Old Timers (people, not boats)

[David VanDenburgh]

Any older sailors out there who have made some adaptations either to their boats or to their techniques for sailing as a senior citizen?

Any hints you would care to pass along to other older sailors?

I'm 61, been sailing since I was 18, owned four boats, sailed a lot of other people's boats, had a master's license for 20 years, and now that I'm getting older I find that I need to modify my boat and my techniques. Some are little things, like keeping a magnifying glass in the chart table. Some are bigger things, like adding lazy jacks and bringing lines back to the cockpit.

How about you?

[zeehag]

i donot need hated bifocals to trust anyone---i just do not really need them yet--i can see close great---just the distance thing grabs my eyeballs and furry stuff appears instead of clarity!!! wood is very very difficult to keep perfect--i just use the old fashioned way---sea water with a green or other colored scrub pad and then, after drying--oil the wood until it takes no more---then let her dry forever---or 6-8 months---fresh water will bead up and pirates donot expect huge rewards from their pillaging, as it i s not shiny "come get me" wood......and is soooo beautiful--is how i keep my formosa "bright" work.....i was taught by a tallshipman.....so my woodwqork is quickly finished--those varnishing keep on with the endless project and sand the teak away and bleach the bejeeziz out of the pooor wood and make it go away in short order===teak is difficult to find now and costs too muuch to waste on sanding and the bleaching and murderous ways yachties have of "caring " for it----the ip and pacific seacraft and perry designs i like soooo much have much less teak to handle---but i love the look opf teak in its natural colors---brown and red brown--inside and outside my boat---with oil lamps is cozy and warm and very very traditional....i believe i donot have long enough to live to keep a wooden hull--mine is fiberglass.......whew--just the topsides are wood with glass overlay---worst of both worlds

[Dave Skolnick]

I believe that Catalina rigged the boats for multiple applications. I think the lifelines are rigged that way so that people could fit huge deck-sweeping genoas for racing.

You could run bits of line from the next stanchion aft to the pulpit and see what if any interference you might have. Then you could make an educated decision.

[David VanDenburgh]

Terri, if you don't have or don't plan to use the large genoa that Dave Skolnick is talking about, you could change the way the lifelines are routed and bring them to the bow pulpit the way you want. They route then to the bottom of the bow pulpit like that to accomodate those decksweepers. With a jib with a shorter luff, you could add a pendant from the tack fitting to the tack of the jib to raise it up a little so it will clear the lifelines.

You are certainly right about the hazard of not having the lifeline there at that point.

[Dave Skolnick]

You want the lifelines to be able to support the load of a person falling or sliding across the deck. I personally would be reluctant to count on any sort of clamping arrangement.

I think the best alternatives to explore are drilling through the pulpit (probably easier if you take the pulpit off the boat) and welding tabs to the pulpit (definitely cheaper if you take the pulpit off the boat).

In other case, if you do remove the pulpit you will rebed the mounts when you reinstall which will result in one less likely source of leaks.

I suggest you wander into a rigging shop or two and ask for their recommendations. The discussion will be free and might be interesting. Who knows what else you could learn?

[David VanDenburgh]

A number of sailors have been replacing wire lifelines with synthetic fiber (rope) lifelines attached to fittings with whippings of lighter synthetic rope. I'll bet you could do the same for attaching your lifelines to your bow pulpit. Whippings are strong and flexible.

[Dave Skolnick]

Agree. Regardless, the existing lifelines will have to be shortened and reterminated.

[Bob Chaisson]

Do you have details as to the synthetic lines, material type, source, etc. I am changing mine and was considering non-metallic lines myself.

[David VanDenburgh]

Bob,

I'm sorry to say that I can't remember where I saw the "how to" article, but I do know that the usual synthetics are Spectra and Amsteel.

Another item of note here is: if stainless wire is used, to NOT cover it with PVC because stainless steel needs oxygen and will deteriorate under the PCV. That is why ORC/ISAF requires either uncovered SS wire or synthetic rope for lifelines.

[Terri]

http://www.anzusimports.com/ This boat hook/mooring system might be of interest to those who singlehand or prefer not to jump off boat onto dock etc. Boat hook/mooring system.. saw it in this month's Sail mag. Terri

[zeehag]

my lifelines are becoming spectra line or whatever i can find remnants in my local chandlery...they even match the color scheme that came with this boat........i looked the system over for mooring/docking---is interesting---i use a larger line for docking and for mooring i use 1 1/4 inch line.......docking i use 7.8 or 3/4 inch...........i do the jump off at the waist of the boat and tie both bow and stern at same time, essentially.....both lines run to waist of boat....loop aft around cleat and take other to tie off bow....easy.....only time not is when the wind is blowing me away from the dock!!.

[Terri]

I'd like to do that also. Mine go down to the bottom of bow pulpit (for large headsail, don't have one) want them higher at that part of boat.

[David VanDenburgh]

Well, at Strictly Sail Chicago I bought two roller furlers from Spin-Tec, one for the jib and one for the staysail. This is something I swore I would never do after a bad experience with a roller furler that lost the bearings at the upper end (this on a 70 foot catamaran, so you can imagine how hard it was to furl the jib and fix the furler). However, the Spin-Tec units are so simple, so well-engineered, and so easy to use that I figured it would be worth it. It will be so nice to get under way faster and easier - and not have to go onto the foredeck to wrestle with a sail on a pitching boat.

I'll let you know how it all works out - but you probably have roller furling already?