Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Well, I guess I must have had another 30 ish kilos on board of water, food clothes, tent etc. It was great under sail, but not so good paddling! I too struggle to pull her up a beach when loaded, so that gives some idea of the all up weight. Luckily on this trip I only needed to get the nose on the beach as I got where I was going at the top of the tide!

Chuck

Member

Registered: 24 Nov 2020

Posts: 136

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

I think next time I go out I will try to see if it is possible to launch the boat and amas separately, and then attach the amas underway. It seems it might be possible...

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Good to hear all your news!
Regrettably, I have not had a busy sailing season but all that is coming to an end with my 6 day Dutch trip next week.
I have just finished packing up the boat and then unpacking (as it is going on the car roof) and I took the opportunity to weigh the contents. It came to 11kgs aft of the sitting position (mainly bedding),  56.8kgs in the mid position and a 41kgs in the forward locker). 
I have replaced the water ballast in the forward locker with removable lead to make more stowage space and I could dispense with this 18kgs if the wind look light. I have also added 9 kgs of removable lead ballast either side of the sitting position as stabilizers as I am a lightweight (72kgs) and I don't want to roll over in bed and capsize!
Fortunately, a barge will be accompanying the flotilla next week and hopefully I will be able to offload some ballast if it all proves too heavy.
I'll let you know how I get on.

Chuck

Member

Registered: 24 Nov 2020

Posts: 136

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Good luck Martin -- and have fun!

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Martin, good luck! I hope you have a lot of fun there, and I look forward to hearing how you get on

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

(Not getting notice of new posts again it seems...)

So reading latest posts are giving me some good news on your activities!

BG that 30kg went into the midship's locker? Or a bit in front and behind cockpit?

Chuck let me know how that plan works! I'd thought about it also, maybe launch from a ramp then make for nearby beach where the amas + aka assembly awaits attachment? I'll be returning to my hinged aka project over the coming winter.

MartinC I hope that 41kgs far forward doesn't affect helm underway! Swapping kit for water ballast makes sense for an extended tour, adding lead worth the effort for reduction in volume for the weight over same in water too, why I went that way with what I added (and have yet to evaluate!) last year. I'll be anticipating your reports (maybe pics too I hope!) from this latest endeavor you have planned!

There was an article from Small Craft Advisor a couple of days ago about double-enders & the potential issues over lack of buoyancy astern vs. transom designs when at or over hull speed. Recalling our Texas builder's comments about following seas when he was doing the Florida 200 a couple years back I can imagine how this kind of thing might affect our craft. Nose-down trim may reduce potential a bit I'm thinking while affecting other aspects of sailing or Mirage-propulsion performance.

In your activities, both on land and out on the water, please be safe!

Last edited by spclark (6 Sep 2023 2:38 pm)

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Oh - I must see if I can get hold of that small craft advisor article. What was the main thrust of it? When I was last out I got ‘caught out’ by a squall front - it came through as I was running almost dead downwind - with the full rig up… I must admit that although she was very much over-pressed, I was really impressed with how well behaved Svale was. I did have to pick my moment carefully to luff up and get the mainsail down to avoid burying an outrigger, I didn’t fancy getting wet and there was easily enough strength in the wind that if mis-handled I am pretty sure we would have gone for a swim even with the outriggers. I then carried on under mizzen alone which also worked very well, even though the balance must be way off.

I was also out in more open water and bigger waves earlier in the day and found she was very well behaved. I haven’t really been out in what I would call big waves though. I am working up the footage from that trip into something I will put on YouTube soon.

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

May be paywalled, but it's here:

https://smallcraftadvisor.substack.com/ … dium=email

Last edited by spclark (7 Sep 2023 3:26 am)

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Thanks SP - an interesting article! Either I have not been going fast enough, or Dillon put just enough volume far enough back to keep the Waterlust well behaved!

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

I think maybe both Guy! The one report from our Texas builder's worthy of note but without more information stands simply as a caution.

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

As promised, I finally got my videos lined up and up on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/vrCgdysSfQA

Enjoy - I will warn you it’s a bit long, but some may enjoy it!

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

As promised, I finally got my videos lined up and up on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/vrCgdysSfQA

Enjoy - I will warn you it’s a bit long, but some may enjoy it!

Long is GOOD Guy! Can't wait to view it onced I'm off work later!!

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Excellent Guy! What a lovely cruising area and congratulations on your cinematography. How you manage to film and sail a Waterlust is beyond me.
I have just returned from a lovely 5 day cruise in Holland, Friesland, (Dorestad Raid) with 23 other mainly Dutch 'Raiders'.  In due course you will be able to access a Youtube video taken by one or more of my colleagues. (One even used a drone to film from his sailing canoe!). We sailed a variety of routes starting at Akkrum and finishing at Burgum.
The weather was scorchingly hot (about 29/30 degrees every day) with very light winds, so not ideal for my cut-down rig. It meant pedalling every day for about 5 hours (20kms) which was tiring for an old bloke, but meant I slept well onboard and lost over a kilo in bodyweight!
The boat performed very well. With the ballast mentioned in my previous post she was extremely stable for living/sleeping onboard, and for an experiment I halved the 40kgs of forward ballast for the last couple of days. Surprisingly, this made very little difference to the ease of pedalling, but there was a noticeable difference in stability; so I shall reinstate this next season. 
My conclusions on ballast are that the exact positioning is as important (if not more so) as the total amount. I am not an expert at this, but my feeling is that there is absolutely no problem with carrying 40kgs of weight in the forward locker as long as this is balanced by about the same weight amidships and in my case, 11 kgs at the rear. To this has to be added the weight of the daggerboard and the crew.
Here are a few photos.

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Martin,
What an expedition that seems to have been! Thank you for sharing it and the lovely photos. Gaia is looking superb with the little cuddly and cut down rig. It really made my day seeing the photos and hearing about your sail. That looks like such a wonderful experience and some really amazing places. I love the contrasts between you sailing, what looks like almost in peoples back gardens, through to the misty morning (or evening?) shots anchored up by the reeds. How did Gaia compare speed wise with the other boats there? Are you happy with your ‘live aboard’ arrangements after a more extended trip?
I look forward to the video!
Guy

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Thanks Guy.

Yes it was a wonderful trip. With her cut down rig Gaia is not a competetive sailboat in light airs. While others were sailing I was having to peddle to keep up...But that is not all bad.

One has to get into the mindset of 'motorsailing' and enjoy the sensation of the wind helping you pedal rather than the other way round. I enjoy pedaling and it keeps me fit.

With the pedals I was easily able to keep up with the fastest of the other boats (and point up better) as long as my stamina lasted!

Regarding living conditions. Yes. With a mosquito net over the cuddy and cockpit (held on with velcro) I slept very well on-board and could have cooked comfortably if required. (It wasn't, as meals were provided on the 'mother ship').

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

A few more photos which have been sent to me by kind 'raiders':-

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Cracking photos! It’s lovely to see nice shots from outside the boat when she is sailing along so nicely.

Last edited by Bergen_Guy (17 Sep 2023 1:35 pm)

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neaTbxu67v0

A lot of fun, but not much wind as you can see!

spclark

Member

From: "Driftless" Wisconsin USA

Registered: 19 Mar 2020

Posts: 465

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neaTbxu67v0

A lot of fun, but not much wind as you can see!

Yeah well fun is the important part Martin! There's such a thing as too much wind you know.

Your 'custom' sail rig I think is a result of your prior experience with that sort of thing taking the fun out of A Day Out. I know I've suffered similar... why I instead opted for the ama kit. Which in itself offers a major stability improvement to this design, but adds a measure of frustration when preparing to get out onto the water when a public ramp is necessary.

My hinged aka project came to an abrupt halt last spring. I'd been working steadily towards a solution to the Wide Beam Effect the amas + aka adds to the launch/recover effort. Had to leave it where I did when we had to bid our last remaining 'rescue' canine Sadie a final farewell mid-May.

She'd evidenced the presence of wide-spread cancer a month or so before, and I'd been 'nursing' her along since about this time last year as she began to show signs of her advanced age. Being a 'rescue' she could have been 16 for all we know; we shared almost ten years together, for which I'll be forever grateful. A beautiful spirit in such a small body.

I'll be picking up where I left off with that pretty soon now that bicycling season's done (at least for y'rstrly) here. Getting back on to two wheels was a wonderful return to something I hadn't done since Before the MOVE a decade ago. The terrain here offers much more challenging riding potential; I had to 'upgrade' my 50+ year-old Motobecane Grand Record road bike to deal better with the hills I can ride very close to home. But the bike project took focus off the Waterlust adventure... can't do as much as I used to believe myself capable of as I close on my 75th birthday next spring.

Here's hoping you're all well and enjoying the approach of the Holiday Season once again. Come back here and let us all know what you're up to, yes?

Last edited by spclark (30 Nov 2023 4:02 am)

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

I am very sorry to hear about your loss of your old friend SP. They become one of the family don't they.

As pedalling has become a part of your life again you must do more Waterlust 'flippering' (as the Dutch called it!).

Gaia is now safely up in the roof of the garage and I only have one winter task and that is fitting a roller to my tow hook crane contraption so that sliding the boat onto the roof will be less creaky as I become more creaky! I'll leave painting and varnishing until the Spring.

Wishing you and all Waterlusters a very Happy Christmas and all at Fyne boat kits a Happy and prosperous New year.

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

A merry Christmas to you all!

SP, very sorry to hear about Sadie.

Svale is now hung up on the (outside) wall of the garage, with a cover to protect her from the worst of the weather. I hope not to find anyone nesting in her in spring, I will have to get going with a varnish top up before the birds get going in the spring! What better motivation to kick off the season early!

fair winds all!
G

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

OK Waterlusters. What are your plans for 2024?
I plan to stay in my local area this year although hopefully venturing onto estuaries and possibly coastal waters once I have done a few more capsize drills on the tame waters of the Norfolk Broads.
How are you getting on with your rigging experiments Chuck?
Do you have any 'raiding' plans Guy?

Bergen_Guy

Member

Registered: 6 Feb 2020

Posts: 352

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Martin, thanks for kicking off the year already, the sun has just started shining here after a long cold and snowy winter.

I have a few plans that are not 100% firm yet, the first in June being a wooden boat show on Hardangerfjord, at a place called Norheimsund. Mostly about big old boats, but Svale will sneak in as part of the show too! I hope the sun comes out.

I would also like to attend the Dinghy Cruising Association rally in Denmark again, Lymfjorden was fun two years ago, and I hope will be again, if I can afford the time off, as it's quite a way.

On other plans, I would like to test my hollow mast at some point, it's been built, but not tested, so I must do that. Otherwise just keeping up with a few improvements hear and there, maybe organise the stowage a bit better, and a clip or two to keep paddles attached but out of the way, and I have a dream of building a boat tent, but I suspect painting the house will come first this year!

Happy sailing to all of you!

Guy

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

Good to hear from you Guy. Glad you have more adventures planned. Keep us posted.
This is the full version of the video of last year's Dorestad Raid (just released). You might catch a few glimpses of Gaia if you don't blink!
https://youtu.be/HGUr73qR4i8?feature=shared
I won't be doing this year as it clashes with a family wedding but next year's Sail Festival in Amsterdam looks fun.

MartinC

Member

Registered: 3 Apr 2020

Posts: 341

Re: Waterlust sailing canoe in Norway

PS. Guy you can see my very primitive cobbled-together 'boat tent' close up in the early part of the movie. I am sure you can improve on the design!