INVESTIGATOR 563

Not so adventurous really! Both my previous Investigators had jib furlers. On one of them I even installed an expensive alloy foil furler but it made rigging and transporting trickier.

This boat just came with the three hanked on jibs and a downhaul system. I like the simplicity of that arrangement except that when the jib is hauled down, it tends to billow until someone goes forward and ties it up a bit. But at least I can drop the jib even when solo.

I try to check the forecast and upwind actual wind before going out and I then rig the boat conservatively. I would rarely go out if the forecast was for much more than 15 knots as it is often 50% more than forecast. I never go out when thunderstorms are likely.

So I rig one of the smaller jibs if it is windy on the basis that if it turns out to be lighter wind I can always put up a bigger one. I might also put in a reef on the same basis. Easier to have too little sail and increase it if the wind stays light than go out with full sail and then have to reduce it in windy, rough conditions.

Hello Peter,

Glad you re-joined the forum and your posts are full of good info too. (like the performance of 2 hp and 5 hp, i have an old 2 hp in the shed, may get it going again one day and good to know it can move and investigator around ok) That's allot of boats owned over the years

My investigator is currently ashore while the trailer gets rebuilt, its an early boat. crew situation is similar to yours, flat calms to light best for the mrs and our small dog is getting a bit too fat to maneuver on the side decks now! The old mates have growing families, and/or mortgages to attend to, so a solo sailor mostly. That's a good thing about the boat, it's manageable at the ramp without dependence on a crew.

waters are off the North Queensland coast - places like Magnetic Island and Palm Islands

Cheers

Andrew

G'day Andrew,
Tricksy is number 4 so much the same vintage as your boat. Did yours have an outboard well? Mine shows no sign of ever having one despite the fact that initially they were part of the design.

Yes I still have my CAL14 which is a great little boat for fun sailing, but no good for carrying a few people when the occasion arises. Also, since I often sail solo, at 71 I wonder how well I could clamber aboard the CAL if I ended up in the drink. No boarding ladder and quite tippy. Then there is the fact that the Investigator is basically unsinkable and would stay upright even if swamped. Not certain if the CAL would do that.

So at the moment I am hanging onto the CAL and hoping to do some local sails near Melbourne/Bendigo on nice days. But most sailing will probably be on the Investigator which is parked on Raymond Island ready to go.

It's the old story -- I have brought the CAL up to the point where it has new sails that work really well and a trailer that also works better than the original set-up. So hard to let it go as it is a really well mannered boat. But sooner or later it may have to go.