CS34 WYC Moonlight Cruise

Every Friday before a full moon, the club runs a moonlight cruise.
We had 12 boats come out, leaving the docks around 7:30pm.
The moon had already risen.

We marshalled out by mark 9 and went the Ajax Weather buoy, then north to mark 10, then home.

Winds were 6-8 knots from SSE, just forward of the beam to the Ajax buoy.  We motored out to near mark 9, hoisted the main and spinnaker, and were able to get the boat moving betwen 3 and 4 knots if 7 knots of wind.

Once we got to the Ajax buoy, we doused the spinnaker and  started the motor.   The winds were dropping to less than 3 knots, so we dropped the main and motored home.

It was really bright out on the water with the full moon.

Trip Odometer: 14.00 miles
Moving Average: 3.9 knots
Moving Time: 03:34:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150828.kmz

CS34 Spinnaker Bag

Durk from Nova Scotia shipped me a spinnaker bag for big Still Time's new asymmetric.

This is great, because I was using the bag for the genoa and had to be careful hoisting the spinnaker because the bag could go overboard.

Side view showing cover and mesh bottom

Top view showing cover off

The bag has four bronze hanks that are used to clip the bag onto the lifelines so it doesn't go overboard in a hoist.

The bottom is mesh so the spinnaker will breathe if it gets wet.

I like how the elastic cover goes over the 20" ring, and slips off still attached at one point.
Much better than a velcro flap!

As a bonus, it is much smaller than the genoa bag!

C22 Blocks from Gauhaurer

Ordered some block from Gauhaurer in the states:

Low Lead Cars (above)
Fiddle Block (below)

The low lead cars will be put on the genoa T-Track just before the winches.  On Still Time, the genoa lead cars are about 4ft from the winches, which causes over rides on the winches because the sheet is pulled at too low an angle.  Adding these cars just in front of the winches should solve this problem.

The fiddle block will be put on the end of the boom for mainsheet.  The existing double block is twisting causing friction and line wear.

Pictures to follow.

Sheet Angle before

Sheet Angle after

C22 Whitby Race NIght

Melissa was sick with a cold.
John had playoff hockey.
Just Chris and I.
I also recruited Walter Pingle.

We got off the dock at 6pm with a full main and #1 genoa.  Winds were 6-8 knots from the west. However, it had been blowing 10-12 knots all day from the south so there were 3-4ft waves too.

Our race officer Phil was stuck in traffic, so the race was delayed until he got in and the committee boat could get out.  Races usually start at 6:30pm, we didn't start until 7:15pm.

Winds were swinging around, settled from the NW, so the course was set as 2 short.

We were 1 minute late crossing the line because the winds dropped slightly, and going into the waves was slower.  At the windward mark, we were calling starboard to the Shark Mickey.  At the next mark, we were with the Sharks Mickey and FoxTrot.  Shark Cheeky Monkey was WAY ahead.

Walter on a beam reach 3rd leg

Moving crew weight forward makes a BIG difference in speed offwind.

The finish was DARK, as well as the trip home.

Frenzy in the moonlight

We finished last on the line and corrected time, but what a great night on the water.

Chris and Walter

Trip Odometer: 10.87 miles
Moving Average: 3.6 knots
Moving Time: 03:00;00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150826.kmz

J/80 @ ABYC

Whitby is hosting the LYRA regatta in 2016 as part of our club's 50th anniversary.

Tonight I went to Ashbridges Bay Yacht Club to meet the LYRA president Dave Steenburgen.

At the club I ran into Jim McGinness who was looking for crew to go out on his recently purchased J/80.  I jumped at the opportunity.

The J/80 is a 26ft sport boat with LOTS of sail area.  In the right conditions, this rocket will plane.

Large 12ft cockpit

It is different than anything I have sailed. It is a mainsail driven boat, with small non overlapping jib on a roller furler.  There is a retractable bowsprit that is used to fly huge asymmetric spinnakers.  The main is dacron with sail slugs (no bolt rope) as per J/80 class rules.  All designed to make it easier to sail and keep the costs down.

Huge cockpit

Traveller/mainsheet/backstay

Owner Jim also sails an IMX38 called Five Fifteen out of Highland.
I crewed with 515 crew members Ali and Sean.

We went out before the race, and tried some tacks; very easy to do with the small headsail.  We hoisted the spinnaker and did several gybes. Again, very easy, just like a big genoa.  The hoisting and dousing of the spinnaker is done to a bag in the companionway.

Bowsprit retracted in bow

Not much below,barely sitting headroom

We got the boat going over 5 knots upwind in about 10 knots of breeze.  Downwind, we hit 9.1 knots. On the first spinnaker douse, we had MAJOR problems.  The spin halyard jammed at the mast and we could not get it down!  the spinnaker sheet was let to run and the chute was flying far away from the boat.  We overshot the leward mark by maybe a quarter mile until we got the chute down.

Its light red NOT pink!

Toronto skyline in the background

Nice sunset

We had a blast, but came in last.

Would I consider buying a J/80?  Absolutely, but not at this time!
I've got too many boats, a house to sell, and not enough time.

Trip Odometer: 13.50 miles
Moving Average: 4.7 kntos
Moving Time: 02:52:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150825.kmz

C22 WYC Jack and Jill Race

The WYC Jack and Jill race is a fun double handed race: one male, one female.

Wind forecast was bleak:

Click for bigger

I was going to call the race because of the lack of wind, but at the shipper's meeting we had 11 boats wanting to go out.  It looked like the wind might come up to 4-5 knots at noon.  We shortened the race to mark 10, just off Ajax (2.8 miles away) and back. I texted Melissa, and we left the dock as soon as she got to the club.

We purposely used the old baggy main sail; perfect for light breezes:

Heading out to the race course

Out on the water, there was 4-6 knots of breeze from the south.
Glad I didn't cancel/postpone the race!

Keep Calm and Sail On

Here is a picture just after the start taken by Mickey:

Still Time was being rolled by AFTICA.

On a close reach and flat water, we got the boat going over 4 knots all the way to the mark.

On the way back, the point of sail was just forward of the beam and our speed was between 5 and 6 knots the entire time.

Melissa on the tiller @5.5 knots

We finished 15 minuttes behind the leaders on an hour long race. Not sure who we caught on corrected time.

After the finish, we dropped the head sail and hoisted the spinnaker for the downwind run into the harbour:

You can see the harbour wall

We had to gybe the spinnaker to make it into the harbour.  We actually doused the spinnaker on the way to the dock.

Great day on the water.

UPDATE: we came FOURTH behind Mickey, JustinTime, and Gruntled: NO FLAG FOR US

Trip Odometer: 10.67 miles
Moving Average: 4.0 knots
Moving Time: 02:39:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150822.kmz

C22 WYC Race Night

Melissa Chris and I.

Winds were forecast for 12-15 from the ESE.
Full main and #1.
Course was 7 medium.

We had a great start, and covered the two sharks near us.
On a port tack, we could only muster 4 knots of speed because of the waves.
Starboard has a much better angle on the waves, and more speed.
We had to throw an extra couple of tacks to get around the first mark, falling behind the Sharks.

Downwind, we stayed even.  However, I initiated gybing the genea to windard too early, and we lost some speed.

On the next reaching leg, we passed the T-Bird Columbine on the windward side.  He tried to push up up, but couldn't because we had overlap.  We had overlap most the leg.  The Bird had to give us mark room, and as we went to harden up to go upwind, we had an override on the winch, causing us to stall the boat.  Rod on the Bird tried to got up between us and the mark, and ended up clipping our motor that was sticking out the back of the boat.  No damage.  Rod did a 360 because of the foul.

It was a good learning exercise for Melissa on the Helm  (and for Chris) about pushing a boat up without overlap, overlap, room at the mark, collusion avoidance, and penalties.

Coming into the finish on port tack, we had to majorly duck Gruntled coming in on starboard.  This caused us to miss the comittee boat, and throw in another tack to make it.  We tacked WAY too soon and almost didn't make the pin, having to sail a LOT more distance.

We finished fourth 10 minutes behind the three Sharks in corrected time.

Trip Odometer: 10.48 miles
Moving Average: 4.3 knots
Moving Time: 02:25:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150919.kmz

C22 Major's Cup

Major's Cup is a fun race.

Boats start in the order of their handicap, so theoretically, all boats should finish at the same time.
With Still Time having the highest handicap (270) in the fleet, she started first, while the fastest boat in the fleet Grafitti (60) started 24 minutes later.   This with an 8.4 mile course.

I couldn't find any crew, so I went out single handed.

There wasn't much wind in the skipper's meeting (less than 2 knots).
We shortened the course from race mark 9 to Ajax buoy (upwind) and back.
The wind was supposed to fill in to 8 or 9 knots around noon.

The race committee delayed the start for half an hour until the wind got consistently over 4 knots.

Still Time was the first to start at 11:35, I was running the line at the horn.  Well I was over early, had to loop back and restart!  Everyone in the fleet and on the committee boat had a laugh!

The handheld GPS was not working; it would not find a satellite to lock into, so I didn't have it for a bearing to the mark.  Got a bearing of 220 from the race committee at the start.  Wasn't a problem for the first bit, but the bearing meant nothing as I got further off the rhumb line. Plus it was very hazy out there, and you could not see the mark until about 1/2 mile from it.

Upwind I could keep my boat speed between 4 and 5 knots in approximately 6 knots of wind.  There were small leftover wave, and lots of fishing/cruising power boat creating wakes.  What I had to do to keep boat speed up is to sail slightly off the wind and crack the sheets off a bit.

With the light winds, I overshot the last tack to the Ajax Buoy to make sure I would make it.  I overshot it too much and lost lots of ground the the fleet behind me.  By the time I got to the buoy, I had only 2 or 18 boats behind me.

Rounding the mark, I tried wing on wing trying to pole out the genoa.
The autopilot kept on cutting out.  Thing there is a power problem on the feed to the tiller pilot.
I would set the autopilot, go forward to set the pole, and the boat would do a 360 all over the place.
Took about half a hour to get the pole set!

F#$@!

Just look at the course after the Ajax mark!

Finished 6th out of 8 in the white sail fleet.

I was able to download the track from the Velocitek Prostart.

Trip Odometer: 8.4 miles
Moving Average:  3.4 knots
Moving Time: 02:36:22

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150816.kmz

CS34 Alternator

At the start of our vacation I noticed that the alternator was not charging the batteries.

Still Time has three batteries:

One isolated 12V engine starting battery.

Two 130 amp hour 12V house batteries.

Still Time also has a Balmar 90 series 75 amp alternator.  This is a high end unit.  Normal OEM units output 25 amps.  With three times the current, I can recharge the house batteries very quickly.  With a house bank of 130 amp hours, the Balmar could theoretically recharge a depleted house bank in a couple of hours (vs 5+ hours with the OEM alternator).

The fridge and lights used when anchoring mean that the house batteries can run for 3 to 4 days before needing a recharge.  However, using the electric windlass draws 40 to 60 amps of current from the house batteries.  So to pull up 60 ft of chain and another 60 ft of rode, you can go through the charge the house batteries very easily.  This is why we ALWAYS have the motor on when using the windlass.

Without a working alternator, we could not anchor.

Having an isolated starting battery is great because you can always start your motor even is you run the house batteries down.

We were going to use Still Time as a crew boat anchored in the harbour in Sodus Bay NY for LYRA, and use the dinghy to ferry folks back and forth.  Once we got to Sodus Bay, we had to take a slip in Katelyn Marina which is located about a 15 min walk or 5 min dingy ride to the Sodus Bay Yacht Club.  They has a special for LYRA participant at $1 per ft per night.  Good deal really.

I had a mechanic from Katelyn Marine look at the alternator, and he said it was toast.
A replacement OEM is about $200US, while replacement Balmar is $700US
However we would have to wait several days for the replacement to come in.

We decided to not anchor out the rest of the trip and use marinas/yacht clubs to charge the batteries as we went around the lake.

Now that I am back in Whitby, I took the alternator to a rebuild shop, and they estimate $125 for a complete re-build.  The guy tested it in front of me an confirmed it is toast.

May have it re-built for tomorrow!

UPDATE:

The stator/windings were completely fried; replacements coming in today.
New bearings and brushes and she will be as good as new.

Good service from http://www.globalrebuilders.com/

Picked up the alternator after work.

Old stator windings

Stator winding were fried.  Dude says that this is caused by overheating or excessive vibration.
The windings were also covered in belt dust, which could have contributed to overheating

$160 cash

New bearings and brushes installed also.

Took about an hour to install.

Installed and running

In the above picture you can see the slight coolant leak.  The maybe quarter cup of antifreeze was after cruising around the lake for over two weeks.  Don't see where the leak is, but in the off season, I am going to replace all the coollant hoses to hopefully solve the leak.

Here is YouTube video of the motor just after starting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvvOMrETE84&feature=em-upload_owner

It is interesting the load that gets put on the motor between 4 and 5 seconds in the video.  This is done by the voltage regulator.  It has a 30 second delay after startup to engage the alternator so the engine has an opportunity to get up to operating speed.

The Electromaxx serpentine kits is working great.  It allowed me to remove the current restriction on the voltage regulator.  I had dialed it back to around 30 amps in an attempt to not chew through 3/8" alternator belts; to no avail.  This adjustment is done with by turning a pot with a screwdriver on the voltage regulator.

Using the battery monitor, I could see the alternator putting 60 amp of current to the house batteries and whatever to the starting battery.

Wish I had discovered the problem with the alternator before vacation.

CS34 Cobourg to Whitby

After breakfast on the boat, and a shower, we left Cobourg at 9:30am.

Winds were 10 knots from the east.  Immediately hosting the main and spinnaker and set the autopilot to 130 degrees off the wind and headout out into the lake well out from Peter's Rock.

About 6 miles out (maybe an hour), the winds died, so we doused the spinnaker and motor sailed for about half an hour until the winds filled in at 12 knots from the south.

Back up with the spinnaker, no motor, and over 6 knots of boat speed.

Pretty easy sail.  Not too often do you get to sail all the way from Cobourg to Whitby.

Here is a good shot of the cockpit and how the spinnaker sheet goes through a block at the back of the boat and up to the leeward winch.

Wind died about 2 miles from the mouth of Whitby Harbour.  We doused the spinnaker, and motored the rest of the way in, arriving at 4:30pm.

Rita went to the local mall for a pedicure, while I cleaned up the boat and dried the spinnaker at the dock.

What a great couple of weeks!

Over 500 miles around the lake and 99 hours moving time on the water.
We went though about $120 of diesel fuel


Trip Odometer: 36.30 miles
Moving Average: 5.6 knots
Moving Time: 06:29:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150809.kmz

CS34 Murray Canal to Cobourg

Woke up at 8am, had breakfast.

The ports book said the first swing of the Carrying Place bridge was at 8:30am.
Untied the boat, and bridgemaster said the first swing is at 9am.

Docking the boat back on the pier, Rita looked at the bridge, and goes "There is your brother and his dog!"  Sure enough.

Doug was visiting his sister-in-laws cottage with his kids Katrina and Eric.  He saw our Facebook posts and decided to come see us.

Doug pronounces our last name "Bees", and named his dog "Boo" (he he he).

Brother Doug and BooBies

We had a nice visit, some coffee, but at 9am the bridgemaster swung the bridge for us:

,.. BooBies watching

We passed a Hunter 38 called Ezra Annes from Port Whitby Marina.

Winds were 4-6 knots from the south, not enough to bother with the sails or spinnaker.

We passed a 700ft freighter going into the Colbourne cement plant:

Ezra Annes and the freighter

It showed up on the AIS as a DANGEROUS TARGET.

We pulled into Cobourg Harbour:

Just as the Coast Guard's Cape Mercy was pulling out:

I had radioed in about half an hour from Cobourg, and got a slip.  Turns out it was the last available slip in Cobourg Marina!

Rita's son Daniel's girlfriend Sarina picked us up and took us to her family's place in Cobourg for an evening BBQ.  It was nice meeting her parents, and aunts and uncles.

After 8pm we brought Sarina back to the boat for a drink. She had never seen the boat before.

Before we headed to bed, we went to the Marina washrooms, where I met an old friend.  Lawrence and I worked downtown in the early 1990s, and now works in Pickering.  He and his wife Bev have a 36ft Catalina.  It was good to catch up with him again.


Trip Odometer: 29.93 miles
Moving Average: 6.4 knots
Moving Time: 04:40:00

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150808.kmz

CS34 Kingston to Murray Canal

We left KYC at 6:30am.  We wanted to visit our friends from Whitby Dave and Toni in Prinyer's Cove, and then try to get to the Murray Canal.

Winds were from the NE about 12 knots, not many waves, perfect for main and spinnaker just forward of the beam to Prinyer's Cove. Actually carried the spinnaker to 50 degrees to the wind!  We were able to sail most of the way at over 6 knots with the motor off.

We got to Prinyer's Cove (20 miles) at 11am.

Going in we saw our friends CS36 Elaine and Gray from Cobourg.  We had met them in Sodus Bay.

We rafted up to Moonlight Mistress with Dave and Toni from Whitby:

Had some lunch, some beers, took the dog for a pee.

It was a great visit.

It was time to head further east (2pm):

Thanks Dave and Toni

We did some sailing with jib and main down Aldolpus Reach.

When we turned the corner, I furled the genoa and motor sailed with the main.

Zzzzzzz...

On Long Reach, we saw something really kewl:

Cottage waterslide
Click for larger

Motor sailing near Sandy Cove Belleville

We pulled into Myer's Pier in Belleville at 8pm to stretch out legs and pee the dog.

On the other side of Belleville, it got dark quickly.  There was no moon, so finding the navigation buoys was difficult.  The chart plotter did a good job, but I know it was missing a couple of them. Had to be very careful, as Les from Whitby ran aground last year here when he went on the wrong side of a buoy; $10k damage to the keel/hull on Sandpiper!

When we got closer to the Murray, I had to slow down approaching the marks because it was too dark to see them until you were right on them!  Plus you didn't want to veer off the marked channel because of the weeds!  Had to stop and backup a couple of times to clear weeds off the keel.

Reaching the east end of the Murray it was pitch black, no moon or lights. Actually the light on the starboard wall of the Murray Canal entrance blinded us, ruining our night vision. I used the chart plotter to guide us down the center of the Murray.  The canal is maybe 80ft wide, but it seemed much smaller:  We were going to dock on the wall, but it was WAY TOO DARK!

Click for larger

Using the chart plotter, we slowly motored to the Carrying Place bridge.  I remembered there was a dock just before it.  We didn't not see the dock until we were one boatlength from it!

10:30pm, pee the Dog and right to sleep!

Trip Odometer: 63.81 miles
Moving Average: 5.4 knots
Moving Time: 11:57:00

Stopped Time: approx 3 hours

15 hours on the water!

Track: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12535935/Still%20Time/2015/20150807.kmz