Skipper´s shakedown

May 20, 2025 by Lukasz Kumanowski

The weather was playing tricks with us here in Sweden: while work-days were almost summer-like, with sunshine and moderate winds weekends were, ironically, almost exclusively rainy or it was blowing so hard that even cycling was becoming problematic.
It seemed that the story will repeat itself this week too but this time I decided to play my dirty trick instead: I prepared my boat for launching last evening and today I left the factory a bit earlier.
Once back home I had a few hours of daylight and fresh wind still blowing, promising good evening sail. We launched at 18:00 from our local harbor.

Forecast warned that it will deteriorate late at night and next day will be cloudy and rainy. We enjoyed the clear, blue sky then!

Glooming on the horizon, approaching from Stockholm, were foreposts of tomorrow´s cloud army.

I was hoping to beat quickly against the wind and reaching Rosättra. I could see that already under the bridge the wind was blowing harder: water was dark from wind.
Prudent mariner in me decided to put one reef into the sail. It is the first, shakedown sailing this year so we don’t look for any drama here.

No other boat nor folk in vicinity. Most importantly: no motor launches. Calm evening with still warming sun rays. We were not in a hurry.

After some time it became clear that the wind was getting weaker rapidly. We will not reach Rosättra on sails this evening. I decide to carry on at least to Vätö kyrkan and see up there how much time we have left before dusk.
Almost reached the church.
I decide to shake the reef - and then the wind dies. Not weakens - dies abruptly and instantly!

It became so calm and peaceful that I felt that starting an engine is a sin. I turn the boat and row back to my harbor which is a little over a mile away.

We float slowly and almost effortlessly on mirror-flat water, close to the shore. Birds activity is high and they don’t seem to be bothered by us gliding along, silently.
Exploring waters around dead, fallen trees reminds me Mark Twain´s books, Huckleberry Finn adventures. Or Swallows and Amazons, of course.

We enter the harbor at dusk. I retrieve Louve with no issues and we drive home for late supper.
First sailing this season is behind us.

Building Louve can be found here

Autumn sail to Masholmen

October 05, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

I launched Louve in our local harbor.
Weather was mild for this time of year, 12 degrees and moderate, Southerly wind.
There were frequent wind gusts of 10 m/s but otherwise the sea and wind were rather calm. After all week´s drama at work the last thing I wanted was dramatic sailing so I put one reef in the sail.
My club neighbors were about to retrieve one boat just after me so it was busy at the slip. I exit on engine, to clear the area as soon as possible.

I wanted to try my new rigging idea - with sail halyard taken all the way back, to helm. That´s to be able to hoist and lower the sail without leaving the helm. That did not work as intended - bronze loop screw holding the block snapped on me when I was rising the sail.
That was unwelcome: the yard spinning around the mast on the wind before falling into drink.
I picked a nearby buoy to calm down the situation and to re-rig the damn thing.

I also removed brailing lines, they were getting in the way and catching on thole pins when hoisting sail. I will need to figure out a better way to rig them.
We finally cast off and sail North. Weather forecast says there will be more clouds and wind shift later during the day.

There are signs of that already on Southern horizon.

We sail comfortably on broad reach or running, gybing a few times. When we pass by Rosättra boatyard the clouds catch up with us.

I had no real plan on where to sail, initial idea was to land in Fiskebyn on the other side of my island but I changed my mind and sailed further North, towards small, desolated islands close the entrance to Vätösundet. Mash- and Korsholmen. I’ve never been there and it was time for lunch so we wandered a bit around to find a convenient place for beaching.

Eventually we landed on lee side of Mash. Tea, sandwiches and contemplation of silence around us.

I shook off the reef as there were no more gusts. Wind started to shift to SW. We cast off and sail back clause hauled into Vätösundet.

Close to Rosättra the wind dies entirely. We start the engine and glide on calm water, contemplating autumn colors.

This type of sailing would never happen should I still have my mahogany boat Meritaten. By this time of year she needed to be already on land, to protect mahogany from freezing.
Beautiful boats these mahogany yachts but oh how limiting, at least on these latitudes.

We were back on our slip by 18 so it became good 5 hours sailing. Temperature started to drop rapidly when the sun went down. Dew condensation was building up on everything.
I retrieved Louve in total calmness and we drove home.

Building Louve can be found here.

September sail in Björköfjärden

September 22, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

It may be the last occasion to sail this year. It was blowing hard yesterday but forecast for today was milder so I decided to give Louve a spin.
We launched in our local harbor. The wind was from SE, during the day it was to shift to S. Cloudy but warm, 15 degrees. The plan was to sail on Björköfjärden, on the other side of my island. It is a broad body of water, it usually blows steadily there. And views are always spectacular.

This time I took the engine. I did not want to spend most of my time tacking in narrows of Vätösundet. There was no wind anyway when we launched at 11.

Once we reached Norrtäljeviken the wind appeared, as usual. I went through the narrow passage on engine.

Shut down the noise and rose the sail!

I put one reef in the sail, prudently assuming that it will blow heavy gusts in the fjord. The sky was gathering clouds, giving it more and more dark look as the time went by.

There was some trouble further away from me, I heard distant calls on VHF and SRS helicopter was on the way from Norrtälje.

It was a pleasant ride, clause hauled in Norrtäljeviken.

One of the benefits of having a centerboarder is that most of marked dangers are far deeper than my draft. We can sail past fair-lead marks with no issues.

As I was getting closer to Flaten I passed by Matts in his tugboat, pulling a raft filled with equipment. Apparently NSS is closing the season on their island.

Leaving Norrtälieviken I started beating to round Käringsö, to enter the Björköfjärden.

So the ride begun! The wind got stiffer so I was happy to have a reef already in the sail. We were sailing beam reach most of the time. The swell was rather high, remains of yesterday strong wind so Louve was rolling heavily. I had to steer actively to avoid her go to the wind. Waves were passing under us, lifting the boat periodically with loud hissing.

The sea was almost empty of boats, just a few power launches passed by. Only one other sail was in vicinty, going the same course as we.

At the height of Fiskebyn the waves calmed down so Louve stopped rolling. I could finally eat my sandwiches and drink hot tea (with honey).
As it was getting late I skipped the idea of sailing into Fiskebyn bay. We sailed pass them only.

Soon we were at the North peninsula of Vätö. There are small rocky island around it and shallow water but deep enough for Louve to skim above. We took a shortcut.

Entering Vätösund on North side. Almost no wind there. I dropped the sail and started the engine.

When we were passing by Rosättra boatyard the wind picked up but it was straight in the face so we continued on engine all the way to our harbor.

Vätöbron was lurking in the horizon, the sky was getting darker as the evening was on its way.

We arrived at the slip at 17 so it was a good half-day sailing, with attractions of eagles in the sky and elk getting a bath in the sea on a nearby island.

Retrieving Louve went well, we drove home happy after the late summer sailing.

Building Louve can be found here.

Sailing to Norrtälje. Or not.

September 08, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

The weather was perfect, typical sailing day, with clear sky, good amount of wind and warm air.
I launched at 11 from our local harbor. The wind was from S and SE and I wanted to sail to Norrtälje so that meant that I will have to beat against the wind in Vätösund.
I put up a reef as it was gusty, with blows at 10 m/s or a bit higher. In Vätösund it was rather calm but I knew that Norrtäljeviken will have lots of wind. No need for drama so one reef was set.

It took me a good 90 minutes to get through Vätösund, at some points I had to brail the sail and use oars. Doldrums - high Vätö coast was shielding us from the South wind.

Entering Norrtäljeviken from my channel is through narrow passage, with rocky coast on one side and a pile of rocks on the other. The wind was straight ahead so I needed to carefully plan my tacks, to glide through the passage on one tack.

I did not manage.
I had to make very short and nervous tack inside the narrows. Good that a motorboater on the other side waited patiently for me to get through.
Going back through this place was easier - I had the wind behind me.

There was wind, finally! I was glad I reefed prudently, gusts were really speeding us up!
I wanted to round islands on the other side, not used by big boats. We see this side of the gulf when we drive along the coast but big boats avoid it since there are shallows and stones in places. With low draft boat like Louve this was a place to go.

Out in the wider part of the gulf. We were sailing in half-wind, comfortably sitting on the sole and drinking tea as the boat glided through.

I intentionally did not take the engine. There were motorboaters around already, I did not want to add to their noise.

Getting through almost all the way to Norrtälje, I could already see marina lurking behind the last island. And then I got second thoughts - why would I want to sail there? It was good as it was already here - why not turn back and enjoy the wind and views, without spoiling it with a city?

So I did, turned back and sailed around the islands - now on the fair-lead. Almost - I kept close to islands, to get a better view. That almost cost me a crash when I missed a big stone when I was passing it. If not for cormorants sitting on it I would have missed it entirely. It is marked on the chart, I just got too nonchalant with navigation at that moment.

The wind was shifting so again I had to beat into it. That went well until I entered Vätösund again. The wind died shortly after high Vätö shielded us with its rocks.
Part of the way to the harbor went on oars. Louve is a bit hard to row for longer periods but that was a good workout.
We entered our local harbor with no wind. Only when I was almost inside the sleep it started to blow, pushing us almost into Y-booms.
Retrieval went well, I just needed to wait until motorboats wake calmed enough to winch up Louve onto her trailer.
We ended sailing after 5 hours. Enough to have good time and to get home when the day is still high.

Sail management - brailing lines

August 24, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

While sailing alone I often have a need to temporary douse the sail but without dropping it. I found Tim Cooks post solving this problem exactly. Brailing lines!

On loose-footed lug sail (Misanier) like my Ilur it is a very simple system. Single line going from sail´s throat, through 3rd reefing cringle and back to throat, on the other side of the sail.

The line goes then down, after passing through a small block hanging on sail´s throat.

I wanted to make this a part of the sail, so that I don´t need to rig it every time I step the mast. At the bottom it is attached to tack-corner by a clip.
I tried it on my driveway, in the evening. It works very well.

My only concern is if the line will not cause problems when I rise the sail. It is a good few meters of rather loose line. It has a potential of doing a mess when in hurry.
I will probably not test it during the coming weekend as Storm Lilian is heading our way.

Evening sailing

August 19, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

It was a tough day at work so I needed a break. We still have long evenings and summer weather so taking Louve for a spin was a natural choice.

I wanted to test my new main sheet thimble which replaces gigantic block I had, which Albert landed on his face when we went out last time. This new arrangement, as in fact specified in F.Vivier plans, should not cause so much pain if hitting someones (mine) head.

New, beefy soft shackle made as described in article on Small Boats Monthly.

Launching went smoothly, in just a few minutes Louve was ready to go.

I knew the wind will eventually die but I took no engine. It was so calm and quiet that spoiling it with mechanical noise would be a sin.
I rowed out of the harbor and set sail. We sailed downwind, southerly wind leading us towards Vätö church.

New sheets working as expected - anodized aluminum thimble adds almost no friction compared to the previous block.

The wind was getting weaker with time but still we were ghosting in the evening sun. If not for a few power-boaters which passed by the evening was calm and silent.

We did not reach Vätö kyrkan, the wind died entirely. I took down the sail and rowed back. Rowing Louve on this calm water was very smooth and easy. Without much muscles we were doing good 3 knots.

I sculled into the slip. I cannot say I am as good as Maynard Bray but watching this video taught me how to scull. It is, indeed, very easy!

This time retrieving the boat onto trailer went smoothly and she landed nice and straight. Apparently the problem before was due to side rollers which were too high up. They were grabbing on strakes and skewing the boat. No such problems after I adjusted them.

Two hours sail and row adventure. It does not need to be the whole day nor very long trip to feel like being in “Swallows and Amazons”.

Building Louve can be found here.

Reefs in dead-calm

August 04, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Weather forecast was the same as when we sailed with Albert.
This time I went out with Maciek. To avoid drama I put one reef in the sail - we could see further up Vätösund that it blows properly there.
Launching went well so we ghosted North in weak wind, waiting to come out closer to Vätobron.

Well, as the time went and we were getting (slowly) closer to the bridge the wind died entirely. We shake the reef and continue but apart from a few wind-puffs it became dead-calm.

We turned back to the harbor, sailing with the weak wind. As we were getting closer it started to stiffen somewhat so the ride was nice. Dark clouds were moving from the South closer to us.
I wanted to enter on sails but as we were entering the slip (with half-wind) it changed direction and started to blow really properly.
Too tight there to maneuver for spilling wind so I steered out into open water. We dropped sail and entered on engine.

This time we removed the engine before retrieval. But it went skewed anyway, a bit better but still bad. I suspect that it´s back rollers which are too high or too tight and they grab on one of strakes when the boat rolls onto the trailer.

Back home we lifted her up in the shed. I could also assess damaged to the keel plank.
Some bosun work needs to be done: fix the dink and adjust the trailer so she rides straight when retrieved.

Building Louve can be found here.

Afternoon sailing

August 02, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

Finally we could spare a few hours for messing around with boats. Albert was visiting us, with family, we got dispense for afternoon sailing.

We launched Louve in my local harbor. The wind was blowing (somewhere) but it was dead calm in the harbor. We set sail and decided to sail against the wind, North, towards Rosättra. The plan was to land there, watch boats, eat snacks and sail back.

We almost got there. The wind was very weak so we cheated and used the engine for a while. After Vätöbron it started to blow properly, as usually there. We beat some more, Albert managed to land sheets-block on his head with powerful blow! (I need to replace it with a shingle really).
Almost reached Rosättra but the time was up to sail back.

Going dead with the wind which by then stiffed properly. We had too much canvas up so Albert moved closer to me, aft, to balance the boat.
The ride was premium, not to mention a few uncontrolled jibes.
I got rewarded by a photo of me getting out of one of these.

Retrieving Louve went rather bad - the boat went up skewed on the trailer, regardless of our efforts. And then she fell from bottom rollers, damaging a bit keel plank. Need to fix that.
Albert pointed that it may be due to the engine hanging from stern, being relatively heavy and far to the port. That makes sense, next time I’ll try without it.

Building Louve can be found here.

Gusty weather

May 19, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

After last week’s mayhem at work I was not sure if I should go out sailing or just lay asleep on a hammock. Sailing prevailed.
Launching in our home harbor is tricky: narrow ramp which needs to be entered from 90 degrees turn. It took me three trials until I managed to enter the slip.

Weather forecast was warning against heavy wind gusts in the afternoon. Since I started around 10 a.m. I waited with reefing and went upwind on full sail.
Beating against the wind in the narrow Vätösund took me a while but eventually we arrived to Norrtäljeviken. The wind was mostly from South so I could sail in a comfortable beam-reach all the way to Flaten, club island at the entrance to Norrtäljeviken.
Closer to Björköfjärden wind gusts started to reach us more and more frequently. Normal wind was weak, around 4 m/s, while gusts were reaching 12-14 m/s. Too much for unreefed sail on my dinghy.
I moored to lee pontoon on Flaten, to reef the sail and prepare some food. The place was well protected from wind but quite unfortunate as I was laying exposed to swell from motorboats passing by so no cooking, just sandwiches.

With one reef set I cast off and head back the same way home. Mostly beam-reach, upon entering Vätösund turned into broad reach. Gusts were getting stronger while wind between them was dying out to almost nothing.

By this time I was getting tired and seriously considered dropping sail and starting the engine. I gave it a few more minutes and luckily the wind came back. We entered Vätösund with vengeance!

Close to the harbor I dropped sails and tried entering the slip on oars. With heavy side-wind I quickly realized that I need more power so engine woke up to life.
We entered the slip and could retrieve “Louve” but with a few problems - mostly due to side wind. It was close but none got hurt.
I will need to re-think my retrieval routines before next sailing.

Galley box

May 16, 2024 by Lukasz Kumanowski

In my opinion coffee tastes best after a long sailing. Same with food - and best if it is a warm meal.

To prepare Louve for camping-cruising I built a simple box around Origo-clone spirit stove. Nothing as sophisticated as Roger Barnes uses but good enough for my purpose.
As my boat differs from Roger’s I had much narrower slot to put my galley which resulted in a cube housing only the stove and some basic cutlery.

Objectives for this build were:
- house a stove, to be able to cook under way or on anchor
- to fit under front thwart. That seems to be the best and only place to have galley on a boat like mine
- to be water-tight - both to protect the stove and to act as additional buoyancy should we capsize

Top and front walls are detachable and sealed with silicone-rubber seal.
Latches compress seals upon closing thus making the box water-tight. Water will get there probably anyway after a while, but it will seep, not flood. Hopefully I will recover after a capsize before the box is filled with water.

Interior walls are housing copper sheets which sit in channels, leaving an air gap between metal and wooden walls. That should provide heat isolation and prevent the whole thing from burning.

Front hatch is covered with cork, providing heat-resistant surface to place hot pots.

Latches mounted on the perimeter provide feet, when folded under the hatch. The whole thing is surprisingly stable.

Top cover acts also as a small table, with raised edges so that cups will not glide too far away.

I also added simple copper handles on both sides, so that it is easier to lift the galley out of the boat, for cooking on rocks or on beach.

The box is held to the boat with two short ropes. I used existing holes in the frame to mount eye-bolts on both sides.

Small Tufnol cleats on both sides hold the galley in place but are quick to release it.

Size limitation for this box was mainly due to long hatches along the centerboard case. To keep them free to open I had to make much smaller galley than Roger could fit in his “Avel Dro”.

Height of the box is designed so that it is possible to open the top cover under the thwart but very little space is left once the box is closed. That should keep it from jumping up when I tow the boat on trailer.
In situ: