OK, got to the water and had everything up in 1hr 15 minutes. Happen to meet someone who helped push the boat to waters edge and I asked if he wanted to ride along. We got out into the middle of the Bay all while trying to figure out the jib sheet which was rigged backwards and there was no way to pull it tight except from in front of the block.. my bad. Then my crew showed me his hand which had a pretty awful gash. So we headed back in, and OH NO. All the Latino families had their babies in the water in the small craft launch area... The sign said: NO SWIMMING. I planned to head straight in which I did all while yelling like a maniac at the top of my lungs. to get the attention of the parents to get their kids out of the way.., my crew got the one dagger board up and I the other and the boat hit the beach. He went off to get a bandage and I re-rigged the jib sheet.. He came back and told me medical person advised not to get wound wet. So, feeling a tad tired from all the excitement I decided to pack it in. The person helped me get the boat back to the trailer and helped with small tasks. He said: THIS BOAT REALLY NEEDS TWO PEOPLE. I said: YES. We exchanged numbers and he told me he'd go again. So now I have someone who can help. SHOULD I DO THIS AGAIN.

You may be able to solo sail a H18 but you really need two for ground handling. Talk about getting help. Since I took up the small ramp putting the boat away, another small sailboat mono hull wanted to get to the beach, so I helped him carry his boat past my H18 to the water!. He was sailing in no time...



Edited by goodsailing on Jun 07, 2015 - 08:00 PM.

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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Stick with it. Yes it will be a steep learning curve. But a H18 is a great and forgiving boat. Better two up while learning, but I really love single handing mine for the rush it gives. Make sure you can right it. You will need too. Find a place for mast up storage some you spend time on the water not rigging. That time will be worth more then anything.

Ha, yep did that first time out on the second year I had my 5.2 - a miserable mistake to make!. You learned lesson 1, always triple check your rigging before you head out (hard to do when you don't really know exactly how everything works yet). Nothing on a beachcat is easy to rerig on the water. And lesson 2, tape/file/cover all your sharp corners, those boats can bite! I've gashed my knees and legs so many times I almost always wear pants now.

Coming into shore with a boarded boat is always a bit of an adventure. You will learn to raise the lee board early and windward at the last moment. Also you will start to figure out how to manage speed coming in and dump wind. Rick White's videos are actually pretty good at showing some of those things, a little cheesy but worth it if you are a beginner (and a refresher at the beginning of the season).

You will need a crew for a while until you get better at boat handling and managing the work load. Before you start to solo you will likely want to to look into a few things. #1 a righting bag (Colorado bag company on ebay makes decent ones at a good price),#2 Roller furler for your jig, a really good way to reduce your workload in a hurry and a good way to depower when you get out of your depth. Also lets you depower coming into shore. And if you can't get the boat to tack you can unfurl in a pinch to give you more power in front of your pivot point (boards). #3 a good set of Cat Trax from florida sailcraft, these really make getting the boat to and from the water way easier. I only need mine a few times a year but they were worth every penny I paid!

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Actually, it was better solo during FIRST SPLASH, as I had to lead, instruct crew, take crew for medical help which ended my sailing for the day. During First I headed for beach then turned parallel to beach directly into wind, in irons to depower, but that added to amount of work pushing the boat up the little bank. This time I wanted to drive it directly up the bank and succeeded all except for not getting the windward board up all the way. No problem though. Then when we got it on all 4 beech wheels that boat nearly sailed itself to the parking lot! HA!

Built righting pole.

Yes must watch out for sharp ends.
Thanks for the tips...

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Goodsailing

Laser-Standard Rig (Sold 6/15)
H18 (Sold 7/15)
Building 19' Tacking Outrigger
Balt-Wash Area
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