Big Ocean Small Boat

…so little time.

I’m flying back east for the j/30 regionals in conneticut this weekend. Something that’s always an annoying source of stress is whether an over-zealous TSA screener will impound my spinlock harness because of the compressed CO2 cartridge. Which, considering that they confiscate chapstick that’s not confined to a ziplock bag, is a legitimate concern.

What I usually do is print out a copy of the CFRs with the appropriate exception (that an inflatable PFD is allowed by the FAA) and tape it to the harness. It seems to me that the subspecies of Pettious Athoritorio in question might respect this type of talisman of higher regulatory authority.

Here’s the relevant CFR (49 C.F.R. § 175.10 (25)), and here’s an easy-to-understand PDF.

So sweet.

These run at least 1/2 size small, so I’m glad I got the 13.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was interested in continuing to upgrade the boat. I think the excuse is going to be all the singlehanded sailing I want to do this year. Basically, I’m a gearhead.

Solo-sailing upgrades

• Monitor windvane steering
• Tillerpilot
• Windward sheeting mainsheet car
• Spinnaker sock?
• AIS system

Performance upgrades

• Carbon masthead wand
• Line adjustable jib fairleads
• Double spinnaker sheet turning blocks
• VMG display

Nice-to-haves or cruising upgrades

• Utility bilge pump - Gulper 320
• LED cabin lights
• Second (Zulu) clock
• Cockpit sheet bags
• 2nd compass
• Heart link 1000 batt monitor

Now that we’re in, I can mention how terrifying the idea of a man overboard on a short-handed ocean race is.

During our initial MOB training in May, Colin the then-neophyte sailor suggested a dedicated GPS near the MOM8 for MOB use. At the time, I poo-pooed the idea a little, but since the TP, I really have been considering it strongly. It’s a great idea.

It also turns out that the big guys (i.e. the V70s and the like) have a single “big red button” dedicated MOB system that logs a GPS position. I’m going to look into getting a low-draw handheld with a dedicated MOB button, hardwiring it to the 12v system and hanging it on the port stern pulpit. The power cable can come up through the obsolete DGPS beacon antenna fitting.