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The rudder pin is 3/8 dia., so it makes a pretty good plunger for the seat drains. Put it into the drain and pump it up and down a few times and it usually clears the clog.
Sarasota is one of my favorite places. Nice club, beautiful venue and good breeze. I am looking forward to this one! With a first stop at Davis Island YC for the Warm-ups, it should be a great week of sailing.
Harry Carpenter
FS 5248I am planning to stay at a house in the Bay St. Louis area with some friends for the NAC. I am not in charge of the arrangements, so I cannot be more specific
Regarding your quesion of Slidell vs Gulfport, I would go with Gulfport because the drive is very scenic and really not all that far. The last time the NAC was in Gulfport, I stayed in Bay St. Louis and it was an easy drive with not much traffic. The BWYC is a beautiful new building with good showers so you do not need to travel back and forth more than once per day.
I have been to this regatta a lot over the years and have seen it all. Calm to windy and cool to hot. On average, I would say winds are medium to light and the temperature is in the upper 60’s to low 70’s most of the time. It is a good time of the year to sail Lake Norman because the power boats are not out in force that early. Fleet 48 always does a great job on shore and in running the races. The turnout is generally in the 30 to 40 boat range. I hope to see you there!
If you want to be close, you may want to check into renting a house. The Hollywood casino isn’t too far, but the rooms are over $100/night.
It is not practical to pick a fixed period of time to replace standing rigging. There are too many variables to be considered that make it impossible to say how long the rigging will last in a blanket statement.
The biggest enemy of the standing rig is vibration. A loose rig allows the wire in the standing rig to vibrate a lot each time the boat rocks. The vibration terminates at the swages and work hardens the stainless wire so that it breaks just above the swage usually just one wire at a time. A boat that is left to sit in the water with the rig loose can easily break a shroud or forestay inside of a few weeks. Put the jib halyard on either the jib tack shackle or the bow eye and crank it tight to eliminate any play in the rig. I do this even if I am going leave the boat for just an hour or so while I have lunch.
Harry Carpenter, FS 5248
I would encourge Scot sailors to try to make this event. I have sailed it the last two years and really enjoyed the club and the sailing there. The bay looks like a scene from the BVI and club has a laid back feel that is very relaxing. I look forward to being there again this year.
Harry Carpenter FS 5871
Trailer lights generally fail because of corrosion between the contact plate and the bulb. The new digital lights are excellent, but a cheap way to keep the lights working is to disassemble the light, clean the contacts and coat everything that is metal with petroleum jelly. This seals out the moisture and protects the contact. Make sure the ground for the light is also protected. The amber clearance lights on the aluminum trailers sometimes have a problem with the ground contact getting corroded and losing contact. I also coat the plug to the car to keep the contact clean.
I find that approaching the windward side is often the best way in. Just drop sails upwind from the dock and come in on a bare pole. We did this at the Midwinters last year when the wind came up and the race was cancelled. We did a slow and controlled approach while others were planing into the harbor and trying to gybe to the dock.
The safety equipment that is required is spelled out in the specifications.
ARTICLE S-V – RACING RESTRICTIONS
2. The following minimum necessary equipment shall be carried
at all times: adequate ground tackle (a recommended anchor
would be the equivalent of an eight (8) pound Danforth or Northhill
anchor with a minimum of one-hundred (100) feet of line); one
wearable life jacket, either Coast Guard approved or in addition to
an unapproved jacket, one Coast Guard approved life preserver
for each person aboard; one Coast Guard approved throwable, apaddle or oar; a bucket suitable for bailing; sound device and a
safety line attached to the transom mooring rings. (See also CMR
#l4)CMR14. 5-H Hi-tensile Danforth anchor is ruled equivalent to an 8-S
standard Danforth anchor, and therefore may be carried in its
place. The minimum weight for the total ground tackle (anchor,
chain, line and container) shall not be less than nine (9) pounds
dry weight. (1967, revised July 1995)The protest flag is not required unless you intend to protest another boat for a rule violation. Technically, it should be code flag b, but the flag from the end of your mast will work fine. I would recommend that you pick up Dave Perry’s book on the Racing Rules of Sailing if you want to brush up on the rules and learn when to fly the flag. You can get it from the U.S.Sailing web site.
