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West Wight Potter Mailing List maintainer
dfarrell@ridgecrest.ca.us
List hosted by www.tscnet.com
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Nancy,
First, don't despair, it's a great boat to trailer and launch. Slips are
great for a quick getaway, but definitely limit your range. Most of us have
had heartbreaking experiences. Many of us have scars on the boat to prove it.
I have several! However, that one great afternoon of sailing on Lake Oswego
at Cooperstown NY was worth the tow from Virginia and back. It was my best
sail to that date. I practiced tacking into the wind all afternoon trying to
get back to Cooperstown (which was of course exactly where the wind was from).
I learned a lot and my ne[hew thought I knew what I was doing. <bg>
Second, I don't have babystays or shrouds yet. I'm in the process of getting
together what I need to rig them, but if they don't keep the mast from swaying
enough to keep it from damaging something than they are useless. From the
other responses you have received it sounds like they are too loose. I am
short, chubby and not as agile as I used to be. Having met you I am sure you
could raise the mast without babystays IF YOU did the balancing and lifting
(mast isn't heavy) and some one else cranked or whatever. I have raised it
once on dry land by myself, but it was a "stretch'--pun intended. I normally
tie a line to one of the halyards, wrap it around the bow pulpit twice and
have someone hold it slack until I want to move up to the seats or up to the
cabin top . When I am ready to move I have them put tension on the line. They
aren't holding any weight, and I can steady the mast with one hand while
climbing or stepping up (or down in lowering). My wife usually holds that
line although I have had a "dockhand" or a volunteer powerboater (who thought
that was a neat boat...if it had been a P15 would it have been "cute" boat?)do
it. I suppose they could let go, but they aren't holding any weight so it's
no strain on them. With a crank system all they have to do is crank, you
could guide.
I am installing the babythings so I can raise it alone. I intend to mount a
block on the bow pulpit to run the line thru and then back to a clam-cleat of
some sort and then I can lift, tighten the line and cleat it, step up, lift,
etc. I want to be able to do the mast thing while floating.
Third, I am sure many of us would be happy to commune by phone or private
email, but I personally would rather read of your problems and/or questions
and/or ideas and the responses to them which might just teach me something I
might need someday. I don't think we should take these discussions off-list.
I suggest you continue to post your questions here. Anyone who is not
interested can use the delete button; which seems to be necessary from time to
time for non-sailing related posts.
Fourth, Anyone who wants to blast me for paragraph "THIRD" please do it
off-list to me. Anyone who wants to blast me for Potter opinions feel free to
blast me on-list, I might be wrong!
PS The "Owners Manual for 1989-90 was a joke, and I hear it hasn't improved
(I'll bet International Marine is writing a new one right now that they are
going to ask Jerry and Judy and several others to read and comment on before
they publish it).
Ted Duke, Fairfield, Virginia
1990 WWP-19 #626 "The Duchess"
(short mast-long boom)
-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy E. Wigal [mailto:newigal@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 07:10
To: wwpotter@tscnet.com
Subject: Bad mast raising experience
snip
Had a mast raising disaster Friday. I was all set to take "Baydream,"
my brand spanking new P19 out on her maiden voyage. Went on down to the
marina and the dock boy offered to help me the raise the mast. Being 5"
21/2" and 110 lbs., I accepted his offer, ASSUMING (you know what THAT does)
he knew how to step a mast.
>
snip
severely bending the mast step plate.
snip
What I now need is some help. Should the baby stays be taut? I have them
loose.
snip
I am scared to death to entertain the notion of trailering the boat. I have
this thought
that the boat and mast have beaten me, that I’ll have to set it up at a marina
in the
permanent mast raised position, thus spoiling my dream of trailering this
thing up and
down the length of the Chesapeake Bay, sailing at various locations.
snip
>
the owner’s manual leaves a lot to be desired.
Thanks for listening,
>
Nancy E. Wigal
HMS 1135 P19 "Baydream"
>
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