Let's Try Sailing - What Can Possibly Go Wrong?

[LondonRascal]

Each year I go on a weeks holiday with a group of lads, and it is called 'Lads Week'. A week of boating, drinking, fishing and general good times..This year 24 of us on four boats headed around the Broads. It was a great time and we had a bunch o laughs along the way, but there was one incident that was particularly funny.

At Oulton Broad myself, Andy and Pete thought it would be good to take the Sailing Dinghy out for a spin, this especially so since Andy had not too long ago completed a course about sailing so surely knew all the basics..Well first of all we had the issue with getting a Rascal into a Herbert Woods life jacket - Pete ever the engineer came to the rescue, then Andy and I faffed about getting the sails up and keel down, Charlie could take it no more and came over to get us on the right path. By the time we were all in the thing it was perhaps more luck than skill we did not fall right back out, but none the less we cast off into absolutely no wind whatsoever. Things could not get any more eventful - could they?

Well turns out yes, yes they could and I just happened to have the camera rolling....

 

 

[BroadAmbition]

About time you put this one up.  It was hilarious, even better than seeing the three of you trying to get the single lug sail up and set correctly.  Thank goodness there wasn't any wind, not even a zephyr, mind you having said that if there had of been it could have been even funnier if that's at all possible and I would have probably fallen in laughing.  What got me the most was Andy asking you if you had any gaffa tape!  As if it is the most normal thing in the world to go dinghy sailing with a roll of gaffa tape with you!

Griff

[TheQ]

There I was about to say "Protest!!!!  improper propulsion of a sailing boat."

International rules of racing rules 42.2 Prohibited Actions Without limiting the application of rule 42.1, these actions are prohibited: (a) pumping: repeated fanning of any sail either by pulling in and releasing the sail or by vertical or athwartship body movement;

(b) rocking: repeated rolling of the boat, induced by

(1) body movement,

(2) repeated adjustment of the sails or centreboard, or

(3) steering;

[grendel]

its ok - we werent racing, actually with the lack of wind we were barely sailing

[Polly]

If there had been wind, I think it would have been entitled 'Three Men out of a Boat'  ......although there was a decent amount of ballast!

[JennyMorgan]

9 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

About time you put this one up.  It was hilarious, even better than seeing the three of you trying to get the single lug sail up and set correctly.  Thank goodness there wasn't any wind, not even a zephyr, mind you having said that if there had of been it could have been even funnier if that's at all possible and I would have probably fallen in laughing.  What got me the most was Andy asking you if you had any gaffa tape!  As if it is the most normal thing in the world to go dinghy sailing with a roll of gaffa tape with you!

Griff

Actually a well prepared cruising dinghy would have one, that, a can of WD40, a hammer, a bottle opener and shackle spanner will tackle most calamities likely to be encountered aboard.

[TheQ]

WD 40 being a water dispersant not a lubricant, However I don't think you can spray enough to keep the water out..

 

 

PS you forgot the Duct Tape..

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

WD 40 being a water dispersant not a lubricant, However I don't think you can spray enough to keep the water out.

 

 

PS you forgot the Duct Tape..

Is not duct tape and gaffa tape one and the same thing? If not then nearer enough, both seem to do the same jobs! Gaffa tape on an old gaffer does seem right somehow!

PS The 'lads' were pretty well 'lubricated' already! 

 

[webntweb]

Had a go myself quite a few years ago (1964) - never tried it since.

We were moored just upstream from the entrance to Black Horse. Three of us managed to get the dinghy's sail up and after a bit of faffing around the wind took us quite sedately up to Swan Corner.

Easy this, we thought. Then we tried to turn round.

About 30 minutes later we decided the sail wasn't working properly and rowing back was probably the best option.

[eddybear]

On 30/10/2018 at 12:47, webntweb said:

Had a go myself quite a few years ago (1964) - never tried it since.

We were moored just upstream from the entrance to Black Horse. Three of us managed to get the dinghy's sail up and after a bit of faffing around the wind took us quite sedately up to Swan Corner.

Easy this, we thought. Then we tried to turn round.

About 30 minutes later we decided the sail wasn't working properly and rowing back was probably the best option.

I have a similar story, wife teaching me to Sail disaster much shouting and bad temper, so one day when she had gone to town I decided to take the boat out on my own, Sailed from the hard at Brightlingsea towards Mersey Island no problem then like yourself turned into the wind and try to remember how she said you should tac Sort of got the hang of it but it was an outgoing tide so I was getting nowhere and unlike yourself I didn't have anything to row with, It probably took me over 2 hours to get back to Brightlingsea But by that time I had mastered the rudimentarys  of sailing, that was 45 years ago I have improved honest.

[MauriceMynah]

Sailing is no substitute for using fossil fuels.

[Islander]

Sailing. The most expensive way of getting from A to B for free. 

I learnt to sail as a boy up at Barton Turf and with my father on the Essex rivers and loved every minute of it. Even the odd problem of demasting. I haven't sailed for some years now but there is a Mirror dinghy needing a lot of restoration at the end of my garden which I intend to get back in the water again. Last sailed her in my mid teens, now I'm 65.

Robin, you and the lads must have another go, if only to post another video.

Colin 

[BroadAmbition]

Sailing. The most expensive way of getting from A to B for free.

I like the cut of your Gib sir  

Griff

[TheQ]

22 hours ago, Islander said:

Sailing. The most expensive way of getting from A to B for free. 

 

Colin 

I see your're criticizing BA Broads tax again