The icebreakers of old - The Week

The icebreakers of old - The Week

Drunken Sailor

A really old email

Bottom of Form 13 posts • Page 1 of 1 main halyard...screecher by philipadams » Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:14 pm Hello from steamy Miami. I'm planning on having the option of running the main halyard to the cockpit (when needed...mainly when I solo with my five year old) for safety reasons, i.e. to be able to release it quickly. I seem to recall photos from the old website re running the halyard thru some blocks and a stopper. Where can I find those photos? Also, how does one remove the liner from the cabin when putting in new hardware on top of the cabin? Also, I'm having a heck of a time rolling in my screecher, even after making adjustments per discussions with Will. One local rigger is suggesting putting a two-part pulley system between the top of the screecher and the mast with the idea of tensioning the screecher wire to the proper angle. The rigger states that in addition to obviously making the tensioning of the screecher halyard easier it will also take significant pressure off of the halyard as it enters the mast thereby somewhat mitigating one of the primary break points. Comments? Thanks...Tropical philipadams Posts: 12 Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:47 am Re: main halyard...screecher by Dan » Fri Aug 28, 2009 8:28 pm Phil— You're probably thinking of the photos I posted...since I have the halyards led aft on my boat. You can see photos and read more about it at my blog. Dan Telstar 28 New England Dan Re: main halyard...screecher by Ron » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:18 pm Phil - What sort of problems are you having with rolling in the screecher? If it takes a lot of force to do it, especially in higher wind, you should fall off and blanket the screecher with the main. In 15 knots of wind I find it almost impossible to do it also, and have to blanket the sail. I do the same thing with the genoa as well, especially if I want it to roll up as tight as possible. Heading into the wind with either sail won't work as well either. I try to blanket both sails almost all of the time to get the roll as tight and smooth as possible. If it doesn't roll in all of the way, then it's probably the number of turns you have on the drum. There should be maybe 4 turns left on the drum when the sail is furled. If the furling line tends to gather at the top or bottom of the drum and occasionally jams, then the angle of the line as it approaches the drum may not be close to 90 degrees. It's got to roll up smoothly on the drum, and that means that you should also leave some pressure on the sheet(s) as you do it, and on the furling line when you pull a sheet to let it out. This goes for the genoa as well. You may have to move turning blocks around to get the 90 degrees. The screecher furling line also had to go thru the eye that's mounted perhaps 5 inches from the large bail on the bow sprit. The screecher halyard has to be reasonably tight, and that means that you will have to use the winch to do it. But don't grind that hard - I try to tighten it to the point where the head stay (and genoa) start to sag just a little, then back off maybe 2 - 3 inches. Installing a pair of Lewmar clutches (same as on the ama and trampoline control lines) on the mast will help here. Many of us have done this already. The wire luff on the screecher also has to be pre-loaded with maybe 3 turns before you attach the pendent to the drum, but that will effect rolling out the sail more than not getting it back in. There could be too many turns though. I've never had even a slight problem with the screecher. It rolls out easily all of the way, and I can get it back in with litle effort or drama. Ron Marcuse Telstar 28 # 359 "Tri-Power" Punta Gorda, FL and NJ Shore Ron Site Admin Posts: 763 Re: main halyard...screecher by philipadams » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:04 am Thanks Dan and Ron for the responses... Dan, nice setup per your blog...how did you remove the interior liner to put in the clutches? Ron, sorry if I didn't explain it well before, but I'm having a very hard time rolling in the screacher (it rolls out easily) even when blanketed by the main. I've led the screacher halyard back to the self-tailing winch just to play with different tensions, and the only tension that seems to work is very tight...then the sreacher rolls in easily. That's why the local rigger is suggesting the two-part purchase system as noted in my previous post. FYI: Will suggests bringing in the sprit half-way, then tensioning the screacher halyard as much as possible by hand, then pulling at the sprit as much as possible by hand with the pulley in the anchor locker, and playing with the backstay to see if it needs more tension...this does not work on my boat (does not help rolling in the screacher), plus it leaves me with a 4-foot sprit that's only extended about three feet. I'd like to get the screacher working since it's so much fun to sail with (particularly in our light summer winds here) and works well from 60 degrees to a deep reach. I have some other questions but I'll try to post them in the proper categories...Philip (Tropical) Thanks...Philip philipadams Posts: 12 Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:47 am Re: main halyard...screecher by Ron » Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:58 am Philip - In theory, we have the same boat with the same Behrig sail, sprit, mast, furling setup, etc. Mine is easy to roll out or roll in (as long as you fall off and blanket the sail when the wind picks up). Something has to be different (or wrong) on yours. Is the top swivel not rotating when you pull on the furling line? Maybe aim a pair of binnoculars up there the next time you pull it in? I would re-check everything I mentioned above before I went to installing another line at the top of the mast to tension the top of the sail. You don't really need that. There's got to be 30 or more 28's running around without it. Ron Marcuse Telstar 28 # 359 "Tri-Power" Punta Gorda, FL and NJ Shore Ron Site Admin Posts: 763 Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:15 pm Re: main halyard...screecher by Dan » Sun Aug 30, 2009 12:38 pm Phillip— I cut through the cloth liner. I am working on replacing the cloth liner with one made up of 1.5 mm or 3 mm marine plywood instead. This would allow me to insulate above the overhead, as well as put in proper access panels to get to deck mounted hardware. It also will give me more options with mounting things like cabin lights and running wire. That’s going to be my primary project for this winter. Dan Telstar 28 New England Dan Posts: 334 Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2008 11:31 am Re: main halyard...screecher by trashpad » Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:33 pm Ron wrote:Is the top swivel not rotating when you pull on the furling line? Maybe aim a pair of binnoculars up there the next time you pull it in? I went out today and the winds were light so i decided it was time to work out the bugs with the screecher again. It came down to the swivel not rotating under load. The sail did not unfurl so I slacked the halyard a bit and noticed that when the sail unrolled the swivel did too! I brought the swivel home to work on it. Kurt and Kathy Boat less for now. trashpad  Re: main halyard...screecher by trashpad » Wed Oct 21, 2009 10:25 am I sent the swivel back to Schaefer marine to have it checked out. I found out that the Schaefer system comes with a five year warranty. A very helpful Carol hand carried my swivel to the GM there and after a quick check out they are going to send me a new unit. Nice company that stands behind their products. After I get it installed I will let you know if it fixes the screecher problem. Kurt and Kathy Boat less for now. trashpad Posts: 165 Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:04 am Re: main halyard...screecher by Ron » Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:58 pm Kurt - The upper swivel has ball bearings as I recall. It should turn VERY easily. Not sure how your unit could have failed. It's a very simple design. Ron Marcuse Telstar 28 # 359 "Tri-Power" Punta Gorda, FL and NJ Shore Ron Site Admin Posts: 763 Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:15 pm Re: main halyard...screecher by trashpad » Wed Oct 21, 2009 4:15 pm That is what I thought too. When the swivel is in hand it spins freely but locks up under load. This could be all my screecher problems. Kurt and Kathy Boat less for now. trashpad Posts: 165 Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:04 am Re: main halyard...screecher by Ron » Thu Oct 22, 2009 8:29 am Kurt - Do you think that you could be tensioning the screecher too much? I know that too low and too high will both cause problems. I recall that you've busted mast cleats tightening it, but that could have been caused by the direction of pull. I go hand tight then maybe 1/4 turn on the winch (without using the cleat as a turning block), then backoff just a little to get the head stay to straight out. A slight sag in the rolled up genoa would mean that the stay is no longer doing it's intended job, and you'd have too much pressure on the screecher upper swivel. I'd be carefull with the back stay as well - excess force there could transfer to the screecher halyard too. Ron Marcuse Telstar 28 # 359 "Tri-Power" Punta Gorda, FL and NJ Shore Ron Site Admin Posts: 763 Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:15 pm Re: main halyard...screecher by trashpad » Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:47 am Ron, I do it the same way. On the same note, when I spotted the swivel not spinning while I was letting out the sail I had already slacked the halyard a bit. I have had to do this in the past to be able to unfurl the sail. The good thing is that the new swivel is in the mail and I should get here in time for Saturday's race. Kurt and Kathy Boat less for now. trashpad Posts: 165 Joined: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:04 am Re: main halyard...screecher by trashpad » Sun Oct 25, 2009 9:36 am That did it, The swivel came in Friday in time for the race. When I used the sail it unfurled perfectly. Kurt and Kathy Boat less for now.

The New St Petersburg Pier

The New St Petersburg Pier

December 2013	•	Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued in accordance with CCNA, asking interested architecture firms to submit qualifications only (no design concepts).Attached to the RFQ will be the following documents: Pier Visioning Task Force Final Report Results of the October/November2013 Survey Final Report from the Urban Land Institute re: the Downtown Waterfront Master Plan Pier History Site Conditions Budget And more Public input opportunities will continue via web, social media, etc.
February 2014	•	RFQ Submittals Due
March 2014	•	Submittals are narrowed down to a short list by a new selection committee.That selection committee will be made up of the following: 4 Community Members 2 Design Professionals from outside the area 1 Design Professional from St. Pete/Tampa Bay James Jackson, 8/28 Alliance Member and AIA Member Raul Quintana, St. Petersburg City Architect
April 2014	•	Shortlisted firms are asked to submit their approach to the Pier project along with preliminary concepts or “napkin sketches.” These firms will be given additional community input received between December and March 2014. The preliminary concepts will be used to determine the firm’s approach to the project and may or may not reflect the ultimate design on the new pier.
May 2014	•	Submittals due from shortlisted firms.
May/June 2014	•	Public input solicited via community meetings, telephone survey(s), web, social media sites, utility bill inserts, etc.
June/July 2014	•	Selection committee ranks and recommends a firm to work with the city on developing a pier design consistent with community input and budget limitations.
August 2014	•	City Council approves the selected design firm.
August thru October, 2014	•	Selected firm will work on schematic designs and costing using all public input gathered to date, and additional input gathered during this phase.  Community meeting will be held to refine the initial concept, or identify alternative design concepts.  Multiple media will be used to keep the community informed and engaged in the design process.Additionally, a Community Advisory Group will be formed to evaluate information, advise the City and provide input throughout the project development process.
2015-2016	•	Design refinement, City Council approval of the design, permitting and construction.
2017	•	Pier Opens

Centerboard Replacement

Telstar Centerboard Replacement Link

St. Pete Boat Show

St. Pete Boat Show.

A Telstar in Vancouver Races Well

Racing Well

Humpback Whales

MSN Entertainment -

This is one dapper seadog.

Subject: Affordable Boat Act

The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The Affordable Boat Act" declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a new boat, by April 2014. These "affordable" boats will cost  an average of $54,000-$155,000 each. This does not include taxes, trailers, towing fees, licensing and registration fees, fuel,  docking and storage fees, maintenance or repair costs. This  law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and  financially responsible people have been able to purchase boats. This new law ensures that every American can now have a "affordable" boat of their own, because everyone is entitled to a new  boat. If you purchase your boat before the end of the year, you will  receive 4 "free" life jackets; not including monthly usage fees. In order to make sure everyone purchases an  affordable boat, the costs of owning a boat will increase on average of  250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something  that other people don't want or can't afford to maintain. But  to be fair, people who can't afford to maintain their boat will be  regularly fined, and children (under the age of 26) can use their  parents boats to party on until they turn 27; then must purchase their  own boat. If you already  have a boat, you can keep yours  (just kidding; no you can’t). If you don't want or don't need a boat, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy  one or can't afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you  purchase one, or face imprisonment. Failure to use the   boat will also result in fines. People living in the desert, ghettos, inner cities or areas with no access to lakes are not exempt.  Age, motion sickness, experience, knowledge, nor lack of desire are  acceptable excuses for not using your  boat. A government  review board (that doesn't know the difference between the port,  starboard or stern sides of a boat) will decide everything, including;  when, where, how often and for what purposes you can use your boat  along with how many people can ride your boat, and determine if one is  too old or healthy enough to be able to use their boat. They will also decide if your boat has outlived its usefulness, or if you must purchase specific accessories(like a $500 compass), or a newer and  more expensive boat. Those who can afford yachts will be required to do  so…it’s only fair. The government will also decide the name for each  boat. Failure to comply with these rules will result in fines and  possible  imprisonment. Government officials are exempt  from this new law. If they want a boat, they and their families can  obtain boats free, at the expense of taxpayers. Unions, bankers and  mega companies with large political affiliations are also exempt.

This would be my luck

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The New St Petersburg Pier - To open 2017

The New St Petersburg Pier

Ahoy, mateys! US to stop printing nautical charts - New York News

Ahoy, mateys! US to stop printing nautical charts - New York News

Finding Annie

100% through Finding Annie by Michael Mathews.

Finding Annie

This is a book about a guy who's wife dies in a car accident. He gets depressed, drinks mass quantities of liquor, buys a 20' Cal sailboat and sails from Oregon to his death. He bumps into a burning sailboat, rescues the baby, the couple go down with the ship. He takes the baby to Hawaii, hooks up with a chick, finds baby inherited a lot of money, marries the hot hawaiian chick and adopts the baby with lots of money.

Google Glasses and Sailing

Weird cloud formation

Took this picture before getting on 3SUM. It started raining pretty hard right afterward. Looked like a building was on fire, but actually just a weird cloud. 

I should add this to 3SUM

Steve Jobs' Superyacht in Florida | Yachting Magazine

Steve Jobs' Superyacht in Florida | Yachting Magazine