[quote=turbohobo]Peace Pete,
perhaps I can help out here, most of the lakes I sail are very sailboat un-friendly, concrete ramps, metal floating docks, rocks everywhere. the most important info I can share is to [b]know your lake area,[/b] drive the lake, check out all public access ramps, how they are setup and most important how they are located/oriented as to wind direction. As much as possible, when putting your cat in, you want it facing into the wind, so wind direction dictates where I will put in, and 95% of the time, I raise my mainsail on the boat while it is strapped to the trailer. Only when wind is blowing hard and at 90* to my put in, will I then leave my mainsail reefed on the tramp, to be raised after I park truck and trailer.
Public Access Ramps are just that, access for the public, and most of the ramps are wide enough for 3-4 trailers side by side. If the ramp you plan to use for the day gets busy, just make sure to get there early, I pull up onto the ramp, out of the way on one side, facing into the wind, and setup my P18, I have a roller furling jib so no worries there, I raise my mainsail and make sure my main sheets have enough slack so that if a gust swirls in from one side, the boom is not restricted. When boat is ready, I get myself ready, harness, life-jacket, water, etc, only when I am completely satisfied everything is ready, do I back the boat into the water, and only release the hold-downs at the last minute. Once again, wind direction dictates you want to be on the leeward side (down wind) of floating jetty, I use one of the many long bungees I carry to secure cat to jetty which has horn cleats, I prefer to use a bungee because its quick and easy, I can secure bungee to tramp lacing, and I can also use it to secure mainsail when I drop it, I make sure there is tension on the bungee to pull boat against the rubber bumper on floating jetty.
Then it's a mad dash to park truck and trailer, lock truck and run back to jetty hoping wind has not sideswiped the sails and put boat onto rocks, metal, concrete, etc. I walk my cat out to end of the jetty, give it a gentle push and step on the tramp, I grab the tiller extension in 1 hand, and push boom/sail into wind, this causes my cat to "back up" and I steer her as she moves backwards untill I'm far enough away from the jetty, then I use "opposite rudder" to swing the bows across the wind, sheet in, take off.
It does not always go to plan, but I don't let irate "motorheads" bother me, I always think of the "what if" scenario and try to plan accordingly, just remember this, any idiot can drive a power boat, but it takes skill and planning to sail. If the day calls for 15-20 mph winds, plan to get there early when the wind is still 5-8 mph, but then plan to drop your sail when returning to ramp when winds are 15-20 mph and paddle in, and do all of the above in reverse....... 8-)
Hope this helps
Turbo[/quote]
