Nice day for a sail

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Nice day for a sail yesterday (2/27/11). I have very few photos of Lotus Flower sailing. A friend took these with his cell phone.
 

Attachments

  • 22711 spin3.jpg
    22711 spin3.jpg
    37.4 KB · Views: 94
  • 22711 spin.jpg
    22711 spin.jpg
    79.7 KB · Views: 95

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
Beautiful photos Mark! I should have been on the water myself yesterday. Do you have any close up shots of your bow sprit? Is it moveable? Great set up!
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Jeff,

The sprit is retractable. Here are some photos of the sprit retracted and deployed. You can see the spinnaker pole chock on the deck in the deployed position. In the stowed position there is another chock. The pole is a 3" spinnaker pole that I bought off Craigslist. It had a seized jaw on one end which I cut off.
 

Attachments

  • sprit retr.jpg
    sprit retr.jpg
    84.6 KB · Views: 69
  • spin4.jpg
    spin4.jpg
    42.6 KB · Views: 64

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
Thanks for posting the photos Mark. Very well made. Can this rig give you other options like a cutter rig to fly two head sails at the same time, or is the sprit strictly for a spinnaker. Are you able to set the spinnaker by yourself? I remember seeing the bow sprit on your E-23. I think your E-27 is the only one I have seen with a bow sprit.

I don't think I could go with the same set up you have there because I installed a beefy bow roller on the port side just inside the inner pulpit sanction. I really enjoyed looking through you albums of your two boats. Wow, you win in the modifications department. Bow sprit, electric engine, custom storage and on and on.

Nice work.
 
Last edited:

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the complements. I do love to tinker:).

I have not used the sprit for anything other than an asymmetrical spinnaker. After Seth's posts about spinnaker staysails I've been experimenting with rolling out some jib while flying the spinnaker. It's not the same as a dedicated light weight staysail for sure but there is about a 5 degree window that I think I can get some more speed with a little jib behind the spinnaker. I've also noticed at higher angles the spinnaker becomes more stable with some jib out, though not any faster. Really it just looks cool :).

The asymmetrical is on a furler with a continuous line led to the cockpit so I do set the spinnaker myself. More importantly I can douse it and set it and douse it... from the cockpit!

I've been toying with setting a small yankee type of headsail on the sprit. This spring I'm getting a high clew 110 to use during the windy season, maybe it would look good with a little yankee in front of it ;-).
 
Last edited:

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
Santa Cruz Tsunami?

Mark, how did you and Lotus Flower fair up there in Santa Cruz? Are you okay, is your boat okay. The images of the surge knocking boats around were just awful.

I pray you and beautifully restored and custom E27 we're spared damages.
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Thanks Jeff,

I have not been down to the boat yet. I was skiing in the Sierra's and just got back. There were frantic phone calls going on all morning yesterday! My wife got down to the boat around 4 pm Friday and found Lotus Flower in good shape. The upper Harbor got hit hard. I'll be heading down in the morning.
 

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
Thanks for the links Jeff.

I just got back from the Santa Cruz Harbor. Lotus Flower is fine. From what I can tell, the area of the Harbor that we are docked is ok, maybe a little dock damage. The upper Harbor (most inland) took a pretty good beating. I heard 18 boats sunk and many have damage. A Harbor Patrol Officer said 3 or 4 boats may have sunk and been washed out to sea.

The Harbor is closed. You can not move your boat out and you can not enter the harbor. The dock gates are chained and locked, you have to be escorted to your boat if you need access. I was told Homeland Security and Fema are in charge due to the hazardous materials (fuel) clean-up. We will not be able to get to our boats, without escorts until they are finished.

One report was that during the tsunami the current in the middle of the Harbor was 25 knots at times.
 

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
Thanks for the links Jeff.


One report was that during the tsunami the current in the middle of the Harbor was 25 knots at times.

Wow! :scared:

Glad to hear your boat was spared! What a mess, so sad for those owners that sustained damage!
 
Top