Chapter 6 - A Home For Your Boat

During the boating season, you can keep your sailboat in your backyard or garage if you have a trailer; in a boathouse or at your dock if you live on the waterfront; at an offshore mooring; or at a boatyard, marina, or yacht club. The latter three must be paid for.

The Yacht Club

To many beginners, a home for their boat means a yacht club. But probably fewer than 10 per cent of American pleasure boats are kept at yacht clubs.

Yacht clubs vary in size, services, activities, and costs. Some are informal groups which pool their resources to buy a patched-up dock and an old shed in which to store gear. They seek new members to reduce individual costs or to get equipment that all can use. Then there are the huge, nonprofit organizations with million-dollar properties that include swimming pools, tennis courts, and a Holly-woodian clubhouse.

Somewhere in between is the typical American yacht club. It offers group lessons in sailing, swimming, safety, and seamanship to old and young; winter programs on sailing education; dances and dinners; and a summer calendar of races, cruises, and social functions. You can judge for yourself how vital to your sailing pleasure such clubs are. But one myth deserves rebuttal: it isn't true that membership in a recognized yacht club automatically gives you the right to use facilities of any other club when you're cruising. Some clubs have exchange visiting privileges, and very few clubs would deny you a vacant mooring in bad weather.

Many yacht clubs have long waiting lists of people who want to join. The number of new clubs has not kept up with the increased number of boats in use, which accounts for the long prospective membership lists.

The greatly increasing interest in sailing, plus the lack of yacht club facilities, has led many sailors into forming their own organizations where sailing is the prime activity. In many areas local communities have organized sailing programs and clubs. If you like to head up committees you might gather a group of friends and neighbors and start your own sailing club. Often such a group will purchase one or more sailboats and thereby share the initial cost and maintenance. (Fleet purchases earn special discounts.) In one small Connecticut community three young men decided to start a club. A small ad in the local paper told about the boat they wanted to buy and the club they wanted to organize. In less than a year their new club numbered thirty-five members. Detailed information on the latter can be obtained by writing to Community Boating, Inc., 21 Embankment Road, Boston 14, Mass.
 
The start of a frostbiting race in Inter-club class boats. The word "frostbiting" means racing boats in the winter and is the northerner's answer to a Florida winter. While this may imply uncomfortable conditions, it can be as much fun as other outdoor winter sports and it does not have to be too uncomfortable if you are dressed properly.

The Marina

The fastest growing development in the boat world is the marina both municipally and privately owned. The marina is actually a cross between a boatyard and a yacht club, combining the good features of each. Marinas generally provide, at nominal cost, a mooring; a dock; a clubhouse with lockers, showers, and other facilities; attendants and watchman; dinghy service; a marine railway and launching ramp or hoist; and many of the other boating comforts of an expensive yacht club. However, select a marina, either public or private, carefully some are excellent, while others are little more than busy, noisy service stations.

The Boatyard

Most boatyards rent lockers and dock space or mooring to customers who use the yard for winter storage as well as to those who use it only for the summer. The facilities in a boatyard are usually limited and very informal but generally quite satisfactory. There is a lavatory, there may be showers, and there are usually a couple of rowboats handy for getting to and from your mooring. Boatyards generally offer dockage or moorage at the lowest possible cost. If you don't keep your boat home during the winter and have to pay for winter storage, year-round cost at a boatyard is generally less than anywhere else. Another advantage is that you have repair and maintenance service close at hand if you should ever need it. But, one word of caution: your boatyard isn't likely to permit you to do unlimited work on your boat, nor to bring in outside labor. Have things understood before you store your boat there.

The Offshore Mooring

When choosing an offshore mooring site, be sure it's protected from the wind as much as possible; out of the direct surge of waves from large areas of open water; not in the main channel of a stream or tidal flow, or beneath the mouth of a dry wash, gulley, or feeder stream where flash floods may suddenly form. You should make arrangements for launching and perhaps storing a rowboat or dinghy at a point on shore near where the boat is moored so that you can easily get to and back from it. For this reason it's usually a good idea to moor the boat near a friend's waterfront cottage, near a yacht club, marina, boatyard, or public park. In many places mooring spots can be rented for prices ranging from $5 to $50 per season.

In addition to being economical, a mooring offers other advantages. For instance, being offshore, it protects your boat from the dangers of the shore and the attention of trespassers. A moored boat can maneuver better than one that is docked under any condition of wind, tide, and traffic. But the selection of a mooring spot is important. If you're close to the shore or a dock, you'll need only a few strokes of the dinghy's oars. But you run the risk of damage if your neighbors get careless in approaching and leaving their moorings. A remote spot may require more rowing, but particularly for the beginner the extra space allows greater freedom of movement when leaving the mooring.

Beaching a Seven Eleven. Crew member steps out in shallow water to guide boat onto the beach.

A mooring for a small sailboat usually consists of the following four parts: 1) the anchor; 2) the chain; 3) the mooring pennant; 4) the mooring buoy. For permanent mooring in most waters, a heavy mushroom anchor is best, but a couple of used engine blocks, if available, can be used. For a sailboat up to 25 feet in length, a 75-pound mushroom anchor is recommended in sheltered areas, while a 125-pounder is best for more exposed areas. Chain (approximately ½- to ⅝-inch in diameter) should be used on a permanent rig, with plenty of scope (scope of at least 2½ times the greatest water depth) to allow for bad weather, which usually brings high water with it. Attach the mooring pennant (a ⅝-inch manila or a ½-inch nylon line) to the end of the chain and then splice it into an eye on the end of the chain with a heavy thimble so it won't chafe through the line. This line should come up to the boat and is made fast to it. Chafing protectors should be placed on the line to protect the hull of your boat. Best buoys are of galvanized iron, fiberglass, or plastic; they can be obtained from your boating supply dealer. Wood lacks buoyancy and soon becomes waterlogged, but a 5- to 20-gallon oil drum, properly cared for, lasts for years, even in salt-water. Actually, when making up your mooring it's a good idea to follow local practice or yacht club rules. Marine dealers often make and sell a complete mooring that meets local conditions and approval.

Air-rollers can help to make launching and beaching a sailboat an easy task.

Trailering Your Sailboat

As was pointed out in Chapter 1, with a trailer you don't need to keep your sailboat moored in a permanent anchorage during the boating season. With it you can keep your boat in your backyard or garage the year around, thus saving all mooring or dockage expenses.

There's no trick or mystery about towing a trailer behind a car, but it may take a while for you to adjust yourself to trailering your sailboat. Before starting on a long trip, take a few practice spins. See how the trailer handles, and see what effect braking and curves have on your car's handling. Make sure that all equipment aboard rides well without shifting, chafing, or rattling. Trailer balance is another point to consider. Generally the boat's center of gravity should be slightly forward of the trailer wheels so that a sufficient load is carried on the bumper of the car. If too much weight is put in the rear of the boat, the trailer will tend to bob instead of riding smoothly. Weight adjustments will be simple, since a mere shift of weight inside the boat itself will give you the balance you need. Make sure that the craft is secured safely to the trailer. Be sure that your trailer is equipped with all safety devices required by law and that you use them all when trailering your boat. When taking your trailer from one state to another, check the Motor Vehicle Bureau for trailer regulations. Each state has a different set of rules.

In driving, remember to give yourself plenty of room to brake to a smooth stop. The extra momentum caused by the weight of a loaded boat and trailer means that you need more distance for stopping. Travel a little slower than you normally would, and try braking a few times at various speeds to see how much distance it takes. A rear trailer light, with a brake "flasher," is a must; and directional lights are advisable. If you haven't the latter, roll the window down and use the unmistakable hand signals to warn the driver behind you.

Swing wide when passing and make sure that the road ahead is clear of oncoming vehicles. At crossings, make extra wide turns to clear high curbs after giving a hand signal to warn drivers. Use an outside rear-view mirror, since the boat's bulk will make the inside type impractical, and keep an eye out for pedestrians and jaywalkers who may inadvertently

Steps in launching a sailboat from a trailer: (1) Step the mast and attach boom; (2) bend on sails; (3) launch boat into water from trailer; and (4) hoist the sails, attach tiller and you are ready to get underway.
 
walk into the side of the trailer. In other words, you have to allow another two feet or so at the curb when turning corners and, in passing other vehicles, a good long lead before pulling back into the right-hand lane. Remember, you're driving two vehicles, not one plus the additional length of the mast.

When launching a sailboat, you should always use improved launching ramps wherever possible; they're usually hard-topped and make the job much easier because they're built at the correct angle to the water. But if it should be necessary to launch from an unimproved natural site, choose a spot with a gradually sloping shore that's hard enough to give your tires plenty of traction. On sandy beaches or in muddy areas, better traction can sometimes be obtained by deflating your tires slightly. (If you do let air out, remember it before you start your trip home and pull into the first service station to boost the pressure back to normal.) If you have a pair of air-rollers, you won't have to worry about this, since you can leave your car on the road, away from the water, yet launch your boat easily on them without a ramp.

If you're contemplating a trip to strange and distant waters, it's wise to find out ahead of time the available launching facilities. Almost all bodies of water that boast any amount of boat traffic will have a site suitable for small sailboat launching. Boatyards, public parks, and marinas almost always have launching ramps or good beaches. If you are not sure, write for information to the local chamber of commerce in the community you intend to visit.

Backing to the shore, come in at a right angle to the shoreline and remember this tip: If you want the trailer to go to the left, turn your steering wheel to the right (top). // you want the rear of the trailer to go to the right, turn your steering wheel to the left (bottom).

When backing toward the water, come in at a right angle to the shoreline and remember this tip: If you want the rear of the trailer to go to the right, turn your steering wheel to the left; if you want the trailer to go to the left, turn the wheel to the right. One way to make turning easier is to twist around in the car seat so that you're looking backward over your right shoulder, through the rear window. This places the boat's bow directly in line with your vision, and you "aim" the trailer at the selected point, using the craft's bow as a gun-sight. Or you may use a guide to help you back up to the water's edge. Your crew can watch the rear of the trailer as you back and call out instructions to line you up at a right angle to the shore. Don't back too fast.

Before launching the boat from the trailer, step the mast in place, attach all standing and running rigging, and bend on the sails but don't hoist them. When actually launching the boat, be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions explicitly. Once the boat is floating in the water and the trailer has been removed to a parking area, the boat can be got underway as follows:

1. If the wind is blowing offshore or parallel with the shore, the helmsman should climb aboard while the crew holds the bow. He can install the rudder and insert the tiller, but all the sheets should be left free. The crew should now give the boat a good push away from shore and climb aboard while the helmsman balances the boat. He then turns the tiller so that the bow begins to swing in the direction he intends to sail. Slowly draw the sheets in until the boat stops moving astern. It may be necessary to "back" the jib to make the bow point correctly. As the boat stops and then be gins to move ahead, reverse the tiller, allow the jib to draw properly, and lower the centerboard approximately half-way down.

2. With an onshore wind, the major problem is to get the boat into deep enough water for the rudder to be installed, the centerboard to be lowered completely, and for the boat to go on a tack into deeper water where there's room to leeward for maneuvering. In this case, the crew boards the boat first and stand by with the paddle. As the helmsman climbs aboard over the stern, he gives the boat a push into deeper water away from shore. While the helmsman drops the rudder into position and fits the tiller properly, the crew paddles the boat into the wind and deeper water. When the boat is in deep enough water for the centerboard to be lowered completely and for the rudder to function, the crew can then back the jib so that the bow falls away from the wind on the tack on which the craft is intended to. sail. Draw in the sheets and get underway as fast as possible. If you have an outboard motor aboard, the problem of leaving a beach is greatly simplified. Just operate the motor until you get into the desired sailing position, kill the motor, and go off under sail power alone. To bring your boat ashore to reload on your trailer, follow the instructions for beaching a craft given in Chapter 5.

Steps in launching a car-topped boat. Brackets or racks for carrying a small sailboat atop a car can be purchased at any auto supply dealer. They cost anywhere from $7 to $25 and will hold safely when the boat is lashed in place.

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