Fight Club____for Sailors

[toastchee]

I think I like this sailing thing. I take my 3 yo girl and 6 yo boy out on Fast Baby II, our little rare Guppy 13. They get bored in light winds and yelp with delight if we heel. Do it again daddy!

[Surfesq]

I know what you mean. My 5 year old who grew up on the boat prefers the heavier days. She complains of boredom if we have to motor somewhere. Guppy 13....I haven't seen one of those in a while. I bet it is fun to sail. I really enjoy sailing small boats because you really get a sense of speed and the elements. In many ways can be more rewarding if you are just out to have fun for the day.

[Surfesq]

We joke and have fun dipping a rail and testing the limits of our boats. Overpowering the sails can be fun and practical. The reality is that if you do not know the limits of your own abilities or your boat you are doomed to fail. This article fascinates me. The forensic questions which must be resolved will include the skill level of the crew, the actual condition of the boat and its rigging and of course what actually happened. I have sailed up in that area and the sea can become violent in very short period of time. There is no f---ing around or pretending out in that part of world.

Searchers find debris near site where Newport crew called for help
En route from Newport to the Azores, the 41-foot sloop Free Spirit and its crew of four encountered 30-foot seas and winds of 50 to 90 knots off Nova Scotia.

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 17, 2006
BY RICHARD SALIT
Providence Journal
Journal Staff Writer

A sailboat that disappeared off Nova Scotia on Thursday in the remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto carried four passengers, including a 19-year-old woman with deep roots in Newport and a lawyer renowned in England for his extravagant lifestyle and legal and financial woes.

U.S. and Canadian authorities searched for the 41-foot Free Spirit into the night last night after finding a debris field in the area where the vessel made its only call for help, 200 nautical miles south of Halifax. None of the debris, however, could be confirmed as coming from Free Spirit, which ran into 30-foot seas and winds of 50 to 90 knots on its way from Newport to the Azores, the Coast Guard said.

As the search continued, relatives of 19-year-old Molly Finn gathered at her family's Eastnor Road home in Newport's close-knit Fifth Ward, where Irish traditions run strong. Kathleen "Kiki" Finn, president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, took calls from the Coast Guard updating her on the search for her daughter, a 2004 graduate of St. Andrew's School in Barrington.

"Molly had developed an interest in boating the last couple of years," said Stephen Martin, her uncle. Jumping on a transatlantic crossing, he said, "That was Molly."

"She's a vibrant, adventurous, interesting kid," agreed Ann Finn, sister of Molly's father, Thomas, a carpenter who died a year ago after an illness.

During the past year, Molly Finn befriended British lawyer Jacek Bielecki and his 19-year-old son, Jack. Bielecki had been looking to buy a boat for a grand voyage and had moved to Aquidneck Island on a part-time basis after finding one at New England Boatworks, in Portsmouth, according to real-estate agent Jose Aguon, who helped him find a rental apartment on Powell Street. The Bieleckis, he said, later leased a house near him on Extension Street.

"He ended up becoming my neighbor up the street," said Aguon. "He would go back and forth to England. He had his son with him."

Aguon called him a "great guy" with a tremendous sense of humor who made a delicious veal piccatta and enjoyed expensive champagnes.

Jacek Bielecki, 56, made the headlines of English newspapers, including The Mirror and Lloyd's List, in 2001 for living lavishly while experiencing bankruptcy problems and being temporarily barred from practicing law for lying under oath. Bielecki denied lying and said the cash-flow problems were routine for a legal firm such as his, Hughes Hooker & Co., specialists in shipping.

Josie Allen, who rented the Powell Street apartment to Bielecki, said she recalled his children and grandchildren visiting him. She recently saw him at a bank and he invited her to a going-away party he was going to plan. But she never heard that one was held.

Bielecki bought a 41-foot sloop that was stored at New England Boatworks, according to co-owner Tom Rich. The cruiser-racer was made by Tartan, probably in the early 1970s, Rich said.

"This boat was pretty old," he said.

The boat yard fixed a radar tower and spinnaker pole, said Rich, but Bielecki oversaw the rest of its preparations. The boat was put in the water on May 4 and stayed at the boat yard until May 17.

THE COAST GUARD could not say yesterday what day Free Spirit left Newport, only that it was bound for the Azores and that it was carrying the Bieleckis, Finn and a 34-year-old British national, Richard White.

At 11:55 a.m. Wednesday, Jacek Bielecki used his satellite telephone to call his stepdaughter, who lives outside of New York City. He said the boat needed to be rescued immediately and gave its coordinates, according to the Coast Guard.

Canadian vessels and U.S. aircraft began searching the 51-degree waters within an hour, in difficult conditions. But it wasn't until the winds and seas subsided and visibility improved that the debris was found, around 5 a.m. yesterday. The searchers found a wooden door from a boat, a nautical hatch cover, a bleach bottle, a milk carton with a line tied to it and a gasoline can. Yesterday evening, the search continued.

"It will go through the night," said a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard in Boston.

Finn attended Newport public schools through her freshman year at Rogers High School. She transferred to St. Andrew's, a private school in Barrington, where she played on the lacrosse team. She had shown an interest in marine trades and looked into taking courses at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, her relatives said.

[Surfesq]

The Article prompted me to consider what items one must absolutely include in a checklist for offshore sailing. I thought I would start a List and see what our Club could add. In other words, let's create the ultimate Offshore Safety Checklist:

1. Rigging checked by rigging specialist
2. Radio Safety Check
3. Condition of Through Hulls verified, Wood Plugs in place at each Through Hull.
4. Bilge Pumps in working order. Spare Bilge Pump onboard.
5. Manual Bilge Pump in working order.
6. Epirb in working Order.
7. Marine Radio in working Order. Spare portable in ditch bag.
8. Additional Ditch Bag Items: Radio, Epirb, water, compass, portable GPS, spare batteries. Non-perishable food, fishing hooks and lines.
9. Hull and hull joints examined.
10. Engine checked. Extra oil and engire spare parts per manufacturer. Basic engine repair manual for your engine.
11. Sails Checked, spares on board.
12. Electrical system thoroughly checked along with all navigation lights.
13. Life Raft Condition verified by Certified Raft Dealer.
14. Condition of life vests verified.
15. Next of Kin notified of expected route (Provide waypoints on chart) and next expected landfall.

[Pirate's Booty]

Does anyone know the ideal wind/water conditions for beginner sailers? I will be on the coastal waters of Southern California.

Chow!

[Surfesq]

It's all good Babe. I say if you are afraid of a minor blowback write in the bathroom stall. Right? How goes the big move to the floating farm?

[CharlieCobra]

Just get in and go like I do. Start with light stuff until ya get a feel and go out when it's a bit heavier to sharpen your skills. This from another beginner. I treat sailing like every other endeavor I've ever done. Like the folks at Nike say, "Just do it".

Oops! I just recalled that yer on a houseboat. Ya best stick to light air with that one.

[toastchee]

From my limited experience, I would say know and rehearse how to dump sail and/or get in irons if you get overpowered.

I've been scared plenty of times by myself and no one on the water will think any less of you if you need to calm down and get your head on straight. Your sails may be whipping about in irons, but ease back into it and get your butt home if you've had enough. Wear a lifejacket.

I second the notion that you need to find your boat's limits. But learn how to keep your butt safe first.

[sailingdog]

One thing I'd add to Surfesq's list.

The wood plugs should be in waterproof plastic bags so they stay dry until needed, and should have a hole and lanyard on them, to use to tie them into position.

[Pirate's Booty]

Thanks for the good advice!

Surfsq: You make me laugh! And the floating farm is wonderful. But, I will be also sailing on actual sail boats - the Uniflite is just for living and cruising, I know that, I am not soft in the head (yet). Right now I live next to a few guys who said they will be more than happy to take me sailing - they all have boats that are much nicer than mine that can take rough water. So, I will live on the water and also go out in the big waves with someone who already knows the what the h*ll they are doing. Eventually, I would like to get good enough to just borrow a boat and go out by myself (yes with a life jacket on!)

I scuba dive and pretty much grew up in the water, so I love big waves and winds. I know some basics, but really want to hone my skills.

When did you start sailing and how long does it take to get pretty good - assuming you go out almost every weekend?