Sailing Beginner - Launching the Sailboat
In my previous article, I covered briefly how to get your boat trailer ready to tow the sailing boat to the water. This article will cover how to launch it safely. Personally, I never owned a boat before, so I had to learn how to launch one from scratch. Here is how I was able to accomplish a successful launch of my sailing boat.
First, I take off the bow safety chain and the nylon strap at the stern so that the sailboat will float once I’m in the water, releasing it from the trailer. Tip: Here’s a little tip I picked up and that is to disconnect the trailer wire from the tow vehicle before you back the trailer into the water. This will avoid burning out light bulbs unnecessarily because when backing the boat trailer on the ramp the brake light is already hot and once submerged in the water it can easily short out. I know this works, because one day while launching my sailboat I forgot to disconnect the trailer lights and burned out one of the bulbs instantly.
Next I attach a 25-foot piece of rope to the bow of the boat and hang it on the boat trailer. Then I point the side mirrors on my vehicle down, so that I can see the boat ramp, thus avoiding driving off from it. Once the trailer is completely submerged, I put the vehicle in park along with the parking brake. And then I release the sailing boat off the trailer by slowly cranking the winch handle until I determine that the boat is now free from the trailer.
Sailing Tip: A word of caution is merited here, please be careful to keep clear of the boat winch handle especially when the winch is under tension by the weight of the sailboat. My Renken 18 foot sailing boat weighs over 1,200 pounds and creates a lot of tension when on a incline of a boat ramp. What happened is that I accidentally released the winch while being distracted and the handle just about knocked my two front teeth out! Don’t let this happen to you! If you are going to release the boat winch all at once, make sure you position the handle in a neutral position first to avoid any injury. After that mistake…
I release the tension on the sailboat by cranking the winch handle slowly making sure to keep my body clear of it, then once the tension is totally released, I unhook the winch strap from the bow. Then I gently push the sailboat off the trailer while at the same time grabbing the piece of rope I tied to the sailboat earlier so that the sailing boat can’t get away from me. Then I maneuver it as to secure it to the dock. Stay tune for my next sailing beginner post.
I hope you are enjoying my sailing beginner blog, however, if you’re really pressed for time, I have also put together an audio and e book for a nominal price, so that you can learn how to sail while commuting to work or anytime you can listen to your favorite audio playing device. So now there is no excuse for you to daydream any longer about sailing! Get started today, you will be glad you did. Just click this link: www.sailingbeginner.com for more information in getting your hands on a copy of my audio and e book. Until then- Happy Sailing!
In my previous article, I covered briefly how to get your boat trailer ready to tow the sailing boat to the water. This article will cover how to launch it safely. Personally, I never owned a boat before, so I had to learn how to launch one from scratch. Here is how I was able to accomplish a successful launch of my sailing boat.
First, I take off the bow safety chain and the nylon strap at the stern so that the sailboat will float once I’m in the water, releasing it from the trailer. Tip: Here’s a little tip I picked up and that is to disconnect the trailer wire from the tow vehicle before you back the trailer into the water. This will avoid burning out light bulbs unnecessarily because when backing the boat trailer on the ramp the brake light is already hot and once submerged in the water it can easily short out. I know this works, because one day while launching my sailboat I forgot to disconnect the trailer lights and burned out one of the bulbs instantly.
Next I attach a 25-foot piece of rope to the bow of the boat and hang it on the boat trailer. Then I point the side mirrors on my vehicle down, so that I can see the boat ramp, thus avoiding driving off from it. Once the trailer is completely submerged, I put the vehicle in park along with the parking brake. And then I release the sailing boat off the trailer by slowly cranking the winch handle until I determine that the boat is now free from the trailer.
Sailing Tip: A word of caution is merited here, please be careful to keep clear of the boat winch handle especially when the winch is under tension by the weight of the sailboat. My Renken 18 foot sailing boat weighs over 1,200 pounds and creates a lot of tension when on a incline of a boat ramp. What happened is that I accidentally released the winch while being distracted and the handle just about knocked my two front teeth out! Don’t let this happen to you! If you are going to release the boat winch all at once, make sure you position the handle in a neutral position first to avoid any injury. After that mistake…
I release the tension on the sailboat by cranking the winch handle slowly making sure to keep my body clear of it, then once the tension is totally released, I unhook the winch strap from the bow. Then I gently push the sailboat off the trailer while at the same time grabbing the piece of rope I tied to the sailboat earlier so that the sailing boat can’t get away from me. Then I maneuver it as to secure it to the dock. Stay tune for my next sailing beginner post.
I hope you are enjoying my sailing beginner blog, however, if you’re really pressed for time, I have also put together an audio and e book for a nominal price, so that you can learn how to sail while commuting to work or anytime you can listen to your favorite audio playing device. So now there is no excuse for you to daydream any longer about sailing! Get started today, you will be glad you did. Just click this link: www.sailingbeginner.com for more information in getting your hands on a copy of my audio and e book. Until then- Happy Sailing!
No comments:
Post a Comment