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Furling mainsails are far more common on new boats compared to classic mainsails because of their many benefits and ease of use, but we need to learn some key skills to use them properly and efficiently.

The main benefit of a furling main is the easy deployment and retrieval of the sail matched by the safety of not having to flake the sail and secure it while at sea. On the flip side of that, the furling mechanism has many moving parts that all need to work in synchrony for the system to operate properly.

How does a furling mainsail work?

At the base of the mast, and inside the hollow extrusion, is a worm drive (coil, drum, furling mechanism, etc.) that is bolted to the mast via a bracket and connected to a foil that runs to the top of the mast. The foil receives the luff of the mainsail via the bolt rope and the main halyard raises the main to the top of the mast. When the worm drive is spun, via the furling line, the entire foil spins and rolls the sail into the mast.

Once the sail is rigged onto the furling system, the main halyard will no longer be used as the sail have no need to be raised and lowered. Instead, it will be rolled via the two control lines know as the furling line and outhaul.

Like we talked about above, the worm drum spins in one direction to roll the sail in and another direction to roll the sail out. When the furling line is pulled, the worm will spin in a manner that rolls the sail in and when the outhaul is pulled the drum will spin in a manner that rolls the sail out. The outhaul and furling line apply opposite forces to the worm drive, so it’s a requirement to ease one line while the other is being pulled (this allows the worm drive to spin).

For example, to roll the sail out, the outhaul will be pulled (causing the worm to spin) while the furling line is eased.

Like any mainsail, the sail should be deployed while the boat is head to wind.

STOP!

While furling or unfurling, if the system seems stiff or it’s hard to furl, STOP! There is likely a jam somewhere in the sail or control lines and continuing to furl will cause damage. That brings up the point of electric winches… electric winches should not be used to operate the furling control lines. Electric winches do not have feelings and will continue to turn until something breaks. A well-maintained furling system, coupled with a sail that’s in good shape, can be operated by hand. Always stop if you feel it’s hard to operate the furling system.

After several canceled flotillas over the last 15 months, we are excited to announced the rebooking of the club’s annual flotilla! We’re heading to the BVI’s this fall for eight amazing days of sailing.  

Each year the club picks a tropical sailing destination and organizes a week-long charter with our affiliate, The Moorings. The Moorings was established in 1969 (the same as Harbor Sailboats) and holds charter bases around the world offering week charters aboard Beneteau’s and Leopard Catamarans. The British Virgins Islands is our favorite location for many reasons but the ease of travel, US dollar currency, predictable trade winds, and warm water are among the top reasons. 

The club has selected September 29th – October 8th as our charter dates and has begun taking reservation.  

How Does it Work? 

The Harbor Sailboats lead boat sets a loose itinerary for the week that you can follow or venture out on your own, it’s totally up to you. Our lead boat will also organize social happy hours, group dinners, and be on the water to help you along the way. If you’ve never done a week-long bareboat charter, this is an amazing way to do so! 

Members will book their boat through Harbor Sailboats as we make suggestions on boat size and type based on your experience and crew size. From there, you can fill your boat with friends and family to split the cost. Next, book your air travel with your favorite carrier and let us plan the rest! 

We will board our boats at 3pm on September 29th and complete out check outs with the dock master. From there, you can head to the grocery store to provision with food for the week and be ready to set off the next morning to our first anchorage. Our float plan will take us to a different island almost every day with a two day stop at some of the larger and more active islands. Daily fun will include sailing, swimming, snorkeling, and of course relaxing. On the 8th day we drop our boats off prior to 11am where some will catch a flight home while others will stay for another day or two to keep it going!  

Charters for a 38′ monohull start at $4,600 with options up to 50′ including catamarans. Give the office a call for more details or to review a quote. 

BVI Entry Requirements 

The season is here with warmer weather and the bay is full of boats! Last weekend, we took a little time to enjoy the start of the season ourselves and noticed some rusty skippers and witnessed four boats aground (none of them from HS thankfully). So, let us review some of the navigation hazards of the bay to make sure you do not end up high and dry like these skippers did.

From Point Loma Inward

A– Kelp Beds- Just outside of Point Loma and running along the coastline to Mission Bay is a growing kelp bed. Sailors must stay clear, or they will foul props and rudders in this very thick kelp bed. San Diego buoy 1 is a clear waypoint when entering or leaving the channel entrance. 

B-Zuniga Jetty- A man made rock jetty protecting Coronado Island that is no longer maintained and can be submerged during high tide. Skippers entering the bay, or exiting, must make sure they have cleared the tip of the jetty before entering or leaving the channel.

C-Ballast Point- Extending from the Coast Guard station on the western side of the channel, the Ballast Point shoal extends from the small beach next to the submarine dry dock. Skippers should stay in the channel, and well away from the beach in this area.

D-Rock Pile Adjacent to Ballast Point- Directly east from Ballast is a well-marked pile of rocks just outside the channel. This rock pile is just south of the Navy loading dock and extends abouts 300 yards from North to South.

E-Shelter Island Shoal- The Shelter Island entrance has a dedicated channel to keep boaters away from a shoal that is just off the entrance. Skippers must pick up the first channel marker and never cut the corner when coming in or out of Shelter Island.

F-Shelter Island East- At the opposite end of Shelter Island, just off the Bali Hai restaurant, exists another shoal. This is clearly marked by shoal makers as well as a green buoy, boats cannot cut the corner into Americas Cup Harbor.

G-North Island- Besides the obvious shallow water along the shoreline, North Island has an area of rocks at the North West section that is marked by 4 pilings (A-D). This is just South East of the loading dock and appears to be deep water but in fact is not.

H-22A- Just South East of the aircraft carriers lies buoy 22A, just outside of the channel and buoy 22. 22A is marking a long shoal off the homes and beach of Coronado near the ferry landing. Again, inviting water that turns out to be very shallow.

I-Coronado Bridge Mooring Field- Likely the most unknow danger of the bay is the shoal just off pillar 14 of the bridge and next to the mooring field. The water here goes from 40’ to 5’ is just a couple boat lengths. Skippers sailing under the bridge should keep to the middle of the channel and cross the bridge at the widest part.

J-Gloriette Bay/Navy Seal Base- After passing the bride you may turn right into Gloriette Bay but must pick up the channel entrance and stay in the channel until you have reached the anchorage. Additionally, a large shoal is present at the south end of the Gloriette bay entrance and can be recognized by the Navy SEAL base and buoy 26.

K-South Bay- South San Diego Bay is very shallow in general and sailors must always stay in the channel to avoid groundings.

L-Midway Aircraft Carrier- It should go without saying but stay at least 1,000 feet away from the Midway aircraft carrier. If you sail under the ship, your boat will be coming back without a mast!

A lee shore is a one of the everyday dangers of a sailor and skippers should always be aware of the presence of a lee shore. A lee shore is exactly as it sounds; a shore (object, obstructions, etc.) to leeward of a boat. Lee shores are dangerous because if a boat were to lose its maneuverability, they would eventually drift towards the lee shore likely resulting in a grounding or collision with the shore or object.

Recognizing a lee shore and taking early action to avoid it is a skill every sailor should possess. In addition, avoiding contact with a lee shore is almost always avoidable…. that is, until its not.

A great example of a lee shore are the docks to leeward as you sail out of Harbor Sailboats. We sometimes witness a Capri 22 leave the face-dock under sail and a few minutes later they find themselves struggling to stay away off the docks while on starboard tack sailing out of the marina.

Why do sailboats lose maneuverability or struggle to stay off the dock in the example above? Often, its because the boat is “stalled” as the skipper is trying to point higher into the wind in an attempt to stay off the lee shore but instead the boat has entered the “no-sail-zone” and is sliding sideways and ends up drifting into the lee shore. (the wind is pushing you to leeward)

Lee shores should be recognized early so that a skipper can take appropriate action like tacking to get to “safe water”. That said, you may find yourselves approaching a lee shore and recognize that the boat does not have the forward momentum to tack out of the danger. In this case (assuming you have sea room) you need to get the boat moving again by falling off to gain speed and then complete your tack to safe water. We mentioned earlier that all lee shores are avoidable but if you do not recognize your situation early, you may not have the room needed to fall off to gain speed and tack. Thus, it’s extremely important to recognize the presence of a lee shore and if you’re in danger of interacting with it.

Relative to Harbor Sailboats and the Capri 22’s, it’s always best to sail yourself out of a situation like this rather than going for the outboard. When the skipper reaches for the outboard they let go of the helm, take their eyes off the surroundings, and spend valuable time trying to start the engine and usually end up worse than they were 30 seconds before that. If you have the sea room, fall off to gain speed and then tack!

Recognizing and avoiding lee shores and lee objects is also important when anchoring, avoiding channel markers, bridge pilings, passing other boats, etc. A good skipper always knows where “safe water” is and how to get there.

Much like on the roads, boats follow a set of rules in order to prevent collisions. These rules identify which vessel must stay clear, but it is critical to note that nowhere in the navigation rules will you see the words right-of-way used. This is because all collisions are avoidable and even if you are the vessel that is not required to stay clear, you must take action to avoid a collision if the other boat has not.

Although very similar, it is also worth noting there are two different sets of rules. One is for vessels in inland waterways and one for international waterways. Once you cross the line of demarcation (Point Loma to Zuniga Jetty for San Diego) you are no longer in inland waters.

Most of you will know the basics but here is a more in depth look at the rules of the road.

When Two Boats Meet- Order of Stand On

Vessel Not Under Command: A vessel that has exceptional circumstance that makes her unable to maneuver.

Vessel Restricted in her Ability to Maneuver: A vessel which, from the nature of her work, is restricted in her ability to maneuver.

Vessel Constrained by Draft: a power-driven vessel, which because of her draft in relation to the available depth and width of navigable water, is severely restricted in her ability to deviate from the course she is following.

Vessel Engaged in Fishing: A commercial vessel fishing with nets, lines, trawls, or other fishing apparatus which restrict maneuverability, but does not include a vessel fishing with trolling lines or other fishing apparatus which do not restrict maneuverability.

Sailboats: Any vessel under sail provided that propelling machinery, if fitted, is not being used.

Powerboat: Any vessel propelled by machinery.

Seaplane: An aircraft that is designed to maneuver on the water.

Overtaking: A vessel shall be deemed to be overtaking when coming up with another vessel from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft her beam.

This order of stand on means that if you are a sailboat, you give way to all the vessels listed above sailboats and stand on to those listed below you.

Need help remembering that order? Use this mnemonic.

New Rods Catch Fish So Purchase Some Often

When Two Sailboats Meet

Port/Starboard: The sailboat that is on a port tack shall give way to a sailboat that is on a starboard tack.

Same Tack: If two sailboats are approaching on the same tack, the sailboats which is to windward shall give way to the sailboats to leeward.

Remember P.O.W for sailboats meeting. Port, overtaking, and windward (on the same tack) are all the give way vessels when two sailboats meet.

When Two Powerboats Meet

Head On: When two powerboats are meeting head on, both are required to alter course to starboard in order to pass on each other’s port side.

Crossing: When two powerboats are crossing, the boat which has the other to its starboard shall keep clear. If possible, the give way boat shall not cross in front of the other vessel.

Note: A sailboat is no longer a sailboat when the engine is engaged, they are now a powerboat.

Responsibilities of Give Way and Stand on Vessels

First, vessels must always maintain a proper lookout and operate at a safe speed. Further, no rules exonerate a vessel or skipper from avoiding a collision.

 When vessels meet, the give way vessel must make an obvious and early course or speed change to keep well clear of the stand on vessel. The stand on vessel must maintain its current speed and course to allow the give way vessel to give appropriate space. If a collision is unavoidable due to the inactions of the give way vessel, the stand on vessel must take action to avoid a collision.

For some bedtime reading, purchase a copy of the navigation rules or download the PDF version here. The navigation rules are commonly referred to as the COLREGS standing for Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972.

Stay safe and have fun!

I was born and raised in Phoenix, the center of Arizona’s “Valley of the Sun.”  How did a desert rat like myself end up being an owner in the Harbor Sailboats fleet?

Roll back the clock to summer 2017.  My long-time friend and fellow Harbor Sailboats member Paul Fleming invited me to join him for a weekend sail.  We spent two nights on Calliope and since we had such a great time, we decided to make it an annual event.  In 2018, we took out Jasmine, a Beneteau 37, for a weekend cruise.  We anchored one night in Glorietta Bay and the 2nd night in Mission Bay.  Needless to say it was amazing and at this point I was hooked!

Last year, I decided to take the next step of joining the club and took my ASA 101 class in May.  Paul and I did our annual trip last June and spent the weekend on CJ, a Beneteau 35.1.  As a new 101 graduate I was now looking at sailing in a whole new light and decided I wanted to spend a week per month in San Diego to develop my skills.  Once that decision was made, it didn’t take long for me to do the math on travel expenses, charter costs, etc. so  I sat down with Keenan and shared my goals with him.  We started working together on longer term solutions which led me eventually to purchase Kayleigh, a Beneteau 34.

I never would have taken the step of purchasing a boat had it not been for the support of Harbor Sailboats.  Not only did Keenan make the process simple, smooth and professional, but since I live in Phoenix I also know that I have a professional team taking care of Kayleigh when I’m not in town.  The “icing on the cake” is all the wonderful friends I’ve made at the club and the many great memories I’ve made so far.

We all sail for different reasons, in closing here are my top 3:

1. Health — Being on the water brings me a sense of serenity.  I never cease to be amazed by such sights as whales, dolphins and the other sea life.  This, in turn, brings out a sense of thankfulness in me that I believe is key to keeping a positive outlook on life.  And a positive outlook is healthy!

2. Friendship — I alluded to this above, but my world has been made better through the great people I’ve met through the club.  From instructors, staff, and fellow sailors, the journey has been amazing and there are a lot of you that I haven’t even met yet!  So I’m looking forward to that in the days ahead!

3. Adventure — For me, sailing was a bit of a personal challenge and a stretch.  Honestly, I was a bit afraid of it, never having spent much time on the water.  By facing those misgivings, both my confidence and enjoyment have increased tremendously. Now I can’t wait for my next adventure!

So what’s on the horizon for 2020?  This year, my sailing goals are to pass my ASA 104, and to also earn my Basic Keelboat Instructor’s certification (ASA 201).  In a few years, I hope to be able to earn my Coast Guard captains license.

–

Marv McCarthy

The boat in the picture that’s grounded off Point Loma is the O’Day 37, “Sandpiper”. A nice boat with a center cockpit design and for its day, a large aft cabin.  Harbor Sailboats had three of them in the fleet at the time.

I think the year was 1983 when the club member chartered the boat and spent the weekend at San Clemente Island. In those days there was less Navy security restrictions and a decent anchorage in Pyramid Cove on the southern tip of the island. San Clemente has plenty of good fishing spots and I’m told the abalone were abundant. The distance to the Cove from San Diego is approximately 60nm and in prevailing winds the comfortable and fast point of sail was would be a tight reach on starboard tack. In the summer, the passage could be made in daylight hours making it a great weekend cruise. The crew aboard “Sandpiper” were three adult men and the teenage son of the skipper.

After a non-eventful stay, the trip home started late causing them to reach San Diego after the sun had set. I became aware of the grounding after receiving a call from the coast guard shortly after midnight. I was still a bit groggy when the voice on the other end of the phone said, “Is this the charter company”? My mind’s eye knew that at this time of day this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. The coast guard sailor said, “Good Morning sir, this is so and so from the United States Coast Guard Point Loma and I think we have one of your boats here”. I clearly remember responding and hoping this was all a bad dream, “I don’t recall there being a marina at the point”. He chuckled and gave me directions to the lighthouse. Five minutes later I was on my way not knowing what I would find.

Upon arrival to the lighthouse compound I was relieved to see all four crewmembers safe ashore wrapped in Coast Guard supplied wool blankets. There were divers in the water that had assisted the crew by swimming the anchor out to sea in order to keep the boat from drifting any closer to the beach but it was obvious the boat was bouncing on the bottom with every swell that passed under her. When her keel came down hard on the clay bottom the boat would shudder and you could see the rig pumping in a nauseating fashion.

When it was obvious there was nothing I could do at that time to mitigate any further damage to the boat, I turned my attention to the skipper of the vessel to understand how he could have got himself into such a predicament. His explanation stays with me like it was yesterday. He recounted how they had started back towards San Diego later than planned but the weather was clear and calm. He had previous experience entering the harbor at night, so he was not overly concerned. The crew prepared dinner underway enjoying some pasta, salad, and red wine. Possibly a little too much red wine. The boat was underpower making way at 6-7 knots. After the carbo-load and chianti, the adults got a little sleepy and they fell into a watch rotation of 1 up with 3 down below sleeping. It’s important to remember this was before GPS and although the vessel was equipped with Loran C and RDF (radio direction finder), neither were utilized while navigating that day. Instead, they relied solely on steering a compass course. The evening was clear and they anticipated seeing the Point Loma light well offshore given that it has a rated 22 nm range of visibility.

As the crew rotated up and down, the retiring watch would relay the proper course and the new watch would confirm the same. Somewhere that night the system broke down and instead of the compass course the final watch was told to “head for the light”.  The same light that they all had stared at for the past 3 hours. Well, you know the rest of this chapter. Like a moth to flame they headed for the light until they ran out of water.

The captain and crew had arranged for their own ride back to the marina. For this I was thankful because I didn’t I think could hold my tongue any longer. Upon leaving he pointed to the boat with pride and boasted, “You should be proud us; we got the boat anchored, pinned the bin boards in and lit the anchor light just like we were taught”.

Part 2: Getting a 16,000 boat off the beach… Stay tuned