Hi all,
I just purchased a CLC PocketShip third-hand that I've recently christened Beija Flor ("Hummingbird" in Portuguese). I adore this little boat so much and am also excited to be a part of this community! From the blogs I've perused, it seems like a fine group of folks that I hope to meet someday. I currently live in Wyoming, but the organization I work for sends me to the Salish Sea and the Sea of Cortez to teach sailing and lead multi-week expeditions. I've been sailing for 26 years and this is my second personally-owned vessel, the first being a Newport 28 that I lived on in Seattle.
I've taken Beija Flor out a few times and am looking for insight from current builders/owners on some upgrade ideas.
1. Mast Risk Management - I had Beija Flor out in some gusty conditions with a double-reefed main + half-furled jib the other day and had risk management concerns about the rigging. I've spent a lot of the last few years taking Drascombe Longboats on month-long expeditions in Baja California Sur. One of my big learnings from those boats is that the boomkin, which is a similar size to the bowsprit, isn't infallible. Over the last 5 years of long expeditions, I've had a couple of them break while underway (granted, it's a fleet of about 20 pretty old Drascombes that take a lot of wear and tear). In that scenario, I lose some pointing ability, but otherwise, consequences are low. If the bowsprit breaks, the spinnaker and jib halyards acting as forestay are gone and while the tabernacle provides some support, a gust could hypothetically send the mast crashing down, maybe caught by the boom gallows or crashing through it. The potential consequence of bodily harm here is pretty high, so I'm wondering if other folks have implemented secondary reinforcement for their masts? I'm considering creating a backup lashing system near the top of the tabernacle.
2. Lee Helm - In general, I'm noticing that with 3 adults in the cockpit, the bow is relatively lightweight and is being pushed downwind. To counteract this, I'd like to look into adding more weight into the bow, adding a mizzen as a steering sail, or both. The builder was two owners ago, so I don't have direct access to how much lead has been put in (I'll get around to counting the loose disks soon). So, my question is, has anyone found a way to put significant weight further into the bow that is removable for trailering but secure enough to not crash around while sailing? Also, any mizzen pictures out there?
3. Visibility - John C. Harris is a pretty tall fellow who I imagine has no trouble seeing the bow of the boat while seated in the cockpit. I'm 5'5", so need to make some adjustments. Right now, I have to be up on my knees or sitting up on the side to see properly. I'm going to need to add a tiller extension and potentially some hiking straps. What length of tiller+tiller extension has worked well for folks? Has anyone else added hiking straps?
4. Capsizing - This is less of an upgrade and more of a question. Has anyone intentionally or unintentionally capsized a PocketShip? I'm curious about recoverability and float tests. I have an electric bilge pump but that's not going to be very effective if the cockpit is full of water. I've armed myself with a couple of 5-gallon buckets, but would still love to hear insight from anyone who's gone over. It would be helpful to know if anyone had learnings that led them to reinforce flotation in certain areas past what is laid out in the plans.
Whew, that's a lot. My sailing work was canceled this summer due to the pandemic, so I am pretty grateful to have such a beautiful project to tinker with. If you have thoughts on one or more of these, or just want to say "hello," I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Fair winds,
Jesi