Have you ever skyed a halyard on your sailboat? Not yet? Give it time.
Here we go again…‘Lectronic Latitude, the online version of Latitude 38, was kind enough to publish another Resourceful Sailor article called The Resourceful Sailor: Skyed Halyard Retrieval Made Easy for their September 13, 2024 issue and I really appreciate it. And there’s a video to boot. It discusses how I retrieve a skyed halyard on Sampaguita, a Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20.
Click the link below to be directed to the article:
I found this Flicka 20 and Pacific Seacraft 25 bowsprit and bow platform diagram in my boat papers and realized I had never posted it. It came with Sampaguita when I purchased her. I believe it to be accurate.
A previous owner replaced Sampaguita‘s bowsprit. They opted to use a solid piece of teak. I believe the factory sprit was laminated Douglas Fir (or Spruce.) The teak has proven rot-resistant and strong enough that I have not needed to replace it. Being teak, it also does not require the coating maintenance that a factory sprit would need. (What a relief!) One disadvantage is that the teak is considerably heavier than the Fir or Spruce.
I have had the assembly apart a few times for inspection. In 2022, I removed the sprit and platform entirely from the boat. After 35 years, the original teak platform had decayed around the bow pulpit fasteners.
Pacific Seacraft in North Carolina will build new teak platforms and sprits. However, I had a local Port Townsend shipwright (Lowest Hadlock Shipwrights) build Sampaguita‘s new platform and suss the sprit at considerable savings. I delivered the sprit and platform to them, which allowed them to “copy” the bow platform and fit it together. I offered this diagram, but with the old assembly, I do not believe they used it. It took about a day, with the teak sourced from Edensaw Woods. It looks the same as the factory platform. I then installed the assembly myself.
It has been great. It is a significant part of the standing rigging. It also supports the anchor, both for storage and in use. Additionally, with hank on sails, it is a secure platform for working on the bow. It performed well on Sampaguita‘s Pacific Ocean tour.
Thank you Latitude 38 and ‘Lectronic Latitude editor, Monica Grant, for publishing the latest installment of The Resourceful Sailor with a rare hard copy appearance in the August 2024 edition of the magazine.
In this piece I give experiential insight on Sampaguita’s solar energy solution while voyaging.
I wrote this while at anchor in La Paz, Mexico waiting for the season to head for Marquesas.
This is pretty much what it is, except when it isn’t.
The boat goes tick-tock from side to side as the following sea rolls under it. A soundtrack to fall asleep to. A motion to hypnotize you. It just goes on and on.
The grey skies make it chilly and moist. Everything salty sucks up the moisture. Foulies keep you dry and warm. And a hot cup of tea……
Beam on and reefed down, charging across the trades. Beam on is wetter, but faster. Also, I was pinned down on the starboard tack, which made the ride more comfortable. Downwind sailing in the trades is a very rolly experience which makes for less predictable motion. I spilled more things going downwind in the trades than I did beam on. Just sayin’.
This is a pretty rare occurrence:
- Being close-hauled with full sail is not fair winds and following seas.
- It only works when there is a light wind and very low seas….so, usually after a calm.
- I am using the full main and the 140% genoa….which means the wind wasn’t light enough to call on the 140% drifter.
- If I cracked off, the sails would have probably started flopping. I needed to be close-hauled to keep pressure on the sails.
The thing about amateur video is that you don’t see anything really exciting. Because then the equipment would get ruined from salt water exposure. And if it’s amateur, who can afford that?
So what you get is boring video like this.
This video is from the Southeast trades, headed north. My goal was to make as much easting as I could in the more easterly blowing SE trades. The further I could get, the better set-up for getting across the Northeast trades, which are truly NE, to Hawaii. I made about 120 NM easting over the SE trades. This proved to be enough.
Sampaguita had a couple Fin whales(I think) swimming with her for about a half an hour a few hundred miles west of Washington State. They clearly knew what they were doing and would get very close. In this instance I didn’t worry. No tails came up and they were clearly swimming WITH Sampaguita and fully aware of her. Unfortunately it was dusk, so no video. You’ll have to take my word for it.
I do have a video of fish escorting Sampaguita, north of Hawaii in the Northern Pacific, so I hope that will suffice. It can be mesmerizing.
Sampaguita sits quietly at anchor off the bell tower in Port Townsend. Arriving at 1800 local time, July 8, she sailed up to anchor in a light west wind. A few local boats were passed setting sail for the evening breeze and the PTSA’s Committee was setting up the course for Monday night dinghy racing.
A Salute
I learned today that John Hazen died while I was away. John was my original inspiration regarding Flicka 20 voyaging and ownership. I met him in 2012 in Port Townsend while I still had the leaky Columbia 26. He told me his story and it was relatively easy for me to imagine doing his trip. His Flicka was Windward Pilgrim. He bought it in Hawaii, sailed to Tahiti, back to Hawaii. Then to Port Townsend. No head and an outboard motor. Just like Sampaguita.
Apparently John died in his sleep aboard Windward Pilgrim. Which is fitting for him. Fair winds.
sailingwithjosh
Sailing With Josh 