This is terrific and really helpful. (We flew our Parasailor many many times over the past three months. It's all about setup, then being systematic. Initially we thought of it as a 'specialty' sail - not for every day use... With practice we'd leave it up for 48 hours if it was working. It's a terrific downwind sail, far better than wing on wing (even with barber haulers). Now I want to tune up my own spinnaker technique (solo) so when I'm out trolling I can just head downwind. The key to our being able to efficiently and safely snuff our parasailor is your tip to release the lee side sheet. One time we tried releasing all the sheets and tacks and the two port side lines ended up under the starboard hull. (The question raised was not Why are there so many idiots on the internet handing out bad advice, but Why would we do what some complete stranger suggests? ) Standing up while snuffing can be a bit uncertain, but by just bending your knees, you can use the weight of your body to pull down the snuffer. Looking forward to the next episodes. One of our best experiences was when the owner working with just his wife took down the parasail and then put it back up. It was step by step, planned out in advance. Went off like clockwork.
Great to hear all that detail, Will! The Oxleys only use two lines and not 4 as the parasailors do so it is significantly less complicated.. We have had ours up for many days at a time and gets great speeds in really light winds, even though it is pulling a heavily laden Leopard 50! Yes, "those idiots" handing out advice was one of the reasons we started doing videos cause so many people made it all so hard and dramatic (to get more views) so the audience were being fed really dodgy advice and filling folk with fear and paranoia... I am hoping to have Paul show how you can raise and drop the Oxley SINGLE HNADED too... That should be interesting.
Great footage there John of the different drops, with a great explanation of what was happening. I hope you guys are having a great time on land and re-provisioning for the next leg!
Nice video! Unless I missed it in a previous video can you talk about the pros/cons of running just 1 line on each side as you have done here vs 2 on each side (1 outside and 1 down to bow block then same on other side. Especially if sailing close to DDW where you may be drifting 170 one side to 170 the other side.
Great suggestion, En! It should probably go in a video too but the short answer is that the Oxley's do not need the 4 lines and it is easier and faster to rig, hoist and drop. The only disadvantage is that to gybe you need to snuff and rerun the lines (don't need to drop and rehoist) as the sheet and tack line need to be swapped and the sheet has to be threaded into the low friction ring as it now becomes the guy line.... The extra lines cost more money and add more weight - the Oxley can be sailed in 4 knots of wind which can't be done with the other brands...
Hi Scott, the reason for using soft shackles instead of metal shackles is so we can rig it without tools and avoid the risk of trauma to people or the boat if it ever flogs...
This is terrific and really helpful. (We flew our Parasailor many many times over the past three months. It's all about setup, then being systematic. Initially we thought of it as a 'specialty' sail - not for every day use... With practice we'd leave it up for 48 hours if it was working. It's a terrific downwind sail, far better than wing on wing (even with barber haulers). Now I want to tune up my own spinnaker technique (solo) so when I'm out trolling I can just head downwind.
The key to our being able to efficiently and safely snuff our parasailor is your tip to release the lee side sheet. One time we tried releasing all the sheets and tacks and the two port side lines ended up under the starboard hull. (The question raised was not Why are there so many idiots on the internet handing out bad advice, but Why would we do what some complete stranger suggests? )
Standing up while snuffing can be a bit uncertain, but by just bending your knees, you can use the weight of your body to pull down the snuffer.
Looking forward to the next episodes. One of our best experiences was when the owner working with just his wife took down the parasail and then put it back up. It was step by step, planned out in advance. Went off like clockwork.
Great to hear all that detail, Will! The Oxleys only use two lines and not 4 as the parasailors do so it is significantly less complicated.. We have had ours up for many days at a time and gets great speeds in really light winds, even though it is pulling a heavily laden Leopard 50!
Yes, "those idiots" handing out advice was one of the reasons we started doing videos cause so many people made it all so hard and dramatic (to get more views) so the audience were being fed really dodgy advice and filling folk with fear and paranoia...
I am hoping to have Paul show how you can raise and drop the Oxley SINGLE HNADED too... That should be interesting.
Good choice of colors for the lines of the Parasail.
Things can be so simple if you think about it beforehand.
Yes that is right - forward planning and knowing what is likely to happen is always the key....
Great footage there John of the different drops, with a great explanation of what was happening. I hope you guys are having a great time on land and re-provisioning for the next leg!
Glad you enjoyed it, Garth and yes having a great time and excellent experience!
Nice video! Unless I missed it in a previous video can you talk about the pros/cons of running just 1 line on each side as you have done here vs 2 on each side (1 outside and 1 down to bow block then same on other side. Especially if sailing close to DDW where you may be drifting 170 one side to 170 the other side.
Great suggestion, En! It should probably go in a video too but the short answer is that the Oxley's do not need the 4 lines and it is easier and faster to rig, hoist and drop. The only disadvantage is that to gybe you need to snuff and rerun the lines (don't need to drop and rehoist) as the sheet and tack line need to be swapped and the sheet has to be threaded into the low friction ring as it now becomes the guy line.... The extra lines cost more money and add more weight - the Oxley can be sailed in 4 knots of wind which can't be done with the other brands...
Really useful vid Thanks 😀👍
Glad it was helpful!
I have a ?, why do you tie a Bolin to the head of the sail instead of using the halyard shackle?
Hi Scott, the reason for using soft shackles instead of metal shackles is so we can rig it without tools and avoid the risk of trauma to people or the boat if it ever flogs...
👍
We can always rely on you Billy!