Sailing

Good eye Burnham! Yes she was a bit short rigged at first.
When the top four feet of the mainmast broke on passage from Bermuda to the Bahamas, we took the opportunity to increase the height of the masts by five feet when we replaced the masts with aluminium ones. That also meant a complete new suit of sails once all was said and done.
The mainmast was a 55' section of 'Victory 83' the British 12 metre, the mizzen we found in a blokes backyard in the out islands in the Bahamas (along with 20 stainless turnbuckles and bronze spelter sockets and heaps of stainless rigging wire), and the fore we got from a salvage yard in Florida. All up spent about $1500...incredible. We re-rigged her ourselves. I have a nice scar on my finger from a disk grinder incident...

All the halyards except for the gaff mizzen, ran through turning blocks to jam cleats and a central electric deck winch between the fore and main mast. The gaff mizzen halyards were on the mizzen mast.
There were eight halyards, nine sheets. Once upon a time I spliced them all (double braid)
Once the three staysails, gaff mizzen and trysail topsail were set, you could tack or gybe without tending them, the sheets ran on a block on a rope across the deck, the sheets were 4:1 purchase.
The outer jib and fisherman's topsail ( the four sided one up top) had to be sheeted across and reset.
There was no reefing, sails were either in or out, up or down. Seven gears.
The staysails were heavy and could stay up in 60 knots depending which point of sail we were on.
 
No reef points at all on the mizzen? Or am i overestimating the sail area/ underestimating the tonnage when running jib and jigger? Or did you guys just run bare poles often since it's a double ender and likely took care of herself just fine? I haven't done hardly any heavy air, so hearing first hand really helps to hear how you guys approached it. Absolutely a beautiful boat, i would have had a very very very hard time parting with that.
 
That's right no reef points anywhere. Each sail was either up or down.
Never run bare poles, hove to for extreme weather was mizzen staysail or main staysail sheeted tight, helm over. We had a drogue ready to deploy, never needed it.
Only ever hove to twice in the time I was on board, once in the Med, we were in force 9 with force 11 forecast ahead of us, no point sailing into that, we hove to and let the system pass in front of us. The other time, I can't quite remember where we were, somewhere on the Europe side of the Atlantic...the old auto pilot packed it in and the seas were horrible and the wind was contrary, only two of us and to hand steer all night, nah...so again we just hove to and let the worst go on by. Not long after that is when we fitted her out with an Aries wind vane we named 'Harold', our third crew member.
Parting was indeed bittersweet. However, chapters in life close, and others begin.
 
What is it? Almost looks like a flika but i can't tell for sure. I'm sure you will have an absolute blast with that
 
My father had a Cape Dory, small one, probably 12'. It was versatile, good for sailing, rowing or small motor.
 
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Hell yeah Cory, they were a pretty prolific builders. Never seen A CD10, buy they're All pretty. Learned after buying the boat that the founder of Cape dory moved up to Maine after selling and continued to make boats in Georgetown ME for many more years. Two peninsulas over, or an easy day's sail. This boat really pings my yankee sensibilities.

Had 2 local OP'S (old people/ respected elders) look at her today, and apparently she's sound as best they could tell. 4 hours of hull scraping, living the dream 20210714_180003.jpg
 
Awesome skill to have. I'm handy with an awl but not with a sewing machine, dang it
 
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