Good move David! I've a new engine question for you, but will start a new thread for it.....!

Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Went sailing properly for the first time today. My new tohatsu 5hp saildrive pushed Arawa along from the harbour to my mooring in a flat calm at 5kts on quarter throttle. After sorting things out on my mooring I set off with full sail on a flat calm sea with 2-3 kts showing on my Tacktick wind indicator. Pretty impressed with the boats ability to make progress in such a light wind.

As the wind picked up to about 8kts I was making 4.5 kts and she was sailing beautifully. The wind increased to 14 kts and my yet-to-be calibrated log was recording 7.1 kts with no significant heeling.

Then it got a little more exciting. By 19 kts of wind I was wishing I had reefed earlier. After rolling away the jib I sailed quite happily, but very carefully, on full main for a while and then dropped the main (very grateful for the stackpack) and returned to my mooring on the motor. Quarter throttle now gave 4kts through a sea that had quite a lot of white crests on the waves.

Some thoughts for Stephen. My main halyard is tied off at the mast. That is not the best place when trying to reef single-handed. I will rearrange that somehow. And I have too much cord on my roller-reefing jib. It filled up and jammed before the jib had fully furled.

But I was hugely impressed with the sailing abilities of the boat which I know I have not yet set up properly.

David Pocock
Parker 235/52 Arawa

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Brilliant David! Glad you had a good trip! We were doing a very similar shakedown here on the West Coast at the same time....first a gentle motor to bed the Tohatsu in, then half an hour on jib only, then main up too. My wife who is 'nervous' of it all spent the first hour helming and refused to give me the helm till she got 5 knots!

Some friends came by in their fishing boat and I kick myself that I didn't have my camera with me for them to record our first trip!

I too was very impressed, and delighted that after all my preparation the trip was pleasantly uneventful and everything worked.

I totally agree about the furler, far too much rope on it, I shall take the excess off as soon as possible. I've put my main halyard through a deck clutch, although you need to be at the mast when raising the main so as to feed it up the slot (if single-handed).

I have a few bits of fine tuning to do - I need to add a strop to the kicking strap which is fouling the VHF deck plug and will break it very quickly if I don't, and still not sure ref. the relationship between forestay tension and backstay tension, but these are details.

What was great was to be sailing "Exodus" at last, in beautiful weather, wearing t-shirt and shorts, in April![8D]

Keep in touch!

Stephen Godber
235/51 "Exodus"

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Once i have unzipped my main bag it is a one job to raise the main from the cockpit...

The haliyard is lead back and the sail slides are in the mast held in place..No need to be at the mast..????

Paul Burton.

Parker 235/ 40 Lady Penelope...

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Paul

My boat, as advised by Bill, is set up with the main halyard tied off at the mast. I intend to see how I can move things around to have it accessible from the cockpit.

David Pocock
Parker 235/52 Arawa

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Well.....I find raising the main SO easy from the cockpit....I can do it single handed while underway...

Wouldn't dream of having to go to the mast to raise the main...

The Jib is cleated at the mast, but you never need to adjust that..

What do you use the clutches for...

1 reef
2 reef
Kicker
Keel
Main ??
Spinnaker

Toping lift... I use the clam cleat on starboard.

Paul Burton.

Parker 235/ 40 Lady Penelope...

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I agree. Very early days for me. Intend to copy you. Fantastic forum this for sharing information and tips. And really pleased with the boat.

David Pocock
Parker 235/52 Arawa

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Hi Paul,

I would have to disagree with your point on the Jib halyard not needing to be taken to the coachroof. I take mine to a clutch on the coachroof so that I can adjust its tension. The tension on the halyard controls the position and depth of the "chord depth or draft" in the sail. Quite a useful control.

Graham Ebb
235/25 Blue Jazz