Nice Shaft

By Michael Argyelan

Get your head out of the gutter. We’re talking about prop shafts here. PSS (Packless Sealing System) Shaft Seals have been keeping bilges dry for years. If you are getting water into your bilge and/or engine compartment from your stuffing box and would like to keep things nice and dry, you should look into changing out your standard stuffing box to a drip-less shaft seal by PYI.

I’ve talked to so many boaters who complain about replacing the packing on their stuffing box, adjusting it every year, or having issues keeping the bilge dry when they run the engine for a long time. The PSS system is the solution. No more adjusting. No more packing. No more water.

This is not a new product by any means. Many of our customers already have these installed and seem to love them. They’re on racing boats, day cruisers, power boats, commercial boats, etc. Why not yours?

From the manufacturer, “The PSS Shaft Seal is a mechanical face seal that is created between the flat surfaces of the rotating stainless steel rotor and the stationary carbon flange. The stationary carbon flange is attached to the vessels stern tube with hose clamps and the carbon flange is attached to the front side of the bellows with hose clamps. The stainless steel rotor is fit on the shaft in front of the carbon flange. The stainless steel rotor is used to compress the bellows before the collar is secured to the shaft with set-screws. This compression (pre-load) maintains contact between the faces and allows the PSS to compensate for the thrust from the propeller. The carbon flange is bored larger than the shaft diameter allowing it to “float” around the shaft and thus compensate for most misalignment and vibration problems. The stainless steel collar is sealed to the shaft by two o-rings that are recessed into the bore of the collar. These o-rings rotate with the shaft and stainless steel rotor and do not experience wear during operation.”

If you’re interested in the PSS Shaft Seal system, there are a few things to keep in mind. The unit must be installed with the boat out of the water. Depending on the shaft length and room between the transmission and the stern tube, you may need to pull the prop and/or drop the rudder to extend the shaft out far enough to get the unit in. To properly size and price a drip-less shaft seal you will need the diameter of the shaft and the diameter of the shaft tube.

These units will work on shafts from ¾” up to 6” so it’s likely that they will work on 90% of the pleasure boats in the Chicago area. There are some boats where there is not enough room for the PSS seal to fit, either lengthwise along the shaft or between the stern tube and the hull. Also, some shafts need the support of the packing to keep from whipping excessively. If you are interested in a drip-less shaft seal and you have any questions regarding the fit for your boat, contact us for a consultation.

Have questions? Want more information? Would you like a quote to have one installed over the winter lay-up season? Contact Andrew Spaulding at aks@crowleys.com and he will get the ball rolling. 

On the Line

By Michael Argyelan

          

This weekend more than 120 boats will hit the starting line racing in the Chicago Yacht Club Verve Cup and the Tartan 10 North American Championships. 91 registered boats will compete for the Verve Cup and 35 T10’s will do their best to vow for the ultimate title of North American Champion. Mostly, everyone should have a good time.

As usual, there will be multiple circles for the Verve offshore almost due east of Monroe Harbor as well as an offshore long distance race. The T10’s will be racing in a separate circle off of Belmont Harbor. The Tartan 10 NAC races start this Thursday and race through Sunday. For those racing for the Cup, races start Friday and run through Sunday as well. If you want to follow the results, click here for the T10’s and here for the Verve Cup. For the main page, click here.

Admittedly, I have to ask myself what’s so special about yet another regatta in Chicago? First, I love this stuff and can’t get enough. Second, I support any local regatta. Sailing is fun and the more opportunities to race the better. The Verve Cup offers racing for one design boats, ORR, as well as long distance racers that don’t want to commit an entire weekend to buoy racing. Last but not least, I’m very excited about 35 Tartan 10’s on a starting line.

Some of you may not know just what it takes to compete at the national level in a one design class. Each boat must have a current measurement certificate. This ensures that each boat is meeting strict one design criteria. Also, each crew must be weighed in. Yep, strict one design classes have crew weight limits.

Each class is different. For the Tartan 10 Class, total crew weight must not exceed 1,275lbs. If a boat brings in a different crew as a fill in for a day, he or she must be weighed in as well.

Most of the T10’s are from Chicago. Some boats will be from Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I’m rooting for a Chicago boat to take it all. My top five picks are Skidmarks, Convergence, Winnebago, Honey Badger, and Norboy. The most fun boat on the water will be Mutiny! I’m personally rooting for them, they’re my peeps.

Really, it’s anyone’s race to be had. I’ve seen boats come back from 9^th place after committing a foul, doing their penalty circle, and take a 2^nd. That’s all it takes, a good puff, being on the right side of a shift, or simply put, a little luck. I’ll take luck any day.

Unfortunately, overall numbers for the Verve Cup are dropping each year. Last year, not including T10’s, there were 106 boats registered and the year before 111. You can see the numbers are dwindling.

Can the regatta survive? Chime in. Don’t like my picks for the top 5? Who do you think will win the T10 NAC’s? Post here. 

Always Stand Clear of the Ladder, Boss

By Michael Argyelan

Whether at the dock or on the water, tricky things happen on boats. Safety, right next to fun, should always be a sailor’s top priority. I was reminded of this simple fact yesterday when I helped rescue an older gentleman who went in the drink.

Yep, right at the dock. Someone accidentally fell in. All I heard was a splash and then a single word, “Help!” I immediately ran over to assist another gentleman who was on the scene helping out. How did this all happen? Well, let me tell you.

An ‘older’ couple was out for a day sail and heading back into DuSable harbor for a port side tie up on G dock. I was on F dock with my wife rigging the boat (ie: stocking rum) for yet another brutally slow Wednesday Night Beer Can Race, when I noticed the couple having a hard time tying up.

The woman grabbed the bow line, which was on one of those dock line hook thingies fastened to the dock, and made it fast to the starboard side bow cleat. However, the gentleman didn’t get off the boat in time and the stern swung to port way off the dock almost making contact with another boat. I assumed they’d figure it out eventually. They seemed to be self sufficient with at least one line tied on and a working engine.

Just moments later the splash and a call for help rang out. Without a second passing I yelled for the dock code, ran down F dock and over to G. When I bent down over the dock a gentleman was holding onto the skipper’s hand keeping him steady. The skipper’s auto inflating PFD had gone off properly and was keeping him afloat. He’s very lucky that someone was there to help him. The 3 layers of clothing on his body may just have taken him under if he hadn’t been wearing a properly functioning PFD.

Now, I’m not sure what happened, I can only assume that he made a foolish attempt to jump to the dock and make the stern line. He was so concerned about the boat getting tied up even when floating in the water with his hand latched to his rescuer’s. “Will you grab the stern line and pull the boat in?” I kindly told him that not only would the boat crush him as he was between the boat and a fixed object but that our only concern for the moment was getting him out of the water quickly and safely.

We let him go and he swam, or awkwardly floated, to the swim ladder on the stern. It took him 3 full minutes to get on the boat. Once he was on the ladder, barely standing, he realized mobility was extremely limited due to the PFD that may have just saved his life. With much needed assistance the PFD was off and he slowly made it into the cockpit. Needless to say everyone was happy that he was safely on the boat, especially his wife.

There are some key lessons to be learned here:

One, wearing a PFD when sailing is always a good idea. I also noticed his wife was wearing a foam type PFD. Good on you both. Well done.

Two, never, ever, jump onto the dock. Fiberglass is cheaper to repair than bones and much less painful. It’s better to ask for a hand from a nearby boater. In this case, there was a guy two boats down who was ready to lend a hand.

Three, know how to get back on the boat, alone. Physically, his wife would not have been able to pull him out of the water. The boat was so far off the dock that she couldn’t get off the boat either. Have an exit strategy, or in this case, a boarding strategy.

Four, swim ladders aren’t just for swimming. Without a swim ladder, the gentleman in the water was going to have to suffer through me yanking on his arms and gear to hoist him out of the water. A dislocated shoulder or bruises and scrapes are all possibilities when bringing a victim out of the water.

He’s lucky someone was on board to lower the ladder. There wasn’t a leash or the like to lower the ladder from the water. A ladder is only useful if you can get to it. I learned this lesson the hard way in my most embarrassing moment on the water a few years ago.

I was waxing the smooth sections of the deck giving my old Catalina 36 a mid season shine. At the time I had ‘Westwind’ on a mooring in Monroe Harbor and wanted to have access to a dock so I pulled her up to the finger pier, aka pump out dock, due East of the Chicago Yacht Club docks. Dry wax dust covered the boat. I slipped a few times walking on deck in flip flops. Flip flops were mistake number one.

The rail at the lifeline gate was an aluminum track with adjustable cars and attachment points. This was covered in wax dust. As were my flip flops. You guessed it, I slipped getting back onto the boat.

My right shin took the first hit ripping the skin right off. My hip bones next leaving a mighty bruise and then my chest and arms. I made a desperate attempt to latch on to the rail with the tips of my fingers to no avail.

My bruised and battered body, and ego, was now in the water trapped between the boat and the pier. Somehow I pulled it together quickly enough to swim away and head towards the stern and the swim ladder; my quickest way out of the water. The only problem now was the swim ladder was out of reach. I made every attempt to reach it. Every effort failed.

Realizing not a soul noticed I landed in the wet stuff, I gave a quick call for help? Embarrassingly, a captain that I was about to interview for my charter company was the one who answered. He looked down at me and asked if I needed help. I swallowed my initial anger at his sarcasm and agreed to his assistance. He lowered the swim ladder and I proceeded to pull out the first aid kit.

This is the one and only time I fell in the water. You’ll now find my flip flops at the end of the dock. I don’t even bring them on board anymore.

I now have a leash or line or whatever you want to call it on my ladder. The nerd in me uses 3mm dyneema but any line will do. Even a sail tie will work and your local sail maker will appreciate the advertising. It needs to be low enough that you can reach it if you wind up in the drink.

Let’s recap. Flip flops bad. PFD’s good. Have a way to get back on the boat, alone. When you need help, yell and someone will hear you eventually. Don’t jump from the boat to the dock, always step onto the dock.

Want to chime in? Tips? Email me at mma@crowleys.com.

Sail on, friends.

Neill Advanced Sailing Clinic Benefit Dinner at the Chicago Yacht Club

Craig will share how the race was really won as he takes you behind the scenes of the Cup with an interactive, dramatic visual presentation. As the former coach of the Canadian Olympic team, his experience as PRO of the America's Cup and his new position at ISAF, you have the opportunity to get his insights into what is planned for the world of sailing.

If you are a fan of the sport, participant, spectator or just curious about the America's Cup, come listen to Craig share how the 2013 America's Cup saw Larry Ellison's Oracle Team USA sail to victory from the brink of defeat. 

Join us at Chicago Yacht Club, Monroe Station, on Saturday, June 14 to hear Craig's fascinating presentation at our dinner banquet. The event is $85 inclusive for dinner and the presentation, and all profits go to the CYC Foundation and the Neill Advanced Sailing Clinic. The event is open to the public, so please invite your friends.

Make reservations at 312-861-7777.

Racing in the NOOD: Still Funny

Sailing in the NOOD, get it? Ok, I know I made the same joke last June when I wrote an article about the regatta. It's still funny.

For those of you that don’t know what the NOOD’s are, they’re the National Offshore One Design Regattas.

This year there are 6 events planned. St. Petersburg, San Diego, Annapolis, and Seattle have had their events. The Marblehead NOOD Regatta is in July. This week Chicago will get down to business. Racing begins this Friday morning and ends Sunday afternoon. Typically there will be 2-4 races each day for windward leeward courses.

As of this morning, there are 152 boats entered for the Chicago battle royale. T-10’s take the cake for the largest fleet, again. With 28 entries it’s sure to be a good time. I’ll be sailing in the “10” fleet this year and report back next week with a follow up and maybe a few cool GoPro pics/vids.

The Vipers are back as is the Rally Race. Good times to be had there, I’m sure. There are a total of 9 One Design sections overall. The newest One Design fleet is the J70 section. With 14 boats registered, it should be fun and pretty competitive.  

A majority of the races will be windward leeward courses. See the pic below for a good visual.

US Sailing defines the course as, “having two marks: one toward the wind and one directly downwind.  In this course, you must tack upwind to round the first (windward) mark, then sail downwind to round the second (leeward) mark and then sail upwind to cross the finish line.” Often there are offset marks, gates, short courses, long courses, and more complicated designs for each race. Generally the finish is on a downwind leg, not upwind as described above.

For those of you that want to go out and watch some of the racing, head out towards the Four Mile Crib  41°52′22″N 87°32′45″W or Harrison Dever Crib 41°57′58″N 87°35′28″W) and look for a mad house of boats! Please, please keep your distance if you do this. The courses are quite large and between races boats will spread out and need room to maneuver. Binoculars are highly recommended.

Sperry and Crowley’s will be at the event with a fine selection of hot kicks focusing on Sperry’s Performance Line. The tent will be in the Chicago Yacht Club Monroe Station parking lot Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All Sperry shoes will be 15% off during the event.

For more info on boats entered, race results, etc, click here for a link to the official Yachtscoring.com event page.