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Re: Bahamas entry fees
I'm in total agreement. In addtion, don't forget that the Bahamas cruising permit allows you to leave the Bahamas and return once during the duration of the permit. So if you wish to push on down to other Caribbean destinations or just hop back to the US for a bit you basically get that second entrance into the Bahamas for FREE! Who could complain about THAT!
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Bahamas entry fees
I wanted to respond to the comment of EXORBITANT $300 entry fee to the Bahamas. A few years ago I had an extended conversation with a customs officer when entering the Bahamas. He was defending the charge to enter the Bahamas in the following way. The Bahamas rely on tourism for a large part of their revenue, this includes hotels, restaurants, shops etc.. When processing arriving boats they have the authority to remove all the food and alcohol from a boat, as is the case in the US. I operate a corporate jet and experience this on every arrival in the US, we are required to re-cater the aircraft prior to continuing and are charged as much as $400 to dispose of perfectly good (now considered toxic) food. The officer pointed out that cruisers are not normally required to relinquish their food and drink, likely do not stay in land based accommodation or eat in many restaurants, let alone have to replace all their stores in a local store. He pointed out that the $300 (or $150) fee was not extravagant in his or for that matter my opinion. I personally think the $300 is a cheap price to pay for all the Bahamas have to offer and is certainly less expensive that replacing the stores that are allowed to be taken into the country. The country is already struggling to recover from recent major Hurricanes. I for one am happy to contribute this small fee. Martin Cooper L450 |
Re: reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
Bill , you're absolutely correct, in theory.?
However, the reality of the single line reefing system on the 450 is problematic when deploying the sail with the reef lines hauled in (We did transgress a bit from the original comment related to a 380 - sorry, but just in the interest of offering an example to preserve the running rigging), whether one is shaking out a reef or hauling up the sail when the reef lines had been previously hauled in when dousing the sail.? I have experienced, on more than one 450, tgat even wth blocks replaced the rings and rings were added to the padeye fairleads on the mast I still had to manually pay out the reef lines at the mast, in advance, in order to get the sail up without undue strain on the sail, halyard and winch! The lines simply do not pay out easily when the main is being raised. There are just too many friction points.? Now with the 380 it is obviously a smaller, lighter sail and more easily raised and if you're reefing infrequently and/or for short periods of time then lead rings may suffice, but, as you know, when you're reefed for days on end during a long passage in trade winds chafe can become a big concern and the constant rubbing of the line through a cringle of lead ring can take its toll. Additionally, there is a reason why the factory designed the sails and reefing system with blocks, right? I'm sure the size of these vessels and their sails are certainly large enough to handle the bit of extra weight of a few blocks without affecting performance. So, with all that said, use blocks. |
Re: reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýSaw the comments about friction and binding. When reefing properly there is very little drag/friction since the sail should be eased. They do load up when the sail is trummed at which point your not adjusting the line. Binding may be caused by the twist imposed each time a line is wrapped around a winch. Unless removed, the cumulative effect is to cause the line to kink. Less weight flying around at the reef points is a good thing.? Race boats use rings for jib Fairless which have a lot of lot, without any problwms. Bill Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device |
Re: reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
Steve Poulson
The better solution, considering all the bends that reef lines need to negotiate (each adding friction) before leading back to the helm (single line reefing) is to replace your cracked blocks with new blocks. ?Friction rings are fine but there is significant less friction and line wear using low-friction blocks. ?We replaced all our friction rings with Harken 75 blocks. On a 450, the reef lines go thru up to 7 angles before they get back to the helm (single line reefing).? |
Re: [LagoonOwners] reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
Hi Marc. Hope you and LinoCat are fine. I would go with new blocks BR Michael
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Re: [LagoonOwners] reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýWhoops, my previous response was directed toward the person asking about blocks on reef points! Rick??s/v Mai Tai L37 TPI? On Feb 9, 2018, at 10:05, Bruce MacBain brucemacbain@... [lagooncatowners] <lagooncatowners@...> wrote:
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Re: [LagoonOwners] reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýMake sure you use blocks designed for high static loads like Harken esp s!? Rick??s/v Mai Tai L37 TPI? On Feb 9, 2018, at 10:05, Bruce MacBain brucemacbain@... [lagooncatowners] <lagooncatowners@...> wrote:
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Re: [LagoonOwners] reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
You should replace with proper blocks.? I, too, have had less than satisfactory performance with lead rings on the 450 and replaced them with blocks, but it is a much bigger sail and the reef tacks and clews are not the only places on the 450 reefing system that cause drag.? I took two of the lead rings from the sail and lashed them to those pesky, angled padeyes Lagoon installed as fairleads on the mast and ran the reef lines through them which helps to reduce friction, as well. On the 380, though, while it is a smaller main, if I were you I would make the investment in good blocks and not run the risk of drag from lead rings. Look at how much bend you're going to have on the reef line - it's more than 300 degrees.? There's going to be drag. ? "No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever." - Francois Mauriac ?? Bruce D. MacBain USCG 100 T Master? Meridian Yacht Services? 2728 W Davie Blvd, #207 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312? 001-954-326-3838 www.meridianyachtservices.com brucemacbain@... ?? On Friday, February 9, 2018 8:58 AM, "Stuart beancountersdca@... [lagooncatowners]" wrote:
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Just a personal note.? My 450S came with the rings at the reef points.? The definition of "low friction" is a point of contention for me.? The reef lines bind up frequently.? I am planning on swapping them out for blocks as soon as I get to that point on the to do list.? I'm in San Diego, so big wind is a rarity, or it would be higher up on the list.? But its one of the top annoyance issues.? Stuart S/V Rum Away 2017 450S #33 On Fri, Feb 9, 2018 at 3:30 AM, marc.giraudon@... [lagooncatowners] <lagooncatowners@...> wrote:
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Re: [LagoonOwners] reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
Just a personal note.? My 450S came with the rings at the reef points.? The definition of "low friction" is a point of contention for me.? The reef lines bind up frequently.? I am planning on swapping them out for blocks as soon as I get to that point on the to do list.? I'm in San Diego, so big wind is a rarity, or it would be higher up on the list.? But its one of the top annoyance issues.? Stuart S/V Rum Away 2017 450S #33 On Fri, Feb 9, 2018 at 3:30 AM, marc.giraudon@... [lagooncatowners] <lagooncatowners@...> wrote:
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reef point - blocks or low friction rings?
hi all, Just been having a good look at my sails (L380S2) and I noticed that almost all of the blocks that hold the reefing lines in place are cracked to some extent. most of these have cracks in the "wheel" of the block which i only noticed when I took the reefing lines off for replacement. Rather than replace the blocks directly, i was thinking about replacing them with low friction rings. Has anyone done this? if so, did you just use the dyneema strop and loop it round the ring on the sail or use another method? Thank you for sharing your advice and experience.? Marc |
Re: Catamaran Guru Rendezvous For ALL Cat Owners
This is a perfectly fine rendezvous event - I have attended some on the west coast and there was always a fee and a lot of fun - to be had - this is IMHO a good posting and as good a reason to go to the Bahamas - included are events and food so this all works out well - - heck many people in this forum are either buying or selling their cat - so this group has grown way beyond the CAT OWNERS.
Maybe once I get through the canal I'll attend it next year . What I have a personal pet peeve with is the EXORBITANT 300 USD Bahamas clearing in fee ( no in and out either ) for vessels of 35' - It's time to start yelling at that - especially since the accuracy of Bahamian chart is less than 5% - if you charge THAT much you need to do some surveying - and with over 60,000 private vessels go to the Bahamas each year - that's 18 MILLION in fees - and no decent charts to show for - that's just not a good balance in the risk / reward equation Ok off my soap box Dietmar Petutschnig? USCG 100T Captain & RNZ Yachmaster Ocean SV Carinthia L440 withthe PanamaPosse 2017-2018 Currently holed up in? San Juan del Sur - Nicaragua with 10 to 1 scope - with some nasty Papagayos |
Re: [LagoonOwners] Catamaran Guru Rendezvous For ALL Cat Owners
You solicited on Lagoon forum, that would mean you are looking to make a lot of new friends. Networking It's all about transparency and misunderstood intentions. Addresses you collect at a boat show don't know you. Names and addresses you collect at your parties will know you and might be more inclined to contact you if they became sellers or buyers. since you are brokers, perhaps a disclaimer saying you would never use their names or emails to solicit business nor would you accept a fee for any transactions that resulted from collecting their name and address. that way you would always just be friends sharing a passion for sailing with a pure heart.
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Re: [LagoonOwners] Catamaran Guru Rendezvous For ALL Cat Owners
Joe, most of the attendees (20 boats so far) are people who own boats and are cruisers whom we personally know. They are not likely to buy another boat any time soon. So, no I am not "collecting" names. I do that at boat shows where we pay to be able do so. Again, this is an event for people to have fun at including ourselves. We own a boat and are cruisers and this is one of the times where we can also enjoy our own boat with people we like and share a passion with. That's it. Nothing more.
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Re: [LagoonOwners] lagoon400s2 crossbeam wanted
What kind of boat do you have? there is a company demolishing boats in Spanish Town pulling off items for sale. If you have a similar boat... Joe Sea Of Love L440 BVI
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