Light-Air-Leckie's Top Ten Tips for Sailing Martins in Zephyr-Like Winds

It was a typical largely wind-free evening of mentoring in which I was out skippering on an m244. We had the usual challenges with light air including stalling during tacking maneuvers, that stubborn upper batten refusing to snap into its proper curve when on the new tack, and the challenges of getting moving and maintaining our forward motion. We were doing our level best to seek out the little puffs of wind in between those spots of completely dead air as evidenced by a complete absence of those little ripples on the surface of the water but our patience was wearing thin and quickly. Imagine how we felt when we looked under our boom only to see Jim (Light-air) Leckie (L-A-L) and Bryant (Air-force) Adlam (A-F-A) pursuing some rather interesting techniques to (blush!) sail circles around us lesser mortals.  We tried to mimic some of what we saw but it was only once I was ashore that I managed to pry the esoteric details out of Jim who had apparently done some significant trial and error during a long m244 flotilla sail to Bronte Outer Harbour Marina.

So here's the inside dope so that you aren't made to look quite so foolish if you encounter this pair of Martineers while you are out on the water...

1. First and foremost - because they are so light and have such substantial sail area the m244's are more like sailing a dinghy than a typical keelboat. Don't even think of treating them like a J/24 or a Catalina 309.
2. Get that crew weight forward. The m244 will really drag its stern if y'all are crowded by the pushpit. Get thee forward so that the helmsman has at least one foot in the foot-well mid-cockpit (next to the main sheet block) - preferably the aft foot. (as the wind gets reaaally light plan for everyone to crowd up on top of the companionway to get that last iota of speed).
3. Use crew weight to maintain heel to leeward (at least 20 degrees of heel). It makes a significant difference. 
4. Sometime when you are out of our weedy channel and in deeper water plan to put the outboard in reverse and goose it so that you do your best to remove the vast eco-system of vegetation that has probably taken hold round the keel. (Of course you'll have to balance this with an eye to doing it safely - especially if you raised the main inside the channel). Nothing stalls an m244 like carrying a fresh harvest of harbor-wheat wrapped round its keel.
5. Ease the out-haul on the mainsail so that there is an opportunity for the sail shape to have a bit of a belly. You need more draft in the sail for light winds. Likewise tighten up them leech lines on jib and main- same reason.  
6. L-A-L says "Thou must use the traveller!". Crank it all the way to windward in such light airs.  Its not as dramatic an adjustment as on our J/24s but it still matters big time. 
7. Bear off to pick up speed before you tack. m244 Tacks must be done sharply. That is-  the faster and more suddenly that you can get around the better chance you'll have of snapping that pesky upper batten into the proper curve for the new tack.
8. During your tack - delay the release of the jib. In fact in very light winds it's a good idea to let the head-sail back-wind until such time as the nose comes around and through the wind and onto the new tack.
9. Pay close attention to sail trim. Even though its tougher to feel the direction of the wind when its light and the jib ticklers are hanging like some kinds of wet noodles- you can still ease and trim experimentally to get the most from your point of sail.
10. Steer by the ticklers when you do get a puff of wind. Close hauled, close-reach and beam reach make use of those jib ticklers and ride that puff for all its worth. Oh and by the way, those jib fairlead cars should be all the way forward on their tracks. In fact L-A-L and A-F-A were on their way to redesigning the m244 so the tracks would extend further forward.

Pssst,  Jim has promised to take me out and (er) show me the ropes.  Hey anything so I can stop being Be-Calmed-Culm.

Stern Docking Lines While Underway - Sowing the Seeds of Heresy

I absolutely understand the reasoning behind the careful CYA Cruising standards instruction that we have all received with respect to how docking lines should be handled once you've departed the dock and are heading out thru the channel. We all know very well that a prudent skipper will insist that the docking lines be removed and stowed. The idea of course is that should these lines accidentally fall overboard then once ol' Murphy takes over it's pretty easy for these trailing lines to become entangled in the outboard motor's propeller.

The Martin's have a couple of (er) features which make this strategy - let's say less than ideal. First - that transom-mounted cleat is kind of awkward to reach over and tie or belay the lines to - especially while bouncing around in the wind and waves. Second, the helmsmen is always "in the way" if you must attach the docking lines while you are underway. This is especially true of the Martins whose assigned dock location requires that they are moored with their starboard side to the dock because, as we all know, the only effective place to sit so that you can control both the outboard (gears and throttle) and the helm is seated all the way aft on the starboard rail using the pushpit as a backrest. So unless the helmsman can tie a bowline behind his back, while shifting gears, adjusting the throttle, and steering clear of boats and other obstacles - it is better if another crew person attaches the lines and - CATCH 22  - the helmsman is in the way.

The solution to this dilemma is to (GASP! here's where the heresy comes in) leave the lines attached, coil them (with adequately large loops), double the coil over the pushpit rail and thru itself, and finally snug it up thoroughly (one loop at a time if necessary) so that the lines are neatly and securely attached on the rail with no likelihood of trailing over the side.

 The end result of this elegant solution is that when you return from your sail and you are preparing to dock there is no scrambling around or elbowing of the helmsman. The crew merely grabs the lines looped on the pushpit rail (perhaps having the helmsman lean forward), un-snugs them, and they are ready to go - no muss no fuss!

Hey - it works for me - but if you screw it up by not tightening the loops or otherwise messing up so the lines end up as fodder for the propeller blade then I'll deny all knowledge and question why you ever tried such a foolish, ill considered scheme.

Oh, and if you do use this approach - hopefully you won't forget how to tie a bowline knot cuz you'll still get to practice attaching and removing the docking lines from the pointy end of our Martins.

How to Furl the Headsail - It's Not Like You Might Think!

You have no doubt realized that the Martin m244 jib has a furler which is located below the foredeck. But unless you have crawled down there to have a close up look, you may not have noticed that it is a pretty small unit. It definitely is not sized like the ones you might see on a Discovery 55. What this means is that it's just big enough to do the job it was designed for - provided you use it properly.

So here's the drill... Before you go to furl the ol' fore-triangle, steer the boat onto a BROAD REACH so that the jib is blanketed behind the mainsail. When it's hanging there like a limp rag it's a piece of cake to wind it in using the furling line down below while a crew mate is maintaining a bit of tension on the jib sheet.

Oh and just one more tip: It's a good idea to leave a couple of wraps on the furler drum but if you wind the jib in very tightly then you'll have missed out on this elegant furled-jib-nirvana.

Now let's face it - you can heave in on the furler on other points of sail and I'm sure that you have all tried it - but expect your hands, the sail, and the furling mechanism to suffer for the experience.

Finally - if you find yourself wrapping the furling line around a winch STOP! There is something else wrong that must be addressed for the furling exercise to complete with out (yeechh!) equipment damage.  

Hey it's all part of becoming a Master-Martin-Mariner (MMM MMM Good!)

Momentum when Docking a Martin - Don't Count on Much

Each time I go to dock one of our Martin's I forget that they behave quite differently from the way our J/24's, our old Sharks and larger boats do.

On all of the other boats in the fleet - I have a tendency to line up the boat for the docking maneuver then shift into neutral and rely on the boats momentum to let me steer alongside. Rarely - but as necessary - if I've got too much forward momentum when I'm parked next to the dock - I might shift into reverse to slow to a stop.

Several times now I have tried a similar routine and come close to messing up big time. On one occasion a crew member (for the bow line) was able to take a giant step then accept the stern line from the stern crew-mate still aboard. On another occasion it was more a case of "the braille method" as we went hand over hand along the rail of another boat moored astern of our spot.

What both of these (ahem) near incidents have in common was me relying on the momentum of the boat when there wasn't any to be had. The Martins clearly weigh less with their weighted bulb on a very narrow chord keel that does little to keep her underway in a straight-like direction once you take away the power.

The solution - keep the outboard in gear - much longer than you would on a J/24 or one of our old battleship specification Sharks. You have to practically motor it right onto the dock and recognize that you may have to pop it in reverse to complete your "parking" maneuver.

Oh, and by the way - if you do resort to some reverse thrust then be aware of which way the outboard is pointed as the stern will naturally move in the direction that the prop is facing.

Try it and see - and let us all know if you have developed some other fool proof techniques.

My Formula for Sailing Close-Hauled When the Wind Picks Up

At first it seems like the slightest puff of wind on these Martins heels them way over so that you are burying the rail but it takes just a little bit of experimenting to get a little more forward motion out of it with less of it's tendency to stand on its ear.

Here's the formula that seems to work for me...

1. Set the jib car so that when you haul in on the jib sheet - the clew is touching the fair-lead block. 
2. Harden the outhaul and the cunningham on the mainsail.
3. Move the traveller all the way to leeward. 
4. Crank in the main sheet (this also tends to "tighten" the forestay).

Steer via the ticklers on the jib. You can see them best if you are sitting up on the rail,  forward of the tiller end.

Using these steps you have in effect flattened out the sails (reducing the draft or belly in them) thus minimizing the heel (well reducing it anyhow).

I found that as the wind gets to 12 knots or more that the boat kinda hangs in the ol' close-hauled groove as long as you pay attention to your steering. As the wind picks up more you can let that inner-tickler on the jib go to 45 degrees upward then finally as the wind goes even stronger you can let it go vertical as you steer to get the max from this point of sail.

Oh, and of course you can point higher during the gusts using this same set of trim elements although for all of this close-hauled action its a good idea to keep a hand on the main sheet so you can ease it if there comes an overpowering gust.

So - go ahead and try it out - maybe there are some from tricks you've developed from your own experience that can let us all optimize boat speed as we become masters-of-the-martins.

New Tricks for Old SeaDogs.

Any boat that can do 6 knots in 5-kn winds is a blast. Of course, in 20 kn winds, it is a white knuckle ride. The basics of sail trim which Ken G. and John N. imparted to us still apply, but we have had to adapt to the new rig.

As Ken C. mentioned, trying to make the ticklers on the jib break togrther is a bit tricky. It seems that the best thing to do, as Colin suggested, is to move the jib cars forward and get as much draft in the jib as practical. I don't think we are ready for tapered jib sheets as suggested in one of the blogs.

The main sail seems to require more attention. Getting the sail shape right took a little time. With the floating tack we ended up placing the Cunningham hook in the tack cringle to tension the luff. We ended up with an annoying horizontal crease at the first batten. However, yanking on the boom vang straightened this out. We kept the boom vang tensioned throughout the sail which also helped to keep the main off the spreaders. I suppose we will need to send the sails out this winter to have reinforcing patches where they touch the spreaders. It seems this is a problem on this type of rig with swept back spreaders and no backstay.

Choreographing the crew during tacking and gybing is another consideration especially when the helmsman and mainsheet crew have to switch sides and squeeze through the space between the mainsheet and traveler rigging at the same time. When racing, I would like to practice at the dock first and then fine tune on the water.

I am looking forward to flying the spinnakers! I'm sure we need a clinic.

One last tip, when flaking the mainsail, tie the forward sail tie through the ring (cringle?) at the head of the sail to stop it from flopping around.

The Martins have added a new dimension to our Club.

New Boat Blues

Yesterday Jack N and I took Martin #2 out for a sail.

We had trouble opening the top sliding acrylic companionway hatchslide, it would not move forward. After a few hits with the palm of my hand I managed to push forward a couple of inches just enough to slide the door up and out of the way. The top would still not move, only after a well placed kick it move forward enough to be able to slide it all the way forward. Inspecting why it would not slide we noticed the head of the screws holding the track in place have the top of the screw sticking out and jamming the slide top.

Sailing on a Starboard tack we began to hear a rubbing noise when we moved the tiller. When we docked we found that the bolts holding the gudgeon had come loose.

Sailing downwind we found the main sail resting against the spreader and the shrouds even by letting the main out very little, we quickly abandoned that point of sail. Checking back in the Martin website they show a picture of it sailing on a run with main resting on the shroud and spreaders I guess it’s OK to do it. However past experience has showed that this type of set up damages the main sail.


Looking at the spinnaker pole in the boat we saw that the line used to pull back the piston is too short and prevents the plunger from traveling all the way to the end.

As the wind filled the jib the halyard holding it up become loose and the sail sagged. Since the halyard does not come back into the cockpit there is no way to adjust it also the location of track with the fairleads is mounted too far forward and does not allow the sail to be properly shaped as the corner of the sail comes to rest against the fairleads.

Under the present set up the advanced bridle type traveler system prevents the boom from going past the center of the boat. As a racer I like to be able to get past the center since I found that doing so increases the boat speed by about .5 knots.

This plus my previous experience on it is giving me a very bad opinion of this boat.
I would expect that a new boat delivered to a new customer would be flawless.
I have read the glowing review their web site reports and wonder if we are talking about the same boat.