Bluewater

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daletournier
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:25 pm

Bluewater

Post by daletournier »

Hi all , after having the luxury of bumming around on boats pretty well fulltime for 5 years I'm going to start alternating 3-4 months cruising with 3-4 months back home in Aust (business and girlfriend duty) . I'm trying to plan my sailing and are thinking of circumnavigating in stages. As the red sea is not a option due to the pirate situation (which is my prefered route ) the Indian ocean to Sth Africa is the way l must go.
Ideally I'd like to buy a bigger boat but logistically ( time and money ) finding and fitting out a boat to the Same standard as Freeform is not something l want to do . Ive learn't knowing your boat is worth a lot .
l've never sailed Freeform in big Ocean swells or In wind over 35 K I've been fortunate with weather, . Has anyone had experience with Ocean crossing in a Freedom Sloop and share any bad habits they may have that l don't know about ? I'd prefer to find out now prior to half way across Indian Ocean . Also what preventer setups are people using on Freedom sloops?
It's still a while of as l want to do Borneo and Sulawesi next So probably won't leave Bali or Darwin until 2015.
All advice is welcome .
Best regards Dale
Freeform Hoyt F32.

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Rick Simonds
Posts: 144
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:49 pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL

Re: Bluewater

Post by Rick Simonds »

Hi Dale,

I've been using one of these as a boom brake for a few years:

http://www.wichard.com/fiche-A%7CWICHAR ... 00-ME.html

Here's a YouTube of it. It could be easily set to slow the boom more than this shows. My installation is very similar to this one, though. It is aft of the solid vang using the boom bale that the old rope vang used

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAtYgQRNJ-Y

Inexpensive, simple, sturdy, easy to install and use. It can be adjusted to just slow the boom down or, with all 3 loops in and a tightened line, it pretty much stops the boom entirely. Stores below and sets up and stows in just a minute or two.

No complaints. I like it.
___________________________

Rick
Tallahassee

daletournier
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:25 pm

Re: Bluewater

Post by daletournier »

Thanks Rick.
Cheer's Dale .

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GeoffSchultz
Posts: 1135
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:39 am
Location: BlueJacket: Guatemala
Contact:

Re: Bluewater

Post by GeoffSchultz »

The first time that I made the trip from Newport, RI to the BVIs it didn't blow less than 33 kts for the first 5-6 days. The boat was much happier than the crew was and handled it just fine. If I learned anything, it was that the 1st reef is relatively useless because it adds more belly to the sail than it reduces sail area, so what you really want are 2nd and 3rd reefs, so rig for that.

I've put over 40,000 miles in BlueJacket and as long as you maintain her, she'll get you through just about anything. Constantly check for issues and correct them as soon as you find or suspect something, otherwise it'll come back to bite you at the worst possible time.

-- Geoff
BlueJacket
1997 Freedom 40/40
http://www.GeoffSchultz.org

rbrown739
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:06 pm

Re: Bluewater

Post by rbrown739 »

Hi Dale,

I sailed my Hoyt F32 from San Francisco to Hawaii many years ago. I learned that using the gunmount spinnaker was pretty scarey with any kind of rolling sea as the spinnaker pole nearly goes into the water often. I only tried that once. After about a week of my crew and I hand steering the bearing in the pedestal for the wheel started to squeak quite a bit. Attempting to grease it at sea was difficult and didn't seem to have any effect. Once I put the auto pilot on the squeak instantly went away. Nothing else to report. The boat did fine and averaged 6 knots over the 14 day transit.

Bob, Carina Hoyt F32

daletournier
Posts: 181
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:25 pm

Re: Bluewater

Post by daletournier »

Thanks for the reply's . l agree with your advice Geoff and got rid of my first reef Some time ago. In regards to steering l plan on replacing cables etc prior to leaving . Even though it add's 900 NM to my trip I've decided to head back to Darwin Aust and leave from there as l can do a very thorough refit in 0z ( although expensive )which would be difficult in Bali or Borneo. The lack of ease to heave to l think is something l consider to be a Issue . In saying that its a matter of coming up with coping stratagies that suit the boat. Hydrovane , jib sheeted tight and running combined with the option of a Series drogue or forereaching should cover most situations . The only real limitations l see with Freeform is storage ... quite good for a 32 foot boat ... yet it still is a 32 foot boat and l keep loading her as if she's 40 foot.
On another note its So cool to have another adventure to prepare for .... Man really does need something to look forward to.
Cheer's Dale
Freeform.

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mtryon
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:56 am
Location: Southern California, USA

Re: Bluewater

Post by mtryon »

rbrown739 wrote:Hi Dale,

I sailed my Hoyt F32 from San Francisco to Hawaii many years ago. I learned that using the gunmount spinnaker was pretty scarey with any kind of rolling sea as the spinnaker pole nearly goes into the water often. I only tried that once. After about a week of my crew and I hand steering the bearing in the pedestal for the wheel started to squeak quite a bit. Attempting to grease it at sea was difficult and didn't seem to have any effect. Once I put the auto pilot on the squeak instantly went away. Nothing else to report. The boat did fine and averaged 6 knots over the 14 day transit.

Bob, Carina Hoyt F32
Bob,
Not to hijack this thread, but by any chance was your F32 hull #15 and originally from R.I. by way of Ohio, and then trucked to California?

Thanks,

Martin
F32 "Bamboleo" (ex Heretic) 1983, hull #15 Carina????
Freedom 32 - Hull #15 - "BAMBOLEO" - Southern California, USA
Morgan 41 CC "Classic" - 10 year live-aboard
Rawson 30 - "La Cabriole" - Circumnavigator -- but not by me... :(

Monty
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:06 pm

Re: F40 Heaving to

Post by Monty »

Hi all:

We recently read Lyn and Larry Pardy's book on heavy weather sailing, and appreciate their recommendation to heave to instead of running in bad weather. We have a 2001 Freedom 40/40, Fully Monty, with a Hoyt boom for the jib and in mast furling for the main. Any suggestions on how to do this with this sail configuration? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
s/v Full Monty (Freedom 40/40)

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Castaway
Posts: 286
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 8:40 pm
Location: Lerwick, Shetland Isles

Re: Bluewater

Post by Castaway »

Monty wrote:Hi all:

We recently read Lyn and Larry Pardy's book on heavy weather sailing, and appreciate their recommendation to heave to instead of running in bad weather. We have a 2001 Freedom 40/40, Fully Monty, with a Hoyt boom for the jib and in mast furling for the main. Any suggestions on how to do this with this sail configuration? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Because the jib is quite small compared to the main, you would need to reef the main down well, and ease the main sheet a fair bit, to get the desired effect.

We found it tricky with our cat ketch, and no jib; the handed main was hauled across to weather in lieu of a jib, and the reefed mizzen eased out until it was on the verge of flapping, with the helm lashed to luff the boat up. Initially, we used the emergency tiller, but that bent after a large wave, and rope to the wheel worked well with no further damage. We fore-reached about 5 miles in 8 hours, against a current of half a knot or so. Winds were mostly 30-35 knots and more in the gusts, but it was the rough seas which made us do it. I wouldn't pretend it was comfortable, but it let us get some rest in a pipe cot or on the sole until daylight. Heaving to in a small sloop was much easier, and much more comfortable. It just involved putting the helm over and keeping the jib backed, even just to make coffee or plot a position.
Gerald Freshwater,
s/y 'Castaway', (UK F35 cat ketch, centreboard, 1987)
Lerwick Boating Club
Shetland Isles, Scotland

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