Hi all, I am the proud new owner of hull #748, named Thinkabout, previously Miskatonic, Elena, Smiling Dutchman, & Épée. I drove down to Mexico with my dog last December, after putting everything in storage. This WS 32 and one other were for sail in La Paz, and I figured if I didn't love either of them, I would just hang around down here until something turned up. (I have a job I can do remotely.)

Well, I did love this one. It's a very sound boat (according to the surveyor and what I can tell myself), in need of some cosmetic elbow grease. So, I am at the bottom of that curve but looking forward to it.

More importantly, my keelboat experience thus far can be measured in hours. A very few hours. My cruising experience, nil. Marina experience, nil. Yet here I am, living aboard in a marina and trying to get a handle on the scope of my ignorance. I'm not the most outgoing person, so while every person I've talked to here has been super friendly, I could use a bit of cyber mentoring until I make more real life connections.

I have questions ranging from marina etiquette to boat gear to "what is this thing I just found buried in a locker?" And, of course, sailing questions, but I've only been out on her under sail once, so even that is a huge unknown.

Is it OK to post all those questions here, or should I save those for cruisersforum and keep to Westsail topics? Other than forums, are there good books or online resources that can help me with all the Sailing for Dummies stuff? And the stuff beyond that, that doesn't seem to make it into those books, like how to politely use a VHF radio, or how to decide which ones, out of the mountain of lines in the locker, are supposed to be used for dock lines.

Matt: Welcome aboard and please do post your questions ... also poke around the site as there are a lot of images and information ... The Members area has a lot of FAQ type information... 

Also take lots of images and if you store them on online it's fairly easy to post on the forum... if that doesn't work email me the images and I'll add to your topics. 

Fair winds... 

Jay Bietz

Awesome! I had a feeling this would be a friendly forum. Thank you for the welcome and I hope that eventually I can contribute more than questions.

OK, first question: What is a good set of dock lines? Material, thickness, length? Should any of them have eye splices? Good chafe prevention?

Second: To what do you tie your fenders? Mine are currently tied to my lifelines, which I know is not good. It looks like you could tie them to the stanchions and run the lines through guides by the stanchions--is that what those guides are for?

Three: What's the best way to get the primary anchor chain to return to the locker in an orderly way? I just pulled all the chain today to check the marks. To get it back into the locker afterwards, I had to make multiple trips belowdecks to the locker to pull the chain out of the locker throat where it was piling up. That just won't work for singlehanding, I think. Will it make a difference to be using the windlass to haul it in? Right now, there is 250' of chain and another 180' of rope. The rope sits underneath a triangular piece of plywood, and it looks like the chain is supposed to slide down on top of that plywood into the bottom of the locker. Which it might, if it fed down further aft or if the triangular piece extended about four inches further up toward the intake. Anyone have a well-oiled solution to this, or is it not the problem I think it is?

Norm,

Thanks! I will get my dock lines sorted this weekend. Everything on the boat that looks like it could be a dock line is anywhere from 50' to 180', and I was hesitant to start cutting things up, but it looks like I should. Youtube seems to have plenty of tutorials on making eye splices.

I think the guides by the lifeline stanchions I was talking about above must be the "rub strakes" you mention. They look like they are designed to keep the fender lines from wearing into the cap rail. Now I just have to find some new fenders, the ones I have are jurassic...

I will try your anchor chain technique. I remembered I have a couple of pieces of 2' x 4' masonite, one of which could be cut into a perfect, and very slippery, replacement for the plywood piece that's currently in the chain locker. My other thought is that maybe I should remove, and not replace, that piece of plywood. Its only purpose seems to be to keep the chain from piling on the rope rode.

Matt

Hi Matt , more questions please .