Voyage number 2

 

On Sunday March 6, Voyage number 2 of the 2022 season went well. The forecast was rain around Lunch time, to be followed by 20 mile an hour winds and warmer temps in the afternoon. I chose to go down to the lagoon early before the rain, and found near zero wind with fog slowly burning off. The yawl came well prepared with a better halyard arrangement to make rigging and un rigging easier with cold fingers. I used a hair clip to furl the jib around the bowsprit during transport to and from the lagoon. Hair clips are handy dandy things for keeping awkward bundles of rigging from flapping all over the place while walking past tall sky scrapers on windy days.

The lagoon was at low water level so I put her in at my favorite deep spot at the east end. Several geese were making their presences felt, and they seemed totally un affected by my presence which is what geese do. I’m hoping they don’t poop up the pond this year too much so that the algae and weeds don’t appear so much.

There was just barely enough breeze to get her moving, and the main halyards had to be slacked a bit because the sails expand in cold temps. This was because there are two preventer pins either side of the gaff hinge (my own invention) which I discovered would have hindered the swinging of the gaff at full halyard tension. (Hinge is above the gaff) The solution will be to shorten the pins to permit raising the gaff higher.

About half an hour in, the breeze suddenly filled in from the west and I was able to put the yawl through her paces for the first time. It’s tricky getting used to the extra radio channel for the jib sheets. The jib can be used to help steer through a tack which is handy. I’m proud of my success in making a boat with three control functions instead of the usual two. All three servos seem to do their jobs without a hitch. The down side is she’s the most complicated boat I’ve ever made, but she does go nicely, especially reaching across the wind.