I know, I know. I’m always complaining about the lack of seamanship.
So this is a short tutorial about how to let your boat sail itself.
No auto pilot. No wind vane, or electronics, just seamanship.
Beating to windward against an Easterly. Tiller is tied off.
All boats have different sailing characteristics. The hull used on my boat, a Cape Dory, was copied from the hull you found on Anglo Saxon work boats. This was before engines. The long shallow full keel with an attached rudder was designed for control and durability.
You can sail to a dock or mooring. Heave to and pull your fishing nets, or traps aboard.
I find I can have a neutral helm if I put one reef in the main and run 135% to 150% jib. However the boat has a weather helm for a reason. If the boat becomes over powered or over canvased, she will heel to a point. Then the wind spills over the top or head of the sails, and she rounds up into the wind and stops. If you let go of the tiller, like if you fall overboard, she rounds up into the wind and stops.
So when tying off my tiller under full sail I need to do several things.
I down haul the luff like on a windsurfing sail. This opens my leach, and reduces heel that would cause her to round up into the wind. I do the same to my jib by moving the jib cars aft.You want to spill wind off the top of the leach.
If you look at the video below, you will see that while the lower tell tails are streaming, the upper tell tail are starting to lift. And lastly you tie off the tiller a bit to windward to compensate for the natural weather helm.
I hope this helps you. It takes time, and a lot of experimentation to get it right. Once you do, the boat will sail for hours on her own. Not that Iv’e tested that theory. I tend to do most of my sailing in the western sound. A very congested area with a good deal of boat traffic.
Iv’e been able to continue my career with minor interruptions this year.
Yes, I’ve had friends and clients who had died from this pandemic.
Yes, I’m earning less. Yes, my wife is working less.
But because of what I do for a living…I have savings.
All told, I’m doing OK. I’m lucky. Not smart. Just lucky.
Most lucky people tend to think they’re smart. I know better.
I’ve been working from home since early March. So I don’t have to wear a mask each day.
My wife has to wear one when she goes into work. It’s bothersome.
I only have to wear one when I’m with other people in close proximity, or indoors with them. I’m alone most of the time. I stopped surfing in April. The people at the beach are idiots. They seem to think they are immune there. So I just stopped going. But I can still go sailing. Except for a brief 10 minutes on the launch, I’m all alone in my own world. Thank my parents for Segue. Though I have been her caretaker since 1986, She became mine 20 years ago when my parents decided they needed a bigger boat.
Today, I really wanted to talk about Windsurfing. Or windsurfers.
No one windsurfs because it’s cool, or easy. Windsurfing is hard. It’s always changing, evolving. There is always something new. Windsurfers understand and crave the learning curve. We understand we will never master something. Yet we keep coming back. We check our ego’s at the door and learn something new every time we go out.
Because of the Pandemic I missed this year’s OBX WIND in Hatteras. We rescheduled it for October, but canceled that as well. Springtime in Avon is more than just a great windsurfing destination, it’s the people. Everyone there, is there because they are just as stoked about windsurfing as you. You’re in a world were everybody understands why we build our lives around a seemingly frivolous activity.
We all love this sport. Want to discover new things, learn new everything. Windsurfers are the most positive people I have ever encountered.
This year. This year is the year of the foil.
Foils have been around for ages. But we are just beginning to work out the kinks. Make it accessible to mere mortals like myself. And guess what? It's still hard. A lot like windsurfing a unicycle. But so worth it.
I wanted to take lessons. But clinics are pretty dangerous in a pandemic. So Andy Brant who usually runs ABK has been doing one day small clinics. No hotels to worry about. Just long drives, something new, and that feeling. That same feeling you had when you caught your first wave. That same feeling you had when you did your first jibe, the first time you planed in the footstraps, the curve. The learning curve we crave.
I’m not gonna' lie to you. Getting to sail in January without gloves was a treat. It was freakishly warm last weekend. And windsurfing is just less tiring without mittens. And yet.
I like sailing in the winter. I’m not as hard core as I was ten years ago. I draw the line in the high 30’s. OK …closer to 40. But, I like sailing in the winter. I love my 5 or 6 millimeter wetsuit. It feels like armor. 5 or 7 mil boots, neoprene mittens. Bring it on.
In the winter we have the beaches to ourselves. We have crystal clear cold water. Brisk clean cold powerful winds. And the crew is smaller. More intimate. The group I windsurf and surf with in the winter are my tribe. My brothers and sisters, in the very real sense of the word. We trust each other with our lives. Literally.
So what’s the deal with windsurfers? Windsurfing isn’t a sport or a pastime…it’s an addiction. Like all addictions, that’s both good and bad. You either get it, or you don’t. Chasing wind and waves from beach to beach. Usually living out of our vans. Windsurfers are a rarely seen nomadic tribe. You see kiters…that sport seems to be growing. But windsurfers…not really. The thing about Windsurfing is you need to enjoy failure. It’s the learning curve that keeps us craving more. You never really get good at it…you just keep trying. Every wave, every swell, wind, breeze, every session I experience something new. I love that.
In the late 70’s, early 80’s, windsurfing was huge. We made it to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the 1st X-Games in Newport RI. But nothing since. That’s because Windsurfing doesn’t really work as a televised Spectator Sport. There is no cool culture that comes with windsurfing. Not like Surfing; Think of all the clothes, the lifestyle, the pop culture references. People who have never even been to the ocean wear surf clothes. Surfing has Gidget, Endless Summer, Big Wednesday, Spicoli, Slater, Point Break, Blue Crush. We are small, and everyone here, belongs here. No pecking order, no cast system. I have met and shared sessions with dozens of pro’s, and several World Champions. Try walking up to a pro baseball player and asking him to play catch. I’ll take chapped fingers, split and bleeding from the cold water.
But I also look forward to blisters on my palms in the spring. Sunburn too. Yea, even sunburn.
Yesterday I did some minor cosmetic repairs on my 104 ltr wave board. Yesterday.
Got me thinking, as much as I love Winter Windsurfing…
I really love Hatteras in the Spring! Hey look! Everyone is just like me. What a great place to try new toys, shake off the cobwebs. Hang out with friends, old and new.
At the OBX-WIND we are all windsurfers. And though it is no secret about my dislike for racing. Still…
Last month, my friends and I were fortunate enough to be invited and attend the World Premier of “The Longest Wave”. This was a documentary about Robby Naish.
To my friends and I, Robby was, is, and will always be “The King”. Though he is a few years younger than we are. For us he defined the sport of Windsurfing.
We watched him win his first World Championship when he was 13!
We remember the time he won another Championship and missed the awards ceremony. The waves were so good he went back out to go wave sailing instead of accept his award. We watched as Robby mentored new talent, and reinvented what is was to be a waterman, over and over again. One of my friends named his son after him. This is how intertwined our lives are with his.
We are first generation Windsurfers. Most of us started in the 70’ or 80’s. The water is our life.
I miss the concept of movies like this. As a kid there would always be a surf movie or ski movie event. Everyone getting together. It’s just different… a social event. So much more of an experience that watching it on my TV.
But this was not the usual surf porn we have become accustomed to. This was a real documentary. If I had to guess, at least 75% of the audience were not windsurfers. They literally had no idea that they were in the presence of a legend. The movie explained that Robby Naish is the worlds greatest Waterman. Has been for the last 30 plus years. He has excelled at everything he has ever done. Surfing, Windsurfing, Kiting, SUP’ing, and now Foiling. He created and purchased leading edge companies supporting all of the above. But I kind of think that was lost on two thirds of the audience.
The movie focused on the fact that he was having to learn how to go from a god, to someone like the rest of us. His first real injuries, divorce, business problems. It was heart wrenching for me to watch. In the post movies Q & A, it was painful to listen to people asking him questions like ”when you’re on a wave, whats your mantra?”. What’s your Mantra? This guy has so clearly never surfed.
Nobody can ever take away the influence and inspiration that Robby Naish has gifted to me. I built my life around trying to be the best waterman I could be.
We were part of the so called “alternative sports” movement. No rules, no keeping score.
It’s ironic that the sports we turned to, specifically to avoid keeping score, are now competitive sports. Skateboarding, surfing, free skiing, snowboarding, oh yea and windsurfing.
We play organized sports. But for me…competition can take the fun out of sport. I like to play. I don’t care if I win. Remember when playing sports was just for fun? I do. I still do. I’m a terrible surfer. But I come out of the water with a big smile after every session.
We will meet in the parking lot by the tunnel entrance.
We will have a table set up, and can really use your help.
Free parking. We will supply gloves, Trash Bags, Pencils and recording sheets. You provide the muscle. Bring a friend, or two or ten!
As we have for close to two a decades,
LIBAG, The Long Island Beach Access Group, LIBAG.ORG
The Long Island Windsurfers Group,
The American Littoral Society, https://www.littoralsociety.org
And the Town of Babylon, http://www.townofbabylon.com
will team up for the
Gilgo Beach, Saturday, September 21st 9:00 AM
Every year tens of thousands of volunteers remove and collect data on tons of debris from hundreds of miles of shorelines across New York State as part of our annual NY State Beach Cleanup.
Why New York State Beach Cleanup is different than other cleanups:
While the activities on the day of the cleanup are important and receive much positive publicity, the compilation, analysis and dissemination of the data collected have an even greater impact. This cleanup is unique in that volunteers fill out data cards about what they remove. This data is summarized for individual sites and all data cards are sent to The Ocean Conservancy for analysis. The resultant studies produce strategies to combat marine pollution and help inform policy makers, the media and the public about solutions to the problem.
So please join us Gilgo Beach, Saturday, September 21st 9:00 AM
at Gilgo Beach for our largest Beach Cleanup of the season.
We at LIBAG want to thank you in advance for all your help.
I appreciate your concern. But you worry about you, and I’ll worry about me.
If you surf and/or windsurf on Long Island you understand. You have been following storms and weather patterns long before App’s and websites like Surfline, Magic Seaweed, iwindsurf, or live stream beach cam’s ever existed.
If you have been a waterman as long as I have, you remember reading the raw feed from buoy’s, listening to your NOAA weather radio, and interpreting pressure changes on your barometer. You know what an isobar is. You understand the difference between a wind or wave created by a synoptic front or a simple thermal. You have been tracking storms, fronts, wave hight, and swell periods long before the weather channel existed.
So while I understand your concern. Your need to cater to the lowest common denominator… Your need to inundate the news with warnings about how I am putting first responders lives at risk.
I fully understand the difference between a storm like Sandy that made landfall; and one like Dorian, or Bob or any of the other phenomenon that most of you have no fucking clue about.
Please enjoy some of the best of the current weather we are enjoying.
We will meet in the parking lot by the tunnel entrance.
We will have a table set up, and can really use your help.
Free parking. We will supply gloves, Trash Bags, Pencils and recording sheets. You provide the muscle. Bring a friend, or two or ten!
As we have for close to two a decades,
LIBAG, The Long Island Beach Access Group, LIBAG.ORG
The Long Island Windsurfers Group,
The American Littoral Society, https://www.littoralsociety.org
And the Town of Babylon, http://www.townofbabylon.com
will team up for the
Gilgo Beach, Saturday, September 21st 9:00 AM
Every year tens of thousands of volunteers remove and collect data on tons of debris from hundreds of miles of shorelines across New York State as part of our annual NY State Beach Cleanup.
Why New York State Beach Cleanup is different than other cleanups:
While the activities on the day of the cleanup are important and receive much positive publicity, the compilation, analysis and dissemination of the data collected have an even greater impact. This cleanup is unique in that volunteers fill out data cards about what they remove. This data is summarized for individual sites and all data cards are sent to The Ocean Conservancy for analysis. The resultant studies produce strategies to combat marine pollution and help inform policy makers, the media and the public about solutions to the problem.
So please join us Gilgo Beach, Saturday, September 21st 9:00 AM
at Gilgo Beach for our largest Beach Cleanup of the season.
We at LIBAG want to thank you in advance for all your help.
If you are unable to help us at Gilgo, we encourage you to participate at one of the many Statewide cleanup’s scheduled for that day. http://www.nysbeachcleanup.org
By Frank Messina / Photos by Andy Craig (Heckscher session – June 15, 2019)
So, I’m in my office, and two of my colleagues are complaining about the lack of sunny days this Spring. As I walk by, one of them says “Hey, nice tan. Did you go away?” Me: “No, I’ve just been sailing.” Him, with a disbelieving tone, “Really? Hasn’t it been all rainy and windy? I mean, when are we gonna have some nice weather?” I just nod and smile.
I gave up trying to explain windsurfing a long time ago. You either get it or you don’t. You either know from that very first moment you ever saw it – “I want to do that!” – or you don’t. I have photos of myself windsurfing on my office walls. It’s not just vanity. I put them there as conversation starters. Unfortunately the conversation is usually the same. “So that’s windsurfing? Where was that taken? That’s not here. That’s not really you.” I find it amazing how little most Long Islanders know about their own backyard.
OK. Let me start over. I live on Long Island. By choice. Not the rich ‘vacationland’ you see on TV. The one where you get up and go to work each day. Like everyone else does. And yes, we live on an island. A big one, surrounded by water. And we love to play in that water.
Author Frank Messina in action (credit: Jillixir Marie)
I’ve been windsurfing since the late 1970s. Yeah, you’d think I would be a better sailor than I am! But I don’t care. I love it. I love the learning curve. And that’s important. In order to love windsurfing you have to love failing. That’s the great thing about windsurfing: you never really master it and get bored. There is always something new about it. There is no ‘free-throw line.’ Every session is new, a different wave, swell, breeze, tide. There is no ‘right way.’ Your next mistake could become the next great move. You can get totally worked, break gear, do the walk of shame, and still end your session with a great big smile.
It is the only sport I know where everyone is welcoming to newcomers. “You want to be one of us? Welcome to the tribe my friend.” Throw your trash-talking aside. Be prepared to be complimented. “Wow, I saw that great jibe you did on that wave face! Damn, you looked great out there today!” Be prepared to be happy about any session on the water.
Band of brothers sharing the water (credit: Andy Craig)
We are not thrill-seekers. We are not hard-core. We are young and old. Sail brand new as well as hand-me-down gear. We are none of your labels. We simply love to windsurf. So we do it as often as we can. If you want to give it a try? We are happy to share our stoke.
The folks I windsurf with are my family. Many of us have been sailing together for 30+ years. Many joined much more recently. We travel together. Support each other in times of need. And if the wind comes up, we do our best to drop everything and go sailing.
Welcome to the tribe, my friend.
Be prepared to be happy!
Steve Domjan in control! (credit: Andy Craig)
Last session started out like any other day. I got out of bed, had my cup of joe, and checked the forecast. It looked hopeful, not certain. But if you sail on Long Island, you have a secret weapon: the Long Island Windsurfer Yahoo Group. Started by Ely about twenty years ago, it has become (when it’s working!) our go-to method of sharing information with each other. Around noon that day, guys started to post on-site reports: “Wind’s picking up. It just went SSW. Al’s rigging a 5.0. On my way, ETA 2:00.” Time to drop everything and head to Joe’s Beach – Heckscher State Park Field 7!
Playground rules at Heckscher (credit: Frank Messina)
Heckscher sticks out into the middle of the Great South Bay. As such, it is a magnet for anything blowing East through South and West. It is just lucky enough for us that if we get any kind of afternoon thermal, it will be at Heckscher. Heckscher Field 7 is a designated windsurfing & catamaran launch. So there is no need to worry about the summer beach crowds.
No feeling like it in the world (credit: Andy Craig)
When I arrived, folks were rigging down. I did a quick check with the guys on shore. Rich was on a 4.5, Jill a 4.7, ‘Mustang’ Steve a 3.7. I couldn’t tell what ‘Upwind Mike’ was on, but he and Bruce were lit! That’s it! I went into a rigging frenzy. I was so amped I tried to stuff a 460 mast up my 4.7. Oops! Got the correct mast, jumped into my wetsuit, tossed in the 90 liter and I was wet.
After two or three runs I realized I was having trouble getting on a plane even though my 4.7 was big enough. Weeds! Already? Rushed back to the van for a quick pit stop. Grabbed a 17cm weed fin and 10cm thrusters. Switched them out, rehydrated, and sailed ’til my forearms were so blown-out that I started blowing all my jibes. Just another Heckscher day!
I dedicate this story to the Heckscher brothers we lost too early: ‘Hurricane’ Phil, Joe ‘The Mayor’ and Marty of the ‘The two Arty’s.’ Sail every session as if it might be your last.
Frank and "Mustang Steve" Haglich at home on Long Island (credit: Andy Craig)
The biggest problem though, is battery storage. The larger Torqeedo Cruise 2.0, or an Elco is expensive. They work as well as an old two stroke. But, because they rely on standard 12 volt technology, they only really work if you stay at a slip and can plug in to recharge every night. Or if you have a very robust Solar, or wind powered generator. I'm on a mooring. But, come on Elco! https://www.elcomotoryachts.com they have been building electric yachts since the 1920's!
I like the idea of just keeping it onboard for an emergency, and never having to put it in the water until I need it. But the light travel 1003 model is really only appropriate if you ONLY use an engine in no wind. It's really meant for a boat half the weight of my CD26. (Torqeedo recommends it for boats up to 3,000 pounds. Segue displaces 5,300. And I really can’t find a source to determine my boats actual weight.)
I had an old Johnson sail master 2 stroke for over 20 years. [ I miss it] Since then, I've been through 2 of the "New Merc" four stroke 4HP and 6HP pieces of crap outboards in the last 7 years. My current 6HP Merc hasn't started when I've needed it in two years. It's 3 years old. The new 4 strokes are heavier than the old 2 strokes,[well over 100 - 150 pounds], the corrosion due to electrolysis is out of control, and being stuck permanently in an outboard well, means they are always fouled. I hate them.
As a day sailor, I have to keep my water tank in the bow of the boat full just to balance out the boat. Otherwise she hobby horses to windward, and won't point without the extra weight forward.
But I'm a day sailor. I'd be happy with a light electric motor. I'd just keep my water tank empty.
So my choice was spend two grand on another 100 pound + 4hp 4 stroke, or spend the two grand on a Torqeedo and get it over with.
After talking with the tech guys at both West Marine and Torqeedo, I feel much better about my purchase.
Since I'll only really will be using it in no wind, we don't expect any lack of power problems.
Since the engine is electric, much like an electric car...the torque is more like that of a 4 hp gas motor. I found my 4hp Merc to pushed Segue around just fine, especially when you figure that the old outboards were usually fouled, and the propeller looked more like a barnacle covered disk, than a prop.
As a daysailer, I will no longer need to fill my forward water tank to balance out the boat's trim, and the outboard will live safely in the lazaret or down below. This also means no electrolysis worries. [I hope].
Honestly, the only issue I see is my waterline might move, and I'll have a little more freeboard. Or the catastrophic failure of something that needs an outboard. Though after 50+ years of sailing...I can't imagine any situation that I couldn't jurry rig or kedge out of.
I do keep an old SUP Stand Up Paddleboard paddle on board. And it's adjustable, carbon, with an angled blade, and light. Fully extended it's about 6 3/4 feet tall. So I can paddle from the stern, standing on the lazarette. And I keep a light Danforth anchor in the Lazarett in case I need to kedge out of something.
So…Next: What have I learned about The Torqueedo.
Buy the storage bags. They are about $250, but the 1003 feels delicate , I was worried about transport and storage. The shaft and tiller control unit with GPS, magnetic safety fit in one nicely padded travel bag. Even though the unit is light: it is awkward, and feels like I could easily damage it. I plan to leave it on the boat. Unless I use it. Then, I like the bag for taking it on the launch, so I can freshwater clean it after each use.There is a separate bag just for the battery, and your charger brick. It only weighs 20 pounds. [the whole thing is only 30 something pounds! ] But that's perfect for me. My deep cycle battery is like 80 pounds and while I can keep it topped off with a solar panel, I'd hate to have to drag that thing back and forth all season.
Does it work? Yes. In light to no wind it pushes my 5300 pounds at about 3 1/2 to 4 knots. This is fine for my purposes. But you're NOT going to fly at hull speed [6 1/2 knots].
Full throttle is 4.5 knots, but only 30 minutes battery life.
3/4 throttle was 4.0 knots.
1/2 throttle is a decent 3 to 3.5 knots. And now… you have about an hours battery life.
I have the ability to buy an upgraded high capacity Lithium Ion with 2 hours battery life at 1/2 throttle. But the guys at tech support told me to wait a year, since they will drop in price, and increase in capacity considerably next few years.
2020 Update: This winter, 2019/2020 Torqueedo offered me an upgrade to a new battery. I jumped at the chance. I charged it once in February.
I used the engine for about 1/2 hour when I moved the boat from it's winter slip to it's summer mooring. I used it again for 1/2 hour when the wind died on me in April. It is now September, and the battery still has a 70% charge on it. The 1003 is sold as a 3.5 horse power equivalent , but due to an electric motors superior low end torque it feels like 4.5 HP at least. And I am using it for a boat twice the recommended weight and displacement. People say they are expensive.. Really? I payed $2,000 for mine. With the battery upgrade I have over two hours battery life. It's light, so no hurting my back any more. No pulling it every other month to scrape the barnacles, clean out the impeller, repaint, and re-install. After two seasons of use, my long shaft Torqueedo still looks and performs as it did when it was brand new. What's that worth to you?
Downside:
The damn LCD display is too small, and too hard to see, especially in direct sunlight. I down-loaded the phone app, but have not tried it. Also I'm not to sure about charging it. It came out of the box fully charged at 100% my first ride took it down to about 65%. I know "they say" charging these newer batteries with out running them down does not shorten its battery life...but I have read complaints that it does.
Who designed the connection plugs? They must be oriented properly. And it is difficult to see if they are, as the plugs are tiny, and the little knub that shows the orientation is way too small. I think I can partially solve this with a white Sharpe.
I don’t understand why…but you need to shoot a little WD-40 every single time you connect the cables from the battery and the controller. Just trust me on this.
The connection cables, after three months of use, are still my biggest complaint. They are just a pain in the ass.
Otherwise...I am very happy. But will probably buy a second battery as backup next season. 2020 Update: I upgraded to the higher capacity battery instead.
Here is a little video from First day where I really used the electric outboard. I have to admit that it was so nice and light to take out of the bags and put it in the well. Just as easy to uninstall and pack it away.
