The Boat Tinkerer: Episode 43: Small things that make big differences

Today was my second trip as a solo sailor. I hasten to add that I hope others will join me, but I would rather reduce the number of witnesses to the obligatory rookie mistakes in my early trips.

Last Sunday, I poked my nose out of Manly Harbour, saw the dark rain band approaching and decided to head back rather than trying to find clear skies on the other side. This proved to be a wise move as the clear skies did not arrive until about Tuesday. Today I got the sails up, with a single reef in the main, and ventured as far as Green Island. The wind then veered south and decided to get boisterous. Thanking my single reef, I furled the jib, turned tail and scurried back to Manly harbour at a fair clip.

Heading out today, I found the boat easy to sail. The Cygnet 20 has less gear than my other boats; no winches, no travelers, not even a backstay. To tack, you simply push the tiller away, let go of the job on one side and bring it in on the other, whilst simultaneously regaining control of the tiller. The fewer adjustments might leave you behind a more tune-able boat but, as the boat trotted along at about 6 knots today, it did not seem to miss all the fandangles of my previous boats.

Last Sunday, I found some of those little things that made a big difference. I accidentally lodged the safety circlip under the mast as I stepped it. The mast of the Cygnet 20 is mounted in a tabernacle on the cabin roof with a hinge about eight inches above the roof. This arrangement stops the mast squashing the gaff and boom against the cabin roof when it is lowered, and it reduces the mechanical effort to lift the mast. When raised, there is a half-inch safety pin that goes through holes in the base of the tabernacle and a corresponding hole in the mast. Normally, it is a snug fit. This time, it jammed. I mistakenly thought it was because it was a new boat, so I persuaded the safety pin through the holes by tapping it with a pair of pliers (not having a hammer handy). When it came to putting the safety circlip into the safety pin, I realized my mistake – the circlip was jammed under the mast, pushing it upwards so that the safety pin obstinately resisted my attempts to insert it. I had to borrow a proper hammer and drift to get the safety pin out again so that I could re-lower the mast, retrieve the circlip, re-step the mast, re-insert the safety pin (it went in much more easily, this time), and fit the circlip. The photo below shows the tabernacle with the safety pin inserted from the left and it is almost hidden. If you squint hard enough, you might just be able to make out the tiny circlip on the bottom right of the tabernacle, where it should be. Such a small thing took about half an hour to put right.

Bungs. Always check that you have screwed them in before launching. I launched today before I had screwed them in. I remembered just as I was maneuvering the boat off the trailer. It only cost me about 10 minutes to get the boat back on the trailer so I could pull it up the ramp, screw the bungs in and relaunch.

A four-step step ladder saves heaps of energy and time. With a trailer sailer, the time and energy spent launching and retrieving can be measured by the number of times you climb on and off the boat on its trailer. Not having the climbing agility of an African leopard or a gibbon, I have found the ladder invaluable. It also enables me to reach the top of the mast, when it is lowered, to fit the covers.

Incidentally, I received a couple of compliments on having the best covers in the fleet. I ordered them with the boat, and Tim the Trimmer did a truly excellent job. I must have been in my teens when I learned the value of good covers. I was playing guitar in various youth groups and bands and always coveted the better instruments. One of my guitars was a cheap Spanish, and as it slid off my shoulders, onto the back wheel of my push-bike and onto the road with a sickening twanging noise, I came to the realization that even the nicer guitars get pounded when they don’t have good covers or cases. Ever since, I have learned to reduce the budget for the instrument so that I could afford a hard case, and so preserve the paintwork and varnish. The boat was a huge step up in budget from my early guitars, but the principle of good covers remained. Hopefully, they will protect the boat from the Queensland sun. I had wondered if the additional $5000 or so was worth it, but I don’t doubt it now. They fit like a glove, and they are much, much easier and quicker to fit than the rubbishy tarps on my previous boats. Less time and energy wrangling covers means more time and energy on the water. Maybe we can count the covers as a not-a-small thing, but they make a big difference.

In future, I hope to take my wife out. And, maybe, our new dog, Bea, who is a Golden Retriever, now 20 weeks old and teething. My favorite photo of her is shown below. She will not go out on the water until she improves her body coordination.