Onderwerp: Eerste alleenstaande zeilreis! (Fellowship 28)

Hello!

I've posted my introduction some two weeks ago, and again i apologise for the post written in english - but these two weeks were not enough to improve my Dutch

I would like to share some pictures and a video of my first ever single-handed experience, a day sail from Muiderzand Marina (where i have my boat berthed) to Marken. For those who didn't read my introduction, I'm just having my first steps on sailing (started learning around 6 months ago), and bought my first sailboat, a 1978 Fellowship 28 around 2 weeks ago.
This was the first time i took her for a sail since the sea trials before i bought her, so i was very cautious and only sailed with the genoa. I started my trip in Muiderzand Marina and since the winds were favourable (although i got becalmed with zero winds for around one hour as you can see by the photos),
i eventually reached De Paard van Marken, then gybed and crossed the IJmeer back to the coast of Almere before getting back to the marina.
This was during the last weekend, which was fiercely cold but pleasantly sunny.

Of course that for all of you who have years of experience it might not sound as much but for me it was a big step, so i would like to share it with the forum!

Fantastisch

Nice trip!

But have you seen your doctor lately? You clearly have gotten infected with the sailing bug.
Don't worry, you can grow quite old with it. But it may lead to some compulsive behaviour whenever you're near water and boats with a stick on it. Anyway, I have the impression that you already gave in to this addictive behaviour by buying a sailing yacht just for yourself...

Have fair winds and following seas with your new boat! I'm sure you'll have loads of fun with it.

Benthic,

Mooi scheepje man.
Veel plezier er mee............gaat best goed komen.

p.s. wel ff je vlaggetjes aan de bb kant hangen hoor.............

As the Aussies say: Good on ye mate!

Gerard

benthic schreef :
Don't you worry, I feel that kind of exitement every time I leave harbour to go for a sail. It is a pretty disease and it won't kill you

Have a lot of fun and safe miles!

Same here it is quite exciting but it also feels wonderful and Very Satisfied.

Enjoy every moment of it!

Airgead schreef :
+1

btw Do you prefer our answers in Englisch or shall we reply in Dutch?
I think Dutch will improve your learning curve just as much as your sailing capabilities.

Veel plezier met het zeilen man.

Nice boat, great pictures.

One question: how do you pronounce the name of your own boat? "Gouwe Grietje" seems to be a name that English speaking people will have problems with.

gaaf man! geniet ervan
Waarom een portugese(?) beleefdheidsvlag?

Thanks for all the replies!

Yes indeed i've been bitten by the sail bug haha, and it feels really good.

Regarding the fenders on the side (i believe FriendlySailor mentioned that), i did not remove them because since i was alone i wanted to avoid going on deck: if i fall on the 2C water, i last 10 minutes, so i would prefer to survive my first trip! Need to get some jacklines, since i have the harness already. That was also the reason for which i only sailed with my headsail and didnt take out the main, since it requires me to go on deck (maybe i'll fix the rigging so i can do it from the cockpit later this year).

Regarding the name of the boat, i can actually pronounce it more or less well! But after this season the boat will be repainted (black hull) and renamed (still thinking about the name, though)!

For the Portuguese flag, i've read that it's OK to hang a courtesy flag of the nationality of the skipper or guests (i'm Portuguese) as long as it's the last one in hierarchy, so i keep of course the main Dutch flag on the pushpit pole, and added a Portuguese courtesy flag under the Muiderzand Marina ensign.

And finally, of course it's perfectly fine if you reply in Dutch! I can understand it better than i can write or speak, so for now i don't dare to write full replies in your language (only the titles since they're short and easier), but in case of doubt there is always Google Translate to help me out - this way i can also learn a bit more the language and nautical terms.
I've been reading this forum for a while with automatic translation, and it works pretty well 90% of the times

Cheers!

Hans V schreef :

benthic schreef :
I dare you to try typing in Dutch.
I bet you will learn to master the language in no-time.
In my experience Portuguese people can pronounce Dutch very wel and i noticed your English is close to perfect. Therfore i'm sure you should give it a try.
The people on this forum can be quite helpfull in general and won't judge you if you make small mistakes.

Saying this, i hope i didn't make any mistakes with my english.

benthic schreef : Actually i am pretty sure (may the experts join in) that it should be the other way round; since you are portuguese, there should be a portuguese flag on the right side of the stern, a dutch courtesy flag in the right side and the one from Muiderzand Marina at the left.

I definitely will! Just let me gather a bit more confidence and i'll try to slowly introduce Dutch in my posts!
And indeed, although our languages are not related, Portuguese and Dutch share a lot of sounds, so for us it's not as hard as for other nationalities to pronounce Dutch more or less correctly. For native English speakers it gets especially rough due to your "G" sound (which is similar to the Portuguese "RR"). But the main issue for me personally is the grammar, especially the way you invert the order of words in a sentence (comparing to Portuguese and English).

But its great if i can get some corrections from the forum!

PS: come on, don't worry about your English, you know it's perfect

TuuLeVi schreef :
Oh ok, i really thought that the main flag should be the one where the boat is registered in (i bought her here in The Netherlands, and it's a Dutch-built ship). I also intend to fly the Dutch flag even if i take the boat to Portugal, since you have easier bureaucracy and rules than Portugal.

But i read in some places that the way i'm using it is the correct, please let me know your thoughts:

https://www.sailingissues.com/flags-etiquette.html

The vessel's national flag - not necessarily the same nationality as the skipper or owner - should be displayed at the stern of the yacht; however on traditional yachts, placement on the main leech or gaff is historically more correct.
If the crew's nationality differs from that of the yacht, the crew's national flag can be flown under the courtesy flag at the starboard spreader. Likewise the nationality of an important guest on board is displayed this way.
Note that the European flag should not be used, since it doesn't refer to a nation.
Flag and ensign are synonymous. The name ensign is derived from the French enseigne and Latin plural insignia.

DavidS schreef :
I was super nervous on entering and leaving the harbour, especially getting back and docking alone!

I've ran a spring line from bow to the cockpit so i could cleat it without having to run through the deck.
Also used another line cleated at midship, since the pontoons at my marina are only around 5 or 6 meters while the boat is almost 9, so it was more practical to do that than cleating aft.

If you have some nice techniques on how to dock single-handed, stress-free and without destroying mine and all the boats around me, let me know! Until now i didn't really have the guts to go to another marina and dock on an unfamiliar place, but i plan to do so this or next week, and spend a night somewhere else.

benthic schreef :
Solo docking is the most precarious phase in (solo) sailing, especially when the wind and pontoon situation are working against you.

You could try docking astern as well and see if that makes it easier for you: when you're behind the wheel you are close to the pontoon so seeing the distance and fixing a line on the pontoon cleat is relatively easy. If you fix your stern line on the side of the side pontoon first and motor ahead gently you'll force your boat against the side pontoon (of course with some fenders in between) and you won't hit the neighbouring boat or anything else. With the motor in gear (ahead) you'll have all the time to fix the other lines and springs because your yacht will go nowhere. If something goes awry during the manoeuvre you just motor ahead, out of the berth, and give it another try.

The same technique can be used to dock to a quay. First fix your stern line on the side of the quay and put your motor in gear (ahead). With just this one warp fixed you can move your boat to the quay and keep it there.

Most yachts have plenty of power motoring ahead so it is easy to stop the boat when you're close to the pontoon or quay when going in astern and fix your first warp from the safety of your cockpit. The only disadvantage of this technique is that your rudder - which is more vulnerable than the bow of your boat - can hit the bottom when you enter a berth that's much shallower than you thought. So you have to be sure there is enough water before going in astern.

Good luck and have nice solo trips!

Hans V schreef :
I have to try going astern, never tried it! i'm sure that in my marina it's possible at least, since half of the boats are docked like that. Although i prefer to have the boat docked facing forward, else you do lose a bit of privacy if you stay on your boat, since the companionway and cockpit are directly facing the pontoon. But it should be easier especially for me since im not tall, the throttle control is close to the floor of the deck, and when throttling to manouver i always lose visibility of the pontoon and finger behind the dodger. it's all a bit pre-calculated angles when i dock and wishing for the best, since i have no idea of what is happening at the bow while i am throttling reverse to halt the boat.

when i dock facing forward i use the spring to the same effect, if i thottle a bit forward the boat will also approach the pontoon but there is the risk that the stern slips if i don't have a line cleated.

Never thought that docking was actually the challenge, much more difficult than actually sailing...

again thanks for all the tips!

benthic schreef : Dit klopt helemaal. Echter, omdat je in Nederland vaart is er geen sprake van een beleefdheidsvlag (de vlag van het gastland waar je bent). In jouw geval hijs je dus alleen het Portugese vlaggetje in het stuurboord want. Vaantjes van de club, marina en dergelijke (bijvoorbeeld het ZF-vaantje, Marrekrite, KNRM, Grevelingen) staan altijd aan bakboord.

ilCigno schreef :
ok then all the non-politeness flags go on port? i didn't know that
need to go up the mast to the spreaders, since the port side is missing the halyard... one more project on the list

bedankt!

Gaaf man!
je hebt gevaren, en nog alleen ook!
Muite bom!!!

Of je tocht ver is, groot, spannend, of wat dan ook: het gaat erom dat je geniet van wat je doet. En dat doe je goed door binnen je grenzen te blijven en je gezonde verstand te gebruiken.

En is het niet zo dat er heel weinig zeilers zijn die nu varen?

Ga zo door, blijf bij jezelf en geniet ervan!


PS. dank je voor het delen van de mooie foto's

erik van poppel schreef :
Obrigado!

I'll keep on posting the photos and videos as i make progress, glad you enjoyed them!

These are my first steps: maybe later on - i don't want to make any absolute plans about the timing, i will do it when ready - i will take this ship to Portugal and then perhaps continue onwards if all goes well.

But why do you say there are few sailors now? Were there more in the past?
Indeed i don't see many people from my circle or age (35) doing it actively, and literally no-one doing it in the winter. Just when they were teenagers in dinghy courses. On my case, although i had the curiosity since always, i just found the passion and "balls" to go ahead and learn just half year ago and it got me hooked immediately, just like Hans said before. And it is revealing itself as completely worth it (although it does somehow steal your soul away ).

As a side note, now i'm just eagerly waiting for the first real season in the Spring / Summer, since i never actually sailed one, just during Winter. It must be fun and different from what im now used to, since at this moment all the marinas are dead empty, even services are halved or non-functioning. Can't wait for when they come to life when it gets warmer.

It probably brings more problems which im not used to such as excessive traffic, but then there are many other lessons to be learnt. Meanwhile, i'm sailing in cold and foul weather while its less busy, just to get ready for the warmer and crowded season - although i plan to continue sailing all year long after this years' season comes to an end.

Cheers!