John Jamieson's Helpful Tips to Save You Money on Your Running Rigging Investment!

Five Tips to Save You Money on Your . . .

Five Tips to Save You Money on Your Costly Sailing Running Rigging!

If you want to learn to sail like a pro, you need to know how to keep your sailing rope in prime "fighting" shape. You see, every time you go sailing, those costly halyards, sheets, anchor rope rodes, and extra line in those sail-lockers goes into battle.

And it has a tough time against the five deadly enemies of all line--sunlight, dirt, salt, chafe, and shock! You can extend the life of any piece of marine rope and save tons of money in replacement costs if you do just five simple things on a regular basis.
1. Wash and Dry Before You Stow!
Did you realize that nylon line--like that used for docking lines or anchor lines--can lose up to 15% of its strength when wet? Or that wet line, stowed in a dark, dank sail locker presents a prime breeding ground for mold and mildew?
At the first opportunity, wash your anchor rode and cockpit sheets and halyards with fresh water. Get in there with a hose and spray it down. This will loosen up line-killing dirt and salt crystals.
Flake the line in alternate bites (loops) over a rail or your lifelines to dry it. Re-coil or stow the line after it has dried completely. This can add years of life to any line and it will stay supple for sailing or marine knots.
2. Keep Lines Under Tension
Halyards and Genoa or jib sheets must stay under constant tension to prevent fiber and strand breakdown. Lines too slack will shock and slack, which can weaken the line. But tension does not mean taught.
Some lines--docking and anchor lines--must have slack in order to perform their best. But your super expensive sail halyards and sheets should be under tension. When sailing, take in a couple of inches of sheet or halyard once in a while to stave off wear and tear.
3. Make Leads Straight and True
Straight leads are fair leads. You might have heard the sailing term "fairlead". Remember this any time you thread a sheet through a block, or lead a line from the mast back to your cockpit, or set up your Genoa furling line between bow and cockpit.
Keep acute bends--90 degrees or more--to an absolute minimum. The more you bend a line to lead it from one place to another, the more stress it places on the apex of the bend. Use straighter fairleads to pump life-blood into your lines to save on repair and replacement costs.
4. End for End Lines Once a Season
One of the huge jobs on those square-rigged ships of old was to end-for-end line once a year. This monumental task involved thousands upon thousands of feet of rigging. But it worked and added years of life. After all, those big ships were at sea for years at a time, and the cost of line back then was astronomical.
Today, the small cruising sailboat or racing sailboat skipper can use this same ancient technique to add years of life to docking or anchor lines. And it's a lot simpler because you aren't dealing with several thousand feet.
Just make the dead end of the line the working end. Do this once a season. For example, your anchor line's dead end attached to a ring bolt in your anchor locker. Or, it's the end you attach to your bow cleat. The working end attaches to your anchor. Once a season, switch them around. This end-for-end technique has been proven to extend the service life of anchor line up to a whopping 50%!
5. Whip, Dip, or Tape Bitter Ends
The ends of your lines can fray and unwind like a snake on a palm tree. Prevent this with a temporary whipping, where you wrap sail twine around the end. Or, use an easier method with a two-inch piece of duct-tape. Wrap the tape tight, two to three times around the end. Use a sharp knife to cut through the center of the tape.
Or, make your own end-whipping dip. Dip at least 1/4" of the bitter end into super glue. Any of these techniques are guaranteed to stop fraying off at the pass and save you lots of money.
Learn to sail like a pro with these five super simple marine knots sailing tips. They will save you lots of money and add years of life to any line--wherever in the world you choose to go sailing!

Learn more at:   http://SkipperTips.com/

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Horshoe Crab Tagging sponsored by Sacred Heart University at Indian Cove Beach, Guilford, CT

Have you ever seen something that is so ugly that it is very cute?  (Think about a Shar Pei or a Manatee!)  That is how I would describe our humble but very important creature of the sea, the Horsehoe Crab.  A species that dates back to the time of the dinosaurs, horseshoe crabs are a very valuable part of our marine ecosystem as well as helping pharmaceutical companies test different drugs in their pursuit to cure various deadly human diseases.    Judy Knowles of Guilford loves horseshoe crabs, works with  Project Limulus at Sacred Heart University and is on the board of the Menuntatuck Audobon Society.  She was on hand recently with other volunteers who helped organize Horseshoe Crab tagging  in Guilford at Indian Cove Beach. 

Every May and June, horseshoe crabs congregate along the East Coast of the US with the rising tide in order to mate and lay thousands of eggs.  These eggs produce baby horseshoe crabs and also help to feed other important aquatic species, such as the Red Knot, a bird who winters in Argentina and then flies 10,000 miles up to the Arctic for the summer to mate and lay eggs.  They stop along the way in Delaware to feast on horseshoe crab eggs which keeps up their energy for the long trip. 

The above photo shows horseshoe crabs mating before the female lays her eggs.  The female is the larger one and the male is smaller with club shaped pincers underneath so he can grab onto the female's shell for mating.  Some people are afraid of horseshoe crabs because of their tails, or they think they have a stinger which is not true.  Horseshoe crabs tails are simply levers for them to turn themselves right side up, if they get flipped over somehow on the sand.  If their tails are broken or gone, they will die, because they cannot flip themselves back over right side up and their insides will be exposed which are delicious food to certain types of birds and animals.  This boy is picking up the horseshoe crab properly, by the side of the shell, like a bowl.  Never pick up a horsehoe crab by its tail, as it could break off.  A horseshoe crab's stomach is on the other side of his shell; he scoops food into it as he is travelling across the ocean floor.  They can swim upside down or right side up.

Horseshoe Crab blood is very valuable.  Approximately 250,000 are harvested each year so their blue blood can be used by pharmaceutical companies to ensure that certain drugs are safe for humans .  It is required that the horsehoe crab is put back withint generally 72 hours, and most of the horseshoe crabs survive their blood donation, but about 30% don't.  Many other horseshoe crabs are harvested for bait, especially the females, so it is important to track and protect them.

I had lots of fun putting a tag on the horseshoe crab that day with the other volunteers so he could be tracked.  If you find a horseshoe crab with a tag, please call the phone number on the tag and tell them where you found it.  Project Limulus, at Sacred Heart University here in Connecticut, has a computer database that keeps track of our horseshoe crab population so we can make the important effort to keep a healthy poplulation of these creatures, estimated to be between 300,000,000 to 450,000,000 years old!   Do you like horseshoe crabs too?

        

                            

"The Race" - A great 90 second motivational video

Thanks to one of Northeastern University's Academic Advisors for this, but not just for college students!

Click on this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5A1K6TxxM

Father's Day Idea - Well-maintained 2002 Colgate 26 for sale at $27,000

If you enjoy sailing and have been thinking about getting a boat, this could be the one for you - right in time for Father's Day!   The beautifully designed, multi-purpose Colgate 26 design sailboat has been around now since 1997 and has gathered many kudos for quality, performance, comfort, and style.  Whether you are into racing, daysailing or "gunkholing" (cruising close to shore - although the C-26 is rated to go offshore too) - this boat is a lot of fun!

Even if you are so new to sailing you are not sure which type of sailor you are, the Colgate 26 will make you feel happy and secure, as it was originally designed as to teach people how to sail.  Conceived by Steve Colgate, it was designed by the legendary naval architect Jim Taylor.  It is a very well built, comfortable, durable boat that novices can learn to sail in three days in just about any sort of weather conditions and is fun, fast, "virtually unsinkable", comfortable, and easy to sail.  Since Jim Taylor has designed over 102 boats, including America's Cup boats, he could not help building in great performance as well.  It is the wondrous result of an outstanding collaboration!

This boat is located in Old Saybrook, CT.  It has never been raced, has North Sails including a racing spinnaker, only two owners with just light use, new bottom paint, depth and speed instruments and is ready to sail away!  Just email  HLSails@aol.com if you are interested in seeing it or have any questions.   I am known as the "Colgate Queen", having sailed them since they first came arrived in 1997 and helping people purchase them since 2002.  Don't forget about Father's Day!! 

US Sailing Instructor Training - Level 2 at Pettipaug Yacht Club

Last week, I had the great luck to be at Pettipaug Yacht Club in Essex on the Connecticut River for the last hour of the two day Level 2, taught by US Sailing Instructor Trainer, Rachel Miller.   This course is for young people aged 18 and over who have already taken the four day Level 1 course and are planning to be Youth Race Coaches, or more advanced Youth Sailing Instructors.  There were about 16 young people between the ages of 18 through 24.

When I arrived, the Level 2 students were in groups of 2 or 3 taking turns role playing various situations similar to some that had occurred in junior sailing programs.   These situations involved written scripts they had to act out in front of the class and teacher who would then comment and make suggestions on different ways to handle the situation if need be.

It was inspiring to see these how well these young people roled played this situations and had figured out appropriate, positve ways to handle situations that required a lot of responsibility, maturity and professionalism.   One example was a 16 year old sailing student who handed in an unsigned permission slip for a 3 day travel regatta on the morning they were leaving.  She really wanted to go with her team and was upset when the instructor looked at the unsigned slip and told her it needed to be signed or she would not be able to go away with her team. The instructor, who was only 3 years older than the student, tried to call her parents, who happened to be in the midst of a divorce, but couldn't get ahold of them.  The student tried to talk the instructor into letting her go anyway, but the instructor held firm on the fact that no one could go without a signed permission slip as there could be serious consequences for the parents and the sailing program if this rule was not followed.  The instructor told the student he would try to arrange for something really fun for her to do at the club instead.  Everyone in the Level 2 class appeared to feel badly for the student and thought this was a good way to handle the situation.  Rachel emphasized how important it was for all students to have signed permission slips from their parents or guardians, especially in this age of litigation and custody battles and suggested that instructors set a "fake, early deadline" for permission slips to be handed in so that there is a week or so left to resolve issues like finding the time to get a parent to sign the necessary paperwork.

Other topics presented were:  underage sailing students drinking at a high level "away" regatta which caused their team not to be able to compete which led to discussion on the importance of having a "contract" signed by the parents and students ahead of time spelling out the penalty for an infraction, ie.. the parent has to come get the student immediately or fly them home at their expense.  Another topic was:  "benching" a sailing student who had been "not paying attention and not trying hard during the practices, who happened to be the child of the Commodore; another was involved a younger sailing student who was upset and didn't want to participate because "no one liked her".  The instructor did a great job of addressing this issue - asking the girl what she thought she was really good at and telling her he would work with her to let the other kids know about this so that they would think she was "really cool".    Besides sailing technique and having a good, safe time on the water - sailing instructors help their young students build a solid sense of self-esteem, good judgment, respect for others and good teamwork, respect for equipment, good sportsmanship and appropriate behavior.  Hopefully, this augments those same lessons learned at home. 

Youth Sailing Programs are most frequently managed in a "hierarchy" of adult volunteers and paid college/high school age instructors.  Yet often these young instructors, especially the race coaches, have a tremendous amount of responsibility.  They not only teach their charges sailing/racing skills that will enable them to get around the course in the best position possible and the rules that one must not break that guide this sport, but also to exercise mature judgment in cases relating to safety and appropriate, legal behavior both on and off the water.  These young coaches may travel miles from their home club with their team of half a dozen or more teenage or younger students and be responsible for them for several days while they are sailing and sleeping away from home.  Of course, there are adults there as well, but it is the young race coaches who influence their sailing students the most at this age by their expectations and their own behavior.   The young people who do this well, (and I consider myself very fortunate to have known a number of them over the years), are outstanding examples of skilled, caring human beings with maturity and wisdom far beyond their years.   They usually do very well in whatever they undertake as adults.

Kudos to US Sailing for their rigorous, effective and fun methods of instructor training and for their high caliber instructor trainers who prepare sailing instructors of all ages for the joys, challenges and responsibilities of transferring their sailing knowledge and experience to their young charges!   And kudos to all the sailors and their parents and loved ones who support them in stepping up to the challenging, yet very rewarding opportunity to participate in US Sailing Instructor Training!  For further information on US Sailing, go to:  www.ussailing.org .  For more information on Rachel Miller, US Sailing Instructor Trainer, go to:  www.rozaliaproject.org .