April 3, 2014
Old School Boat

Rhapsody is an “old school “ boat.  She has classic, elegant lines and is almost always the most beautiful boat in the bay.  She was designed by L. Frances Herrieshoff in the late ‘40s and the plans were published over a 12 month period in Rudder Magazine so that anyone who had the time and the desire could build on.  Ours was built by a couple in San Diego in the 80’s  They made 3 changes.  The hull is fiberglass not wood and there is a huge engine room instead of a quarter berth.  They also moved the main bed back from the bow so that it is more in the middle to the boat.  This makes for a very quiet, restful ride when sleeping under way.  We finally have decided that it is designed as the perfect cruising boat for the Chesapeake Bay.  The original cabin layout included another berth so that 2 couples could go out for a long weekend or even several weeks, anchoring in a different cove each night but not doing any really long distance sailing.  She is solid and steady but not fast.

Little by little I am realizing that she is not really the best long distance cruising boat by today’s standards.  There is no automatic or electric anything.  All sails have to be raised and lowered by hand and every time  we change sails the lines have to be rerun through the pulleys along the deck.  One person has to go up onto the bow and wrestle with the sails while the other holds the tiller.   While this is not too bad during a day sail, it is a major production in heavy wind.  This is always a 2 man job and we often wish we had another couple of people on board. Reefing is also a major production since one person has to balance on the top of the cabin, holding on with one hand while attempting to get the sail partway down and tied with the other hand as the other person mans the tiller.   Of course this often happens at night, in the dark.  We have heard repeatedly that we should always reef before dark but there is such a temptation to get just a few more knots out of her and the hope that the weather will not change for the worse during the night. 

Since she was designed before all the electronic gizmos there is no place to put those.  Consequently, everything is sort of jury rigged and has to be taken out and put together each time we want to use it.  This includes the sat phone, weather fax, solar panels, computer charging stations, etc. There is of course no TV, no DVD player.  We have our laptops and iPads and I have loaded them with books but their primary function is for navigation.  Since battery charging power is limited we do without electronic entertainment. Luckily the previous owner installed what was then state of the art SSB radio and radar.  The placement is sort of awkward but they work well, so far. There is no Nav station, or even a chart table.   There is no refrigerator let alone freezer.  No shower, no hair dryer.  A 2 burner propane stove with an oven that does not work.  Definitely no microwave, blender or trash compactor like some of the more modern cruising boats.  There is however, lots and lots of storage room.  Beautifully varnished woodwork and hand holds everywhere inside.  No matter where I am or what I am doing inside, I have only to put out a hand and find a secure hold when she starts rocking and rolling.    And there is that much less to go wrong without all of the electronic stuff

And then there is the cockpit.  Unlike todays cruising boats which are all fitted out with canvas enclosures and plastic windows that open and close and with gages and dials at their fingertips, Rhapsody has an open cockpit.  When it is my turn on watch I must first put on my life jacket over whatever clothes I have decided are needed outside.  The life jacket hooks to a tether and the other end of the tether clips to a safety line that runs from the back of the boat to the bow, one line on each side of the cabin.  Life jackets are worn and tethers attached any time someone is on deck, even if we are becalmed on a sunny day and are wearing nothing else but a swim suit, if that.  And there have been a number of times that we have been really glad.  So, I stand at the ladder and clip on, then climb out and cross 2 feet of deck, over a little ledge which diverts  most of the water back over the side, another foot or so of deck, dodging cushion, lines, propane tanks, etc until I come to the actual cockpit.  In a calm sea this is an easy stroll.  At night, in a rough sea, I often crawl the whole way. 

About 4 feet square, the cockpit it is set down into the deck behind the mizzen mast.  I sit down on the deck which has been painted with non-skid paint making it very rough and put my feet in the cockpit.   In front of me is a classic old compass.  In a waterproof box at my feet somewhere is a handheld GPS, the log book, flashlight, pencils and possibly a powerbar.  Sitting in the cockpit, I cannot see into or be heard in the cabin. However, there is a ships bell mounted on the mast just above the compass and ringing this wildly will eventually summon Alan from the berth. The size of the cockpit is just a little bit off so that I cannot lean back but must just sit up holding onto the tiller for the duration of watch.  However, if I sit just on the edge my feet can  reach the other side of the cockpit.  This helps me brace myself when the wind is really strong.  The tiller runs from the stern almost the full length of the cockpit so that if I need to move from one side to the other I have to stand and carefully squeeze between the end of it and the edge of the cockpit and the mast while ducking under the mizzen boom..  There is no awning or cover, either from the wind and rain or from the mid-day sun.  On the other hand, there is nothing to block my view of the stars and moon at night or flying fish and leaping dolphins during the day or the ocean in all it’s various tempers by my side.

The mizzen sheet comes into the cockpit via a pulley on the stern railing.  It is unfortunately just a little bit too high for me to cleat it without standing up (while not letting go of the tiller).  Behind me on each side are winches where the jib sheets are handled.  In order to tighten these I need to turn sideways, use the winch handle, or brace my feet against the ledge and pull with 2 hands (without letting go of the tiller).  The main sheet cleats off on the top of the cabin.  This requires leaving the cockpit all together so it is almost never adjusted unless we are doing a major sail change.  If we are doing a major sail change I need to manage the tiller, mizzen and main sheet all at once.  Not forgetting to untie the preventer line that fastens to another cleat behind me and keeps the sail from swinging wildly from side to side.  There is also another short set of ropes which are used to hold the tiller briefly when things get too crazy.

Of course all of this maneuvering has to take place while tethered to the life line.  Inevitably the tether is on the wrong side for what I need to do, or over or under another rope when it should not be.  When one person arrives to relieve the other, lines have to be sorted so that person leaving can get all of the way to the cabin steps without dragging the other person along. Alan and I prefer different configurations of pillows so every time the watch changes the pillows need to be changed too.  There are no cup holders but a  thermos of coffee can be wedged into the floorboards of the cockpit. If one person stands in the cabin and leans and stretches as far as possible the person in the cockpit can just barely reach whatever is being passed out, coffee, sandwich, warm jacket, etc. 

So it is a challenge.  I wish we had spent more time doing long distance sailing before we took off so that I would have been better prepared for what I was getting into.   But still, Rhapsody is solid and strong and as long as we do not do anything stupid she will sail through anything that the seas can dish out.  And, she is the most beautiful boat on the bay, with lines that just won’t stop.