Occasional thoughts and deeds of an Engineer
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  • Sailing Little Yellow

    Posted on June 25th, 2014 cwmoore No comments

    CfishI went down to our nearby lake where we keep out “little yellow sailboat”. My wind gauge was saying 3.1 MPH so I knew it was not going to be a high speed day. I took the gas can and filled her engine with the 50:1 she sips and then bent on the sails. I started the lil’ beast and flipped the motor around to back out of the slip and was just clear of the dock when she died ( and me with an on shore breeze). I pulled and pulled but no would she start. At the end of the sail I experimented and found by riching mixture it would start and run great – lesson learned, richen when you shut off engine :).

    The sail was enjoyable but slow, with only a few puffs of wind to drive us into about a 10° port side down ( a starboard tack) angle. I sailed around for about an hour but the clouds were darkening and the occasional thunder rumble could be heard si I headed under sail for the dock. The wind was just right for the approach to the dock but I knew it was going to be dicey with no motor. At about 5’ out from the dock and making slowly for the slip, I raised the keel – big mistake – and the boat more or less turned 45° to the slip and dock under sail influence alone. Bang into the dock with the bow. I grabbed onto one of the posts and forced the boat around into the slip. Whew – sweating time was over. Time to go home for the day.

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