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Travel Tips
By Chris Doyle

While preparing for your trip down south for the October Worlds, here are a few timely travel tips for your journey…

I'm no expert on sailing the J/22, but after several years of traveling with Kevin Doyle on the J/24 circuit and my own travels with "elmo" these past 12 years, I have developed the following list of suggestions to make towing and traveling with your boat easier:

  1. Disassembling the Boat Pre-Regatta:

    • Mark Shrouds -- Many sailors do not remove the shrouds from their masts when traveling. I prefer to run all the halyards to the top of the mast and remove the standing rigging to avoid any wear or damage to the paint on the mast. I do not, however, remove the spreaders. To make certain the spreaders are either parallel (or that the outboard tips of the spreaders are at equal heights), I use a magic marker to mark where the shrouds meet the spreaders prior to removing the shrouds from the spreader tips. When re-rigging the mast, I simply put the shrouds back through the spreader tips at the mark I made. This avoids spending about 15 minutes trying to get the spreaders level after the mast is up.
    • Store Spars with Sails -- If I plan on traveling with the boat, I roll the sails and place them in the sailmaker-provided bag. Then I put the boom in the mainsail bag and the spinnaker pole in the jib bag. This keeps the spars from rattling around in the boat while driving down the road, protects the interior of the boat and the paint on the boom from damage, and keeps the sails from getting bent. I do not store the sails with the spars in the bags for a long period of time, however, as this could result in the battens being warped
    • Flag the Top of the Mast -- Most of us trailer our boats with the top of the mast extended past the stern of the boat. Accordingly, the top of the mast is the part of the boat that extends furthest from the tow vehicle. This protuberance requires a brightly colored flag under most local laws. I suggest using a brightly-colored sail tie which will hang down approximately three feet. The sail tie keeps trucks away from the spar and hangs low enough so that you can judge the location of the tip of the mast when backing the trailer into tight spaces.
    • Stow Everything Securely -- Everything on deck should be tied down, and everything down below should be securely packed. J/22s bounce a lot over the road.

  2. What To Bring Along:

    • A "Go" Kit -- Don't assume everything you need will be at your destination. I carry a "go" kit consisting of acetone (to get the sticky stuff off the bow when you remove the bow numbers), teflon polish, rubbing compound, four sheets of sandpaper [one each of 150 (dry), 220 (wet), 400 (wet) and 600 (wet)], non-abrasive cleaner, towels, the trailer wheel, my battery operated drill, the boat's lifting strap, a scrub brush, the trailer jack wheel, cell phone, calling cards, etc.
    • Ladder -- If you are under 30 and weigh less than 185 lbs., I suppose you don't need to bring a ladder. While there are usually a few ladders at your destination, I generally find bringing my own ladder expedites things considerably. You simply tie the ladder to the trailer for storage over the road.
    • Food, Beer, etc. -- There may not be a good supermarket near your destination. Furthermore, I have had some awful experiences trying to find food and beer in different states or countries during a regatta. The 1990 J/24 Worlds were held in Kingston, ON, and racing started on the Sunday of Dominion Day weekend. We arrived Saturday afternoon and were not able to purchase beer or decent food until Tuesday of the following week. I guarantee none of us have eaten pimento loaf sandwiches since then.
    • Miscellaneous -- What Else Might You Need? -- Check to see whether the lug wrench in your car is a size suitable for changing the tires on your trailer. Bring an extra set of sails, if you own one. If the trip is a long one, borrow a spare trailer tire (if you don't own one already).

  3. Other Handy Tips:

    • Mark Your Trailer -- Do something to mark your trailer. I use a magic marker to label my license plate. However, you should also have some indication of the trailer's owner at the front of the trailer. My name is also painted on the trailer jack, for instance.
    • Extra Fenders -- I always carry two oversized fenders on the boat during all travel regattas. Our boats do not raft well, and the large fenders help protect our boats at night. The Class Rules require two fenders of a specified minimum size, and that is what I have on board when we are racing. But the class-minimum fenders don't work as well as they should. The oversized fenders are extras that do work. I leave the oversized fenders at the dock during the race by locking them to a dock cleat using a bicycle lock.
    • Bring Your Outboard if You Have One -- You are not required to carry an outboard while racing, and I almost never carry elmo's outboard on the boat during travel regattas. But it often helps to have the outboard available. For instance, the dock area may be some distance from the boat hoist (this is the case in Youngstown, NY and Annapolis, MD), and adverse wind and current may be a factor. Also, if you are not doing particularly well in the regatta and light winds are forecast for the last day of racing, you may find that you become incredibly popular if you carry your outboard on the race course during the last day of racing.
    • Remove Your Trailer Jack Wheel at the Regatta -- Trailer jack wheels have a way of disappearing.
    • Bug Relief -- One of the things I like least about traveling with the boat is scraping the bugs off the boat and the underside of the spreaders. If I remove the shrouds, commandeer an old pair of Sue's stockings and place them over the spreaders. This keeps the bugs from collecting on the underside of the spreaders. When I leave the shrouds attached (for shorter road trips) I wrap the spreaders with plastic cling wrap. I always place a bag over the bottom of the mast. I place the halyard tails in the bag and then lash the bag to the bottom of the mast. This keeps the bugs off the halyard tails and off the bottom of the mast plate.
    • Test Your Trailer Lights -- The day before you're scheduled to leave, top off the tire pressures and test the trailer lights. If one is burned out, coat the base of the replacement bulb with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) before installation. This helps minimize corrosion.

  4. Getting it Together at the Regatta:

    • Step the Mast -- In order: a) Polish the mast with teflon polish. This protects the mast and helps keep the spinnaker from catching during sets/douses; b) Pull down the halyards and topping lift, making certain there are knots on the ends; c) Re-attach shrouds; d) Put upper shrouds in spreader ends at the marks and tape over the tips; e) Stretch the headstay along the front of the mast and mark the headstay at the top of the gooseneck black band; f) Lubricate sheaves with McLube or other similar lubricant; g) Erect mast and tune the rig per your sailmaker's tuning guide.
    • Polish the Hull and Foils with Teflon Polish. -- Check for any nicks or scratches and sand/buff out same.
    • Launch Boat -- While the boat is on the hoist, you should polish the hull in those areas that were unreachable while the boat was sitting in the trailer. Be sure to visually inspect the hoist before crawling around under your boat, though! I try to follow the above checklist at every regatta I attend. I don't know if it makes the boat go any faster, but it makes me confident that the boat will likely be in better condition than the skipper once it comes time to race. At the very least, it ensures that the hull gets teflon-polished at least four times a year.


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