Exciting Day 2 with new Tandem Island,ICWW , S Fl

Started the day (solo) fine 8 to 10 knots wind, a bit of a current from the south. Having a ball, wind begins to pick up. GPS says pushing 11 MPH. Then the whitecaps getting bigger, heeling a bit more than I am comfortable with.( wind maybe 15-20 knots) Decide to furl the main, thinking about returning to the Lake Worth boat ramp about 2 miles away because a small thunderstorm is approaching from the south.

Thats when the trouble began. Could not furl the sail. Checked again main sail not cleated. Meanwhile I am trying to dodge moored boats, bouys, the lake worth bridge, avoiding running aground. ( too much sail for the conditions tide adding to wind forcing me downwind toward obsticles)

Finally I crawled forward and found the sail downhaul had become un-cleated and the furling line was fouled around the drum. I got the sail re-cleated and re- wound the drum ( between dogging moored boats etc)

From that point on all went well, but does anyone have any input? What can make this happen? What did I do wrong? Did the guy at the dealer ( where I bought the TI) who tied the downhaul do it incorrectly?

I am definately going to get out the manual and again go over all the proper ways to rig the sail. I like sailing excitment, but not like that.

After that, I can't wait to get out there and do it again!

Well met G2, greetings from Canada

Did you do anything wrong? Not really; you trusted the Dealer to set up the boat for you, and in all honesty he probably did.

Yet a furling Mast takes practice to make sure that you understand exactly how it works: For one, the Downhaul for the sail must be very tight or the furling gear can't do it's job. As the lock for that line is not spring loaded (as a camlock), simple transport or mounting the mast in it's collar can cause the downhaul line to slip out of its fitting).
The line spool around your mast must be filled with furling line when you have finished pulling out your sail. This is almost like 'stored energy'.
This allows you to pull on your furling line and retract your sail around the mast every time without question. (This is also so important as you learn to how much sail you need to expose to the wind with your furling system).

It's just a part of the learning process. This is a simple boat (yet the instructions have to be followed to the letter). I truly wish Hobie would loose the photo copies in Black and White and produce a Pro Video on how to set up any of their boats.

Hints: Vid Cam artists out there, do a demo and send it in to Hobie

Looking forward to hearing more about your Adventures on your TI,
(the was because I had the very same problem the first time I took out my AI...)

Best Regards
Trinomite

_________________
Always looking for ways to make good things 'Gooder'

Don't get to frustrated with the steep learning curve required to safely operate the TI. I am about 9 months into it and I am happy to return from a trip without bleeding or having broke something. Look forward to us getting the boats out when I return from my trips.

_________________


Steve

Hi Stan.

You experienced two very common issues with the TI.

1. Downhaul slipped out of the white jam cleat
2. Furling line slipped off the mast drum and fouled

I too have experienced these issues. Below are the solutions I employ.
__
Re: 1. Downhaul slipped out of the white jam cleat



The white jam cleat on the mainsail is not reliable. My solution is to tie the working end of the gold/blue downhaul line to itself via a rolling hitch knot. The rolling hitch knot is an adjustable knot, allowing you to slide it up and down until you find the optimal tension on the downhaul.
__
Re: 2. Furling line slipped off the drump and fouled

This happens when the furling line slips off the drum and fouls, preventing the furling of the mainsail. My solution is to always cleat the furling line after the main is unfurled. This prevents any excess furling line from causing the existing line furled around the drum to loosen and slip off the drum.
__
Hope this helps.

_________________
Marc K
2010 Hobie Tandem Island
Boynton Beach, FL

Hello Stan and welcome aboard Matey,
I did warn you about those "first time embarrassing occurrences".
The main thing is you kept your heard and got back safe and sound... Good Job!
But the fact that you want to go out sailing again is most troubling .
See you at the Tub on Wednsday.

_________________
Sun E Sailor
Ezra Appel
Palm City, Florida
2014 Tandem Island