
S$6.73
$5.43
Wind / Waves / Excellent Sunsets / Smiles / Fresh Air / deep restful sleep in free anchorages.
S$0.00
$0.00
Total:
S$83.13
$67.04
I can write an article like this to justify the many other expenses of owning a boat, not to mention the huge amount of time needed to maintain and sail one. But I’m justified if I do as I can’t think of anything to improve on the experience of waking up in a different place every morning and dealing with the many different conditions and detaching from my usual routine of life and work in the city. The value of finding something like this that one really loves to do is PRICELESS.
Day One – SAFYC Changi to East Coast Park Campsite
Time taken: 2 hours 15 minutes -14 km distance covered
Weather: Overcast with thunder showers in the East, winds 6-8 from the East dropping to light and variable
Getting Sirena ready for the trip. Life jacket anyone?Captain's daughter Serena
On the way to the Marina, we stopped at the East Coast park and pitched a tent to prepare for our arrival. The original idea for the trip was a ‘father/daughter’ overnight outing -but while my 19 year old daughter vetoed the idea of spending the night in that tiny boat, she agreed to sail down the coast and spend the night camping in a tent. Then the plans changed further, she had planned to spend the night in the tent with two of her friends, and her Dad would be keeping watch from the boat. So this was the plans for the first night of a two night, three-day sailing adventure. After pitching the tent we stopped at Tana Merah MRT station to pick up Serena’s friend Janice who would be joining us for the sail but not staying overnight at the park.
Two beauties: Capt.'s daghter Serena and her friend Janice
13;45 - We pulled away from the dock, which was really crowded and difficult to launch off with strong cross winds. Out into where I could maneuver, I put the motor in gear and we puttered out of the marina through the breakwater. Good winds were blowing and some dark clouds with lightning were looming behind us in the East but out West, where we were heading it all looked clear and good. I started my GPS navigation software on the blackberry and raised the Lapper foresail. Girls found their place with Janice sitting up at the bow pulpit, Serena forward in the cockpit and me aft next to the motor to keep the weight of the boat all very nice and balanced.
Janice - like a mermaid up front
We surfed down the coast at a nice pace – checking the GPS Sirena was moving at 6 to 9 KM per hour. The engine was stopped and we ran with the westflowing stream and that was slightly adding to our speed. Without the motor we were still making 5 to 7 Km per hour. I had allowed 3 hours for the trip, but now just 15 minutes out my GPS program tracking the course predicted arrival in 1 hour!
Girls talked, girls ate, girls talked again. We had prepared a well stocked cooler just for this leg of the trip with drinks and homemade onigiri rice balls & snacks. Janice was constantly surprised at the large number of aircraft preparing their landing seeming only a few feet above us. Not the mention the cool windsurfing dudes that raced out from the shore and circled around us to check out the babes on my boat.
"Hey - another plane getting ready to land!"
As we approached the Bedok Jetty, the wind died down – I continued to ghost very slowly under sail past the Sandcastle park and Manamana seasports center. Finally the tent that we pitched earlier came into view. I laid anchor and motored to land on the beach, letting Janice off in her party dress hardly getting her ankles wet in the coarse yellow sand. I maneuvered the boat, tying up the bitter end of the anchor rode to a steel post set in concrete.
We had arrived just after high tide so I pushed the boat out further to allow for the ebbing tide big ugly-looking jelly fish were all over the place but seemed uninterested to sting me. I took a nice freshwater shower at the excellent facilities just a short walk from the tent. Then, all in order I had Serena hold the blackberry to record this video to show our camp:
On the beach! East Coast Park, Singapore
Capt. & crew of Sirena at base camp
While the girls went to look for rental bicycles and other things to do, I kept watch at camp, keeping an eye on all our stuff including the boat – which I had to once again move out further to see with the receding tide. We enjoyed an excellent sunset, and the seafood center across from the canal started to really come alive, with its gaudy neon lights. Imagine camping with the smell of chili crab all night!
Later in the evening my wife Yoshie came with our dog Mary, bringing one of her friends and another dog named “Seti”. They also brought some Kentucky Fried Chicken and so with the Potato Salad, Coleslaw and the remaining rice balls, we had a nice dinner out under the few stars one can see through the hazy Singapore skies. I was a little concerned about the situation with the boat and it was already getting dark. I knew that the tidal stream would switch in the middle of the night and wasn’t sure that the anchor was set with enough water under to avoid dragging. I decided to call it an evening so I boarded the boat with the new provisions of food and ice brought by Yoshie, and pulled out into deeper water.
Later as I was doing some chores on the boat Yoshie called me and told me that some of Serena’s friends that had planned to stay with her had cancelled. I didn’t feel comfortable trying to re-anchor the boat and come back ashore in the dark and so they decided to pack up everything and head home. The girls got the tent down and hauled it to the car. I was still tied up to the shore and my crocs were still at ‘camp’. Then I got a rare ’great idea’. I called Serena, asked her to untie the knot on the steel post that was holding my boat, and tie the crocs to the end of the line, which I managed to reel in like a couple of fish. No longer tied to land I could raise the anchor and motor East past the neon lights of the seafood center to the Manamana seasports center where I tied up to a mooring ball using a new line attached to it. Perfect. I could then comfortably settle in for the night with my 12V portable DVD player and watched a series of short films called the “Best of Fest” (international cinema submitted to various film festivals), a gift sent from my sister in the USA. Interesting entertainment to have on board. After the 2nd film I settled into a deep sleep, looking forward to the next few days.
Time taken: 3 hours 10 minutes -18 km distance covered
Weather: Sunny with light winds from the East 3-5 Knots
Having slept deeply through the night (no need for anchor check or weather issues), I was refreshed to see the sun shining brightly in the Eastern sky.
08:15 I raised the sails and released the line connecting me to the mooring ball, immediately starting to glide Westward with the light wind and current. I decided to eat breakfast while underway to save time and since the winds were so light – I could lash the tiller straight with a bungee cord and slowly enjoy my breakfast muffin, fruit and yogurt, with juice and ice coffee.
Here’s a video of me just after departure:
At 10:30 – less than two hours later of motor-sailing, I am across the shipping channels at the Seringat marker. I had decided to leave the exploration of Sentosa cove to another time – perhaps when family could meet me there and enjoy the facilities and recreational opportunities of ‘Singapore’s resort Island’. And instead of anchoring in the usual place at the half moon beach of Seringat Island, I decided to motor all the way around to the newly built marina/ferry terminal which is not yet in use. The reef at Buran channel was exposed and lots of whitewater sloshing over that area but the rest of the Buran channel looked very calm. I had already lowered the sails before crossing the shipping fairway and so was happy to see my destination come into view. I found a place at the Jetty together with 2 other much bigger craft and tied up at 11:25. Someone came walking up to me with a big smile on his face and an ‘official’ looking shirt. I thought ‘uh oh’, “someone is going to tell me I had to leave” . In fact it was the captain of another boat with a small group and lots of water toys on it who came over to chat and look at my boat and ask where I sailed from. We chatted pleasantly and he was impressed with my spunk to make such a trip alone. I proudly announced that I sail all over Singapore and these Islands are a regular destination of mine.
After getting settled in, I go looking for a place to charge my starter battery, and take a change of clothes and a book. Unfortunately there is no power yet in this new ferry terminal area, and so I walked all the way over to St John’s Island – stopping at the public showers near the mosque for a shave and shower. There was power there but hanging around a public bathroom was not the most pleasant of places and so I continued around the island to the main jetty where the ferries stop, and found a live outlet to charge both my starter battery and blackberry. The starter battery takes HOURS to fully charge but I just needed a top up from the power drawn the evening before to be sure I had enough for the return trip in case I needed to recharge the phone or other devices during the remainder of the trip. After taking a walk and a climb up the hill to survey the area, I really felt a peaceful calm feeling and was surprised how long it had been since I’d been by myself outside the busy and noisy city. How close yet how so very far away it felt. I returned to keep an eye on the charging battery and found a picnic table in the shade to lay on top of to read my book. I won’t embarrass the author by mentioning the title but try as I might he could just not hold my attention and I kept trying to figure out unsuccessfully “what’s the point?”. Whether it was poor writing or my own inability to focus on it I’m not sure – but I soon found myself waking up from an unexpected nap of about 30 minutes on the top of the picnic table, book on the ground. I made a few more tries at the book and still didn’t get it.
I thought I had better go back and see if everything was alright with the boat. It was a long walk (about 45 minutes) and the closer I got to my boat the heavier the starter battery seemed to become. Every few minutes I needed to stop and take a short rest, I was drenched in sweat. That’s a lot of work for a little bit of free electricity. I cooled off with a nice swim in the clear waters and then went up to the terminal complex to use the fresh water hose for a shower down.
In this video I introduce this new luxurious anchorage:
Back at the dock the place was abuzz with some new boats arrived and waterskiing going on in the calm waters inside the concrete wall bay. A few guys in very high-tech kayaks arrived. I’d love to have taken a picture of their gear – setting up a thing like they had probably cost more than my dear little Serena. I asked them about the status of the dock, whether it was ok to use or not. They didn’t know about staying overnight (they were camped in the little park area just above the dock) but they said they come and go all the time and just wave at the MPA boats and the Indian workers on the Island and nobody has tried to shoo them off. A person with scuba gear was swimming a few feet under water just next to my boat. The water was surprisingly clear and one could see lots of small fish in schools darting around. I decided to sit up on the dock with my fishing pole, and tried some of my American ‘powerbait’ on a treble hook. It just seemed to scare the fish away. Then I started to prepare my dinner and try some pieces of the pita bread as bait – still no takers. It seemed nice just to have a pole in the water “doing something”. God knows what might ever happen if a fish actually bites on the hook, I might just have a heart attack.
Having not eaten lunch – I was starting to feel hungry so I prepared dinner while the cooler part of the afternoon started to settle in.
Dinner Time!:
After dinner and some more reading I called Yoshie - now a little bit lonely! We had a nice chat and everyone in my place was busy with something or another. Later as the sun was setting I decided to walk over to the bay where I usually anchor. Surprisingly there were very few fishermen getting set up for the night. While listening to a lot of nice music I walked the entire stretch of beach and ended up at the rest area overlooking the short channel across to Kusu Island. An older couple had settled in there nicely with a tent, hammock and several fishing poles – they had found one of the most scenic views in Singapore I would say.
I forgot to bring a flashlight so it was eerie trying to find my way in the dark, there being no power on the Island. I finally caught sight of the kayaker/campers, seemed they had a small campfire going. Back at my boat I found I had the entire dock to myself as the other boats had left during my walk. I didn’t like the feel at being at dock on the boat, the unpredictable rhythm of pulling away and then bumping into the dock, although mostly gentle, was irritating. Mostly the water was very calm, but occasional chop produced by boats in the bay would stir things up. Thus instead of spending the evening on the boat I pulled out my cushion from the boat and decided to sleep out under the stars on the dock. I continued watching the DVD short films from international film festivals. It reminded me of my cubscout days watching old Western movies under the stars at camp, but this little player had a great little screen and theater quality sound through my headphones. Just as I was starting into the last film, and starting to doze off a UFO landed. Well, it wasn’t really a UFO, but a very quiet boat backed up to the dock. It had two stories and the 2nd floor looked like it had something like a disco ball going around. the bottom floor had a weird neon pink that changed to purple, then blue, then back to pink. I sat there in amazement as I watched a couple of guys get out with a full size gas barbecue. I was partially hidden behind a piling and was not using any lights except the DVD player so when I stood up to see what was going on I think I scared these guys as if they had seen a ghost. They had actually set up half of the dock with tables, chairs and the barbecue – young ladies in elegant evening wear stared to come out of the boat. I was wondering if it was all a dream and they were probably also wondering “who is this guy sleeping on our dock”? They didn’t seem very friendly towards me and it all just seemed bizarre, but I secured my valuables in the boat and then just continued to lay out on the dock watching the DVD. For a group of partiers they were surprisingly quiet. Next thing I know I was waking up, portable DVD player laying sideways next to me, (lucky it nor I didn’t fall into the drink) battery dead. Time is 3:30 am and it’s really quiet. The barbecue is still out but all the chairs & tables & people are nowhere to be seen. Disco ball is not moving but the 1st floor lights are still going from pink to purple to blue and back again, with muffled sounds of people inside. Very strange! I wanted to get a closer peek but I didn’t know who these people were and thought I had better just stay on my side of the dock. Anyhow it was too cold out on the dock and so I put my cushion back in the boat and plugged the DVD player into the starter battery to see the end of the final film I was watching before falling into one last bit of sweet sleep.
A “rude awakening” at 6:30 as my handphone started to crank out a lively tune, I picked it up thinking that someone was calling me only to realize after a moment that it was an alarm I had set the night before. The strong East flowing tidal stream had about 4 hours left to run so I had intended to get as early a start as possible.
06:45 With enough light in the sky I started the motor, untied myself from the dock and motored out and around in front of St John’s Island.
Today being Easter, I had my own private ‘Son-rise’ service, reading from Matthew 28:1-10 before I left. Truly the BEST news!
God’s creation is so much more wonderful that temples or cathedrals made by human hands. Sailing allows me to experience some of that wonder in an intimate way with my Creator/Savior.
And here’s a video of Sirena motoring around Kusu Island:
I continued to motor straight towards the hazy figure of Pengerang hill in Southern Johor, which was exactly the direction of Sirena’s home. With plenty of time I lashed the tiller straight, then had both hands free to eat breakfast, fiddle with the radio for news & music, and tidy up a bit the inside of the cabin. I ran the engine at 1/2 speed and was surprised how long it took to run out the 1.3 liter tank.
At 10:00 I felt the wind had shifted to somewhat out of the Northeast giving me a reason to raise the sails and cut the engine. I made three wide tacks, with the last around Airway beacon as a way-point, and finally found myself at the entrance to the marina. I lowered the sails and puttered my way back to the dock for retrieval. As is my custom, I stood on the dock and dumped the remaining ice-cold water from the cooler over my head and back. Wow that always wakes me up! It was great to have completed an excellent 2 night three day sail with no rain, in a month that normally gets heavy thundershowers every afternoon.
Points learned/observed:
*-Singapore itself is a little paradise for small boat cruisers like me. The Islands and facilities ashore are excellent, and for the most part still free!
*-I was impressed just how quiet it is once away from the business of the city. The window in our bedroom of our condo slightly faces an offramp to a busy expressway, thus from the early morning we are subject to the relentless sounds of a busy city going to work. To be removed from that business and noise really allows me to see how stressful city life is. Thank God I have a cheap way to get away from it all!
*-For the moment, pleasure boats seem to have full access to the wonderful facilities of Seringat Island and the little bay created to receive ferries or other boats. It is interesting every time to visit and see more and more of the housing area taking shape. I will try to use this little paradise get away from it all until it becomes ‘off-limits’.
*-$67 for a long weekend, in a refreshing and safe atmosphere is money well spent!
Overnight sail to East Coast Park – 15-16 January 2011
Starved for a little sailing action after weeks of not making it out to the marina, and when I was there just to make repairs or some improvements on the boat. I finally got an opportunity to do another overnight cruise just a few miles down the coast, off the East Coast Park.
15 January 2011 – Day one
Distance 13 km – depart 1715 – arrive 1900 Winds 4-6 knots NNE Cloudy conditions but no rain
As much as I tried to get things organized and out on the water I finally only got the boat launched and motor started just after 5 pm, later than I’d hoped. The tide was coming in and I could see the ships at anchor had turned and were all facing bow to the East which mean a nice current of 1 or 2 knots to help carry me to westward destination, on a run most of the way.
I recorded this video once I had the sails set and everything under control, just crossing the path of the Tana Merah Ferry Terminal. Forgive me for my long-winded dialogue
I proceed nicely at under gentle & consistent winds and a favourable current, sails out about as far as they can go to scoop up the wind. Sitting on the top of the cabin entrance, I gently kept the boat on course with occasional adjustments to the boat hook/paddle/tiller extension I had lashed to the homemade axe-handle tiller. Sitting up top I could feel the difference in boat balance and control, and I always enjoy the better view on things. Instead of using the main-sheet occasional pulls on the boom would help improve the speed when the wind shifted slightly. I had my Blackberry App ‘traxx’ tracking my course and showing my speed and position, and the speed would vary from 5 to 8 km / hr (2.7 to 3.8 knots) which was a comfortable pace to get me to my anchorage before sundown.
As I passed the Bedok jetty and had my destination less than 1 km away, I recorded this video:
As I approached the mooring ball – I dropped the lapper (foresail) to slow down. I grabbed boat hook, now un-lashed from the tiller, and was able to snag the mooring at first try. I tied the boat from both stern cleats to the mooring ball in a “V” formation with about 2 meters of line on each side. The gentle conditions allowed me to catch the light breezes off the stern into the hatch for great cooling and ventilation in the cabin, without bouncing around too much.
This made it easy to move things around in the cabin and get organized for dinner and sleep, without getting seasick. I set up my table under the last light of day and the under the glow of the camp-light I laid out an assortment of small Tupperware bins with Gherkin dill pickles, and an assortment of Greek black olives as well as the Spanish green ones stuffed with pimento. I slowly had a cold drink and enjoyed my appetizers while listening to what was happening to life on the shore on the BBC, while seeing the last bits of color in the west fade into grey and then black of night. My appetite well prepared for the main course, which was a homemade version of Japanese ‘hiyashi chuuka”, cold white noodles mixed with an assortment of items cut long and thin like the noodles: fried egg, cucumbers, tomatoes and pickled red ginger (“beni-shouga’). This is all stirred together in a delicious messy mix with a special kind of cold soy sauce broth, flaked dried seaweed, and a dab of wasabi and hot mustard to taste. Food is ALWAYS a special consideration on my little boat cruises.
In an effort to find ways to reduce the drain on my power supply, I replaced the fan with one that drew far less amps as well as all my internal lighting with LED bulbs. I had also attempted to replace the running lights with an LED equivalent row of lights but found that the forward shooting effect of the small LEDs made the lights harder to see from the sides, although they were very clear from the front. Same thing with the 360 degree anchor light – I had tried to find some LED equivalent to the two lamps which alone could drain my battery after a couple of nights of use. I found a very small combination flashlight/lantern (about 8″ tall) at a convenience store for S$8 (US$6) which six diamond-shaped LEDs configured on a mirror type base and ceiling for the lantern – as well as four forward facing round LEDs for the flashlight. I could hang this from the aft end of the boom and the keep the lantern lit all night for 3 nights and counting without yet replacing the cheapest brand 4 AA sized batteries. It is quite bright and replaces the need to run the mast-top anchor lights. It’s a great alternative and legal too since all that’s needed in Singapore for a boat my size at anchor is a white light visible 360 degrees in a ‘prominent place’ on the boat. I had thought of running it up to the top of the mast but the Potter mast so short to begin with, and part of its light would be hidden by the mast losing the full 360 degree effect. And from a vessel approaching a few hundred yards away at sea, 15 feet of mast height won’t make that much difference anyway. When the AA batteries finally die a full death I’ll try to see how much life I can squeeze out of the rechargeable kind. This would be Sirena’s second biggest effort to save the planet – the first one always being to use as much wind and as little fuel as possible.
Cool NNE breezes through the hatch made the fan unnecessary and even too cold for sleep. I closed up the door and left a small part of the hatch open for ventilation and drifted off to a sailor’s sleep as deep as the ocean below him.
16 January 2011 – Day two
Distance 16 km – depart 0915 – arrive 1215 Winds 10-12 knots with gusts to 16 under fair skies
It’s a strange and disorienting thing waking up on your boat out of a deep sleep, often out off an unusual dream. For some reason I dream a lot more while at sea. At the first hints of consciousness astir. one first feels around for the familiar surroundings of the home bedroom – the wife, the side table lamp – a glance at the alarm clock on the other side table or other side of the room. A similar but less dramatic thing happens when I’m travelling in different cities for business – the first few moments are a bit disorienting – especially when navigating thru the dark half asleep looking for the toilet and suddenly realizing you don’t know where you are. But waking up in a boat at sea always seems to surprise and delight me, especially if the weather is calm and in the middle of the night or the first lights of dawn. It takes me a minute or two to realize I’m not needed to spring into ‘work-worry’ action mode for that day. Being so close to nature makes it easier to get out and experience, it, the glory of a starry night or wonder of a morning sunrise just inches out the hatchway, rather than behind the thick walls and sound/light proof windows that keeps the undesirable elements of the busy city outside from protruding into my indoor peace in the cities that I live and work in. Anyhow my first glimpse at the watch after realizing I was not at home showed something around 05:30.
Being woken up the boat swinging around I was facing the opposite direction that I had fallen asleep as the tides had turned yet again and the East flowing tidal stream had started with the ebbing of the 2nd lower tide. Fresh winds were moving me around a bit and making it a little difficult to get back to sleep with the movement and sounds of occasional whistling in the shrouds. I got up and at about 6:30 am gave my parents a call back mid-afternoon the day before in their time zone. We had a nice long chat as I watched another beautiful sunrise before me which brought fair skies. The heat of the sun was not noticeable in the fresh northern winds. It must have got as low as 23 degrees celsius overnight (74 degrees Fahrenheit) which is about as cold as our ‘winters’ get here on the equator, except for the ‘great-indoors’ where the overrunning of the air conditioning can make it unbearably cold, and I’ve come to rely on my jacket at work to keep me from shivering. Forgive my thoughts that drift like jelly fish – I’ll return my sailing blog now:
I jump into action for planning the day. A new friend had agreed to come meet me at the marina that morning for some sailing and so I needed to get moving as it would be a hard upwind beat back. Exchanging a few text messages I learned he would not be coming and was relieved as the winds were ‘intermediate’ comfort level for certain people not used to sailboats.
09:15 I sailed away from my mooring with no help of the motor and beat hard to starboard to make my way upwind and around the Bedok jetty without tacking. I continued on that tack keeping fairly close course to the shore – due to the southern slant of the eastern part of Singapore. Occasional gusts would have me heeling hard but I could feel the boat slow down and right herself without any touch of the tiller or letting out of the mainsheet. The wind strengthened and the lack of swells or chop made it possible for me to play around with my new ‘performance’ mainsail and larger size lapper foresail. After a while the gusts got a little more frequent and I felt my heart beat sign the ‘yellow’ light of my fear factor.
As I may have mentioned many times in my writings, I consider myself a ‘cruisier’ rather than a ‘racer’. Speed has never been a fascination of mine. I learned to roller blade in my late 30′s – at first I practiced indoors holding onto walls and objects as I felt always on the verge of losing control. Eventually graduated to the next step of trying it out in my parking lot early in the morning so there would as few people seeing my clumsy efforts. Finally I was able to slowly move and gain some measure of control, but never got beyond the ability to skate slowly around level areas or deal with slight inclines. Poor balance is another weakness of mine. In my 20′s I spent an entire week at a Club Med in Cancun trying to learn to windsurf but even the very patient teacher pretty much concluded I was hopeless after a few days. Later, in my 40′s on my windglider and the big beginner windsurfer boards I found myself confidently tacking and jibing on the waters under gentle controlled circumstances (rubbery legs not withstanding). I finally learned skiing about the same age, despite having spent my youth in the foothills of some of the best ski grounds in the world (Salt Lake City, Utah), literally minutes from the slopes. The cold, the lines the expense all turned me off. More than that was my own inability to acquire the skills as easily as those around me. I’m not a speed demon and I’ll be happy to spend the rest of my life on the bunny trail as the thrill of ‘controlled ’ speed is good enough for me. Same thing for sailing, with the exception being that a sailor must be able to handle situations that come up unexpectedly and be able to control the boat and keep a cool head and make the right decisions. Such comes out of experience, often the unsolicited kind, and learning some lessons the ‘hard’ way.
Today I had both the time and conditions which seemed perfect to experiment with different manoeuvres at sea. Since i had the new mainsail with two reef points – I hove to and first tried by mistake the 2nd of the reef points. Making the mainsail look something like a little triangle shaped sail,probably smaller than the ones the Optimist sailors had on their boats. Still – with the full foresail flying I could beat unwind at a good pace and checked the clinometer at 20 degrees on some points of heel. The clinometer,by the way I got for free and installed but if the wind is really kicking up and the boat is heeling hard I rarely have the courage to look down to see the degree of heel lest I miss the next gust that will knock me down. Today I kept a close eye on it as I continued my experiments with the mainsail. Next I moved down to the 1st set of reef points – which seemed ideal for the conditions I was sailing in at the time – I felt in full control, yet I could bring in the mainsheet and actually got the clinometer to peg at 45 degrees on both tacks of sail – rails slightly or just above the water line – looking nearly straight down. I don’t know how accurate this cheap little clinometer was – if he little ball just rolled a little father than it honestly should have out of momentum or if I had actually achieved that degree of heel – still I can claim that under controlled circumstances on both tacks of sail I had the rails in the water and pegged the clinometer.
I’ve read over the years of potter wisdom that my boat sails best flat without less than 10 degrees of heel. In fact it gets to a point where one can lose steerage with less hull and rudder in the water means less steerage and momentum of the weight of the boat forward. and under most circumstances my boat will just naturally find its way into the wind, coming to a quick stop. But I was able to experiment and find a kind of ‘sweet zone’ where a bit more heel would give me a good push forward to where the boat wanted to go windward I’d slightly bear off the tiller, keeping the mainsheet tightly sheeted and keep repeating the same thing. I checked my blackberry GPS tracking tool and could see that I’d crack over 10km /(5.4 knots) hour and often exceeded 12 km/(6.4 knots) hour on a close hauled upwind beat! This speed was exaggerated by a good tidal stream pushing me in the direction home. These are speeds that I usually have only experienced surfing down swells. I took my time coming back to the marina. Having some things to do in the afternoon I needed to eventually lower the sails and motor back, with a new smile on my unshaven face and wild-looking hair from the now dried saltwater hairspray coming over the cabin top.
Lessons learned:
*-The ’performance’ Kelly Hanson mainsail certainly lived up to its name. The thicker stiffer material held it’s shape much better than my old sail which has become a bit threadbare – I’m still repairing and keeping for use. I’ve replaced and re-inforced the batten pockets and patched a few places where there were small holes from wear and tear, as well as to attach sail slugs on the bolt rope. My experience with the sail slugs to date (both on my old mainsail and new Kelly Hanson mainsail have been mixed – just getting used to something new I suppose).
*-Furling and storing the new sail without removing the long batten is a little tricky. Also it barely fits into the customized sail cover without ‘squeezing’ it too hard.
*-I wonder about how much extra strain the heavier dacron sail and slightly bigger sail space puts on the rigging. I would hate to see it be the reason for a stay or u-bolt failure as the old sail seemed to put enough strain to produce hairline fractures in the hull near the sidestay u-bolts already.
*-This was my first overnight cruise using the mainsheet block from the boom aft rather than forward in front of the cabin hatch. Seemed to add a lot of space to the cabin but when I’d sit far to the front I found myself in a slight panic a couple of times trying without success to uncleat the mainsheets in sudden gusty conditions. Also – this arrangement has made me switch which hands hold the tiller and which holds the mainsheet, a little strange but not too hard to get used to.
*-Sitting up in the cabin hatchway in light winds, steering with the tiller lashed to my boat hook/paddle is my favorite place to sit on the boat. The view and balance of the boat seem ideal, while still having all the controls in my hands and all my gear at my feet.
*-You won’t see me out there every time the wind kicks up, rails in water, while looking at the speed on the blackberry and heel on the clinometer but it’s it nice to occasionally under good controlled circumstances to test the limits of the boat as well as my comfort zone. At my old sailing Club in Japan – they used to fly a yellow flag as an advisory to small craft when winds reached sustained speed of 7 meters/second (just under 13 knots) over a certain period of time. Here’s how different sailors looked at it:
1-Big boats ignored it and headed out anyway. The yellow flag was ‘caution’ advisory – red flag at sustained windspeed of 10 meters/second (18.5 knots) small craft were prohibited from leaving the marina.
2-Adventurous small boats were excited with the prospects of brisk salining winds, against the caution of the Club.
3-I was relieved that the Club had taken the decision away from me to go out as it seemed that the yellow flag was the limit of my abilities AND comfort zone at the time. I did go out a few times under the yellow flag and challenged my skills and made it back alive but these were not enjoyable experiences. Once I came back just as they were raising the red flag. How nice to be back tied up to the dock when the shrill whistle of 20-30 knot gusts whip through shrouds of the hundreds of boats permanently at dock, and thank God I’m not out there at sea holding on for dear life trying to get back under reefed sail or making way with a 2hp motor!
