Y-Flyer

Again its that time, in the off season at parties when people who find you have a sailboat let you know they have always wanted to try sailing. You may wish to avoid their company come spring so you may wish to consider these tactics to make sure they never ask you again. These are almost guaranteed to work, especially if your crew is new to sailing, a little nervous or cannot swim.

1. Mention that you go sailing in any weather, the rougher it is the more exciting.

2. If they ask if the boat will tip, just say, 'It hasn't yet!'

3. Ask them to bring an extra change of clothing as you get lots of spray and the odd wave in the cockpit.

4. When they arrive, ask if they read the news about the sailors who were lost in that race down under.

5. Tell them about the close calls a few of your fellow sailors have had with broken rigging and summer squalls. Be sure to mention the person that fell overboard.

6. Show them the bucket that 'another crew' used because he was sick most of the sail.

7. Haul in the sails on a broad reach and get the boat heeling - 10 degrees is OK for modest discomfort, 15 degrees for genuine panic and 20 degrees and above for a show stopper.

8. Bark out a couple of orders using as much terminology as possible, such as stow that spring line, or shorten the topping lift or tie a figure eight in the main sheet.

9. Above all, don't tell them where you are going, or what you are going to do next and why. Just yell, 'Coming about' and hope for the best.

10. Don't pay any attention to worried looks and ignore requests to wear a PFD.

11. Be sure to mention that you haven't had time to check out a through hull fitting and you hope it holds.

12. When they cannot hold out any longer let the mainsheet out so it takes twice as long to return to the dock for them to use the facilities.

13. When you arrive at the dock, mention how calm and easy it was. Then ask them to come racing for some real excitment.

14. Introduce them to friends (or enemies) who are on the lookout for crew.

15. And finally, at no time during the outing mention or even hint how much you love to sail, how much you enjoy the peace and quiet and the chance to renew your soul.

Many young skippers feel that they have some magic bag full of tricks, or a special formula for moving the mast around before they can tune their boats. The truth is much simplier, as any good racing skipper will tell you. The best tuning is simply good upkeep of your boat.

The hull is the place to start. If you keep it neat, clean and dry, both inside and outside, you have gone a long way towards making your boat faster than any others in your fleet. When water is allowed to stand or accumulate in the cockpit of a wooden hull Y-Flyer, the wood will absorb some of the water if not properly coated with epoxy. Over a summer of sailing the water in the wood may nearly double the hull weight, making your boat slower. In older fiberglass boats this can also occur.

Unless your boat is stored in a shed, cover the cockpit, and the complete boat if at all possible with a plastic or a good quality canvas boat cover. The best type of cover is one that fits over the boom and comes down the sides of the boat. This should allow for ample circulation of air both fore and aft sections. Otherwisw the moisture inside will collect and heat up with the sun promoting growth of fungus and mildew. A simple cover that has both ends open will keep air moving. The cover will also protect the damage caused by UV.

At each station of your wood Y-Flyer, along the centreboard trunk there should be small drain holes. This allows the water to drain to the lowest part of the hull and is evacuated by the bailers. These bailers may not be perfectly installed, so water may remain against the centreboard. You may have to sponge from time to time. Drain holes plug up frequently and should be cleaned from time to time with a small wire or a clothes hanger.

Keeping the hull smooth and clean cannot be emphasized enough. All wetted surfaces, the boat bottom, rudder and centreboard make friction in the water. This slows the boat down. If these surfaces become dirty or damaged, even a small amount, the boat will be even slower. The answer to this is to scrub the bottom and if necessary wet sand with soap and 600 grade sandpaper. Some skippers also wet sand and paint their centreboards to reduce drag in the water. If you are hauling your Y-Flyer to a regatta, even with a bottom cover, it is important to wash and scrub the bottom of the hull when you arrive. You would be surprised actually how much dirt can penetrate through the bottom cover on a trip. Boats can be tipped on their trailers, at a dock or a sandy shoreline.

Many an old hand will tell you that the way to store your boat is near the water that you sail on and in the same upright position as when sailing. This is good advice. Storage outdoors keeps the boat in the same dryness or dampness that exists in nature. If kept in a warm cellar or garage the hull will dry out and even crack from the winter heat. However, the boat needs protection from the elements, especially ice and snow, so the ideal storage would be in a unheated outside shed. Otherwise a small frame should be built over the hull and covered with a waterproof tarp. Air should be free to circulate underneath. You can store the boat on your trailer, but you may wish to jack up the axial to take the weight off the trailer tires. Flipping the boat over is also a good idea, to prevent water from entering into the cockpit. You may wish to cover the hull to protect the paint or finish. Make sure all the water is out of the boat and remove all sheets and halyards. A few ounces of prevention will keep your boat in good shape and prevent costly repairs in the spring. This will allow you more time for sailing rather than being stuck on shore completing repairs.

Store sails for the off season in a warm dry space away from hot items like furnaces, water pipes and electric heaters. Sails should be folded or rolled to avoid unnecessary creasing which breaks down the material. Take your sails in for annual inspection and maintenance. If this is not practical, spread them out and look for wear, broken stiches and rips.

Annual cleaning to remove dirt and salt before winter storage is good. Use a mild laundry detergent, a brush and rinse thoroughly. Do not use excessive agitation. Dry before folding or rolling up for storage.

Mildew should be killed as soon as it appears to stop spreading. Small areas can be sprayed with Lysol spray. Larger areas can be washed with a 25% solution of Clorox bleach and water. Note sails made with kevlar or nylon should never be exposed to Clorox. Allow to rinse thoroughly with a hose. Stains will fade slowly with sunlight exposure once the mildew is dead. Storing sails dry in a well ventilated area reduces the chance of mildew.

In damp climates, spraying Lysol into the sail bag before closing will help reduce the chance of mildew. A suggestion is to add a pocket to the inside of sail bags for a sponge that gets soaked in Lysol to help kill mildew.

CYFYRA Note
A quick fix for stiches and small tears is waxed dental floss string and inexpensive but strong surgical tape found in any drugstore. See your local sail loft for repairs at your next earliest convenience.

1. If your crew puts up the spinnaker sideways, do you:

1. Patiently explain what they did wrong and ask them to try again?
2. Begin pelting them with turnbuckles, beer cans and any other objects close at hand?

2. If another boat crashes into yours, do you:

1. Immediately ask if everyone is OK?
2. Jump into the cockpit of the other boat and start to strangle it's skipper?

3. When sailing in flat calm, do you:

1. Sit back, relax and work on your tan?
2. Hoist your youngest to the top of the mast and tell him or her to look for wind?

4. When a crew member complains that he or she is wet, cold or otherwise uncomfortable, do you:

1. Listen sympathetically, then try to relieve the person's discomfort?
2. Shrug your shoulders and snarl 'WIMP!'