Re: Boat to Trailer Recovery in Windy Conditions

Jim Tietjen (jtietjen@bellsouth.net)
Fri, 26 Mar 1999 05:09:30 -0600


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Hi,

I have had my Potter about a year, and I cannot remember two similar
retrievals. At my favorite sailing spot, there is a finger pier with a
sailboat-only ramp to its lea. I sail up to the pier, drop the bow line
over the bollard and go get the trailer. Most of the time I am able to slip
the trailer under the boat and just winch in two or three feet of bow strap
to snug the bow. But when the prevailing winds shift directions, the whole
procedure changes and can be very challenging. And, yes, I have begun
pulling the boat out of the water without thinking of untieing it from the
pier. I have also learned not to raise the centerboard too far out from the
shore. Not only is control significantly reduced, but I ship a lot more
water up through the trunk than I want. Sea water would not be so bad, but
brown river water is disgusting.

Jim Tietjen
P19 #1015 Sevushka
Huntsville, AL