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drogue tactics In your recent article on drogues (January 2009), you describe the Jordan Series drogue, which is com- pact, simple to deploy, and tremen- dously effective, perhaps too effec- tive. So why doesn’t one just deploy a little less of the series drogue, or Just as winter descended upon North America, reader Marianne Webb trail less of it on a longer lead line sent us this photo of her Gemini 105Mc enjoying the clear skies and warm to achieve less drag. One could also waters off Barbuda. We print it now as a reminder: Spring is not far off. attach a trip line to the end, so that you could retrieve it from rear to front one cone at a time. that is unlikely to pull out of a wave change one’s mind and heave-to, if Rod Kleiss face and lose its bite. They don’t the crew gets tired. Superior Pilot, Vancouver Pilot have enough experience yet to say if When we go offshore, we carry a Bayfield, Wisc. this is a good idea or not. To follow large (18-foot) Para-tech sea anchor this and other projects, visit www. with 600 feet of dedicated line. We Circumnavigators and PS con- bethandevans.com. haven’t had to use it yet, but would tributors Evans Starzinger and Beth prefer to deploy it off the bow so Leonard, who produced the drogue Heavy-Weather Tactics that we can use the windlass to re- report, have in fact made their Generally, I find that I prefer more trieve it. When doing so, we would Jordan Series drogue in two lengths. flexibility in heavy-weather man- store the anchor and rode ready to They can stream both for maximum agement aboard our yacht, Free deploy in the port cockpit locker drag, or just one for reduced drag. Spirit, than a Gale Rider or sea and would run the end of the line However, even a shortened series anchor can offer. If one has limited up to the bow, outside of all rigging, drogue is still more difficult to re- sea room because of proximity to and then in to the bow over the cover than a single-element drogue shipping, rocks, land, etc., then us- because you have to be careful ing a drogue or sea anchor has risks on the web at not to rip the sewn-in cones while as well as benefits. As your January winching. Putting a trip line on the drogues article stated, it takes a www.practical-sailor.com series drogue is an interesting and couple of hours and a lot of sweat to debated topic. Various manufactur- bring in a drogue. f you find Technical Editor Ralph ers all advise against it, because I have found over the past 30 INaranjo’s epoxy barrier coat project they think it will create a major years of cruising that heaving-to (page 27) inspiring, then you’ll want to tangle. Also, the series drogue still using a deeply reefed mainsail or also read two related stories posted has significant drag when pulled in a storm trysail works well. We do free online: “Hull Blisters: Know the backward by a trip line. Starzinger not use a backed jib since we find Enemy” and “Do It Yourself Sailboat and Leonard know of two boats that that tends to push the bow off and Blister Fix.” To get the most out of the have tried trip lines on Jordan series makes the boat crab downwind products in our test of vinyl window drogues and reported that they have rather than stay up into the wind. treatments (page 22), the online not had tangles. The couple is cur- Free Spirit will ride nicely in 60 article, “Caring for Clear Plastics on rently working on a setup that uses knots of wind this way with fairly Your Boat,” offers some insight into two standard drogues, one behind heavy seas. the maintenance of hatches, port- the other, with 300 feet of rode If we have enough crew, then lights, and windows. These and more between. With this, they can crank it’s often preferred to out the articles can be reached by clicking away at the winch when recovering storm—at least if one’s destination the “Tools and Techniques” button at and they will have an arrangement is downwind. One can then easily www.practical-sailor.com. practical sailor MARCH 2009  m a i l p o r t

sider the shape and how that affects The February article was not the ability to generate lift. If a foil meant to imply that all new boats with half the area can generate the exhibited the tendencies same lift through a more efficient described. In fact, our testers’ shape, then all you lose is skin experiences with your T3400 have drag. That’s good right? But it can been positive (February 2006), go too far with very thin cross-sec- although we have not yet sailed tions that are more easily stalled, the fin-keel version in heavier air. creating a boat that is hard to keep Several readers also wondered in its groove. why the article did not touch on A nice thin rudder that slips eas- another related topic: stability. ily through the water stalls sooner. PS will be looking more closely at A stalled rudder isn’t making lift stability in a future issue, par- and isn’t controlling the boat. And ticularly as it relates to the new we didn’t even get into the issue standards used by manufacturers of the rudder broaching when the to classify boats as offshore ca- wider transom boats heel way pable. PS is genuinely concerned over. At what angle of heel will a that the European Community’s wide transom boat’s rudder Recreational Craft Directive The Tartan 3400 (above) is an ex- compared to a narrow one? Yikes. I (RCD) ratings (Category A, Cate- ample of a new boat design that has like Steve Killing and Doug Hunt- gory B, etc.) are misleading to new Black Billy by Photo succeeded in being well-mannered. er’s excellent book, “Yacht Design boat buyers. Explained.” Also excellent is “The Symmetry of Sailing” by Ross Gar- Waxing Painted Hulls? bow roller and three times around rett. Lots of depth. And some more: While reading the February 2009 the windlass and secure it to a bow “Principles of Yacht Design” by article, “Waxing Less than Poet- cleat. We would then feed it over the Larsson and Eliasson, “Seaworthi- ic,” I wondered whether it is nec- side slowly from the cockpit. This ness: The Forgotten Factor” by C.A. essary to wax a painted fiberglass accomplishes two things: It would Marchaj. hull that is in good shape? stop the boat more completely if close to dangers and, as mentioned, Dan Pfeiffer Frank Hall it can be retrieved more easily and Pyxis, Pearson 10m Miranda, CD Typhoon quickly because we have an electric Grand River, Ohio New Haven, Conn. windlass to do the work for us. Tartan 3400 A non-abrasive wax/ Bob Gould My current boat, a Tartan 3400 sealant or detailing Free Spirit, Mariner 47 (modern beamy design), exhib- spray designed for Boston, Mass. its no tendency toward the kind painted surfaces of behavior described in your might protect and Pearson 32 beam February 2009 article. Based enhance gloss, but Regarding “A Question of Balance,” on my experience, I believe the marine paint manu- February 2009. By my crude mea- factors you identified in the facturers are picky surements from the drawings you article (hull shape and keel/ about which products made, the 5-foot, 8-inch-wide Pear- rudder design, mostly) do not of they recommend. son 32 transom looks like 7 feet, 4 themselves create the balance Anything with an inches. This has significance in the problems you’re addressing. abrasive should be context of the article, if you consider Clearly, a good designer can avoided. Interlux the modern trend of wider transoms create a sweet-sailing boat with says its Premium Teflon Marine and the real reason for it: fitting that a smallish keel, a spade rudder, Wax is fine for its LPU paints, large aft cabin. These seemingly and lots of beam carried aft. My while the folks at Awlgrip advise small details become important in Tartan (beavertail shoal draft) is a to use only their Awlwash cleaner. the types of comparisons you are case in point. We will be including these types trying to make. of products as our review of waxes Also, you can’t simply compare Jim Starr progresses. In the meantime, we two foils (rudder or keel) based on Snap Dragon, Tartan 3400 would abide by the paint makers’ the lateral area. You have to con- New Bern, N.C. recommendations.

 March 2009 www.practical-sailor.com m a i l p o r t

Sturdee Cat was sized correctly for our 10-ton- Glad to see you are considering displacement boat and worked other daysailers. My 1975 14-foot effectively while cruising in our Stur-Dee Cat, Oldesquaw, probably local Pacific Northwest waters. sees many more sunsets while un- However, after a season of strug- derway than the trophy boats. My gling to recover our rode and wife, Kathy, and I are inspecting anchor at 2 a.m. in 30 knots in the the start of the Annapolis-to-New- Sea of Cortez, we upgraded to a port race in this photo (right). Lewmar V3, designed for a much larger boat. It has so far performed Ward Anderson well, but we have yet to be awak- Oldesquaw, Stur-Dee Cat ened this season with the wind Chesapeake Bay howling in the rigging and with a lee shore. Dogs, Windlasses, and Lastly, I’d like to comment on Emergency Tillers your article on emergency tillers. We recently received our mail, Our Bowman came supplied with and I read with interest articles in a laminated emergency tiller, the October and November 2008 which fits solidly onto the squared Reader Ward Anderson’s Stur-Dee issues, in particular the anchor upper end of the rudder stock. Cat slips across Chesapeake Bay. windlass review, teak caulk We can steer Curare in moderate update, and emergency tillers conditions with the emergency til- piece. I replaced the teak decks on ler, but need to reduce sail signifi- on board even when we leave the our Bowman 36, Curare, in 2000, cantly in anything over 15-knots boat. But we have finally found the using the Teakdecking Systems in order to maintain control. The answer. There is a new product that (www.teakdecking.com) technique emergency tiller does not provide does a great job of removing mildew and caulking. It any assistance, and keeping it away: Concrobium has stood up well however, should (www.concrobium.com). It can be over the last eight the rudder be- purchased at Home Depot in the years, the past come detached paint department, and works on two spent cruis- from the rudder fabric and hard surfaces, including: ing in Mexico. I’m stock, something wood, flooring, bathroom tile, por- glad to read that that has happened celain. It eliminates and prevents the caulking is to us before. I mold and musty odors, contains capable of with- have since retro- no bleach, ammonia, or volatile standing such fitted the rudder organic compounds (VOCs). abusive chemi- with a 1-inch Curare’s boat dog, Jessie, cals, something hole in the upper Howie and Anita Stein recovers from a night out in I never intend to outboard end so Tiki, Hunter 30 Mexico. subject our decks that I can lead a Huntington, N.Y. to. However, I line through it to can tell you that there is one toxic steer by should that situation ever Another reader suggested a kit substance that does readily break arise again. available on the web called Odor- down the caulking. We found this Xit ClO2 (www.odorxit.com) that out the morning after our dog, Jes- Geoff Goodall, produces small quantities of gas sie, had been ashore and led astray Curare, Bowman 36 that kills mold and mold spores on by a local Mexican dog. Whatever Vancouver, BC contact. We’ll grab both products Jessie had digested did not agree and see how they do. with her or the caulking—both mold remedies came very loose at the seams. In the January 2009 issue, you con- Getting 12v from 24v Regarding anchor windlasses, I ducted a test on mildew removers. Although my boat uses an engine had installed a Simpson Lawrence We have tried several of them on (gasp) instead of a sail, I read and (now Lewmar) Sprint 1000 to our Hunter 30 and found that the enjoy Practical Sailor each month. retrieve our 60 meters of 5/16-inch results do not last long, and some In the PS Advisor of November chain and 200 meters of 5/8-inch of the odors are objectionable. 2008, reader Peter Hoffman asked three-strand rode. The windlass I feel we have good ventilation about a converter to run 12-volt practical sailor March 2009  m a i l p o r t where credit is due appliances on an electric boat for adverse events with phenytoin topics can contact PS Technical equipped with two 12-volt batteries warrants caution. It appears that Editor Ralph Naranjo. A link with in series for 24-volt service. most side effects are from long- contact information appears at All he needs to do is connect his term therapy, not short-term ex- www.practical-sailor.com on the 12-volt devices to the individual posure. There are several articles home page. 12-volt batteries. He should attempt in the medical literature about to balance the load on each battery phenytoin and motion sickness. Teak Oils and Fires so they remain at close to the same Abstracts are available at In the January 2009 BoatU.S. maga- level of charge, if he wishes to ex- www.pubmed.com. zine Seaworthy, there is an article tend the life of those batteries. claiming that rags used with prod- Dr. Brad Grant ucts containing organically based Michael Flood (Dermatologist) oils like linseed oil can spontane- 27-foot Thundercraft Melbourne, Fla. ously combust. Is there any valid Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada concern here? We continue to get valuable reader As you mentioned, the uneven use reports on seasickness medication, Don Keskula configurationyou suggest—unless which we hope to use for a future ar- Naiad, 78 Pearson 10m carefully monitored—will result is ticle. Please continue to send us your dead batteries and/or reduced bat- experiences with various remedies Oil-soaked rags are a spontaneous tery cycle life. For this and other at [email protected]. combustion hazard because as the reasons, this arrangement does not oil oxidizes, heat is released. If the comply with standards set by the WEather classes heat is not dissipated, it can build American Boat and Yacht Coun- In your February 2009 issue, you up enough to ignite the rags. So cil (ABYC). Such an arrangement recommended Lee Chesneau’s you need to prevent the heat from would work if you connect weather seminars. The Seven building up or dissipate the heat. everything through a bat- Seas Cruising Asso- It is suggested that when you are tery equalizer system ciation (www.ssca.org) finished, they not be crumpled up from Vanner (www. will be reactivating in a pile but rather be placed in a vanner.com), which its weekend work- water-filled container or rinsed and is widely used to shop program, and then laid out flat to dry. mix and match Chesneau will 12 and 24 volts. be kicking it off Corrections Unfortunately, the with a weather The correct price for the 32-ounce price of entry is workshop May bottle of Thetford Mildew Stain around $750, or so it 16-17 at the SSCA Remover featured in our January was the last time we home base in Fort 2009 article on mildew cleaners is checked. Battery equal- Lauderdale, Fla. All are $14.99, or 47 cents per ounce. izers automatically switch welcome to attend. and allow for even charge and The photo on the bottom of the page discharge of battery banks con- Judith R. Mkam 10 in our January 2009 review of nected to them. Association Director daysailers is a J-100 not a J-120. Seven Seas Cruising Association Seasickness remedy Dacron is the trademark for the I read with interest your excellent As it has in the past, Practical polyester made by the DuPont Co., article on motion sickness (Janu- Sailor wholeheartedly endorses and it is not a nylon, as was im- ary 2009). Phenytoin is one effec- the aims of the Seven Seas Cruis- plied in the January 2009 Mailport tive prescription medication that ing Association, one of the oldest section. was not listed. groups of its kind. Cruising sailors It is commonly prescribed as who have not yet participated an anti-seizure medication, but is in the SSCA online gear survey Practical Sailor welcomes letters from our used off label for many maladies. (www.ssca.org) will want to check readers. Please include your name, home I have tried most of the antihis- the latest data. Practical Sailor is port, boat type, and boat name. Send tamines and scopolamines and also working toward developing an e-mail to [email protected] found them ineffective. Phenytoin educational component. Readers and mail to Practical Sailor, 7820 Holiday Dr. is the only product that prevents who are interested in organizing S., Suite 315, Sarasota, FL 34231. motion sickness for me. The risk their own seminars on a variety of

 March 2009 www.practical-sailor.com where credit is due

Harken Blocks during my online research that Several years ago, I purchased a the warranty was just three years Harken (www.harken.com) triple from date of manufacture. These 57mm carbo block with a swivel. devices go for about $350! After a There was no way to lock the swivel call to MetalCraft/Sea-Fire Marine, in position on the boom. I presented maker of Sea-Fire Extinguishers, the problem to Neil Evans of Harken, I was sent a pre-paid shipper to and he offered to send me the part return my unit for evaluation. Less that would correct this problem. I than 10 days later, I received a new Lowrance LMS-525c e-mailed him with a photo of the unit with no questions asked or an issue with, besides needing a block and offered to pay for the service charges. Now that’s great firmware update that Lowrance part and shipping. I received back customer service! clued me into. For any and every an e-mail stating that the part was question I’ve ever had about the shipped that day, and there was Pete Moxon LMS-525c, Lowrance (www. no request for payment of any sort. MicMac, Hunter 36 lowrance.com) has been right there What a way to build customer loy- Deltaville, Va. on the phone, extremely helpful. alty. I am a customer for as long as I In summer 2008, I began the own a boat. Kiwi FEathering Prop research on a tillerpilot for my PS has reported favorably on the Newport 27-S II, finally settling on Dave Silverman Kiwi Feather Prop (www.kiwiprops. the TP-22 from Simrad (www. Moxie, Irwin 30 co.nz) due to its simplicity, du- simrad-yachting.com), partly be- Waukegan, Ill. rability, and minimal service cause this was the parent company requirements. During a recent bi- of my Lowrance unit. To my frus- Kenyon Stoves annual haulout, it was noted that tration, however, I found the TP-22 My Kenyon Express II butane the PETP Nose-Cone on our Kiwi signal cable was terminated with a stove’s igniter died, so I called Ken- Feather Prop had cracked at the proprietary Simrad SimNet connec- yon Appliances (www. cap screws, al- tor, rather than standard NMEA2K kenyonappliances. though there had socket. After getting over the irrita- com) and ordered a been no decre- tion of having to buy a $50 Simrad new one. Frank, ment in perfor- adapter cable to go from SimNet to their service mance noted up NMEA2K, I went to buy one, only rep, sent me to that time. I am to discover they were out of stock. a new one pleased to report Ultimately the tech staff suggest- gratis. When that Kiwiprop ed that I simply cut off the SimNet it didn’t fit, he USA promptly connector and buy a field-install- said he would Kenyon Express II supplied our lo- able MareTron NMEA2K connector. send me a new one cal boatyard with a re- They referred me to the download- as replacement. My stove was sev- placement part at no charge. I don’t able manual to one of their SimNet eral years old and not under war- believe such outstanding service autopilots that documented wire ranty, but they replaced it. Now should go unnoticed. color-coding to its screw-connec- that’s service. A good product and tions. (As it turns out, NMEA2K exemplary service. It can’t be beat. Bob Bedford white is SimNet’s yellow.) Vesper, Freedom 35 Soon enough, my TP-22 was lis- Mark Fontaine St. Petersburg, Fla. tening to my Lowrance LMS-525c Lady, 1947 Owens Cutter and steering to my next port, not Annapolis, Md. Simrad+Lowrance a glitch! And better yet, the LMS- Two summers ago, I began my 525’s stubby triangle position-icon Sea Fire Automatic Fire exploration and learning-curve of changed to a sleek sailboat icon Extinguishers NMEA2000 technology and gear. with the TP-22 is connected! Last fall, the Sea-Fire Auto- I purchased and installed my basic My hat’s off to the helpful and matic Fire Extinguisher (www. network. The Lowrance LMS-525c honest technical staff at Lowrance sea-fire.com) on my 2007 Hunter with external GPS receiver served and Simrad. 36 dropped below a full charge, as my basic NMEA2K “backbone.” requiring me to use the override Combined with a Navionics Nau- Jeff Stennett switch to start the engine. After ticpath card, it’s been an amazingly Listen, Newport 27s-II removing the unit, I found out accurate device that I’ve never had Magothy River, Md. practical sailor March 2009