The Vancouver Fleet, a group of BCA members who are planning to leave for offshore in the near future meets on fourth Tuesdays at the Scottish Cultural Centre. There was a full house for the April Fleet meeting on April 25.
As is the custom the program committee set up the program for the evening; presenters were introduced by committee member Julie Dunne.
Julie introduces Carol
First on the program was Carol Hasse from Port Townsend Sails explaining the use of the trisail and storm staysail in heavy weather.
Carol Hasse
She showed the advantages of using a trysail over a reefed mainsail and explained how to rig it using its own sail track and sheeting it to the deck rather than the boom.
Carol explains the rigging for a staysail
A storm stay sail can be hanked on to a removable inner forestay. Running back stays are not needed if the forestay is fitted near the top of the mast.
After the break Laurent Devin of sailing vessel Letitgo described his and Valerie’s cruising experience over the last five years. They left with the Fleet of 2011 and except for a short visit never came back and have no plans to return.
Laurent Devin of Letitgo
He described their cruising lifestyle – relaxed, enjoyable, spending lots of time in their favourite places, and avoiding crowded anchorages. Except for a brief spell of heavy wind crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec, they sailed in ideal conditions. Their secret was to study the weather and stay where they were until it was favourable. The secret to riding out heavy winds at anchor was chain – lots of it and heavy. They had three sails and he is not sure where the third one is right now. Crossing from Ecuador to the Marquesas they used “one side of the sail”.
The next meeting will be on May 23 and will feature Ryan and Bryson Robertson on offshore weather and how to obtain weather information while at sea.
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