I sailed singlehanded from the bow on one occasion, standing up. I was
trying out a self-steering arrangement using a sheet to tiller setup. The
wind was light, the water was smooth, and the self-steering worked fine, no
matter where I put my 180 lb. I stood with one hand on the mast and, again,
felt secure.
But...on the other hand...the designer of the Potter, Stanley Smith,
wrote,"A light 14ft. centre-board boat can only be a freak if you can tramp
about the foredeck without fear of turning her over. Be careful. If you
have others on board and need to go forward on deck, see that they move
well aft in the cockpit so that the stable sections aft can do their job."
Probably that should be the last word.
Harry Gordon
P14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA
>Y'all ~
>
>I think in my "readings" today (all the postings) I have gleaned a new truth
>that
>I've not previously heard.
>
>So am I gathering here, that a big NO-NO is, when sailing alone, to go to
>the
>front, such as to take down the jib? Like, it gets roly-poly if I go up to
>the nose?
>So Ken Silverman's advice to me to make a jib downhaul that I can reach from
>the
>cockpit, is not a convenience issue, but a wisdom issue !!
>
>Am I right? Is that a rule to know? "No going to the foredeck when alone".
>???
>
>Thanks for the continued discussions of what beginners do to cause
>unfortunate
>mishaps. Keep up the chatter, I'm learning from you all and you might have
>saved
>me from the famed turtle with this new little nugget of knowledge! Keep 'em
>commin' !!
>
>Here's my by list of prevention measures so far:
>-do cleat the centerboard down
>-don't cleat the main
>-don't go out in wind that is beyond my capabilities or confidence
>-don't go to the foredeck when sailing alone
>
>What's my next lesson, guys ??
>
>Michele
>P-15 #2254 "SeaHorse"
>Oak Harbor, WA