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Fog sailing (motoring)
by Conbert Benneck 06 Dec '14

06 Dec '14

Hi Howard, When the fog gets that thick then your solution is the only proper one. Anchor; ring your bell to let others know that you are anchored, that still might be trying to find their way home, and wait for the fog to lift. Sailing back from Block Island years ago, four boats of our Goose Island Cruising (Boozing and Snoozing) Club (GICC) got into a pea-souper as we headed for the Watch Hill, RI entrance buoy. You had to find that, because if you didn't, there was a long hungry reef waiting for the unwary that stretched west from the Watch Hill buoy to Fishers Island. Visibility was down to about 1 boat length. We had stowed our sails and were all now under power, talking to each other via VHF radio. Dozens of boats were milling around wondering what to do.... One of our group heard the President of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, talking to a friend. He had a large power boat, and was also approaching the Watch Hill entrance buoy. Our member gave him a call (our sailing gang were P&WA Engineering managers). Since his powerboat had radar, he asked us to do a 360 turn so that he could see us; and having found us on his radar, a few moments later he appear out of the fog. We tucked in behind him, like ducklings following their mother, and he took us all the way back to Noank, CT and our Marina at the entrance to the Mystic River. At the Marina entrance the fog was still so dense that we could barely make out the docks from 50 feet away, but we were home. So for years, our joke went, if all else fails during a heavy fog, call the President of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, who has radar, and get him to act as Pilot to get home safely. It's nice when you have friends like that, who can help! Connie

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Howard's salt water 17
by Mark Dvorscak 05 Dec '14

05 Dec '14

Hey Howard, I think I talked to that same guy when I was looking for a 17. He was totally unprepared for that attempted crossing! He would have just disappeared without a trace if he hadn't turned back. Mark M23 & M15 former M17 too On Dec 4, 2014 2:47 PM, "Howard Audsley" <haudsley(a)tranquility.net> wrote: > I purchased my M17 from a gent who set off from San Francisco towards > Hawaii. His ONLY means of navigation was one hand held GPS unit. Not sure > if he had any paper charts, but he did not have a sextant, so if the GPS > gave out, was lost overboard or otherwise put out of commission, not sure > how he was going to find Hawaii. That is a big place to wander around > looking for such a tiny spec of land. Lucky for him he turned back after 4 > or 5 days, so it never became an issue. > > Anyway, yet another solution to one GPS and a sextant is several cheap GPS > units. Two or three of them combined are less expensive than a sextant, but > do the same thing. Leave the spares and fresh batteries safely stashed in > the box until you need them. > > BTW, I use an older Garmin GPS chart plotter with depth finder built in. > So in addition to knowing where I am, I know how much water is beneath me. > Mine also has the nifty feature of tide tables built in. On tidal waters, > that is more handy than you might think. > > But like the others, I still don't venture far on unfamiliar waters > without paper charts. I pay as much attention to them as the GPS. > > > On Dec 4, 2014, at 3:37 PM, Thomas Buzzi wrote: > > > Hi Connie, > > Thanks for the added info. I finally get the idea of how a chronometer > > works using GMT. If your onboard timepiece associates hours with 15 > degrees > > west long then wherever you are at noon GMT is...... humm, lost it. Oh, > you > > have to measure the height of the sun at your present position to tell > you > > the degree long. to plot on your chart. Somehow. > > Too bad we don't live closer. I have always wanted to learn how to use a > > sextant but reading the information just never sunk in. Oh well, I can > get > > a hand bearing compass and some local charts. Sounds like fun and a good > > feeling to know where I am even if the gps quits. > > Tom B > > > > On Thu, Dec 4, 2014 at 3:11 PM, Conbert Benneck <chbenneck(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > > >> On 12/4/2014 2:01 PM, Thomas Buzzi wrote: > >> > >> Tom > >> > >> I also can highly recommend the Dava Sobel book on "Longitude". > >> > >> She describes the basic problem that mariners had determining longitude, > >> and then tells the story of how the British Government put up a prize > for > >> anyone who could make an accurate chronometer. The Government was > pressured > >> to do this because of all the naval and merchant ships that were lost > as a > >> result of not having an accurate way to establish longitude reliably. > >> > >> If you divide the earth's circumference of 360 degrees by 24 hours, your > >> answer shows you that the earth rotates 15 degrees per hour. > >> > >> Wherever you may be on the surface of the earth, the sun rises, climbs > to > >> its meridian at what navigators call Local Apparent Noon (LAN) at your > >> location, and then starts descending again. > >> > >> If you had an accurate time piece set to Greenwich Mean Time, and the > time > >> pieces' error rate was constant, then knowing that, and the time of your > >> LAN it is a very simple math problem to determine how far West or East > of > >> Greenwich you are located at that specific moment > >> > >> If you measure the height of the sun at that point; and note the exact > >> time of the observation, in seconds; minutes; and hours, you can now > >> establish your longitudinal position (dependent on the accuracy of your > >> measurements). You have to do it in that order since each second > counts in > >> the calculation, and accuracy of time of observation is critical. > Seconds > >> change rapidly, minutes only 60 seconds later.... > >> > >> Example: New York City is roughly at 75 degrees W Longitude from 0 > degree > >> Greenwich, England. Divide 75 degrees by 15 (the degrees in an hour) > and > >> you will see that New York's geographical position is 5 hours West of > >> Greenwich. > >> > >> This goes on until you reach the 180th degree West, called the > >> International Date Line, which is located in the Pacific Ocean. > >> > >> When you reach the International Date Line heading West from the USA, it > >> is Thursday; but once you have crossed the Date Line it becomes Friday, > and > >> the beginning of a new day for the 180 degree East of Greenwich area of > the > >> world. > >> > >> ------------------------------- > >> > >> Last thought: If a salt water wave or spray hits my sextant I can just > >> rinse it off with fresh water and dry it with a towel and it keeps > working > >> (with a drop of oil in the mechanism once in awhile) Gin also will do > the > >> job, but I don't think my rinse solutions will work for electronics.... > >> They are nice toys and give you pretty pictures but don't trust your > life > >> or the safety of your boat to them. They are only a secondary source of > >> information. > >> > >> Learn to do dead reckoning navigation the classical way, and you will > >> always be safe. > >> > >> Connie > >> > >> > >> thanks to all that took the time to share their ideas about this. I > have a > >>> pretty good idea of what course to take. I also have a lead on a what > >>> sounds like a very interesting book. > >>> Fair winds, > >>> Tom B, Mont 17 #258 > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > > >

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Need crew for WICR & R-T ??
by GILASAILR＠aol.com 05 Dec '14

05 Dec '14

We have been contacted by an Individual, who upon being 'vetted' by the HR Dept (Happy Racers) - has been declared a "Good Guy". What does this mean for you? Well, the Individual used to build Montgomery Boats and has sailed/ raced since way back when - Our Friend would like to sail at the WICR and has asked if we may know of anyone in need of crew. Any boats in need of crew? - a particular sailor that has been successful racing in this fleet has given Marty the 'Good Guy" rating, so - worry not about a friendly and talented addition to your boat. Of course all sailing may be dangerous and you do so at your own risk, wear eye protection a proper and current PFD - your mileage may vary, don't stare at the sun or my daughter, remember the Alamo and don't forget to pay yer Taxes. 'The power of willfull ignorance cannot be overstated.' Contact me via PM if you are interested in crew for the event. Thanks for your time. Have Fun, Come Sailing in Phoenix in January, Wear your PFD! GO

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GPS info
by Thomas Buzzi 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

thanks to all that took the time to share their ideas about this. I have a pretty good idea of what course to take. I also have a lead on a what sounds like a very interesting book. Fair winds, Tom B, Mont 17 #258

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Re: M_Boats: gps
by nebwest2＠aol.com 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

Tom, I'm gonna answer your question assuming you might be new to coastal navigation, based on reading into the questions you asked. If you are not and I misread that, forgive me, as I am not trying to be the end all-be all of navigation knowledge. I'm not. I was involved in a scenario soee years back though, sailing with some folks that took coastal nav very lightly, were totally dependant on GPS, and got themselves into a pickle that could have had a real bad outcome. It truly was an eye opener for me that prompted me to step up my game a bit. I suppose I am kind of a soap box guy on this topic and folks are probably tried of hearing me harp about the awesome upside of using GPS vs the always possible down side.....but...here goes... ;-) Almost any handheld will work for you as long as you are using it as an adjunct to a basic coastal navigation skillsset. For many years Jo and I sailed with a Garmin that strictly gave digital info and had no chartplotter. The key factor there is that I had a chart and was using the GPS to compare the Lat/Long of my current position indicated by the GPS to where I already was pretty sure we were by basic dead reckoning navigation. Nowadays most gps units incorporate some type of chartplotter screen making it even easier to navigate, but also easier to get into trouble should there be an issue with the GPS (battery, loss of signal, equip malfunction, etc). The question of "how do I know when I'm offshore....." falls back onto having a chart handy and knowing your position on it with or without the gps. I am currently using a Garmin 476, as well as an iPad running Navionics charts combined with a "Bad Elf" GPS receiver for iPad. Both are incredible tools, but they are both always used with a hand bearing compass and a chart that I am following along on. I would imagine that the recommendations you will receive will be as varied as can be. The good thing is that if you are using the GPS as just another tool in your navigation tool box , rather than the entire tool box, virtually any modern GPS will fill the bill. The differences really come down to preferential details like screen size and visibility, ease of manipulation of the buttons, and how you feel about the way that particular unit makes you navigate through pages and menus. Most people, myself included...fall back to recommending the particular unit they themselves have, because they've used it, become familiar with it, and are resistant to change. I, for instance, am a "Garmin guy" cause I know and understand the logic of how to move through the Garmin menus and screens. But that surely doesn't mean there are not some other great units out there. The important thing still falls back on this....you should be able to make any trip you are planning to make with a GPS,...... without the GPS. If that is the case, any brand GPS is gonna make life just that much easier and safer! And...when you compared your position on that you are pretty sure you are on the chart , to the position indicated on the GPS and they agree...well THAT is a good feeling! S Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone

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Re: M_Boats: gps
by bownez＠juno.com 04 Dec '14

04 Dec '14

Hi Tom, I have been using the older Garmin 76 series models. I have a Map 76 and a 76cs (color with the lakes chip installed) All give Lat/Long. I use them while sailing and fishing larger lakes. They seem to be fine for my purposes, a limiting factor is the small screens. Bones ____________________________________________________________ The #1 Worst Carb Ever? Click to Learn #1 Carb that Kills Your Blood Sugar (Don't Eat This!) http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/5480651c33239651c693ast02vuc

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Monty 15
by Alec McCandless 01 Dec '14

01 Dec '14

Will be looking for a Monty 15 over the winter - the closer to New England, the better. Please let me know if you hear of one, or pass my name along if you know someone thinking of selling! Looking for lead ballast, so '86 or later, in good condition. Thank you! -Alec

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Your personal Invitation to the 2015 WrinkleBoat IC Regatta & R-T
by GILASAILR＠aol.com 30 Nov '14

30 Nov '14

Dear WrinkleBoat Sailor, It is Countdown time to the 2015 WrinkleBoat Intergalactic Championship Regatta & Ran-Tan Yes this is a goofy name for a get together of Jerry Montgomery and Lyle Hess designs on Lake Pleasant, AZ January 16-17-18, 2015. WICR (WrinkleBoat Intergalactic Championship Regatta & Ran-Tan) is an event for fun loving sailors and fun loving sail racers. The idea is to have a fun filled weekend with a bit of everything: Would you like to 'hang out' with a GREAT group of WrinkleBoat sailors? This is the place. Do you look to improve a particular skill or have a question for your wrinkleboat builder/designer? We probably have that covered too! Want to see different versions of 15,17 and 23 foot WrinkleBoats? You will not see a more varied field anywhere else! Like a 'distance race' with no marks and crowds? We have one (Sunday race) Do you like competitive sailing? We have a bit of that. (Friday practice type - Saturday - Leukemia Cup Regatta) Would you like just hanging out and sailing with other WrinkleBoaters? We have ALOT of that. Like to compare notes on how other WrinkleBoat sailors rig, commission, provision, stow, trail, retrieve, motor,etc? As good a place as any! Interested in Cruising grounds that other WrinkleBoaters sail - ask them here while they are in a good mood sailing their boats. Want to tell your friends you were SAILING in JANUARY - we will be sailing and we would love to have you join us! Currently we have sailors coming from Kentucky, Washington, Idaho, California, Colorado and Arizona. See the "Who's Attending" section at the web-site, www.wrinkleboat.webs.com, for latest roster of participants. If you are coming to sail with us and we don't have your name up on the list please send us an e-mail or use the "contact' button. This is the 'first' Leukemia Cup Regatta of the year - Please come and support the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and have fun sailing - (watch for donation page address to come) If the above isn't enough ... if we have 20 boats registered and on the line you will have at least a 1 in 20 chance of winning a Montgomery 7-11 sailing dinghy (used) for the exorbitant price of $1.00 per chance! (Once chance per registered boat.) Winner need be present to win, the boat is delivered at Lake Pleasant Arizona at time of drawing - drawing to occur at trophy presentation on January 18, 2015 approximately 16:30 local time. Boat will NOT be raffled if there are less than 20 boats registered and racing - yes this is a 'cheap ploy' to boost participation - come on - come get the boat ! ! Have Fun, Come Sailing in the desert in January! _www.wrinkleboat.webs.com_ (http://www.wrinkleboat.webs.com) 2015 Edition - Gary O.

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Re: M_Boats: "Tasting"
by nebwest2＠aol.com 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

I re-read my post. And....I made it sound as if we did the long route, which we did not. We did the "medium" length course which was a direct line between Long Beach and San Diego one time.....and Newport Beach and San Diego the other... eliminating the Mexican waters portion. I think it is correct now that if you land on Mexican soil you need your passport....however if you transition Mexican waters, having never touched land, and then 're-enter US waters and then disembark on land.....you do not need the passport. And yes, as stated by Steven, you need them to enter Canada as well. Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone

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Re: M_Boats: "Tasting"
by nebwest2＠aol.com 29 Nov '14

29 Nov '14

Southern Border Thomas...Long Beach, Ca to San Diego, Ca....Mexican waters in sight at finish. In fact....the "long" course takes you into Mexican waters around the Coronado Islands and back to the Good ol' USA. Larry and I have done it twice in the M23. Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone

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