An interesting de brief on tragedy at sea. Some very good observations.
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Well worth watching – thanks, Thor.
BTW, I’ve noticed that several of the original how-to sail a Nonsuch documents also make the same recommendation to reef while on a broad reach rather than pointing dead into the wind.
– Bob
I just watched that last night! Terrible story but great recommendations. Story well told!
Cheers -
Bob G
Here’s another video about safety at sea. I liked it, nearly all make sense.
Thank you for posting this, Thor.
Some very sound advice to be used for every sail, not just days where the conditions become difficult.
Peter Grabow
Interesting video. AI voice and image selection, probably from a human written or at least human-directed-AI script. I agree 100% with all ten items, but did notice a few errors in the electrical explanations. For example, it’s not arcing in a failing wire nut or fatigue-cracked copper wire that causes the fire, it is heat developed from increased resistance due to smaller contact area or wire cross-section. Resistance drops voltage, equipment then pulls more amps to develop the necessary power and the increased current across the resistance causes an increased voltage drop. This results in more current drawn and the cycle continues until it burns. Current (amps) times voltage = power (watts) and that is where the heat is generated.
But even if they didn’t quite understand the underlying causes of some failure modes, their advice is good and we should all watch and think about this since most of us seem to maintain our own boats. It just might be better to listen without watching. Using a sinking power boat to demonstrate the potential failure due to a sailboat losing its keel is very AI. And the video is a deluge of these random clips. I even saw my surveyor’s name and business URL in one of the clips. 
Thor
Thanks much for sharing! Tragic event. Invaluable info. Greatly appreciated.
For anyone wanting to follow up on the battery safety reminders, this is a good link: Battery Banks & Over Current Protection - Marine How To
– Bob
Bob, do those documents suggest reefing with the sail full or at least partially full? For comparison this article describes a downwind reefing process for a bermuda rig’s mainsail that doesn’t require heading to wind or luffing.
The OP is a sad story but worth watching. Thank you Thor.
The New Nonsuch Owners Quick Guide, found by opening the MEMBERS tab on the www.Nonsuch.org website and clicking on MANUALS, says:
Reefing can be done on any point of sail from directly into the wind (if you have the engine on)
to a beam reach. The key considerations are being able to ease the sheet until most of the drive
is out of the sail while still keeping the boat moving comfortably and under control.
That’s from page 11, third paragraph. I’ve always taken it to mean that the sail should be not full and tight, but also not luffing madly. Just somewhere in between the extremes.
The Morgan’s Cloud lesson on reefing makes a couple of assumptions that don’t fit our boats when it talks about reefing on a downwind course. It assumes you can rig a preventer, that you have a vang, that a single line handles reef clew and tack both, that the sail is not loose-footed, and that your boom is underneath the sail rather than in the middle on both sides. These differences make me doubt whether what works for a Bermuda rig would necessarily work for us.
I’m not the world’s foremost expert, so I won’t say that reefing a Nonsuch with the wind aft of the beam can’t be done. All I can say is that I myself wouldn’t know how.
It’d require figuring out how to deal with two sources of friction: from the sail slides being pulled sideways relative to the track, and from the loose sail and its battens catching on the leeward side of the wishbone boom. Having the wind aft of the beam causes those problems. Having the wind forward of the beam solves them.
– Bob
Thanks for weighing in, Bob. None of the assumptions that you refer to in the lesson seem like absolute deal breakers, except probably the preventer.
I’ve never put much thought into how you could rig a preventer on an Nonsuch, but I guess I had always hoped it was possible. I wonder if anyone has tried?
From the lesson, it seems clear that their advice on dealing with friction is to have a nice big winch. On my NS30, I only have one for the main halyard. In order to reef conveniently under load, presuming it worked at all, it seems like I’d want three two-speed winches: one for the main halyard and one for each of the reefing lines. Or at least clutches on both of the reefing lines so that I could easily switch them on and off of the winch.
I don’t think anyone has figured out how to rig an effective preventer on a Nonsuch. There’s not enough boat forward of the mast for a traditional one. And the boom isn’t at the bottom of the sail, so the friction type has no place to attach even if it could handle our much longer boom swings than on a mast with stays. A Nonsuch is a coastal cruiser and if conditions get that bad you should probably get into port before you get so tired that you cannot maintain your focus and prevent the gybes yourself. Or drop the sail and motor in a safe direction until conditions improve.
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Nonsuch’s are far more capable boats than they get credit for.
You can downwind reef, yes depending on what track you have installed there is friction involved. (For me the top full batten tension adjustment is an issue but only on a starboard gybe) I’ve never had to grind in the tack of the reef on any point of sail… the clew definitely needs a fair bit of topping lift to scandalize the main and to grind it in.
Just have a play and practice what works for your set up. You will be able to achieve more than you would think reading online.
Colle
HippĹŤ 30C #173, Port Washington, NY
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In regards to a preventer in the traditional since I agree.. not enough boat forward..
but depending on your point of sail i find it very useful to rig a second main sheet through a snatch block on the mid ship cleat.. this give more control and down force on the aft end of the wishbone when reaching or running.. and something for the main sheet to grind against. If the end of the wishbone is between the mid ship cleat and the main sheet you can grind it on and it will stay there.. even when backed.
Colle
HippĹŤ 30C #173, Port Washington NY
Colle, thanks for contributing your experience. I’ll definitely try it in the spring to see. I have a Tides track so friction shouldn’t be too much issue. Have you run your topping lift forward to the mast and back to the cockpit? Mine currently adjusts and cleats to the aft end of the wishbone. Adjusting it in conditions where a reef is called for is quite tricky. Understanding by “scandalizing” a Nonsuch main you mean to create slack in the leech by taking up the topping lift?
Regarding the second mainsheet – could you make a little drawing of this perhaps, or attach photographs if you have them? What use have you found for backwinding the main? I can understand why the midship cleat works as a better leverage point for the main at deeper points of sail.
I definitely have a photo somewhere of the second sheet ran, I’ll have to track it down. Basically all I’ve done is tie a spare line on to the aft end of the wishbone then once it’s out past the life lines I pass the line under and through a snatch block attached to the mid ship cleat then back to a couch top winch.
If it’s a short Gybe it isn’t worth it.. but if it’s a rolly sea and a bit frisky you can grind it tight that will hold the wishbone in place and keep it from banging, bouncing, and wanting to gybe. Even on a close/ reach it’s worth rigging depending..
You are correct about my topping lift. It is run forward and comes back to the cockpit and I’ve reduced it to a 2:1.. there was to much friction in the 4:1 that came with Hippō and it’s not needed. It’s now all Dyneema with a low friction ring spliced into the section attached to the mast head. ( I’m sure I have a photo somewhere as well)
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