Great to see a Gazelle sailing again. We met with two that were built in Ballina NSW Australia in Fiji in 1978. One was owned by a French couple and he had been an Olympic sailor and said it took a while to undo years of training. One day thought he could speed it up with altering the set of the sails then checked the speed log, it read 10knots, so he went back to the bean bag and lay down to enjoy the ride.
🙋Knew the builder of one of those, there. Tony. Due to the lack of sufficient funds, found himself in an “ unpleasant situation”, resulting in it being sold before completion. 😏 SO liked that vessel ! ( Wish owned one…beautiful vessels !)
That's awesome. They are such magnificent sailboats. 10 knots is a pretty good speed. Crazy how the sailing can be so different with the junk rig and requires you to forget what you first learned.
Hello from Sweden. I started watching you when I had problems on my sailboat with my yanmar 2gm20. Felt so bad to see you have the same problems. But I felt after watching you guys that I could do more stuff then I before wouldn’t dare. So thank you I hade to shift mine to another 2gm20. So now it works. I started after a while to see all your episodes. And thank you a lot for interesting videos. I really hope to see more 😇 best of regards from Joel in Sweden 🇸🇪
You put a smile on my face Joel. When we share our projects we are often doing things for the first time and sometimes feel nervous about sharing with so little knowledge comparing to some professionals. But I tell myself that if even one person can be insired or motivated to try something themselves then I'll feel like it was worth sharing. So sorry to hear you had similar problems but stoked you got them worked out. I hope your efforts have her purring like a kitten. What exactly was the problem? Did you have any issues getting the old one out? Great job taking it on, well done.
What a nostalgic video to watch. I grew up on Georgian Bay and I now live in Ucluelet BC aboard my triple masted junk sail. Soooo much to learn! I took some notes of things to potentially change on my rigging over time and just loved the video through and through. Thank you for taking the time to post it.
Wow thank you so much. Triple mast! It must be stunning. I bet over the years you learn a few things. BC is beautiful. My first time sailing was in Nanaimo.
@@WildlyIntrepid I was replying to @daryxive6858, not you. His comment says he lives in Ukulele on a junk rigged 3 master. That is what I want to see as well as some video of harbor life. Back in 1974 when I was there it was still the real hippie era. There was a generally amiable culture meeting between hippies like me both on the beach and on boats and the older generation of salmon trollers, and locals.
Back in the good ol days in San Fran Bay, there was a small fleet of junks, 3 or 4. almost bought one, and did a lot of sailing on the others. Never realized my dream of junk rigging a boat, though had many vessels. Always wanted to use a jib like on the foremast of this rig. Great shots of the rig. Only have to add some running backstays… Arizona desert dreams for a old guy.
Beautiful boat. While junk rigs have improved in the past years, this one is still will make a fine cruising vessel. The extra jib is a way to improve windward performance but newer junks use cambered panels instead and as you mentioned, unstayed masts are the norm. The reality, of course, is that no one sails to windward if they don't have to and even then most end up motoring. Most cruising is done off the wind and this boats flat sails are the same as have sailed many boats around the world. Greetings from Vancouver Island by the way.
Len you seem to have so much knowledge about these type of boats. We needed you with us. Do you also own a junk rig around Vancouver? Like you say the reality is that we avoid sailing to windward. But it feels like last winter we ended up doing so much upwind sailing. Or I guess we could have waited longer for better wind conditions. But my brother's sailboat thought us a new way of sailing. A new challenge.
Hi Rob. Moonshine and I go back to the chook shed in Vic where she came to life and her launch day at Yaringa. Great to stumble across this comment. Regards Ian
First one up but what a cool ⛵. Almost like going back in time the sails and how it works. Glad for you guys to enjoy a different way of sailing good job presenting it.Can't wait for next video I believe it should be from around here or close to it. Thanks for sharing yet another way to ⛵😍❤💓💓💓
@@WildlyIntrepid to add to this... a big thanks to your family for accepting to go on UA-cam to show-case their boat and their family! Thank you so much for this video. We really enjoyed this episode.
It is by far the most elegant schooner I have ever seen. Love at first sight for me. I wondered whether it has watertight bulkheads built in. That would indeed be a perfect cruiser.
@@WildlyIntrepid Thank you for sharing your adventure on this lovely boat. No, I don't own a schooner but having one is in my retirement plan. Having watertight bulkheads is top on my list for seaworthiness. Wishing you more fun time onboard. Cheers.
Was waiting for this episode. We were next to your brother and ready to go to marina next door to haul out and work on repowering.toobad we were not there when you were. We are in marina next door now. I see sea dragon in water already. Went by there in dinghy while in penetang.
It was too bad we didn't get to meet. Too be honest the marina was starting to be quiet at that time. He launched last time he was over, just a few weeks ago. Are you enjoying the new marina more?
Yes we are. A lot closer to slip. Right from car. Also most important in off season you can drive up to boat. Made pulling out the old engine and installing another much easier. And was done without waiting for season to open. We still visit himdsons as we are next door. Many nice boat there. If you are around we are on dock k14. Drop in for a beer.cheers
Super happy to hear that it's much better for you. How's the new engine, hopefully it runs smooth? I don't think we'll be heading over there this season but you never know!
Very nice video and sharing about the uniqueness and elegance of junk rig..Do u have plans to meet with Wave Rover, exchange some wisdom of sailing junk rig vessels, and share this in youtube?
Did your brother acquire Sea Dragon from a gentleman at Treasure Island marina near Kingston, Ontario? I am quite sure I looked at the same boat a number of years ago there, same name and a Colvin Gazelle with junk rig. The owner was quite emphatic that the boat's name not change.
The boat was already in the Georgian Bay when my brother purchased it. So I don't think it's the same but who knows. But he hasn't changed the name though.
How close to the wind can this junk rig boat sail? Georgian bay is beautiful and Tobermory has some of the best wreck diving in the world due to many wrecks, low D.O., cold water and no ship worms.
Is there a class in America to learn how to sail the junk rig? Basic Google search only shows me simple Bermuda lessons near me 🙁 Glad you had a fun adventure 😌
Very interesting boat and I didnt know that about the compass. I was hoping to see the engine 😉👨🔧. How many people does it sleep, or how many can live on it comfortably ?
Glad you learnt something Jace. We didn't know about the compass either. We didn't film too much inside as I didn't want to invade too much on my brother's privacy. There's a master cabin in the stern which sleeps a couple very comfortably, then there's the v-berth where Cory and I slept. As for the living room you could most likely sleep 2 more people on the settees, one on each side. But comfortably I'd say 4 people.
I would suggest to add one more sail( half size) at the of the boat to control the direction…. Where the nation flag at. That would make this boat perfect to sail
Great vlog guy's I really enjoyed something different. If you have more secrets like that, don't hold back and share. If you don't get more than 1,000 likes I'll be stunned.
Very nice video. I am sorry that you didn't get any wind to speak of, the lug rig really shines when the wind picks up and puts some bend in the battens and especially when the wind is strong enough for reefing. To drop a panel or two to reduce sail is so fast, so easy you wonder why more cruising boats don't use the lug rig. The lug rig is excellent for cruising because one person can easily set sails, reef the sails, trim the sheets, and lower the sails with no help required. The lug rig is a lousy rig for day sails with friends though, there is nothing for anyone else to do! Boring... Only slightly kidding but it is nice to have everyone who wants to, to be able to have a job while sailing. It's really obvious when sailing with another boat and watching them run around doing the sail handling while you just sit and sail... especially if you have a windvane or auto pilot self steering. I hope you will get to sail with them again when there is a nice breeze.
It would have been nice to sail with more wind that's for sure. However not having too much wind made it less scary to hoist all the sails. We were all very new to this type of rig. Is lug rig a different way of naming the junk rig? At what kind of wind speed do you usually start reefing this type of rig? I can only imagine how simple it is to reef the sails. You seem to have a lot of experience with these kind of boats. Do you own one? Any tips are appreciated. It was still very enjoyable to sail and get to experience this beautiful of a sailboat.
@@WildlyIntrepid Yes, I built a 28 ft cruising sailboat back in the mid '70's and used the Junk Rig Design Guide by Jock McLeod & Blondie Hasler to design the modifications to the boat and for the rig itself. Many of us prefer the Lug rig name over the Junk rig name although both are correct, and both are misleading to people who don't know them. A traditional Lug Rig doesn't have any battens or a boom, and a traditional Junk rig makes people think of the hull design, not the sails. On my boat I didn't start reefing until about 20 knots apparent wind speed but that depended on the wind direction and what size waves and boat direction. I generally set the sails for a comfortable boat, not for the extra tenth of a knot that I could get carrying more sail area. It is amazing how much more comfortable, and safer, a sailboat is when sailed at 90% instead of 100%. It is so easy to drop a panel reef and to pull it back up that we would do it just to see the difference in speed and motion. It is something you soon learn by how the boat is moving through the water, not by how hard the wind is blowing. I didn't watch the video again but I seem to remember that when your sails were being raised, the lazy jacks were loosened and the bottom of the sail fell on the deck? We don't adjust the lazy jacks that way, they should be set up so that they are slightly loose when the sail is fully raised, and they support the bottom battens and sails when reefing or dropping the sail. The sail is always safe and supported this way. Colvin also used a different but similar rigging design by using sheets on both sides of the sail attached to the battens while the more common arrangement is a single continuous sheet to the ends of each batten. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages. Same with the mast and rigging, Colvin used loose stays and shrouds, the Hasler/McLeod designs are unstayed. My boat had a tapered diameter and thickness aluminum mast I had air freighted from England to Maui where I built my boat. It was always fun to take people sailing and watch them as they watched the mast bend under a full sail and a nice breeze. It took me many days sailing to build my confidence in the mast! Calculations are great, but the proof is watching it in action. There is a small Junk Rig Association based in New Zealand online that would be an excellent place to start learning more about sailing the boat. searching online should give a lot of information and leads too. I built my 28 ft boat to go cruising after spending 8 years on a 40 ft cutter doing sailing charters out of Lahaina, Maui. I wanted a smaller, more affordable and easily managed boat that one person could easily handle. I chose the Vancouver 27 design and modified it to be a flush deck with the Lug/Junk rig, built a mould and laid up the fiberglass hull, then the deck and interior. The boat was solid, safe, very comfortable, and so easy to sail. My plan was to sail north to Alaska, down the west coast, through the canal, through the Caribbean, up the east coast, over to England, then to France where I would pull the mast, separate the two sections (30' & 15') and lash them on stands over the deck so I could put a nice tarp over them and then spend a couple years motoring the canals of Europe... I needed cash to buy the diesel engine and was offered a job in Alaska for a few months which I jumped at. The few months turned into almost two years and a major change in life so I returned to Maui to sell my boat and move to Alaska. The buyer of my boat sailed the South Pacific and eventually wound up in OZ where they put the boat on a cargo ship and sent it to the Seattle area where they sailed for a couple years before shipping the boat by truck to the East coast where I lost contact with them. They loved the boat too. Long winded I know. Search here on YT for videos of Junk rigs and Lug rigs, there are a few I'm sure. Maybe someone has done a nice how-to video showing how easy they are to sail?
Wow thank you so much for all this precious information. I will definitely pass it along to my brother as well. Plans constantly change but it must have been quite the experience building your boat. The boom stayed up when we lowered sails and I don't remember any lazy jacks. I wasn't too sure if these kind of boats sailed that far since I've never ran into one while cruising. So this is great to know that people travel everywhere with the lug rig. Are you doing any sailing in Alaska, it looks like an incredible area to explore?
@@WildlyIntrepid There is a lot of great info online about the Lug/Junk rig your brother will find very helpful as he learns how to sail his boat. Yes, his sails have lazy jacks they are just too loose to support the sail. The sail pack drops onto the tube that is maybe a boom crutch? or a dodger frame? You put something under the sail pack when it is stowed to take the strain off the mast and rigging to support the weight. Some use a boom crutch, others use a strong dodger frame, others use a temporary pipe saddle. Before hoisting sail we tighten up the lazy jacks to lift the sail pack off the support, then as we raise the sail the lazy jacks hold the bottom of the sail pack off the boat/crutch/tube/support/deck/cabin, etc. The video shows the sail pack hitting the tube at 6:44 and 7:02 (both approx) and the lazy jacks are shown clearly at 7:30 and that they are too loose. The Junk/Lug rig is very easy to learn how to sail and the full battens keep the sail in control much better than a similar size mainsail on a typical boat. The book I mentioned is called "Practical Junk Rig" and is available from Tiller Publishing. It is well worth the money. Your brother will quickly learn how to handle his boat and continue to improve his ability to sail it. Good times!
Thanks for the tips and book idea. I think it's be a boom crutch since he doesn't really have a dodger. And I re watched and did notice the lazy jacks after all, there was just so many more lines attached to the main sail compared to ours. Learning is always good times!
Wow, I have been looking for information on the Gazelle, I have the designers personal boat here in Papua New Guinea, I hauled her out and sandblasted the Corten steel hull and. Re powered her with a Vetus 27 hp 3 cylinder engine. I have no idea how the rig is supposed to work as I have only sailed Bermudian rigs around the world. She has new sails and last came from Malaysia with a single hand. She is a beautifully built boat with exceptionally perfect attention to detail.
This is really exciting, it's personal boat wow! Seems like you've done a lot of work on it already. Too be honest we've only sailed on Bermudian rigs too and going on my brother's gazelle was like learning everything from scratch. It really is a beautiful sailboat. How's the sailing around Papua New Guinea Andre?
Selling PNG pretty awesome right now we’re coming into the northerlies and it’s restricted where I would go most of the year it’s blowing southerly is my and people are travelling through to Indonesia but I live here I would normally head south to the Lousiades Which is like God’s country. The Royal Papua Yacht Club really looks after visitors from all over the world Papua New Guinea is one of the most untouched and beautiful places on earth.
It's a shame but we only had light winds for one day. We really wish we could have gotten out sailing more but it doesn't always work that way when you only have a few days.
![Sailing the Great Lakes on a Gazelle Chinese Junk Rig from Thomas Colvin [E260]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/boODo-nDKck/mqdefault.jpg)
![Sailing the Great Lakes on a Gazelle Chinese Junk Rig from Thomas Colvin [E260]](/img/tr.png)
Great to see a Gazelle sailing again. We met with two that were built in Ballina NSW Australia in Fiji in 1978. One was owned by a French couple and he had been an Olympic sailor and said it took a while to undo years of training. One day thought he could speed it up with altering the set of the sails then checked the speed log, it read 10knots, so he went back to the bean bag and lay down to enjoy the ride.
It really is a different way of sailing. I can only imagine how he had to relearn how to do it. 10 knots is pretty amazing. Do you also own one?
🙋Knew the builder of one of those, there. Tony. Due to the lack of sufficient funds, found himself in an “ unpleasant situation”, resulting in it being sold before completion. 😏 SO liked that vessel ! ( Wish owned one…beautiful vessels !)
That's awesome. They are such magnificent sailboats. 10 knots is a pretty good speed. Crazy how the sailing can be so different with the junk rig and requires you to forget what you first learned.
Really! Building one of those is quite the feast. Lots of time and funds go in without a doubt. It's a shame it didn't get finished.
That is a *very* beautiful boat.
It's so unique
Beautiful Chinese Junk sailboat ⛵️ ! Mike from Missouri
Hi Mike from Missouri. Thanks that boat is really beautiful that's for sure
Hello from Sweden. I started watching you when I had problems on my sailboat with my yanmar 2gm20. Felt so bad to see you have the same problems. But I felt after watching you guys that I could do more stuff then I before wouldn’t dare. So thank you I hade to shift mine to another 2gm20. So now it works. I started after a while to see all your episodes. And thank you a lot for interesting videos. I really hope to see more 😇 best of regards from Joel in Sweden 🇸🇪
You put a smile on my face Joel. When we share our projects we are often doing things for the first time and sometimes feel nervous about sharing with so little knowledge comparing to some professionals. But I tell myself that if even one person can be insired or motivated to try something themselves then I'll feel like it was worth sharing. So sorry to hear you had similar problems but stoked you got them worked out. I hope your efforts have her purring like a kitten. What exactly was the problem? Did you have any issues getting the old one out? Great job taking it on, well done.
What a nostalgic video to watch. I grew up on Georgian Bay and I now live in Ucluelet BC aboard my triple masted junk sail. Soooo much to learn! I took some notes of things to potentially change on my rigging over time and just loved the video through and through. Thank you for taking the time to post it.
Wow thank you so much. Triple mast! It must be stunning. I bet over the years you learn a few things. BC is beautiful. My first time sailing was in Nanaimo.
Please post some videos of your boat and Ucluelet. I spent some happy times there in 1974 while working on a salmon troller named Nord Fjord.
This is my brother's boat which is in the Georgian Bay and ours is in the Caribbean. So unfortunately no videos of Ucluelet
@@WildlyIntrepid I was replying to @daryxive6858, not you. His comment says he lives in Ukulele on a junk rigged 3 master. That is what I want to see as well as some video of harbor life. Back in 1974 when I was there it was still the real hippie era. There was a generally amiable culture meeting between hippies like me both on the beach and on boats and the older generation of salmon trollers, and locals.
I really loved the vibe on that island and is where I first learned to surf after college years ago before UA-cam. Maybe one day we will visit.
Such a beautiful vessel. I can't help but feel a bit envious! 👍👍👍
We felt quite envious too. But I love our little sailboat
Back in the good ol days in San Fran Bay, there was a small fleet of junks, 3 or 4. almost bought one, and did a lot of sailing on the others. Never realized my dream of junk rigging a boat, though had many vessels. Always wanted to use a jib like on the foremast of this rig. Great shots of the rig. Only have to add some running backstays… Arizona desert dreams for a old guy.
Dreams are what keep us going. It must have been nice to see that small fleet of junks. They're such stunning sailboats. Thanks Charles.
ill take you out on my junk rig as soon as i get one, lets go see the caribbean.
@@Xiluasofficial well, all I can say is don't dilly dally, my biological clock is spinning away...
Beautiful boat. While junk rigs have improved in the past years, this one is still will make a fine cruising vessel. The extra jib is a way to improve windward performance but newer junks use cambered panels instead and as you mentioned, unstayed masts are the norm. The reality, of course, is that no one sails to windward if they don't have to and even then most end up motoring. Most cruising is done off the wind and this boats flat sails are the same as have sailed many boats around the world. Greetings from Vancouver Island by the way.
Len you seem to have so much knowledge about these type of boats. We needed you with us. Do you also own a junk rig around Vancouver?
Like you say the reality is that we avoid sailing to windward. But it feels like last winter we ended up doing so much upwind sailing. Or I guess we could have waited longer for better wind conditions. But my brother's sailboat thought us a new way of sailing. A new challenge.
Great to see another sister ship well loved and sailed. May fair winds escort you ! Rob H SV MoonshineV, Jervis Bay, Australia
Thank you. You have a beautiful sailboat. Fair winds to you Jervis
Hi Rob. Moonshine and I go back to the chook shed in Vic where she came to life and her launch day at Yaringa.
Great to stumble across this comment.
Regards
Ian
It's a very small world
Really cool boat. Thanks for the video.
You're welcome Kurt. It certainly is a cool boat.
First one up but what a cool ⛵. Almost like going back in time the sails and how it works. Glad for you guys to enjoy a different way of sailing good job presenting it.Can't wait for next video I believe it should be from around here or close to it. Thanks for sharing yet another way to ⛵😍❤💓💓💓
We were so happy to have squeezed one sail with him. Glad you appreciated the way you put it together. And yes we'll be at the cottage next one.
@@WildlyIntrepid yes will be nice❤
Junk Rigged Colvin Gazellle is my dream boat.
I can understand it's such a beautiful and unique type of sailboat
Great episode!! Merci
De rien et merci
very thin masts, it would not be possible without stays I think. It is fantastic boat!
They say that some of those types of boats don't have any stays but not sure if all can
Wow! What a nice looking boat!
Right! Such a special one.
@@WildlyIntrepid to add to this... a big thanks to your family for accepting to go on UA-cam to show-case their boat and their family! Thank you so much for this video. We really enjoyed this episode.
Thank you so much Alan. We felt very fortunate and we're so happy that you liked it! :)
It is by far the most elegant schooner I have ever seen. Love at first sight for me. I wondered whether it has watertight bulkheads built in. That would indeed be a perfect cruiser.
Isn't it gorgeous. Do you also own a schooner Joseph? This schooner doesn't have any watertight bulkheads in it.
@@WildlyIntrepid Thank you for sharing your adventure on this lovely boat. No, I don't own a schooner but having one is in my retirement plan. Having watertight bulkheads is top on my list for seaworthiness. Wishing you more fun time onboard. Cheers.
A schooner would be a great boat to have for your retirement. Best of luck. And we had so much fun sailing on it.
Tom Colvin called this boat Gazelle, it was designed for his family to go on trips with. He has passed away and the plans are no longer available.
We just saw our second gazelle last week. It truly is a stunning boat. Such a shame it stopped with Colvin
WHAT A BOATS!!! Beautufull vedio, thamks a lot. We subscribe!
It sure is. Thanks and welcome aboard!
Such a nice boat! I hope you guys are having fun...
It really is and thanks we did enjoy ourselves
Was waiting for this episode. We were next to your brother and ready to go to marina next door to haul out and work on repowering.toobad we were not there when you were. We are in marina next door now. I see sea dragon in water already. Went by there in dinghy while in penetang.
It was too bad we didn't get to meet. Too be honest the marina was starting to be quiet at that time. He launched last time he was over, just a few weeks ago. Are you enjoying the new marina more?
Yes we are. A lot closer to slip. Right from car. Also most important in off season you can drive up to boat. Made pulling out the old engine and installing another much easier. And was done without waiting for season to open. We still visit himdsons as we are next door. Many nice boat there. If you are around we are on dock k14. Drop in for a beer.cheers
Super happy to hear that it's much better for you. How's the new engine, hopefully it runs smooth? I don't think we'll be heading over there this season but you never know!
What a beautiful sailboat! Will he be sailing to the Bahamas at all to sail with you when you return? great video!
I know it a gorgeous sailboat. And he's keeping it in the Georgian Bay for now but maybe one day.
Very nice video and sharing about the uniqueness and elegance of junk rig..Do u have plans to meet with Wave Rover, exchange some wisdom of sailing junk rig vessels, and share this in youtube?
We actually met wave rover in New York this past fall. But this junk rig sailboat is my brother's and we have a traditional rig.
Very Cool 🤗💜
Thanks. Pretty amazing sailboat!!
Сибирь смотрит! И мечтает ! браво!
Thanks enjoy the show!
such a cool boat!! love it
Cheers it's such an amazing boat
C'est magnifique!
C'est vraiment un voilier spécial
Pure beauty of aboat
Sure is
Did your brother acquire Sea Dragon from a gentleman at Treasure Island marina near Kingston, Ontario? I am quite sure I looked at the same boat a number of years ago there, same name and a Colvin Gazelle with junk rig. The owner was quite emphatic that the boat's name not change.
The boat was already in the Georgian Bay when my brother purchased it. So I don't think it's the same but who knows. But he hasn't changed the name though.
Awesome👍!!!
Cheers
How close to the wind can this junk rig boat sail?
Georgian bay is beautiful and Tobermory has some of the best wreck diving in the world due to many wrecks, low D.O., cold water and no ship worms.
Not entirely sure but apparently that design is not the best for that. Sounds like that area has a lot to offer
Is there a class in America to learn how to sail the junk rig?
Basic Google search only shows me simple Bermuda lessons near me 🙁
Glad you had a fun adventure 😌
I'm not aware of any course although that would be useful for sure
We have a Colvin Tamarack, named "Blue Dragon". Very seriously interested in converting to junk rig 😎
Love the name. My brother's junk rig is really beautiful I'm sure you'll love it
Very interesting boat and I didnt know that about the compass. I was hoping to see the engine 😉👨🔧. How many people does it sleep, or how many can live on it comfortably ?
Glad you learnt something Jace. We didn't know about the compass either. We didn't film too much inside as I didn't want to invade too much on my brother's privacy. There's a master cabin in the stern which sleeps a couple very comfortably, then there's the v-berth where Cory and I slept. As for the living room you could most likely sleep 2 more people on the settees, one on each side. But comfortably I'd say 4 people.
I also have a gazelle but with a different sail plan.
Really? What type of sails do you have?
I would suggest to add one more sail( half size) at the of the boat to control the direction…. Where the nation flag at. That would make this boat perfect to sail
I guess there are a lot of different configurations to do.
Классная лодка, отличные паруса! Привет из России! )
Sorry I can't read this
@@WildlyIntrepid I ran past IM Translate and he said:
Cool boat, great sails! Hello from Russia!
Thanks Vadim
@@WildlyIntrepid Good luck !
Great vlog guy's I really enjoyed something different. If you have more secrets like that, don't hold back and share. If you don't get more than 1,000 likes I'll be stunned.
Super happy to hear that you liked it Earl. I promise we won't hold back if we go back out.
Beautiful boat! With steel hull can go on arctic expeditions.
It is gorgeous. And steel really opens more options of adventures.
Very nice video. I am sorry that you didn't get any wind to speak of, the lug rig really shines when the wind picks up and puts some bend in the battens and especially when the wind is strong enough for reefing. To drop a panel or two to reduce sail is so fast, so easy you wonder why more cruising boats don't use the lug rig.
The lug rig is excellent for cruising because one person can easily set sails, reef the sails, trim the sheets, and lower the sails with no help required.
The lug rig is a lousy rig for day sails with friends though, there is nothing for anyone else to do! Boring...
Only slightly kidding but it is nice to have everyone who wants to, to be able to have a job while sailing.
It's really obvious when sailing with another boat and watching them run around doing the sail handling while you just sit and sail... especially if you have a windvane or auto pilot self steering.
I hope you will get to sail with them again when there is a nice breeze.
It would have been nice to sail with more wind that's for sure. However not having too much wind made it less scary to hoist all the sails. We were all very new to this type of rig.
Is lug rig a different way of naming the junk rig? At what kind of wind speed do you usually start reefing this type of rig? I can only imagine how simple it is to reef the sails. You seem to have a lot of experience with these kind of boats. Do you own one? Any tips are appreciated.
It was still very enjoyable to sail and get to experience this beautiful of a sailboat.
@@WildlyIntrepid Yes, I built a 28 ft cruising sailboat back in the mid '70's and used the Junk Rig Design Guide by Jock McLeod & Blondie Hasler to design the modifications to the boat and for the rig itself. Many of us prefer the Lug rig name over the Junk rig name although both are correct, and both are misleading to people who don't know them. A traditional Lug Rig doesn't have any battens or a boom, and a traditional Junk rig makes people think of the hull design, not the sails.
On my boat I didn't start reefing until about 20 knots apparent wind speed but that depended on the wind direction and what size waves and boat direction. I generally set the sails for a comfortable boat, not for the extra tenth of a knot that I could get carrying more sail area. It is amazing how much more comfortable, and safer, a sailboat is when sailed at 90% instead of 100%. It is so easy to drop a panel reef and to pull it back up that we would do it just to see the difference in speed and motion. It is something you soon learn by how the boat is moving through the water, not by how hard the wind is blowing.
I didn't watch the video again but I seem to remember that when your sails were being raised, the lazy jacks were loosened and the bottom of the sail fell on the deck? We don't adjust the lazy jacks that way, they should be set up so that they are slightly loose when the sail is fully raised, and they support the bottom battens and sails when reefing or dropping the sail. The sail is always safe and supported this way.
Colvin also used a different but similar rigging design by using sheets on both sides of the sail attached to the battens while the more common arrangement is a single continuous sheet to the ends of each batten. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages. Same with the mast and rigging, Colvin used loose stays and shrouds, the Hasler/McLeod designs are unstayed. My boat had a tapered diameter and thickness aluminum mast I had air freighted from England to Maui where I built my boat.
It was always fun to take people sailing and watch them as they watched the mast bend under a full sail and a nice breeze. It took me many days sailing to build my confidence in the mast! Calculations are great, but the proof is watching it in action.
There is a small Junk Rig Association based in New Zealand online that would be an excellent place to start learning more about sailing the boat. searching online should give a lot of information and leads too.
I built my 28 ft boat to go cruising after spending 8 years on a 40 ft cutter doing sailing charters out of Lahaina, Maui. I wanted a smaller, more affordable and easily managed boat that one person could easily handle. I chose the Vancouver 27 design and modified it to be a flush deck with the Lug/Junk rig, built a mould and laid up the fiberglass hull, then the deck and interior. The boat was solid, safe, very comfortable, and so easy to sail.
My plan was to sail north to Alaska, down the west coast, through the canal, through the Caribbean, up the east coast, over to England, then to France where I would pull the mast, separate the two sections (30' & 15') and lash them on stands over the deck so I could put a nice tarp over them and then spend a couple years motoring the canals of Europe...
I needed cash to buy the diesel engine and was offered a job in Alaska for a few months which I jumped at. The few months turned into almost two years and a major change in life so I returned to Maui to sell my boat and move to Alaska.
The buyer of my boat sailed the South Pacific and eventually wound up in OZ where they put the boat on a cargo ship and sent it to the Seattle area where they sailed for a couple years before shipping the boat by truck to the East coast where I lost contact with them. They loved the boat too.
Long winded I know. Search here on YT for videos of Junk rigs and Lug rigs, there are a few I'm sure. Maybe someone has done a nice how-to video showing how easy they are to sail?
Wow thank you so much for all this precious information. I will definitely pass it along to my brother as well. Plans constantly change but it must have been quite the experience building your boat.
The boom stayed up when we lowered sails and I don't remember any lazy jacks. I wasn't too sure if these kind of boats sailed that far since I've never ran into one while cruising. So this is great to know that people travel everywhere with the lug rig.
Are you doing any sailing in Alaska, it looks like an incredible area to explore?
@@WildlyIntrepid There is a lot of great info online about the Lug/Junk rig your brother will find very helpful as he learns how to sail his boat. Yes, his sails have lazy jacks they are just too loose to support the sail. The sail pack drops onto the tube that is maybe a boom crutch? or a dodger frame?
You put something under the sail pack when it is stowed to take the strain off the mast and rigging to support the weight. Some use a boom crutch, others use a strong dodger frame, others use a temporary pipe saddle. Before hoisting sail we tighten up the lazy jacks to lift the sail pack off the support, then as we raise the sail the lazy jacks hold the bottom of the sail pack off the boat/crutch/tube/support/deck/cabin, etc.
The video shows the sail pack hitting the tube at 6:44 and 7:02 (both approx) and the lazy jacks are shown clearly at 7:30 and that they are too loose. The Junk/Lug rig is very easy to learn how to sail and the full battens keep the sail in control much better than a similar size mainsail on a typical boat.
The book I mentioned is called "Practical Junk Rig" and is available from Tiller Publishing. It is well worth the money.
Your brother will quickly learn how to handle his boat and continue to improve his ability to sail it.
Good times!
Thanks for the tips and book idea. I think it's be a boom crutch since he doesn't really have a dodger. And I re watched and did notice the lazy jacks after all, there was just so many more lines attached to the main sail compared to ours. Learning is always good times!
Wow, I have been looking for information on the Gazelle, I have the designers personal boat here in Papua New Guinea, I hauled her out and sandblasted the Corten steel hull and. Re powered her with a Vetus 27 hp 3 cylinder engine. I have no idea how the rig is supposed to work as I have only sailed Bermudian rigs around the world. She has new sails and last came from Malaysia with a single hand. She is a beautifully built boat with exceptionally perfect attention to detail.
This is really exciting, it's personal boat wow! Seems like you've done a lot of work on it already. Too be honest we've only sailed on Bermudian rigs too and going on my brother's gazelle was like learning everything from scratch. It really is a beautiful sailboat. How's the sailing around Papua New Guinea Andre?
Selling PNG pretty awesome right now we’re coming into the northerlies and it’s restricted where I would go most of the year it’s blowing southerly is my and people are travelling through to Indonesia but I live here I would normally head south to the Lousiades Which is like God’s country. The Royal Papua Yacht Club really looks after visitors from all over the world Papua New Guinea is one of the most untouched and beautiful places on earth.
Thanks for the update. We would love to go sail over there one of those days it looks so beautiful and wild. Enjoy the sailing Andre.
Much talking little sailing
It's a shame but we only had light winds for one day. We really wish we could have gotten out sailing more but it doesn't always work that way when you only have a few days.