New top hat owner...getting to know her
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:30 pmHiya all.
After nearly 10 months of trying to acquire/buy a top hat, I've now had her about a month. I moved up from a bluebird to a mark 1 top hat baker built I believe.
I went out overnight on Wednesday night. Sailing from Woodford bay, tacked up wind to manly, then moored on the courtesy mooring at milk beach for the night. I'm still getting used to the winches on the mast and think I might change that to lines running back to the cock pit. On the bluebird I could easily raise and lower from the cockpit with the no need to move forward except to quickly secure the main or help the headsail down in a blow. I do love mast winches though...
The other thing is, when I was running down wind from manly the other day, probably in about 25knots, outgoing tide(I was running against it)I had the jib out to starboard and the main to port. The boat started really rocking side to side so much that I had to run on a gybe instead. I think I just had too much sail out. I would have loved to know my speed. Normally the manly ferry leaves me for dead, but on this day i was almost keeping up! THink from Manly to Milk beach was about 40 minutes. not sure. i guess i was travelling about 6.8 knots most the way.
The last thing I'm wondering is that are these top hats prone to anything going on with the rudders? When coming home back to woodford and sailing past balls head(deepest part of the harbour) there was a big swirling in the water. I was running with the tide, but I had some trouble at a few points controlling the the boat. I sort of lost steerage for a moment and it scared me. reminded me of a time i went too close behind a cruiseship.
I think these two things were as a result of my having too much sail out(when the boat was going side to side) and this swirling at balls head causing loss of steerage.
I'm still yet to really get to know the boat. I'm a little worried as I haven't seen the hull. I guess I will need to have a dive and have a look cause I don't want a loose rudder! Great boat though, I love it. I think I should have probably should have decreased sail area a few times, but I'm finding this boat a little hard to do such things single handed as I get used to it. In the bluebird I had it Sussed. The top hat needs more muscle and a bit of planning.
After nearly 10 months of trying to acquire/buy a top hat, I've now had her about a month. I moved up from a bluebird to a mark 1 top hat baker built I believe.
I went out overnight on Wednesday night. Sailing from Woodford bay, tacked up wind to manly, then moored on the courtesy mooring at milk beach for the night. I'm still getting used to the winches on the mast and think I might change that to lines running back to the cock pit. On the bluebird I could easily raise and lower from the cockpit with the no need to move forward except to quickly secure the main or help the headsail down in a blow. I do love mast winches though...
The other thing is, when I was running down wind from manly the other day, probably in about 25knots, outgoing tide(I was running against it)I had the jib out to starboard and the main to port. The boat started really rocking side to side so much that I had to run on a gybe instead. I think I just had too much sail out. I would have loved to know my speed. Normally the manly ferry leaves me for dead, but on this day i was almost keeping up! THink from Manly to Milk beach was about 40 minutes. not sure. i guess i was travelling about 6.8 knots most the way.
The last thing I'm wondering is that are these top hats prone to anything going on with the rudders? When coming home back to woodford and sailing past balls head(deepest part of the harbour) there was a big swirling in the water. I was running with the tide, but I had some trouble at a few points controlling the the boat. I sort of lost steerage for a moment and it scared me. reminded me of a time i went too close behind a cruiseship.
I think these two things were as a result of my having too much sail out(when the boat was going side to side) and this swirling at balls head causing loss of steerage.
I'm still yet to really get to know the boat. I'm a little worried as I haven't seen the hull. I guess I will need to have a dive and have a look cause I don't want a loose rudder! Great boat though, I love it. I think I should have probably should have decreased sail area a few times, but I'm finding this boat a little hard to do such things single handed as I get used to it. In the bluebird I had it Sussed. The top hat needs more muscle and a bit of planning.