Crews Letter #2004 15 Innovations and Other Improvements
Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen:
During the off-season some new additions were made on Perception. They are working out well. We thought you might like to know about them.
Tacking Rail
One
of the first things you notice about Perception when coming aboard is the wide
spacious cockpit. The dual wheels
accentuate this. It all seems fine and
good until the sails are set in a good wind and the boat heels. Nobody’s legs are long enough to brace on the
low side seat.
Every bar needs a foot rail and now, Perception has her own. It fits in the cockpit table leg sockets. Stows in a locker. It’s just for people who are sailing.
Line Tidy
“A
tidy ship is a happy ship.” - Jim Cobb
A modern cruising boat should have a roller furling main. It is a beautiful idea. The mainsail rolls up in the mast a lot like a vertical axis window shade. This allows a main that is always hoisted, an infinite number of reef configurations and these configurations can all be done from the cockpit. Second choice is to have the main halyard and the reefing lines run to the cockpit. Hoisting and sail size can be managed from there. Fred, the sailor, is somewhere between purist and “stuck in the muck”. He opted for halyards and reefing lines at the mast. With four halyards, including the mainsail’s, three reefing lines and the mainsail’s outhaul, tidy lines was a hard order. Clutter was the standard.
Five new hooks improve the chances of “ … a happy ship.”
Mast Pulpits
Some
call them “granny bars”. If you are
going to be working at the mast, a mast pulpit is an appropriate place to plant
the tush.
These guys were ordered with the boat and serve
well. They also provide a needed step
for reaching the head of the mainsail when clipping on the halyard or tying on
the sail cover or awning. They are slippery
when wet. How about a step that isn’t quite so high and has a stop at each end to reduce the
possibility of slipping off? While he’s at it, let’s get the stainless man to add a bale for
unused halyards.
Servo Silencer
In
Sail magazine last summer, we saw an ad for these little guys. They work as advertised. They are made in
Anchor Rode
A couple of times last year we set the anchor and started backing up to a quay. We ran out of chain before we got there. There have been some anchorages where a little more chain would have meant either more options or more security. 25 extra metres of chain have been added to the 50 that we had. It’s a trade off. 25 metres is an extra 50 kilos of weight in the bow. The heavier the bow, the slower she sails. The more secure the anchoring, the better we sleep.
Companionway Tent
Americans
call it a dodger. The British call it a
spray hood or spray shield. It is a
clear plastic, canvas and stainless steel tubing windshield around the front of
the cockpit. It serves a useful function
when sailing with spray and when it rains. It reduces the amount of water that gets into
cockpit and the cabin through the companionway.
Again under the heading of purist or “stuck in the muck” we have opted not to have one.
On a good day, with the sails full, there is something fine and open about not having a windshield. On the other hand, on a rainy day at the dock or anchor, without a companionway cover, the cabin is a mess.
This tent is for dock or anchor situations only. It won’t work when she is underway.
Bimini
and Side Curtains
In our first three seasons we put a lot of wear on the bimini. In particular, with the main reefed and vanged in hard, the boom pushed the bimini out of the way. The damage was done before we shortened the height of the bimini to allow the boom it to have its space. Yet another situation where the rule of tonnage wins.
When we asked the sail maker in Marmaris to add some side curtains, she politely suggested that we needed a new bimini to hang the curtains on. She was right.
These curtains provide afternoon shade. The cockpit is our pri
Passerelle Bow Holder
A
high quay and Perception’s low stern deck can make the passerelle steep to the
point of treacherous. In our first
season, we were on two quays where bow-to was appropriate. Crawling over the bow pulpit and using the anchor as a step for negotiating the boat to quay passage is
a challenge. Reversing the process to
get back on the boat is no better.
The following winter we built a device for supporting the passerelle forward.
This season at
The bow holder works.
Ease the sheet, please,
Phyl & Fred
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