Does anyone sail now or have sailed before without a motor

[Estrellita]

Pictures. But the mizzen boom isn't attached right now or the self tending jib boom but I got some pics finally

[lesterbutch]

Originally Posted by Cherod

Read all the books as well , loved them , however I would not willingly go to sea without an engine. ( or two ) , can't really see the logic , get it fixed before you leave , bloody hell , life is hard enough without compounding the issues . Happy sailing .

I have to agree, I have sailed without, and worked for hours to go a mile. It's just not worth it if you don't have to do it! If your trying to prove something, I suppose it's a different story. They did it in the day of sail because they had no choice! If they could have had an engine, believe me, they would have had one!

[Scout 30]

Very cool boat! Get that mizzen up before you go. You can use it as a brake & for reverse. And just a little of it will keep you from sailing at anchor. If there's any way you can score a dinghy with a motor before you go it would help a lot. Watch Craigslist for a deal.

[Estrellita]

I'm waiting until I get to Key West and a job to get a dinghy and motor. That's my destination and where I will get a job and start on all these boat projects and get what I need to succeed, as of now I'm doing my best winging it. I think it's a big accomplishment going without a motor. It's something I want to do. I want to fix the motor myself and I need a class or to a little more time and better weather. It's one more thing I'll take care of when I get to the keys. I think I am going to wait for the winds to change and leave more towards Nov 1 instead of now. So I'm not sailing straight into the wind during the peak of hurricane season

[peterbeale]

If you have a tiller you can use a sculling oar over the transom to get you into harbors and marinas. I have seen these used successfully on 55ft ketches. But the treaty of the time you just have to wait for the wind.

Normally a wheel is too close to the transom and does not provide enough space to skull.

[puffcard]

How are you for crew? I ask because my last sail without a motor, wouldn't have been possible without good help. I will have a used running take-out Westerbeke 50 (41hp) bobtail available very soon.

[Estrellita]

I'm always solo, been single handing since the begining of time..haha I might have a friend going but I will plan on going solo. And I'm not sure want that is you're talking about, run-in take out or bobtail

[Scout 30]

Sounds like a great adventure. The good thing about getting there in November is that's in season so jobs will be more plentiful. What kind of motor & what's wrong with it? You will undoubtedly get some good advice on fixing it here.

[akprb]

Sailing engineless requires skill. Growing up racing we sailed engineless 90% of the time and when cruising started out with an essentially engineless Sea Sprite 24. I've done the same with Catalina 30's on up to a Hans Christian 43 (it had an engine of course but we tried to use as little as possible.)

All that being said from a brief read of your original post you are not at that point. Could you? Yes. Will you likely be a burden to others at some point and soon, likely.

Take the time to get to know your engine. I wrote a piece called "motoring" if you get a chance, it's on the blog. Diesels are simple, require basic care and understanding and it is simply prudent (which is what we sailors are suppose to be) to have it at the ready.

Side note, I've been following Lin and Larry for years, even stalked them at their house in NZ :-) (They were not home but Talisman was there, very cool.) For true engineless sailing toss in a large dose of patience ;-) and a dash of time.

Be careful out there, don't want to put others in harms way as a result of your decisions if at all possible.

Cheers ;-)

[Estrellita]

How would I be endangering anyone elses if I'm single-handed?

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Estrellita

How would I be endangering anyone elses if I'm single-handed?

The 1st responders that have to rescue you from a big blow if you plan carelessly..

[anacapaisland42]

Hitting other boats coming into dock
Sailing was somewhat different in Hiscock's day
:-)


QUOTE=Estrellita;2457811]How would I be endangering anyone elses if I'm single-handed?[/QUOTE]

[lesterbutch]

Originally Posted by Estrellita

How would I be endangering anyone elses if I'm single-handed?

Use your imagination, there are a million ways too get in trouble!

[Hene]

The rig and underbody of our Cheoy Lee Offshore 40, Mary T, are very similar to yours. We had several periods over the years, of sailing without an engine, whether it was out for a re-build or lurking in its hole waiting for the skipper's diagnosis.

We did not always sit on the hook or in a marina during these periods; sometimes we went sailing just for fun, others we went for water and food, which meant maneuvering in port. Based on this experience, if you are going to wait until November, it would be a good use of your time to get the mizzen boom back on and the mizzen working. It won't be particularly helpful to you on passage, but will be invaluable maneuvering when you get there, especially if you have enough wind to take down the main.

Strapped in, the mizzen will keep the boat headed into the wind while you drop that big anchor. If you need to sail off the hook, you can tie the mizzen boom over to a shroud to shove the boat onto the tack you will want when the anchor comes up (sail stop and slip knot). This is very handy in a crowded anchorage! We did practice this a lot in our early years, and at first I liked to have the engine (if it was working) ticking over in neutral as a security blanket, but after a while I was happy to skip the engine. My late husband liked to get up early and sail out of an anchorage on a morning offshore breeze singlehanded, adding the main or the engine later, depending on the wind.

I do agree with the people who suggest towing membership/insurance especially if you think you'll need to go through a narrow, coral-lined entrance to a crowded marina.

[Compass790]

Looking at your hull design & rig I would hazard a guess that short leg tacking against wind & current would be a nightmare. Not the sort of boat I'd like to be engineless in. Didnt have diesel for 6 weeks once coastal cruising Northern NZ & it was ok but made life a lot harder. We rarely use the motor ordinarily but when you want/need it, it's great to have it.People asked us constantly when motor was down " how can you have no motor?" Used to answer " Captain Cook had no motor" On the other hand he could probably send the the crew out in longboats to pull the ship & lash them if they refused. Can you do that to your crew?