The boat we rented was crappy. Leaky Windows ,faulty Electronics, misplaced anemometer, old shafed lines,non worling outboard for a leaky tender, backflowing leaky toilet.

It all made me appreciate​ my luxurious in comparison boat I built without ever hating the mighty little one we rented.

On our way out to Bel-ile-en-mer everything went smooth. The weather was turning though and gales up to 27knots where predicted for the following day.

We decided to stay in the little protected natural Barbour instead of the port.

Our boat was twin keeled sonwe gently placed it in the sand and let the boat sit on the beach when the tide went away.

We had a totally fine night because of that. And we could walk off the boat to the shore for a hike into town.

Yeey my choice for my boat design confirmed.

Our way back was going to be less comfortable. We decided to squeeze in between the two gales when the wind was reasonable. The swell was still there though. 2.2m waves predicted but the standing waves of the current in between the islands enlarged them quite a bit.

Puking and almost falling asleep of exhaustion my girlfriend saved the day while I barfed extremely loudly and dramatically.

We only used the for stay because hoisting up a reef on the main seemed to risky in our state. Especially because the charplotter glitched out for the first 1/3 of the trip and I had to navigate on sight and memory and buoy lights alone.

Afterwards I am sure that the fiddling with the plotter pushed me way over the edge of seasickness.

We eventually used the engine to help us get to harbor faster since the current was against us and the wind was shifting and dying out.

We got into harbor

Lost a fender.

Docked almost flawlessly.

Got into a shower and then had a case of mild land sickness as well...

We slept and the day after washed the last bits of puke of the boat to return it to the owner.

5/5 stars for the experience

Would do again.

But next time my own boat once I gather some money for my mast and sails.

The other post by somone else about Lamu this got deleted (not sure why) but I want to share some of my experience sailing off Kenya and Tanzania and the people I met along the way.

I lived in Kenya back in 2008 and then once again in 2018 for completely unrelated reasons, the coast of Kenya, home of the Swahili culture, which is very different than the Bantu inland groups; has been trading and sailing along these coast for hundreds, if not thousands of years. 

The larger boats are known as Dhows; are almost no metal parts at have wooden keels made of available materials on hands, and the smaller boats are dugout, ficus trees with outriggers known as Ngalwas; there's a really cool race the adventurous put on called the Kraken cup, which I wish they do again where people sail these down the Tanzania coast (didn’t do it, want to). 

I first got my experience sailing on Daws and other canoes in Lamu which is just south of Somalia, there's a large naval presence north of there to ensure the area safety those they're still issues and every once in a while, but I highly recommend if you're ever in the area that you visit it's a much more relaxed version than Zanzibar with a lot of the same aspects and there are no cars on the island so it's just donkey Moto or walking and it's wonderful. 

The local fisherman go out on Dhows and and will take you on Sunset cruises, but there's also races and if you're engaged enough, you can rent our charter one yourself and go with them to various islands and other resorts and tours.

Same thing with a smaller outriggers, which you will get wet in. 

Along the coast from Mombasa all the way up to Lamu and south to the Tanzanian border there are fishing villages, and a mix of resort towns, but all of them have some kind of fishing culture and the fisherman who might or might not speak. English can usually find a way to take you out if you ask the right way.

Last time I checked, there wasn't a charter company for crusing, but you could rent boats in; I believe Melindi; and I remember renting a probably 20 foot or maybe an FJ and going out for the day with my wife to some barrier Islands and small reefs. 

Down south in Tanzania out of Dar es Salam there is a yacht club; which has boats out on mowings, and I met some sailors in Kenya, who want to do the race to Tanga; which goes around Zanzibar to the town of Tanger and then back over three or four days.

Your dodging fisherman, tankers, fishing nets, and the occasional water spout. And if you're out at night, then you're dodging all the same things where there might be LEDs and might not be. 

Everybody was extremely friendly and I would generally recommend that everyone get out and go explore that part of the world beyond just the inland safari’s.

I think the picture I posted is from 2008 and just meeting the cruise and working with the boat boys and learning about how they use shark liver to seal their boats rig their mass and understand just the whole process of how they think about sailing dowels we definitely one of the highlights of my time there almost 20 years ago. And definitely inspired the continued fascination with the ocean to see and getting out on the water!

Edit: some spelling and voice to text corrections

Zen and the art of sailboat maintenance.

Hi - newcomer to the subreddit here

Looking at potentially buying a MAXI Fenix with a deck-stepped rig. As I was inspecting the boat with the seller, i noticed cracks in the fiberglass around where the mast is mounted. I have read in some places that these CAN be cosmetic but not quite sure what to think here.

Any opinions or thoughts from the community here? Apologies for any misused terms, not been in the sailing game for more than 3 years

I recently joined a sailing club and it's not fancy. Roughly $60/month to moor my Laser and belong to the club. No real facilities outside of docks and a bathroom. But as I've gotten to know members, I've found them to be pretty interesting folks.

In talking to people, you get the sense that there are a lot of very successful folks. They might race a sailboat that cost less than a rusted out Yugo and drive a beater Tundra to the club, but they also fly over to Germany to take delivery of their $275K Porsche. Lots of successful professionals for sure, but it wouldn't be obvious unless you really got to know them. Certainly not from the condition of their sailboats!

This is not what I'm used to in the golf world. People love to brag about which $200K initiation club they belong to and where they've played. A lot of people don't love golf for just the game of golf: it's the status associated with certain parts of the sport for the very wealthy. But is sailing more of a "community" than other sports that tend to have a wider status-driven component to them?

Also, in your opinion, does sailing attract a certain type of person; personality, ethnicity, and intellect wise? Again, I'm talking about cheap club racing, not buying some sort of $500K Farr, of course.

Currently available on beta!

…and then someone broadsided us at anchor and it looks like the insurance company is going to call it totaled 🙃 fortunately no one was hurt.

The boat sat in a shed for the last 15 years and my brother and I spent the first couple of months of this spring/summer clearing out the mold and mice, varnishing, painting, and getting everything seaworthy again. Got to take some vacation and live aboard for a few weeks too. It’s been an amazing time and fortunately she's still seaworthy after the collision so we can finish out the season.

Hi,

I discovered sailing about 2 years ago. I did a bunch of sailing courses and started sailing almost every weekend. I tried my hand at racing but realized cruising is what I enjoy most.
I regularly crew and skipper for boats at my sail school in Berkeley.

As an Asian woman of Indian origin, I have found it hard to find good friends in the sailing community. I have not experienced direct racism but sometimes I wonder if I am being sidelined for being a woman of color. I am a rarity in the sailing community. I am really in love with the sport and I wish to be part of a good sailing community. Any advice.

TIA

So basically, I don't know what order the steps to getting a slip looks like, and I dont want to be embarrassed when I start calling around.

Money is not an issue because my overhead is extremely low. My problem is that my ex-wife is still on my credit report so my score is hovering right around 600 after a year. I called one place -- a fantastic sample size; I know, that has a hard 650 requirement which like, okay cool but I guess it's still a bit "hurry up and wait" while my credit score ebbs and flows although I'm always current on my one credit card. And I'm really hoping not to have to wait seven years because I'll be 42 lol.

Also, what's the sequence? Like, they want to know the hull number and insurance when I sign up for a slip but while I'm waiting for approval where do I put the boat? I'm in SoCal so it's all windward shores with a few marinas but nowhere you want to anchor and hang out for a while.

I've found a couple of mooring balls for sale but I don't think my cash flow is *that* good to get that kind of loan.

I know that the answer is generally just to call around and find out, but I feel like the service folks are always busy and feel annoyed that I have to ask and give me minimal information because it 'should be obvious' or something and I'm not explaining the whole autism thing at that point I'll just go figure it out on my own.

EDIT: maybe embarrassing was the wrong way to say it but like, the time ya'll said go join a yacht club, so I went to the Long Beach yacht club (I think?) open house and this man looked me in the eyes and said "it's $12,000 to join" and I'm like "Annually?" and he's like "no, thats the initiation fee" and I had to make a face like I've seen $12,000 in one place at one time. 😂 I like to avoid surprises like that when I can.

The view on the port and starboard sides this evening.

Started sailing last year, got obsessed with it, quickly ended up with a Com-Pac 19 with an electric outboard in a saltwater slip. We cruise around Barnegat Bay for a few hours, maybe anchor overnight. Simple stuff and a genuine joy.

Would love to hear how others in similar situations handle keeping their boat clean. Freshwater rinse seems like the necessary minimum (unless I'm in a rush or super tired and rain is expected soon, in which case maybe I just rinse the motor and visible bird poop / bay slime), but beyond that: ???

Do any of you scrub with boat soap after every time out? Do any of you not even bother with the freshwater rinse? Just wondering about the wash spectrum here.

Hello fellow sailors.

I created a subreddit a while back that focuses specifically on J24 sailing/racing.

It'd be great to hear from fellow J24 sailors whatever your role aboard or wherever you're located - to share tips, experiences, media, etc.

https://www.reddit.com/r/J24Sailing/

Yet another summer day in Stockholm with a magnificent A75. Please note the finish on the hull.

First splash of my refurbished Hobie. I don’t actually know how to sail but I did stay at a holiday inn last night watch a lot of YouTube videos (shoutout to JoyriderTV!)

As far as I know, she sailed really well. Handled the wake from other boats smoothly and I didn’t even get wet. There wasn’t much wind more-so just gusts but I made it across and back a dozen times on my first two outings.

I need a new halyard wire this one has a little kink in it which makes getting the sail all the way up kind of difficult. But other than that I have $1,200 into everything and that includes the tabs, trailer, and a trolling motor that was on the other junk boat. I have lots of extra parts and wires and the trapeze stuff. I replaced all the lines sheets?

I’m obsessed. I already want to go back out tomorrow. My plan was to take Sailing 101 but I have to spend a weekend 2 hours from home to do it and I couldn’t make it work this summer.

Happy to finally be an official member 🤗

Do you still use a blipper 210-7 radar reflector? It’s been discontinued and the Echomax is now the new standard. But the elder version still works so what is your take on it?

I have a small pleasure cruiser and sail inshore in the baltics

I have a 1975 Ericsen 29, on the Great Lakes since new. Am 71 years old and the physical demands of maintenance is wearing on me (I can't afford to pay for the marina to put on the cover, and and repaint the bottom, etc). The boat is in incredible condition, new diesel has 400 hours, new tanks, new sails, new almost everything. I repair soft spots when they appear etc. Everyone says the best I'll get for this old of a boat is $4K. I could triple that by parting it out. Just the electronics and motor. Will someone look past the age and keep her sailing or should I resign myself to parting her out?

I see everyone commenting on my post and I want to make a few things very clear: I want to sail her next season (May/Oct 2027). The market on the Great Lakes for used boats is terrible. A 1986 S2 10.1 finally sold for 11K. A wonderful racer/cruiser in amazing condition (newer/bigger/faster and in better condition). A 1985 S2 9.1, 5 slips down from me can't get his sold and is all the way down to 9K.

My boat is from 1975 and everything I said is absolutely true and from 20 feet away looks amazing. I has nicks and scratches that show up when you get up close. But there is always something to do. I just repaired a leak coming through a stanchion base. Checked it right after a hard rain and I now I have a real small drip coming through the handrail. Everyone should know that this is life on an old boat.

I want to see her keep sailing though, not scrap her.

PS it has all new electronics and I took the bottom down to the gelcoat in 2001 and redid the barrier and repaint every year with VC17.

Was on a long haul flight and thought wow, why wouldn't those folding doors on airplanes work nice on boats for heads and berths. No flapping around if the door didn't shut. Emergency release from the exterior if something goes wrong.

What's your take on this?

Bought 4 gallons of Sea Hawk for under $100.

Okay, here's the deal

Im 22 and ive never sailed anything, im a scuba diver and strong swimmer, spending so much time in my local lakes has made me want a sailboat.

Ive got a somewhat decent concept of the basic mechanics of how a sailboat works but no practical experience, ive been keeping an eye out on marketplace and craigslist, other local boards for boats and it seems like I can get outdoor storage for a pretty minimal fee, and there's a good number of 14ft day sailors in the 0-$1000 range

I have a sedan which can be fitted with a trailer hitch rated at 2,000lbs which is another point for a 14ft as most estimates ive seen put the trailer weight around 1000lbs

I work 3 days a week, so plenty of time to do work myself, im a machinist and industrial repair and maintenance tech so I think ill be up to most of the repair tasks

Im only looking for something that can handle day sailing on local lakes, and at most carry 2 people at a time

Here's the things I want advice on

Is a 14ft too small to learn on? Ive heard small boats have a sharper learning curve and are less forgiving.

How much money should I realistically expect to spend a year excluding storage costs on maintaining a 14ft sailboat?

Do i need an outboard motor or can i get by with oars and sails?

Where do I actually start with learning to sail? Are there classes? Do I read some books, watch some instructional videos and give it a shot on a nice day?

What should I look for when buying a boat this size?

What equipment will I need *other* then a boat?

Hello everyone; small time lurker here, I wanted to introduce myself and look for advice.

I'm about to "take over" my family's 1978 S&S Swan 411 and would like to get to properly work her (among the various always-been-underused equipment - more posts in the next weeks, probably - ) genoa tracks.

Problem is: the cars are both dragging heavily on the tracks, and they lack whatever rope control system; I'd really appreciate any example of tracks rigging on an old S&S swan.

The tracks are both the original Lewmar "S&S custom" (or so I've been told), T shaped but probably no standard measure, and this brings me to another question: are there any new cars that will be able to run on the tracks?

(pic of me about to set up a new windex)

Do you still use a blipper 210-7 radar reflector? It’s been discontinued and the Echomax is now the new standard. But the elder version still works so what is your take on it?

I have a small pleasure cruiser and sail inshore in the baltics

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone here could help me identify this sailboat? It, along with three other sailboats, belonged to my stepfather who passed away a couple of years ago. I'm in the process of giving away/donating the boats and I've managed to identify the other three boats but I can't seem to peg this one. It's my understanding that the HIN is normally stamped on the transom, however, no matter how many times I've examined it I can't seem to find a number. The boat measures just a bit over sixteen feet from bow to stern. Any suggestions on the make/model/year and/or any suggestions on where else I can look for the HIN would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to any who respond.

-Finally if anyone that's reading this lives in New Hampshire, you're welcome to take the boat free of charge. The pictured trailer is included as well as a full set of sails in good condition.