My old '78 survived yet another annual beach week. I just wonder why I keep forgetting to sail the thing more often. I have decent sailing within about two hours from home.
Picked up the main from the sail loft that fixed the ripped seam from last year. Hayes Custom Sails in Hayes, VA. I mailed it to them less than a week before, they did it and then gave me all kinds of help on the phone navigating me to their shop. Great price, great work. Totally happy.
Got to Rodanthe, sailed the boat around from the ramp to the beach the morning after we got there. Unfortunately my wife, who is usually on the wire pretty quickly, found that being 5 months pregnant had greatly changed her boldness and she was more than a bit nervous. We went out again the next day in slightly more wind and it just wasn't working, so I mostly had to find other crew.
Went for pleasant afternoon sails with my dad and then with my mom. I don't think I even brought the harnesses; the wind just wasn't so great that day but the boat mostly worked well. I could notice a good bit of weather helm, though.
Then my Dad and I went for a nice long sail up the sound. We were going to go to the other side (about 13 miles) but the wind wouldn't take us there so I decided to go wherever a nice beam reach took us. That ended up being mostly NNW where we found some small islands which were usually access-forbidden as waterfown breeding areas. That restriction had just ended, so we landed and had a great walk around on our own deserted isle and had lunch.
The weather helm was really killing me. After about 5 minutes I just had to get off the wire and rest for a bit. Also I was still using the old 5:1 blocks and some really fat mainsheet, so I had to pull like crazy and then the sheet wanted to go overboard and stream. It's just way too long, I think, but also it's too heavy. The two real resolves I formed were that I was going to address the weather helm and the mainsheet issue before I brought the boat down again.
Actually I searched this forum from there trying to find the description of how to reeve the Seaway blocks as 6:1 (with a small change) but simply couldn't. I remembered you had to swap two of them around but I just couldn't visualize it with the parts I had available.
Anyway, coming back from the island my dad finally got out on the wire (he'd been sort of hiking out, supported by the harness up to that point) and found it to be much more comfortable. I kept coaching him to keep his weight back, keep to the stern, and we were about 1/4 mile from the beach when WHAM! the lee hull submarined and of course the sound is only a few feet deep so it hit the sand and all of a sudden my dad is straddling the mast and I'm on the main. I walked the bow around and the boat just popped up by itself when the wind hit the back of the sails. Back on board, all good fun. BTW he's 77.
The next day I replaced a bad rudder cam and then while the wind was still a bit calm I went for a great sail with my wife and she was a lot bolder than before. Then as the wind came up my sister and I went out to bring the boat back to the ramp and that was a really good time; strong wind and we're both on the wire on screaming reaches and we're playing around with getting her weight back and not stepping on my feet and WHOOPS there goes the lee hull again but the water is deeper so we have a textbook pitchpole where we end up in the water in front of the boat. Yes, the trap shock cords took a real beating this year. The boat nearly righted itself like last time, but later we dumped it again when we fell backwards off the stern and that one was tougher to right. Had to use the righting lines. Sailed back to the ramp, derigged and went home.
There was a lot of water in the port hull, which was the one that pitchpoled us both times.
So... normally I would go home from the beach with a fix-it list like "6:1 main, triple-length trap shock cord system, re-drill rudders, new hiking stick" but I really think I need to get a newer boat. Chris has been diligently sending me leads after I looked for boats earlier, but life got in the way (tree fell on house, work, starting a family) and upgrading the boat wasn't high on the list. I still don't know how high it should be if I only use it once a year, but when I use it I want to be able to do anything. In 15kt winds I could see the soft spot on top of the starboard pontoon buckling inward from the compression, and I knew I wasn't going to take the boat around to the ocean side even though conditions were perfect for it. Either I repair the hulls and stay on the sound, I get another boat, or I don't sail. That's how I see it. I don't think not sailing is really an option. I'd really like to get a mid-'90s boat and probably just give my existing boat to some kid who can use it, even if it means I help him fix the hulls.
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'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages
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