Simply Sailing

Lateral Buoys - Not just theory.

2011-08-16T16:12:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent five days in the Gulf Islands on a cruise and learn.
Poseidon was in a good mood: Sunny every day and a light to moderate breeze.
Just perfect!

We visited two of our favorite anchorages: Pirate’s Cove and Herring Bay.

While having a hearty breakfast of toast, bacon & eggs we noticed a sailboat,
oddly heeling to one side at the entrance to Pirate’s Cove.
The boat was not under sail and there was no wind and we immediately saw
the reason for the spectacle:

The boat was piled up on the rocks at the entrance to the cove!

What happened? The entrance to Pirate’s Cove is very narrow indeed
but clearly marked with a starboard buoy and a port day beacon.

The boat in question was on the wrong side of the buoy. Here it is:

Another fine example is the starboard day beacon at Herring Bay.
While all looks peaceful in the first picture (taken at high tide),
danger is lurking below the surface: The second picture is taken
at the same location at low tide. Take the wrong turn,
and you are sure to end up like the boat in Pirate’s Cove.

Remember: Red, rigth, returning!

Seals flaoting on the water are another give away: Here is mama seal taking in the sunset with baby seal on a rock, barely above water:

Join one of our cruisie & learns or mileage builders.
Do you want to learn the theory first:
Sign up for a Coastal Navigation Course with
Vancouver Marine Course.

For more information check out our website at:
Simply Sailing

On Outboard Engines and Hull Speed for the San Juan 24

2010-08-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

During a recent discussion among San Juan 24 sailors a new, very proud owner (and he should be proud, the SJ24 is a wonderful boat) asked about the performance of is boat motorized with a 15 hp outboard. The consent among the group was that 15 hp for a 24’ sailboat with a total weight of 3,500 lbs to maximum 4,000 lbs is definitively an overkill.

Putting such a large engine on a small boat will not make it faster. The boat’s speed is limited by its hull speed (This is an estimate and applies only to traditional displacement hulls). The hull speed can be calculated as 1.34 times the square root of the length of water line in feet (1.34 x √LWL).

Why is that? As the boat travels through the water it has to push water out of its way. This creates a bow wave in front of the boat and a stern wave aft of the boat. Between the two waves a trough forms. For an illustration watch a tug boat without a tow going fast and you can observe the bow and stern wave and the trough between nicely. The faster the boat moves, the more water it has to push out of its way, the bigger the waves and the trough get. The boat is “trapped in this trough between the bow and the stern wave.

For the San Juan 24 with a length of water line of 19.5’ the hull speed is just under 6 kts. Motorized with a beefy 15 hp outboard engine, the boat will not go faster. In fact the stern wave could get so large, that it might drown the engine mounted on the stern.

Kanikilak was motorized with a 7.5 hp (2-storke engine) which pushed her along at a nice speed of 6 kts. Having had to retire the engine she now carries a brand new Honda 5 hp (4-stroke engine). This engine still makes her go at about 6 kts. Most people in the forum above agreed that an engine between 5 and 10 hp is adequate for this type and size of sailboat.

A final note: The structure of the boat was never intended to carry as large an engine as the 15 hp. Mounting a heavy outboard like this, might cause structural damage, possibly resulting in catastrophic failure of the stern.

Related links:
Hull Speed Calculator: http://www.psychosnail.com/BoatSpeedCalculator.aspx
San Juan 24 forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SJ-24/files/
Sailboat Measurements: http://sailboatdata.com/
Credit for Picture: http://www.sv-galena.com/Trip4/Log9/Log9a.html

Dinghy sailing for a change

2010-07-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to get some Tuesday night racing going at Jericho. Peter and I took out our brand new Nacra 580 Catamaran. A steady breeze from the west, maybe 12 kts, sun, no clouds and warm temperature: What a blast! This must have been one of the finest nights as of late.

Jericho Rescue was out there taking pictures, so I hope to be able to post a few later.

We were racing against UBC's and Club Locarno's F18s and had great fun. I was a bit rusty on the helm as I have not done much dinghy sailing this year. Just before the race I actually managed to capsize the boat - I could not find the main sheet as we started to get up on one pontoon in a gust and way we went- splash into the water. We needed to cool down anyway - it was way too hot after such a cold spring.

Will be back for more next week!

Sailing from Point Roberts to Vancouver

2010-06-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Had a great time sailing Kanikilak from Point Roberts to Vancouver with a friend. 10 kts breeze from the stern - it's spinnacker time, baby!!

Moored one night at False Creek Yacht Club where I picked up the students for my second sailing class this year.

Sunday presented itself very pleasently with just under 10 kts wind - perfect for the students for their first sailing lesson.

Kanikilak is now anchored in False Creek - waiting for a more permanent moorage.

Looking forward to day two of the sailing course this coming weekend.