To boldly go where no investigator has gone before

[atles]

HI all, when i get an idea it sit in the back of my head until i do it
and of late, i have been thinking of going from bribe island around the top
and sail down to mooloolaba.

it is a coastal run yes blue water
started to do some home work
been up to Moolooaba talked to sailors and Volunteer Marine Rescue
Moolooaba and bribe about the root and when not to go.

found out that as you come around bribe island
do not go in a westerly wind as you go pass what the locals call
the washing machine near Gilligan's island (a big sand bank near to shore)
in a westerly the sea and waves can jump up to 2m in height in that area
when it blows. so good information there

stay out of the shipping land too as lots of containers ships use it
lucky their is a cruising lane near to shore,
next can it be done in a investigator on a nice day ?

Robert Burrell who was on here took his investigator from Lady Musgrave Island from the Town of 1770
so it can be done i think .

last i been emailing Simon Carter for tips a very down to earth nice guy
who has given me some trips to do before trying to go coastal
i have put links on here before from youtube about him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1C6uWVimBI
he got a space sailer 20 it is a trailer sailed but it has a drop down keel
he as done remarkable things in it,
like sailing from Brisbane to the Whitsundays.

as for me i have been doing night and day sailing in morton bay in higher and higher winds
got some more new sails as the old one were not up to it.
found out that when i got to a second reef my storm jib sheet was to big and pull the bow of the boat around opps
needed to fix's that only by going out there did i find it out tho .
if i was in a keel boat i just be doing it
i have confident in my boat i just not sure about if the design will
take it should i be out there in a blow

so to some up is a investigator up to it going on a small coastal ?

[Yara50]

Atles,
If you seach this forum you will find posts on suggested mods to the standard Investigator563 to prepare it for offshore sailing. In addition, the two most important items are the capability of the crew, and the weather. You need to do a passage plan so you dont end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Be also aware that the outboard mounted on a bracket can be a problem in confused (rough) seas, and cannot be relied upon to get you out of trouble.

Google Ming Ming and Roger Taylor and you will get an idea of how a small boat can be modified for offshore sailing. A bit more extreme than what you are contemplating, but still interesting.

[Dr. Peter]

What Ian said!

[atles]

thank you Ian for the help , i will make the weather plan
and go over the off shore fitting out, and see what needs to be done.

[Ozzie]

Thanks for that link Ian. I like reading small cruising articles, but have not come across the exploits on Mingming before. Sage advice on many fronts.

As some who have inhabited TSP may know, I took my young family on a three part tour around oz in the 90s in a well used 20 year old VW Kombi. The longest leg 3 months and 19500 km. Those journeys put me in tune with mr Taylor's philosophy that simplicity is not the enemy of a good/fun time/adventure. Lack of preparation however is what will bite you on the donkey.

I like his comments on the drogue shute. Interesting he says people are coming to blows on other sites about the positives and negatives of these things. I would rather read and listen to advice from someone sailing the North Atlantic than the armchair experts that inhabit other parts of the net.

Atles, good advice from other bits on this site , I suggest that the thing you may need to address on the 563 for blue water cruising is the hatches. Most microcruisers doing long open water work are rigged to be their own lifeboat. In an absolute disaster, a well constructed boat will bob around If your hatches keep the wet stuff out. Windows also must be sound. Mingming has real hatches and small entry points , no erroneously called stormboards. While you won't be sailing the North Atlantic, 50 gallons of Pacific Ocean taking up residence on your V berth could seriously ruin your trip. You do hear of abandoned boats still floating weeks after being abandoned but many boats go down so fast they don't even get a chance for evac.

Spritz has a large pad bolt holding the front of the pop top down and twin hasp and staple on the back but I think if I were not only boating in enclosed waters I would bolt it down . Removable, but only with a spanner. The front hatch also needs to be able to be battened properly but with a fairly quick release for safety.

Over the years Ive had a few hairy boating moments but often wondered how much different they would have been in open water. Maybe worth a thread.

[Dr. Peter]

My pop top is bolted down. My front hatch has very thick foam. You have to keep the water out and a laden 563 does not rise well over a steep chop. You will ship the green.

You have to keep the water out.

I am also concerned about the tiny drain holes. In nicer weather and a following sea I plug mine with bungs. That is not possible or wise when its kicking off. Wet shoes are the order of the day.

Roger Taylor is a very informative read. That is one prudent sailer doing crazy stuff.

[Ozzie]

Thats not a hatch ....this is a hatch.

Great links connected with Mingming. The Jester Challenge for instance .These small blue water boats have top opening hatches quite often . Makes sense , the only water that will come in is downward falling. My investigator Spritz now has a one piece storm board.... and if I could bolt it in place.... I could just enter via the top sliding hatch ...then I could go out through the heads and....naaaaaah

Back end of the cockpit on Ming ming also has a been taken over by a locker to house the often wet drogue line. All he has left is a small footwell between the two areas , but as you read in his site he does not leave the cabin much . His record is 40 days. He also shows how to insulate a small cabin as he had apparently no heater. This guy really suffers for his sailing. Having cruised up the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay in Alaska last year Its not hard to understand why he stays put and that was summer.

View from our balcony, click to enlarge

Seriously though Atles. It may be a workable solution. To simply beef up your storm boards to a one piece thick job, just for open water, bolt it in place and just enter through the top slider. A small dodger as taylor has would also not be that hard to make up.

[Ozzie]

http://yachtee.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/ ... ation.html

Another hatch mod from the Jester Challenge

[Greg]

This could be relevant to you atles -

https://youtu.be/rtjgHHEwbrU

http://teria563.blogspot.com.au/2015/07 ... -day2.html

Don't know if this guy gets on the forum but he seems to know a fair bit about boats and how to get around in the rough stuff with a 563

[atles]

thanks guy for all the replay!!
i am going to leave it for a few more week before going blue water as the winds are still to much from the west right now
i do have to look into fixing up the hatches so off to the work shop to see what i can do,that does not take away from a normal
563 EPIRB now fitted to the boat as well.