Thanks Joel. I have 150 watts on a carbon fiber windsurfer mast and universal joint bolted to the center of the panel (Transat Mini style) . I use line to adjust the angle (but really didn;t need to) to keep the batteries fully charged even after days of autopilot. The masthead trilight is LED and low draw.
On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 3:08 PM, Joel Aronson via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > David, > > WOW, congrats for doing the race! I'll do the A2b for a second time, but > only with a full crew. > > Sounds like you have enough solar to keep the batteries topped off. How > much wattage do you have? > > Had the same issue with the radar reflector. Using wire fishing leader to > make bridles for the reflector and put plastic edging on the reflector. > Weather is also a problem. If the RC allows it I'm going with Sirrius > weather. > > Invest in an asym for a carbon spin pole. Asym is useless if more than > 140 degrees off the wind. > > Wish I could answer the hard questions! How did someone get a below deck > pilot in in the first place? > > Joel > 35/3 > Annapolis > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2015 at 2:50 PM, David Paine via CnC-List < > cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > >> Hi All, >> >> As I mentioned last spring as part of a question about life rafts, I had >> planned to sail my C&C33-1 solo to Bermuda and back (double handed) in >> the Bermuda1-2 race. I did, It was fun, it was terrifying, it was >> expensive to prepare for, and it was frustrating as I did not do well (dfl) >> in my class in part because of the high winds and seas near the gulf stream >> probably favored the HR49 and other heavyweights in my class but mostly >> because I was climbing a steep learning curve. Of course, a C&C35-1 won >> the return and did well on the way there so (in my case) it's the sailor >> not the boat. In preparation for the next one, I need to resolve a few >> issues with the boat and a lot with the skipper. I was putting together a >> list that I thought I would share. >> >> (1) The autopilot has to be more than bullet proof. I thought my below >> deck pilot was, but I was wrong, and as a result I found myself upside down >> in the cockpit locker and crawling deep underneath the cockpit floor in >> horrible conditions to tighten bolts that allowed the tiller arm to slip >> (no woodruff key or slot to put it in). I lost a lot of time bobbing >> around with the sails down repairing the autopilot or sleeping. The fix >> for this one is obvious but will require dismantling the quadrant and >> figuring out how to bolt the tiller arm to it. Other issues with the >> autopilot were completely my own fault as I made changes to the electronics >> but did not have time to proof test the changes. >> >> (2) When a wave fills the cockpit and it gets flooded (and it did >> repeatedly) the engine instruments are going to get wet. This is not good >> as the switches will (and did) fail, I am considering relocation or >> creating a waterproof cover. >> >> (3) Following seas WILL drive water up the tailpipe and into the engine. >> As a result, I sailed into St Georges harbor and up to the customs dock >> then I spent a day in Bermuda sucking water out of the engine and drying it >> out enough to get it started. For the return trip, I put a plug in the >> exhaust pipe but the plug was washed out in the "washing machine like >> conditions" and ... we got to sail the boat into the Newport Yacht Club >> dock at 3:00 am on no sleep. Then spend another day pumping oily water out >> of the engine. Yeah, slow learner. >> >> (4) The fuel tank vent on my boat is high up on the starboard side but >> by the time I got to Bermuda, the tank had a quart of water in it (which I >> siphoned out). Good filters (a racor) helped but I need to relocate the >> vent -- the question is where? It may not be wise but on the return trip I >> wrapped the vent with tape (which, if I had run the engine I would have >> removed) A better solution is needed. >> >> (5) Reefing has to be quick and easy -- I spent far too much time >> screwing up enough courage to go to the mast to reef and shake-out. My >> current reefing system (probably original to the boat) has a winch on the >> boom which makes the first reef fine but I used all three reef points and >> releasing the last reef before pulling in the next in 35-40 kn of breeze is >> a nightmare. I need to work on leading the lines to the cockpit. >> >> (6) A removable inner forestay and a blade foresail might be nice. My >> new furling 130 spent a lot of time furled 50% and that really has screwed >> up the shape of my formerly new and now blown out 130. >> >> (7) The boat was reasonably dry inside (a result of hours of rebedding >> hardware) but somehow the mast collar leaked like a sieve. The boot looks >> perfect so it has to be the where the Al collar (mast partners) meets the >> deck -- who would have thought that the one place I didn't rebed would be a >> problem! >> >> (8) Hoisting a radar reflect on a flag halyard to the spreaders seems >> like a good idea until the line breaks and you lose both. >> >> (9) The one turnbuckle that I did not wire was the port diamond stay. >> Turns out the mast will stay up without this - whew! It is extremely >> unnerving to see a piece of wire swinging around at night in a blow. Wire >> everything. And use lock tight on critical bolts -- my solar panel broke >> loose as a result of a bolt getting unscrewed. >> >> (10) Fighting with a 10 foot long spinnaker pole to fly the spin gets >> really old. Luckily the wind only died down enough to fly the spinnaker at >> the end of the race but if the conditions had been more benign, I would >> have had to fly the spinnaker much more. An assymetrical with a short >> prod would be nice (but probably outside my ability to rationalize the >> spending). >> >> (11) Getting a decent weather (GRIB) file occasionally would have been >> really helpful. I suppose I need to figure out how to do a SSB or Sat >> phone modem. >> >> Tons more lessons learned but that's enough for now. >> >> Best, >> >> David >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> Email address: >> CnC-List@cnc-list.com >> To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the >> bottom of page at: >> http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com >> >> >> > > > -- > Joel > 301 541 8551 > > _______________________________________________ > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the > bottom of page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > >
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