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Curious effects of sailing in the cold

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13022
Printed Date: 18 Aug 25 at 1:07pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Curious effects of sailing in the cold
Posted By: rb_stretch
Subject: Curious effects of sailing in the cold
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 9:09am
I sailed badly in the Phantom open yesterday, but i did experience an unusual consequence of the cold. I couldn't get my main up because of frozen snow in the mast track. Only solution was to capsize the boat to flush it out.

Another competitor had their mainsheet freeze on them mid race, which meant they could not ease the main fully downwind.

Just wondering what other curious effects of the cold people have experienced.



Replies:
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 9:33am
A mate won the Bloody Mary in icing conditions many years ago. Problems included spinnaker pole fitting freezing up solid on the beats, entire cascade kicker system disappearing under a solid block of ice, and slipping over on ice on the floor and cracking the transom...


Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 10:53am
The main issue in those conditions back in my windsurfing days was needing tweezers and a magnifying glass to go for a pee.......

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"


Posted By: Strangler
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 11:02am
The answer--   A friend won a 5o5 open because he accidentally left the car de-icer in the boat. He had the only mainsheet that wasn't freezing up!  


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 11:12am
numb hands (and brain), followed by the dreaded "Hot aches".


Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 11:28am
I know I'm a wimp, but isn't the winner the one who stays in the clubhouse eating bacon butties and drinking tea in those conditions?

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Peter
Ex Cont 707
Ex Laser 189635
DY 59


Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 18 Mar 18 at 11:56am
Must have been the same Bloody Mary in a Merlin, spinnaker sheet froze and wouldn’t free!

Nowadays I always leave the mainsheet of my Solo flaked on the thwart in case there is ice in the bottom of the boat which might preclude sailing.


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Happily living in the past


Posted By: Gordon 1430
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 8:09am
Hi David
No leave it to get frozen which gives you the excuse not to go.
I was down to be race officer for the inter club winter series on Saturday and thought it unfair to expect rescue teams to sit out in that. plus our race running platform is completely open so I would have frozen as well. Never mind the risk to competitors with a NE coming of the shore with gusts of 30knots forecast.
I cancelled on Friday only one moaner but then he is barking mad Portuguese Aero sailor, (yes you Fernando).



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Gordon
Phantom 1430


Posted By: davidyacht
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 8:25am
Our racing got cancelled on Saturday afternoon, wouldn’t have minded if England had’t played so badly Cry

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Happily living in the past


Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 8:32am
I sailed yesterday. Control lines froze solid aside from the mainsheet (the only important one really). At the end of the race i was the only person who could adjust his sail. I would definitely recommend! De-rigging was entertaining though.

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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74


Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 11:52am
Originally posted by PeterG

I know I'm a wimp, but isn't the winner the one who stays in the clubhouse eating bacon butties and drinking tea in those conditions?


Depends on the quality of said bacon butty... there are some dreadful attempts at Gods own food in some sailing clubs and others are stupendously marvellous!

Incidentally, the quality of the bacon butty does not necessarily correlate with the membership fee and the number of turned up Joules collars there are in the Galley...


Posted By: fab100
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 12:49pm
Reminds me of happy days at Uni, when we used to sail at Midland SC. Aston Uni's Larks did not have covers, so often would have a solid 4" plug of ice in the bottom. They'd roll the boat over on the gravel and, with their patented 4ft tree branch, whack the underside of the hull until a mould of ice fell out. Happy days. Thankfully, our (Uni of Brum) boats did have covers and trolleys.

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http://clubsailor.co.uk/wp/club-sailor-from-back-to-front/" rel="nofollow - Great book for Club Sailors here


Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 5:27pm
I can remember my wetsuit being frozen to the wall of the changing room on the second day of a team racing event once. At Cardiff, I think it was, whatever the small lake was, now possibly gone?

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686


Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 5:54pm
I do remember a kayaking session on, IIRC, the river Lune, after we carried the boats out they looked as if they had been freshly varnished with a perfectly clear sheet of ice covering the hull and our BAs has frost patterns all over them.....

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 19 Mar 18 at 5:59pm
A couple of years ago whilst OOD, I asked the safety boat to whizz round the lake to break the ice, it was about 1/4" thick, seemed like a good idea, until our lee shore wind piled it all up the jetty, we had to drag the safety boat off the water by hand.


Posted By: Lukepiewalker
Date Posted: 15 Apr 18 at 7:25pm
I once sailed in a freezing fog. Or more to the point, the freezing fog enveloped me at the windward mark. I sailed down the run mostly huddling together with myself for warmth, and was surprised at the leeward mark that the mainsheet had frozen, and when I did pull it in it was somewhat reluctant and there was a gentle tinkling as the sheet of ice that had formed on the sail broke off...

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Ex-Finn GBR533 "Pie Hard"
Ex-National 12 3253 "Seawitch"
Ex-National 12 2961 "Curved Air"
Ex-Mirror 59096 "Voodoo Chile"


Posted By: GBR1827
Date Posted: 15 Apr 18 at 9:17pm
Decades ago, when I was much younger, I remember reading in Yachts and Yachting an account of an open meeting for single handed catamarans (I can't remember the class).   I was fascinated because the boots of one of the competitors had frozen to the side of the hull while he was out on the trapeze!
Unfortunately they didn't explain how he resolved this problem.   The only solution that I could think of would be to capsize and hope that the water washing over the boots would release him.
Does anyone else remember this open meeting report? 



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