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Flying Scot beach daysailing?

9K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  sailpappy 
#1 ·
I have a new to me 19 ft day sailer Flying Scot. I will be spending time with my family in Panama City, Florida alot this summer. I know St Andrews bay is a great place to sail as I know they have a FS fleet there. Here is my question: For a warm calm day, is it safe to sail outside the bay and along the beachfront ?
Obviously the Flying Scot is not seaworthy, but I see Sun Fish and Hobie Cats doing it along the Atlantic coast near Myrtle Beach and don't consider them seaworthy either. The Flying Scot is an open hull day sailer and is designed for protected waters, but the waves along Panama City Beach are normally of little consequence compared to the Atlantic.

Is there anything you would pack or do to prepare for a near shore daysail on this 19 foot dinghy?
 
#2 ·
I owned a 19' Lightning sailboat which is similar to the FS in that both are planing hulls and can be tipped over.
Can you sail your FS out on the Gulf? Sure, if conditions are favorable, meaning relatively flat surface and reasonable winds.
Items I would want on board: life jackets, anchor, bailing bucket, hand pump, hand held VHF radio and cell phone in water tight case.
Both the Lightning and FS are not 'blue water' boats but that does not mean they are not seaworthy. A boat with holes in the hull is not seaworthy.
 
#3 ·
I used to live in that area and sailed a lot in Flying Scots in St Andrews Bay. I took the Scot out in the Gulf a few times. Just know that the pass is very busy and has a lot of wake in the summer and it'll be hard going through it. Also, when the tide is ripping through you might not make very good SOG. It's also a ways from a decent boat ramp where you can rig the Scot to the pass. You might try the one at St. Andrews State Park though I never tried to launch from there.
 
#4 ·
In the Chesapeake's upper reaches just south of Betterton, MD there is a flotilla of Flying Scotts that regularly race. Regardless of the weather, you can see these guys zipping around at incredible speeds, and from what I'm told the craft is very stable.

At Havre de Grace, MD, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, on Thursday evenings, there is a flotilla of Star and Lightning boats that race for hours around three or four HDG Yacht Club buoys. None of them have auxiliary power, the sail directly from and back to their respective marinas and in the six years I've sailed past the races I've only seen a couple boats capsize. The Star and Lightning are also very fast boats, but I believe the Flying Scott beats them when it comes to stability.

Good topic--thanks for posting,

Gary
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies. I also have a little Honda 2HP outboard which I will bring along, so maybe this will help me navigate in/out of the inlet easier. I have a little camper, so I will spend at least one week at St. Andrews State park which borders both the bay and the beach; and when I last visited, I checked out their boat ramp and parking lot, and all looks good for setup and launch with no power wires over the ramp. Although there are a couple of pine trees close to the ramp, I believe my 28' mast will clear under them without issue. When not staying at the campground, I will just put in somewhere else and only sail the bay.
With all of this, I am trying to learn how to navigate bays, channels and tides for a future cruiser sailboat one day. I figure that learning to claw off a lee shore on a beachable 19 footer is potentially less expensive that a keeled cabin cruiser if I lost the battle.
 
#8 ·
Definitely bring lunch.
You might be surprised how little wind the FS needs to move. If it is anything like the Lightning (and I think it is) then even a 1 knot breeze will still make the boat move - albeit slowly. I doubt you will need to use your 2HP kicker much. In fact I'd recommend you bring along a paddle or two for when the wind dies instead of the motor. Make sure your paddles float! If you ever capsized the FS with the engine not secured - bye bye engine.
If you've sailed the Holder 14' you should enjoy the FS and learn a lot.
 
#9 · (Edited)
FS will do just fine along the beach. I sail my Lightning on the ocean but I always follow a few rules:

1. Carry VHF and waterproof container with cell phone
- Make sure at least one always has a signal or you can complete a radio check with the coast guard
2. Carry a compass (mount one if you plan on doing alot of coastal sailing) and at least keep track of what heading will take you to the shore
3. Bring a few bottles of water past what you plan on drinking (just in case)
4. Watch the weather VERY closely - storms roll up fast and wind can die quickly - a falling tide may keep you out of an inlet and a fog will keep you from finding it (see rule 2)
5. Have enough people on the boat to right it in the event of a capsize and make sure you can reach your radio if the boat was turtled
6. Don't sail too close to the breakers
7. File a float plan even if that is just telling someone where you are going and when you should be back and who to call if you aren't

I also require everyone on the boat to WEAR life jackets if waves are over 3 feet and if the wind is over 14 kts. Also watch the wave period, turn around before they start breaking.

Otherwise have fun and good luck! Ocean sailing is tons of fun in a small boat as long as you do it safely.
 
#11 ·
Concerning dub420sailor's #5 recommendation above, about being able to right the boat in the event of a capsize or turtle. The best preparation for this would be to intentionally capsize your FS in benign conditions in a relatively protected area first, just to see what it takes to get it righted.
Righting it is the similar procedure as a Sunfish; mast pointing across the wind, jump on the center board, then hold on as it comes up and bail like a madman.
I'm guessing it would be pretty easy to right with 2 people and a bit harder solo. If nothing else your crew member can gather the stuff that is floating in the water around your boat.

I flew the spinnaker on my Lightning with just 2 of us on board - what a Nantucket sleigh ride that was. I wish I had a GPS along to see how fast we were going. We came close to dumping the boat over but I am pretty chickenspit and did not want to learn how to right it and deal with the consequences. The Lightning was my 2nd or 3rd boat at the time so I had to let it go. I miss the way that boat sailed.

Compass for sure.

I'm not surprised no one has mentioned a GPS as a must have piece of equipment. They are a bit expensive to be carrying around on a boat that can swamp or go over and you'll almost always stay within sight of land, right? Not much fog down in FL either so the only benefit I can see for a GPS is that you can use it to help tell what the current is doing to your progress in an inlet. Your eyes can also help you with this so I'll say that a GPS would not be on my 'must have' list for what you intend to do.
On the subject of inlets I thought that the Gulf had fairly minimal tides most of the time? If that is true the current at the inlets should not be terribly strong. It is the hurricane storm surges you really have to watch out for and consistent strong winds that pile the water up in one part of the Gulf or another.
Enjoy your FS down there. I am jealous that you can sail now and up here, well, the water isn't hard yet but it is cold.
 
#12 ·
CalebD,
A test capsize sounds like a good idea, but the Scot is not "self bailing", and if you turtle it, then it all but requires a power boat to assist in righting it and pulling it back to shore. Also, the mast is like 28' high, so I have been reluctant to risk turtling it and getting the top of the mast in the rocks below. Now-a-days, Flying Scots are required to have a 4" drain port in the transom in order to race. This is so they can drain most of the water out quickly when towing the boat back to the dock. My 1985 model did not come with this feature and it only has a standard small plug. How long would it take to bail out a 19' dinghy with a 1 gallon bucket?
 
#13 · (Edited)
All bets are off if you can't recover from a knockdown. If that means you can only go out into the ocean with a support launch, so be it. It's no fun bobbing around on the wide open ocean....don't ask me how I know.

We beach launch, and go for shorter sails than you do so,as far as equipment needs go, YMMV

Personal equipment (all tethered):
Life vest - always worn.
knife
whistle
VHF
shackle tool

On the boat:
A small spares kit. - shackles, pins and ring dings. some cord.
tiny roll of duct tape.
water

I used to carry a compass, but foolish as it may be, no longer. We only sail in VFR, and even if pea soup formed out of no where, the sea state is consistent enough to guide us back to land. Being beach launched, I've got seven miles of island where I could put it in (but I haven't missed my own beach yet.) But, I will not contradict the recommendations here to have one on board.

You will also need a throwable.

Edit: I forgot the Leatherman along with the spares.
Also if you have an engine, you'll need an extinguisher and Visual Distress Signals. (Not a bad idea to have the VDS, regardless.) For the USCG guide, see http://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/workflow_staging/Publications/420.PDF
 
#14 ·
Almost forgot, needle nose pliers or vise grips and a knife, better yet a Leatherman. Basic tools and first aid kit are great. Also, to make your boat less likely to sink look at these: Sailing Gear: Clothing, Equipment, Hardware, Shoes, Line, Sailboat Parts | Annapolis Performance Sailing

I bought the bow shaped one but haven't installed it yet. There was some deal either at APS or West Marine where you can get it for $30 instead of $100 same product, different item number. I think it was at APS... Seems like not really enough, but I will probably buy a couple of the tube ones once I have finished redoing all the rigging under the deck.
 
#15 ·
I lived in Naples, Fl and sailed my sunfish regularly in both calm and stiff wind out on the gulf, your limitations are directly linked to your confidence and ability. In 8 years of towing the sunfish as a dinghy the, only problem I ever encountered was a mast shear at the deck level, however it should be noted I had a phantom sail on her which swept the deck with her extra size. I replaced the mast and sailed on, the wind was 25 to 30 knotts out of the east that day!
 
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