Great story Mark, thanks.! Now post the video on YouTube. Smile.
Bob -----Original Message----- >From: Roberta Dvorscak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Sep 23, 2007 9:27 PM >To: 'For and about Montgomery Sailboats' ><[email protected]> >Subject: M_Boats: Love my M23 > >Time for a sailing tale! >I moved my M23 to a new marina on the Oregon coast this month. I have >enjoyed 4 great weekends of sailing. I'm not going back to that tame lake we >used to sail in. Yesterday, I took a non-sailing friend for the ride of his >life. We had cloudless blue skies with temperatures in the low 60s and a >fresh breeze screaming out of the north at 25 to 30 kts with gusts to 35 and >40. After we cleared the marina we raised a double reefed main and headed up >the river (the Coast Guard had the bar closed due to large breaking waves >rolling in). We were hard on the wind trying to claw our way up the river >against the outgoing tide. Progress was slow so I decided to raise the jib, >there was never a dull moment after that! We made pretty good time after >that but I had to sail her like a dingy with the mainsheet in my hand at all >times. The gusts hit with such tremendous force that I wound up constantly >playing the main. After we heeled past the 45° mark several times I decided >that the working jib was just too much (duh). I handed the tiller to my >nervous friend, told him not to worry the boat can take way more than we >can, and headed to the fore deck to bag the jib shouting steering >instructions back to my friend and hooting like a child on a carnival ride. >I dropped the jib into the cabin and headed back to the fore deck with the >storm jib. We got that up without incident and proceeded along nicely until >we lost a jib sheet in the middle of a tack. I don't know how the stopper >knot untied itself, but somehow the two jib sheets tangled and the windward >sheet whipped out through the block and started flailing around ahead of the >mast. Again, I hand the tiller to my friend, tell him this is all a normal >day of sailing, and head forward to retrieve the wayward sheet. My helmsman >had some difficulty controlling the tiller and jib sheet simultaneously so I >was on the foredeck with a wildly flogging jib and a flailing uncontrolled >sheet wrapping itself round and round the leeward sheet. It took some time >to catch it lose it catch it again and attempt to untangle it. I wasn't >entirely successful with the untangling process but I did manage to rethread >the sheet back to the cockpit and retake control of the boat. My greatly >relieved helmsman grabbed his cell phone and started shooting video to show >his children what a wild day he had. My friend was out with me because he >needed some time away from his marital troubles so I asked him if I was >doing a good job keeping his mind off his wife. He laughed and said he >forgot all about her the whole time he was at the helm. When we finally >turned and headed back down river on a broad reach he was amazed that things >quieted down so much. I looked down at the gps and we were holding a steady >7 kts for quite a while. My friend said "you don't really like going >downwind, do you?" I laughed and said "it depends". The main had the jib >blanketed so I dropped the jib downwind, but it sure didn't take long to get >back down near the marina. I decided to head back up river for a bit with >just the main to unwind a little before heading back in. It was a great day. >My boat handled everything that came her way (including all the skipper's >mistakes) without any complaints. I could honestly look my friend in the eye >and tell him that I never once was afraid, I had complete confidence in the >boat, and I knew we weren't in over our heads at any time. I learned a bit >more about how the M23 tacks with reduced sail and with no jib at all (she >likes to be snapped smartly through the tack so a 35 kt gust won't stall her >and turn her downwind instead). I also got to congratulate myself on the >wisdom of wearing sailing gloves on a blustery day (playing the mainsheet >could have been brutal without them). To top it off, as we motored back into >my slip my friend said "I think I'll start looking for a little sailboat, >that was a hoot". It was a great day and I am once again thankful that I >have been blessed with such a fine boat. By the way, no other sailboats left >the marina that day and my Montgomery 23 is just about the smallest boat >there. Thank you Lyle Hess and Jerry Montgomery, your boat brought the crew >safely to port again. With big smiles on their faces, I might add. >Mark Dvorscak >M23 #74 >Faith > > > > > >_______________________________________________ >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats Boat Builder _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
