Sailing tips and advice

From where I’m sitting, everything David Gray44 and that other guy say carries weight; they clearly know their stuff. But since you two agree on some points and clash violently on others, it's impossible to tell who actually holds the edge in expertise or experience. It just proves my theory: the more people you ask for advice, the more conflicting answers you'll get, with everyone insisting they're the authority. Personally, if I were handling this, I’d just hire a reliable, high-end US firm to manage it all—that way, when things inevitably go sideways, I have someone specific to hold accountable.

David Gray44 said:How do you offload a used mast? It’s simple. List it at a nautical expo and someone might actually bite. I know the riggers over in Seattle love to mess around with old masts, but pass the word along...
The price is the kicker. If someone needs that exact model for their specific boat, you'll strike a deal where everyone walks away happy. But most buyers—the ones without a clue—just look at height and length, completely ignoring whether the mast is even compatible with their vessel...

I'm curious, what does "riggers from Seattle" actually mean?😕 😕 Is that a specialized crew focused on rigging and trimming, or just sailors, or something else entirely🤷 , because I haven't heard of that being an official profession.

If you're looking for riggers in Seattle, you should check out the maritime shipyard or hit up the local tavern (099 2222 55 1 - I’ve called that number before, though they have a few others). Honestly, my best advice is to just head straight to them. When you go to talk about that mast you're selling, it really helps to have some photos ready along with all the technical specs and gear details handy.

Hey everyone,
If you own a boat, you own problems. It’s a package deal, whether she’s brand new or a total relic. Boats are way too complex for most people to handle alone—you can't be the mechanic, the electrician, the sailor, the carpenter, and the rigger all at once. 🤷
I’m not looking for lectures; I want solutions. Every little marina is already crawling with enough armchair theorists.
So, I'm asking both the rookies and David Gray44 to cut out the theory. Give me real-world fixes for actual issues you've faced. 😕 Anyway, cheers to the blog and to the sailing lifestyle.

Lisa Alvarez2 said:Hello everyone,
Owning a boat means owning a list of headaches; they come as a package deal whether the hull is brand new or ancient. A vessel is far too complex for any single person to master—you can't be the mechanic, the electrician, the rigger, and the carpenter all at once. 🤷
I’m looking for practical fixes, not lectures. Every marina from Seattle to Miami is crawling with armchair experts who have nothing but theories.
So, I’m asking both the rookies and David Gray44 to skip the philosophy and share actual solutions to problems you've faced. Otherwise, cheers to the blog and the
sailing lifestyle. 😕

👍 👍 🙏 🙏

Lisa Alvarez2 said:Hey everyone,
If you own a boat, you own a headache. It’s just how it works—doesn't matter if she's brand new or an old relic. Boats are way too complex for one person to handle everything. You can't realistically be your own mechanic, electrician, sailor, carpenter, and rigger all at once. 🤷
I'm looking for actual fixes here, not just endless theories. Every little marina and harbor is already packed with enough armchair experts who think they know it all.
So, I'm asking both the rookies and David Gray44 to please cut back on the lecturing. I'd much rather hear about specific problems you guys actually ran into and how you fixed them. 😕 Anyway, cheers to the blog and long live the sailing lifestyle!

Long live the sailing lifestyle! That's really what it's all about. Honestly, I didn't mean to fall into that "know-it-all" trap, but I guess I got carried away again... My bad. At the end of the day, we're all just students of the sea, and we'll probably die still learning something new. But hey, if you ever need a hand troubleshooting something and I happen to know the fix, I'm happy to help. If I don't know? Well, I won't pretend to be a genius.

Looks like nobody else is really chiming in here, so I figured I’d jump in and say something myself!
Hey there, fellow fans of the sailing lifestyle!
By the way, we had some racing going on today. It was actually a little chilly right before they gave us the signal to start, but once things got moving? Man, it was absolute madness—just pure waves, sunshine, and wind... everything you want.

Harold Morales said:Looks like we're a bit quiet in here, so I figured I’d jump in!
Shout out to all my fellow sailing lifestyle fans out there!
By the way, there was a race going on today. We grabbed first place! It was actually a little chilly right before the start, but once things kicked off, it was pure madness—just waves, sun, and wind everywhere...

It's good to see more people around, though you're being pretty short with us...

David Gray44 said:It’s good that there are more of us around, but you’re being pretty stingy with the words...

I mean, there isn't much to say, really. You either sail or you don't. People only start talking when they get stuck in some nasty headwinds!

And that regatta? It was basically the holiday cup for the local yacht clubs. From the small setups to the heavy hitters, maybe about 30 boats showed up in total!
It's always a blast when people are out on the water.

What happened? Why the radio silence? Did everyone just run into trouble, or did you all get too carried away during the holidays? 😁 I know, the winter storms hit hard and you have to check the lines and everything on the boat—especially the fenders, ropes, and bumpers. 😠 You should also check the bilge and your instruments if you have them. Does anyone actually know what needs to be done before or during the winter layup, huh? 😕
Cheers to everyone, including them

Hey there. I didn't expect to stumble onto a sailing forum, but here we are.

I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to racing, though I absolutely love being out on the water. I’ve already got my boating license and my driver's license, and I've joined a few local regattas. Next year, I'll actually be stepping up as a skipper for some races my company organizes. I could use a little help deciphering the markings on those Olympic triangles. I've seen them illustrated, and I assume the race shortens by about two marks when time is running out, but I'd really like some actual facts. If there's a seasoned sailor out there who can clear this up for me, I'd appreciate it.

If you aren't planning on sailing through the winter and the boat is going on dry storage, you need to start by washing all the salt off everything—the sails, the lines, the anchor, even the chain locker. You should also check the engine, grease everything down to prevent corrosion, and flush out the water tanks and whatever else.
I can't think of anything else right now...not to mention all the exterior maintenance.

David Gray44 said:When should you swap out the rigging? Ideally before they start snapping. Generally, wire rope rigging has a lifespan of about 10 years. Of course, some people run them for over twenty, but that’s just asking for trouble. One important thing to remember: even if you're just sailing for fun, you still need to replace them every decade or so. It isn't just about the load; it's about how the internal parts of the swaged terminals are holding up. There's actually an instrument used to check that...

Well... I could just flip it around and shorten it by about 4 inches, right?

If anyone’s looking for the lowdown on the Meta class, just give me a shout. We lost the first one to a wipeout near Santa Barbara about a month back, but we've managed to push it out to about 18.5 miles so far—we’re pretty convinced it can hit the 25-mile mark if we keep at it :-). Cheers to everyone, especially that little firecracker and the rest of the crew :-))

Brandon Mitchell6 said:If anyone has questions regarding the Meta class, please don't hesitate to reach out. It hit the water for its maiden voyage about a month ago near Santa Barbara, and we've managed to push it to about 18.5 miles so far. We truly believe it can hit the 25-mile mark :-). Best wishes to everyone, especially our resident hellcat and the rest of the crew :-))

That’s an incredible boat you have there. I am counting down the days until my week in Santa Barbara... I might just lose my mind from all the excitement! 🙂

Lisa Alvarez2 said:So, what happened? Why the radio silence? I mean, did everyone run into trouble or did you all just get way too carried away with the pre-holiday festivities?😁 I get it, though—winter storms roll in and you really have to double-check your lines and everything on the boat, especially the biminis, the dock lines, and the fenders.😠 You probably ought to check your canvas and instruments too if you've got them. Does anyone actually know what needs to be done before or during the winter months, huh?😕
best to everyone, including them

I know, but honestly, it would take me like several pages to cover it all. Just grab a nautical magazine; they’re always printing stuff about this kind of thing.

Grace Green6 said:Well... I could probably just flip it around and shave off maybe 4 inches, right?

Technically, you can't really do that because the upper terminals are pressed in too, right? They deal with all the same issues as the bottom ones—the only difference is they aren't sitting in salt spray as much, so they don't hold onto moisture quite as easily. Everything else is pretty much identical...

Harold Morales said:I know, but I’d honestly need a few whole pages to explain it all. Just check out those sailing magazines; they're always covering this stuff.

If you've got a problem, just deal with it!

It’s been a minute since I’ve checked in here, and honestly, it looks like everyone else has been MIA too..
Anything new happening? It’s mid-June, so the sailing season is really starting to kick into gear... or are we all still obsessed with skiing?

David Gray44 said:I haven't been around here in a while, and it looks like most of you have been MIA too..
Anything new to report? Is everyone getting their sailboats ready for the season, or is everyone still obsessed with skiing?

We were out sailing in San Diego this weekend.🙂