Get it wet, then figure all the rest out!  Put a line on the bow to keep control of it, throw in the oars and shove it in the water.

I like a ramp or put-in with enough shore/beach that I can push/tow/row the skerry over to the ankle deep shallows and do the rigging there. That way you're not in the way of anxious power boaters in a rush.

Oh and go ahead and bump it on a piling or drag it on some sand so you know you already have your first ding and now can enjoy playing with it.

I prefer to step the masts and rig the boat in the parking lot prior to launching.  Everything up to but not including raising the sails.  If the wind is light, I will raise the mizzen but never the main before launching.  I also have bumpers and lines ready and the oars out but not in the oarlocks. (picture below)

After launching and parking the truck, I row away from the dock.  Most ramps here are way to busy for me to spend time raising the sail at the dock.  Once I get in a good (not busy) area, I deploy the mizzen (if not already done) then rudder and centerboard.  At this point I also stow the oars and tie them in.  With only 1 person onboard, my Goat is is off running as soon as the sail is up, so I pretty much have to be ready to sail before raising the main.  As soon as possible after the main is up, I will tiddy everything up so that I can lower the main quickly if needed.  Two things that I will try on my next sail:  First, the designer of my boat claims that it is much more stable to raise a lug sail with the wind about 30 degrees off the nose instaed of head to wind, so I will try that.  The mizzen makes it a bit easier to control this.  Secondly, if there is much wind, I will try using a large canvas bucket as a sea anchor to lond the boat in the desired 30 degree position.

Returning to the dock is basically the reverse.  Drop the main first and throw a couple of sail ties on it.  Next, drop the mizzen and raise the boards.  Next, get bumpers and lines ready then row into the dock.  Lastly, retrieve boat and move to parking lot to lower masts and make road ready.  

The above is all good stuff and is somewhat dependent on personal preference/which boat they're launching.  Here's my version with a Passagemaker.

First, I try to find a trailer parking spot that is somewhat upwind facing and pull in.  Then, depending on whether in interferes with rigging the boat, I may or may not take off the trailer straps (except for the bow strap).  Then I will step the mast, attach standing rigging as needed, install rudder and tiller in the upright/locked position.  I will also install the oarlocks and oars by inserting them in both sets on each side.  That way they're secure and not taking up room inside the boat.  Then I'll load the cooler, bailer, telescoping paddle, Type IV throwable, etc.  I'll also attach the fenders if needed.  Last but not least are the two dock lines and a painter.  The dock lines are three strand attached at the bow and stern on the sider I think I'll be up against down at the dock.  The painter is a polypropylene double braid attached at the bow.

Then, depending on the wind speed and direction with respect to the parking spot and the launch ramp, I'll either install the sails and raise them, or just install them.  For example, on my gunter slooped rig, my main is lashed to the yard which is on a track with sail stops.  I can get all that assembled prior to driving over to the ramp.  I can also attach my boom with the main already lashed at the tack with a fast-pin and the clew loose with the outhaul cleated.  I'll also rig the mainsheet and flake the rest into the bottom of the boat.  Note, I'll cleat the mainsheet very loosely.  I don't want the boat to start sailing, but I also don't want the boom to swing out to the shrouds.

Then I'll drive the trailer around and back down the ramp.  If I have the option, I'll back down on the leeward side of the dock.  I actually have a pennant at the top of my yard that helps quite a bit with this.  Then I'll launch the boat, disconnect the winch strap from the bow eye and with both dock lines in hand (they're both longer than the boat's length), I'll pull her out to the very end of the dock and tie her up on the last two cleats.  Depending on the wind direction and clearance around the launch ramp area, I may warp her around pointing out into the water.  The key is to get the boat pointing into the wind and/or with the ability to sail away from the dock.

With the boat secured, I will go park the vehicle.  My PFD is in the vehicle.  I'll park, lock it up and on the walk over, I'll put it on.  Then, completely ready to go, I'll crawl down into the boat.  If the water is deep enough, I'll put the rudder down.  If not, no big deal.  I'll cast off, sheet in and sail away from the dock.  Sometimes the wind is blocked at the launch ramp by the surrounding trees and terrain, so I'll scull my way out to the wind.  I find it difficult to use the oars while in close proximity to the dock, hence the sculling and telescoping paddle.  I'll also stow the dock lines so there's not as much spaghetti to mess with under sail.  Also, I always stow my fenders as soon as possible so as not to be "that guy"...

Retrieving the boat is much the same process, just in reverse.  Upon deciding to head back in, I'll get the dock lines and fenders installed.  Being able to sail right up to the dock and slack the mainsheet is a nice skill to have.  Then I usually douse the sails right there at the dock while I'm in the boat.  I'll climb out of the boat onto the dock with both dock lines in hand, cleat her off and go get the truck.  I have a visual reference about how deep to back the trailer in.  Some boats/trailers it's when the license plate is under, some it's when the fender touches the water.  Each scenario is different, but once you know your reference point, you're good to go from there on out.

That's all I can think of right now.  Based on others' excellent advice, I'll post any other tips & tricks I'll post anything I can think of.  The good news is that it sounds like this isn't your first rodeo.  For true first timers, it's a pretty daunting task.  The key is to find a non-busy ramp for your first attempt so you don't have any additional pressure on you.  Take your time, think things through and you'll be fine.  The Tenderly is a great little boat and I'm sure you'll be able to just throw it around in no time.  I'm seriously tempted by the XP version as I have a penchant for any boat with a bowsprit.

I forgot to mention that if I only install the sails and not raise them, I will raise them after climbing down into the boat, assuming she's pointed into the wind or at least a direction where I can sail directly away from the dock.

   Thanks to Mummichog and Mark so far.  Mummichog has correctly surmmized one source of my worries:  screwing up the finish on my new boat as I learn how not to get underway.  And Mark has confirmed my instinct to rig in the parking lot (which might have to include temporarily raising the sail, at least a bit, to rig the mainsheet, etc.).  The sea anchor idea may eventually be very useful also, though I think I'll be looking for the calmest of days for my first few sails.  The oars question remains an issue.  The Tenderly is only 10' long with no room under the seats with flotation, so not much room to tie them in where they're not in the way before raising the sail; hence, my question about leaving them in the oarlocks with the ends brought as far forward as possible.  I know, what if a capsize - - horror of horrors.  I hope someone with a Tenderly sees this post, has already worked out the issues specific to my boat (or one very much like it in terms of size), and is willing to share what works the best - or leads to problems I never considered.

   Thanks also to CaptainSkully, whose reply I didn't see before I wrote a follow-up.  Those little details really help - - and, yes, I do have tons of experience with other boats prior to a long hiatus in building my Tenderly.  But oddly, I suddenly feel like a complete novice at this point.  Maybe it's age catching up, making me more skiddish about "the launch" along with everything else....  One question for CaptainSkully.  You mentioned the oars are in the oarlocks and positioned out of the way as much as possible in sailing away from the dock.  Any worries, or any other issues, in just keeping the oars in the oarlocks with the paddle ends resting on the gunnels as close-in as possible?

On my Faering Cruiser there are a couple of adjustable straps on the bow cabin to hold the oar handles while the oarlocks hold the loom right where it transitions to the blade.

When I've just rested the handles on the gunnel, they eventually slipped off and the oar headed for a swim. Fortunately, I always caught them just before they left the boat.

Have fun,

Laszlo

On our Passagemaker Dinghy Winkle, I normally use a "bridle" rigged from bow to stern on each side, as well as a painter at the bow.  I use the bridles mostly at the docks, and the painter mostly for tying off to an anchor rode or a tow line.  (We use Winkle as a tender for our Menger 19 catboat Virginia Mae.)  On your Tenderly, you could set bridles up on the spacered inwales, assuming you have those (I've not seen a photo of a Tenderly without them).

The bridles allows me to hold the boat alongside a dock in either direction, walk her along parallel to the dock under good control (like having bow line and stern line in one piece), and tie her off to one or two cleats to keep her quietly alongside with a fender rigged amidships.  I guess you could actually use separate bow and stern lines and bend the ends together amidships to form a bridle, if you wanted.  That might sometimes prove handier for tying off to rings if there are no cleats, or if the cleats are spaced far apart, though I find that, given enough slack, tying off to a ring with a couple of half-hitches on the bight works okay.

I've found, on short boats, having the length of the bridle on each side about twice the boat length gives me plenty of slack for turning the boat, belaying to cleats, working in a loop as needed, etc., without being so long as to become unhandy.  If you're worried about all that extra rope underfoot when underway, you can work in a chain braid (sometimes called a "chain sinnet" or "monkey braid" - see here: https://www.animatedknots.com/chainsinnet/ ) to take up the slack without untying the ends from the boat.  Pulls right out when needed.

When we're under sail, the oars are put up along the sides using an extra pair of (open) oarlocks, blades aft and grips forward.  We're using the straight-bladed spruce oars from CLC with plastic collars capturing round oarlocks.  The "extra" oarlocks are the horn type, and are meant to use with another pair of spoon blade oars (on which I haven't yet gotten around to putting on the leathers to try them) for pure rowing.  The round oarlocks are positioned on the collars in the forward sockets, then the shafts down toward the blades are placed into the horn oarlocks posittioned in the aft sockets, blades verticle.  All this is gently held in place by loops of small shock cord secured around the throats of the oarlocks, pulled over the oars from the outboard side, and snapped under the produding ends of the oarlock shafts underneath on the inboard side.  They'll pop loose before the oars break if they get hung up on something, but it's snug enough to keep them in place underway.  Don't forget to put toggles on the open oarlocks to keep 'em from becoming suicidal.  <;-)

We don't hike out on the rail when sailing, so the oars are out of the way right on top of the gun'l's, and we can sit low with our backs against the rail (about all the hiking she needs, in my experience so far) without having the oars in the way or otherwise cluttering up the interior.  There's a photo of Winkle under sail currently #9 of 56 in the Passagemaker Take-Apart photo gallery.  If you right click on that, you can download or open in a new tab/window to enlarge to see the detail better.

Most of the time, I'm launching Winkle bow-first from the back of my full-sized pickup truck, with the sail rig out of the boat and laid down somewhere handy to the dock.  Once in the water, I'll walk or row the boat to the courtesy dock, the outside of the ramp float, or somewhere otherwise out of the way of other folks launching, and then go park the truck.  The mast is easy to step from a dock with the boat tied up alongside (see on the bridle lines above), though it's easy enough to step and unstep out on the water, as well (one of the good reasons to pick the balanced lug rig).  I'll then get all the lines for the sail rigged up with the sail and yards loosely bundled off to the side, and then hang the rudder.

If you are launching from a trailer, it may make more sense to do all that rigging beforehand, especially if the ramp is busy.  I wouldn't hoist the sail until you're ready to sail, though.  Wind can be tricky stuff.  You don't want to end up on somebody's U-Tube "Sailboat Launch Fail" video.  <;-)

If the wind is favorable for sailing away from the dock, I'll position the boat at an angle where the wind comes at her somewhere forward of abeam (again, the bridle lines make it possible to adjust the angle of the boat to the dock) but maybe not dead on the nose, put the rudder blade down, hoist the sail, snug up (down?) the downhaul, cast off, sheet home, drop the daggerboard, and hope I don't foul a line somewhere to spoil a seamanlike getaway.  Does that sound like the voice of (bad) experience?  Ahem.

If the dock is really busy or if the wind just doesn't want to let me sail away, I'll row out somewhere before seting the sail.  If the wind isn't heavy, I'll generally just let the boat lie broadside to the wind (which she naturally does) and set the sail from the leeward side of the mast.  The lug sail can be set pretty quickly with some practice (drill it ashore) to minimize the opportunities for the wind to turn it into a kite with wicked intent before you get it fully hoisted and under control.

In heavier wind, it's safer to anchor or otherwise get the boat more head to wind before setting the sail, the better to prevent it from turning into a most effective spinaker and either capsizing you or carrying you off downwind like some bozo in a bathtub with bedsheet on a broomstick.  I've used a kayaker's drogue for this with some success--maybe a bit quicker than anchoring, especially in deep water.  If you can row into a lee by some trees or a steep place along the shore, that may give you enough quieter air in which to work.

Again, you kinda need to practice all this stuff.  Pick a day with moderate wind, when you ain't in an all-fired great hurry, and do some sail drill.  Hey, it's all time in a boat, and therefore by definition FUN.  Then, on another day with more wind, do some more sail drill.  If you work your way up by steps like that, you won't be trying to learn how to manage things quickly and effeciently with your pulse pounding and your hair on fire having a near-death experience the first time you go out with a snootful of wind trying to steal your hat despite the chin strap.

Oh, yes, and if your sail isn't set up for reefing already, you should probably remedy that...unless you like capsizing just for fun, of course. <;-)  You should drill tucking a reef or two and shaking out, both ashore and afloat.  These balanced lug sails reef well and still pull like mules, another reason to pick that rig.

Well, dang.  I meant to offer a couple of pointers, but it turned into an overlong treatise.  Sorry about that, shipmates.

.....Michael

Michael, if you come back to read this, thank you very much for all the wonderful detail.  Now that I've taken the boat for its first taste of water (in the rowing mode), I can see the ultility of the "bridle" you described.  I used a bow and stern line to maneuver the boat where I wanted it on the dock, which worked okay, but I can see how the bridle may help when I find my courage again to get sailing.

I think I have figured out where to stow the oars under sail.  In the Tenderly, I'm going to try using the aft oarlocks (round) around the leather collar with the blade ends tucked in along the forward sides and held there with loops of cord through the spaces in the inwales.  This is garage planning, so if it turns out the oars are in the way, I can try it your way (with an extra set of oarlocks).

You mentioned hoisting the sail from the leeward side of the mast.  Could you discuss that a little further?  Why the leeward side, etc.?  Sailing a small dinghy seems new and somewhat frightening to me, though logic says it really shouldn't be that much of an issue after sailing a number of other boats (a Wayfarer, Merit 22, catamaran, sunfish, and a small o'day daysailer).  Anything you can add about that particular stage of getting underway in a small, highly responsive boat would help me, I'm very sure.  Also, do you find that you can rig the mainsheet to the bridle and boom, etc. etc. while the sail and spars are lying in a heap in the boat.  So far, I've only done this while the boat was on the trailer in my back yard, where I could point the bow just off the wind and after I hauled up the sail for the first time.  With that last detail, you can probably see the need I have for trying to absorb as much as possible from the experience of others before I do something really stupid (or worse).

Shoemaker:

The advantage of the bridle over separate bow and stern lines is that, if you find one end, you have found the other...if you're quick.  Also, you can pass the bridle behind your back for a bit of extra purchase if the wind is trying to take the boat away from you.  Mind you don't get pulled in.

I find that hoisting the balanced lug on the leeward side of the mast makes it easier to keep it from catching too much air before the yard is fully hoisted and the downhaul sufficiently set up so that the sail will feather with the wind instead of acting like a parachute trying to kill its parachutist after he's landed.  The problem with hoisting on the windward side is that a significant portion of the sail is ahead of the mast (unlike a sail whose luff is attached to the mast), which makes it more likely to get backwinded against the mast and catch air you don't yet want to catch before the sail is fully hoisted.  Once hoisted, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

If you hold down on the luff a bit while hoisting, you can get the yard to go up with the peak higher than the throat, which will also help keep unwanted air out of it.  You'll need three hands for this, of course.  I take the halyard around the bottom of its cleat (on the mast, in my case), give a long pull with the hoisting arm, catch the fall of the halyard in my teeth, and and then reach forward for another pull, all the while keeping tension on the luff with the non-hoisting hand.  Very entertaining for bystanders, I'm told.

I get the yard up all the way up, nip the halyard in one hand, and then get some tension on the downhaul (already set up, but with some slack) right quick to pull the bagginess out of the sail.  My downhaul is set up to get a two-part purchase on the boom, the better to flatten it out.  It's a simple business, but harder to explain than to show.  Maybe I can dig up a photo if all y'all really want to see it.

My PMD has her sheet set up as a two-part purchase with a snap-hook connecting the lower block to a very short bridle rigged to the midships thwart.  This is pretty much as shown in the manual.  This gives good control of the boom, and also has the beneficial effect of helping to flatten the sail when close-hauled.  It also keeps all of the spaghetti right there sin the middle of the boat instead of swinging over head wanting to cast clove hitches around my neck.

I don't know why the photos of Tenderly's I've seen mostly show the sail rigged along the boom and down to a long bridle at the transom, since the desired effect isn't that much different than the PMD.  The balanced lug sail is somewhat "self-vanging", so there's no real reason to have a long traveller or bridle aft to help control sail twist (vs. sheeting to the centerline).  I think the midships, two-part sheet as shown in the PMD manual would work better, but that is just my personal opinion.  "Different ships, different long splices."

However you do it, by all means rig the sheet before hoisting the sail.  Otherwise, you may lose control of it or find it difficult to rig with the wind blowing the boom around, possibly out of reach, after the sail is hoisted.

As for the oars, yes, having the blades forward with the collars or leathers of the oars in the aft oarlocks will work, as long as you keep the blades secured somehow.  The disadvantage there is that I imagine the grips of the oars would be standing out over the sides quite a bit at an angle, and might thus be likely to catch stuff you don't want caught there, if you see what I mean.  I've seen photos of PMD's with the oars thus stored and the skipper smiling, however, so maybe it works okay.

.....Michael

Michael, thanks again for the detail on hoisting the sail.  Extremely helpful to me, as I would think it would be helpful to others with my psychology if they find this post.  I like the “three-handed” tactic, assuming strong teeth.  You do, however, (and for good reason), also find ways to work in an image or two that captures the potential for terror throughout the whole process.

Yes, it would be helpful to see a photo of your downhaul arrangement (while also telling me how to insert a photo in this forum - - I can’t find the instructions for how to do it).  

Also, where/how can I find or make that “kayaker’s drogue” sort of thing you spoke of earlier, and can you describe how/when you deploy it?

Thanks VERY much!

https://www.clcboats.com/various/posting-photos-forums.html

Ruud

Shoemaker:

Here are links to a few photos on Dropbox showing some of the things I've described in my earlier posts.  These are full-sized images, which you can enlarge and pan in the online viewer or download to view with your own device.  Again, given the similarity of the rigs, some of this may be pertinent to your Tenderly.

Downhaul Closeup 461_K30b2212a: 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bojc9jav2lb2aj/461_K30b2212a.jpg?dl=0

I siezed a stainless thimble into an appropriately sized alpine butterfly loop in the middle of a short piece of 1/8" braided stuff, which was then sort of lashed around to form an attachement point on the boom.  The working end of the downhaul is then passed through that thimble and tied off through the middle of the cleat so that hauling down on the standing part toward the cleat has a two-part purchase.  This seems to allow plenty of tension on the downhaul in all conditions.

I've changed this in two ways since that photo was taken.  First, I've since gone to using a stopper knot (Ashley's stopper) to secure the working end the center the cleat.  Second, I now rig this the other way round, with the working end passed through the thimble from forward to aft instead of aft to forward as in the photo.  This brings the standing part down forward of the cleat so I can pass it under the cleat and pull aft.  I can get a firmer pull and then quickly belay before I lose anything.

Broader View of the Sheet and Downhaul Attachments 462_K30b2214a:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wjt2wj51ikjckol/https://www.dropbox.com/s/wjt2wj51ikjckol/462_K30b2214a.jpg?dl=0.jpg?dl=0

Here you can also see the two-part sheet arrangement as I described earlier.  It is also attached to the boom using a lashing with a small loop in the middle, though in this case there is no thimble.  You can't quite tell here, but the halyard and downhaul are actually opposite ends of the same line.  Seems easier to manage.  I keep the ends bent together (sheet bend or Alpine butterfly bend--maybe a Zeppelin bend if I'm feeling knot-headed) when they are not attached to the yard and boom so the line can't pull itself through the masthead bee-hole when I ain't lookin'.

Halyard Attachment 463_K30b2213a:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/niwtioypb1fxccq/463_K30b2213a.jpg?dl=0

The halyard is attached to another lashing with a loop in the middle, but the working end of the halyard is simply bent directly to the loop.  A simple sheet bend, or a double one, would do, but it looks like I've used a Lapp knot or maybe a slipped sheet bend to make it easier to untie.

You might notice some pencil marks on the yard and boom, made to mark various locations as I was experimenting to find where best to attach things to get the sail to set right.  I was glad we'd decided not to use holes in the spars or attached hardware for the various attachments.  I'm still tweaking these a bit from time to time, closing in on the best compromise for varying conditions.

You might also notice that we attached the sail to yard and boom with spiral lacing rather than the individual ties.  We thought this would look better, as I think it does.  I think it's also to get the head and foot setting smoothly, as it is somewhat self-adjusting.  Furthermore, I've had a hard time finding 1/8" braided, low-stretch rope which isn't so slippery that it has a hard time holding a reef knot reliably.

Under Way at Speed 470_DSCF6014a:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cubkidvao91aojj/470_DSCF6014a.jpg?dl=0

Here's a shot a friend got of us one fine day on one of our local reservoirs, with a nice bone in her teeth...or whipped cream on her chin or whatever you call that on a non-pointy boat like this.  You can see how some of the things described in my earlier posts above are working out: the oars are quietly out of the way, the sheet arrangement is managing the eased-out sail nicely without any long bights of rope hanging about to get up rope tricks (all easily in view, the better for me to spot any tangles), and the downhaul tension keeps sail twist to a minimum.

Love that lug rig, especially with Doug Fowler's beautifully cut sail pulling like an American Cream draft mule!

Getting Under Way 480_DSCF6016a:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s6p527uvk4osftj/480_DSCF6016a.jpg?dl=0

Here's a closer look at all the details as we make a clean getaway from the dock on the same day as the previous shot.

Sing out if you have any questions or if that Dropbox business gives you any trouble.

.....Michael

Oh, I forgot about the drogue.  Sometimes called a "drift chute" sometimes called a "sea anchor", which it ain't, really, though the basic idea is the same.  Fishermen in all sorts of craft use these to control drift.  Kayakers and open water canoe paddlers use 'em to hold the boat head-to-wind so they can take a rest with less chance of the waves rolling them over when things get frisky.

Mine was a gift from a canoe paddling friend, 24" diameter, I think.  Here's an example from Bass Pro Shops which looks similar:

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-extreme-drift-anchor?

You'll want a small float to rig at the pointy end with a few feet of line to keep if from sinking too deep.  For the drogue's rode itself, I use some discount-store braided rope which is mostly polypropolene, something like this:

https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Attwood-Braided-Polypropylene-Rope/productDetail/Anchoring-and-Docking/prod70625/cat101227?

Thick and grippy enough to make it easy to pull when recovering the drogue.  Polypro floats, nylon don't.  For this, you want it to float.

I keep the whole business in an old nylon gym bag, with the rode bent on to the drogue with an anchor bend.  To deploy, I'll put a loop knot (Alpine butterfly is my preference, figure 8 loop would work) in the rode at what seems like a good distance from the drogue for the current conditions (more scope for higher wind seems to be the rule), tie the working end of the painter off to that loop, put the drogue over the side, and pay out scope till it bites.  I leave enough rope on the standing end of the rode so that I can recover the drogue without having to go hang over the bow to grab the painter.  (This is how I set the anchor, as well.)

Hope that helps.  Sing out if you have any questions.

.....Michael

   Once again, extremely helpful detail, and at very least gives me greater perspective on how things are currently set up on my Tenderly - - which are precisely according to the manual instructions, albeit fairly general as they are.

Also great photos - - nothing like pictures to show what nautical language does not always communicate to someone much less conversant.

I'm still wondering why John Harris decided to use the bridle with mainsheet at the stern for the Tenderly.  There must be a good reason.

I had already ordered the drogue you suggested at Basspro, though I figured the 18" one would be sufficient.  I had envisioned just attaching it to a rode of enough length to pay out, but your method of using the painter in addition has the advantage you mention.  Hate to trouble you for more explanation, but I'm still trying to picture your movements:  you deploy the drogue; you hoist the sail; what exactly do you do/where do you go next vis-a-vis the drogue and settling into position to get underway? (You made a point of using the standing end of the rode to retrieve the drogue along with whatever length of painter.  Where are you when you do this, and how do you avoid the potential tangle I can imagine?)

   Oh... touching back on an earlier point where you (Michael) mentioned how it is NOT a good idea to raise the sail before rigging the mainsheet to the bridle and blocks on the boom - - difficult as it may be to do that with the sail and spars in a clump across the seats in the boat - - I was reminded of an earlier post by CaptainSkully where he described rigging and possibly raising the sail on the trailer in the parking lot before going to the dock.  I'm going to think about doing this mainly for the sake of attaching the bridle with mainsheet through the blocks - then lowering the sail again with everything more or less ready to go before backing down the ramp and finishing other preparations at the dock.  A plan?

Shoemaker:

Glad to hear you are thinking all this through, which is a big part of good seamanship.  Drill it in your head, drill it for real, find out what didn't work like you thought it would, revise the process or gear accordingly, and repeat until it all seems to work and you've got it down.  Hey, we're all still learning from our own mistakes, and we hope to learn from the mistakes of others.  I reckon I've had enough botched launches to qualify that way.  <;-)

If I didn't mention it, before deploying the drogue, all the lines are attached to the sail so it is ready to hoist smartly.  Good rope housekeeping is important to make sure everything will run freely once you start that process.

I'll deploy the drogue from the side of the boat opposite the side on which I mean to hoist the sail.  This usually means drogue to port, sail to starboard, though not always, depending on which tack I want to be on when I first get under way.  I'll sit on the middle thwart, legs forward, and off slighty on the side from which the drogue will be deployed.

Once the drogue is in the water and begins to exert some pull on the rode as the boat drifts downwind, I'll give the drogue a tug to make sure it's going to open and get a good bite on the water.  I'll then keep tension on the rode as it streams out.  Since I'm off to one side a bit, this will tend to make the boat lie with her head off the other way.

When the rode has nearly paid out, but before it starts to pull the attached painter out, I'll leave it to its own devices and quickly move to the middle, feet still forward, maybe even with a knee on the floor to keep lower if it's a little rough, and start hoisting the sail as quickly as I can.

The vulnerable point here is when the sail is half raised, though it ain't too dangerous unless it's gusty and shifty.  Once fully hoisted with the downhaul cinched down some, she should lie more or less head-to-wind with the sail feathering, which'll give me some time to get everything sorted out for good rope housekeeping.

Once I'm satisfied that she's all ship-shape and ready to sail and the tiller hasn't gone hard over so I won't be able to reach it easily, it's time to recover the drogue and get on with it.  For this, I'll move to a kneeling position (the better to keep the boom, now overhead, from reminding me why it is so named) behind the midship thwart, position the gym bag on the bottom with its mouth wide open in front of me, take up the standing end of the rode, and start hauling it in, letting it drop down into the bag as I do.  I'll reach as far forward as I can in doing this so that I don't risk getting the boat completely broadside to the wind.

This will tend to position the boat with her head somewhat off the wind on the same tack as when I set the drogue, which will have the sail feathering, hopefully quietly, just off the other way.  If the boat tries to "tack" at any point in here, I'll just stop hauling, making sure I don't let the sail go aback, and wait for her to tack back, keeping my head low.  Once I get up to the drogue, I'll stuff the whole business quickly into the bag (this can be a little sloppy, to be sorted later, if it feels like I need to hurry).

Still kneeling near the center of the boat and behind the midship thwart, I'll get hold of the tiller with one hand and grab the boom with the other to back the sail a bit and get us starting off on the desired tack, bear off a little, pick up the fall of the sheet, and we're off and sailing.  Sounds harder than it is.

If you're launching off a trailer, by all means give yourself a trial hoist of the sail to make sure everything is ready to run freely before lowering the sail and bundling everytning neatly to one side, preferably the side opposite the one over which you will first board the boat.

May The Brute Force be with you, but not The Blunt Force Trauma!

.....Michael

Michael, you’ll have a book before you know it - probably a very welcome one.

A final pesky question - - back to the leeward hoisting:  I stand on the leeward side of the mast and hoist the sail up on the same side of the mast as I’m standing?  Or does the sail go up on the windward side of the mast?

This is probably the dumbest of all my questions, betraying zero actual experimentation thus far on my part, but so be it.  I’ve come this far, and just need to be absolutely certain of how YOU do it.

Also, sometime, I’d like to see the way you’ve rigged for reefing...

Thanks for all your wisdom and patience!

Shoemaker:

There are no dumb questions; it's the only way to learn from mistakes other than your own.  <;-)

When I used the phrase "set the sail from the leeward side of the mast" it was, perhaps, a poor choice of words.  What I meant was that the sail and spars are positioned on the leeward side of the mast for hoisting, not myself.  I want to bring the sail up along the leeward side of the mast so that the wind blows everything away from the mast instead of up against it.  Having the wind pressing the spars and sail against the mast will (1) slow things down due to the friction, (2) blow the lower part of the sail and the boom over against me before I get it completely hoisted, and (3) allow the forward part of the sail to fill with air as it lies aback against the mast before the sail is fully set where it can "feather" with the wind.

As for positioning myself, I sit on the middle thwart facing forward, sitting on the curved part of the seat that extends forward around the dagerboard slot, dagerboard out and foam stopper in.  On the PMD, I can reach the mast from that position.  On your Tenderly, things are configured a bit differently, and you might not be able to reach the mast sitting on the seat, so maybe you'll need to take a knee on the bottom forward of the seat, perhaps bracing against the forward edge of the seat a bit.  The key thing is to stay low just aft of the mast and facing forward where you can get both hands on halyard, downhaul and cleats.  You want to be able to duck quickly if the wind shifts or the boat shifts such that the leeward side of the mast unexpectedly becomes the windward side.

With your Tenderly, the mast is closer to the bow than with my PMD, which may affect the trim of the boat more drastically as you go forward like that.  Move slowly and carefully so you get the feel of how that affects the stability of the boat.  She might start to feel a bit tiddly, hard to say without trying it.

Reefing is pretty straightforward.  Reef points are already in the sail.  For tying off the forward and aft reef cringles, I use some short lengths (2'?) of the same sort of stuff I used to secure the tack and clew to the boom.  I keep a pair of these tied off around the mast, with spares available along with various other stuff stored in a mesh "ditty" bag.

The best place to tuck in a reef is ashore, if I think I might need it.  It's easier to shake out a reef I don't need than to tuck in one I do.  If I'm in the boat, I sit crosswise astride the middle thwart with the sail and yards laid out before me.  Aboard Tenderly, it might be better to kneel aft of the midship thwart to keep your weight more in the center of the boat; you'll have to try that to see what works better.

I do the forward reef cringle first, passing my short line through the hole in the forward end of the boom and then taking both ends back through opposite sides of the cringle, drawing the cringle right down and forward firmly, and then secure with a firmly set reef knot.  The aft end is done similarly, except it is a bit longer distance from the reef cringle to the hole for the clew outhaul the way I've got mine set up.

The important thing here is that I don't just want to lash the reef cringles down around the boom.  Taking the lines out through the holes in the ends of the boom helps keep the foot of the reefed sail drawn out so it doesn't become baggy.

Once both ends are secure, I gather up the reefed part of the sail neatly along the boom and secure the reef points with, of course, reef knots.  There are two schools of thought on this: tie the reef points around the boom and all, or pass them between sail and boom.  With modern sail cloth, I don't think there is any reason to complicate things by having to work the reef points between sail and boom, so I just bring them around the boom.  But, hey, "different ships, different long splices."

It's all more difficult to describe than it is to do.  Oh, yes...I have to pass the boom, yard and sail back and forth some to come at each end in turn without getting up from my seat, which I prefer not to do in small boats.  The nice thing about a lug sail like this is that one doesn't need to hang out over the stern trying to work at the nether end of the boom, as is necessary with my catboat!

Hope that's all clear.  Sing out if not.

.....Michael

P.S.  I've only done this a couple of times aboard Winkle for real, and have yet to need the second reef (for which I had Doug Fowler add the necessary parts).  I've found that she stands up to sail better than expected, aided by my considerable mass, no doubt, hopefully well positioned.

Ahhh!...thank you for that clarification, as well as for the reefing info.

My next move is to do some extensive backyard rigging and handing of various issues while make-believe sailing - my goal being getting the boat actually sailing before the New Hampshire winter sets in.

Much of you and others have said on this thread should be clearly available - more easily searchable? - by others in my “boat,” whose numbers I would guess (hope?) are significant.  Perhaps a separate spot on the website:  “ins and outs of dinghy sailing” or something more clever...?

Thanks again, Michael.

Shoemaker:

Glad to be of help.  It's been theraputic for me, as the only sailing I've gotten in  so far this year is the "brain sailing" variety, and thinking through all this sail drill stuff and trying to set my thoughts down in words has been pretty good brain therapy for me.  No, my health is fine, but, to cut a long story sidewise, I've been sticking pretty close to home this year to help my wife through a rough patch.  We believe she's now on the mend, more's the Lord's blessing, so I'm hopeful of getting my Passagemaker Winkle out on the water before our winter sets in (I'm in central Ohio, so maybe I've got more time than do you?) after I get a couple of little boat projects done.

By all means, do some "dry" sail drill to work out the details.  Hopefully, you'll have some nice, milder wind days here soon to get out on the water for "wet" sail drill--hopefully with just the boat getting wet and not you!  Which is not to say that capsize drill ain't a good idea, if you've got time before the water gets too cold for that to be less life-threatening.  Just pick your weather so you work your way up from light wind to heavier stuff as you grow more comfortable, and you'll be fine.

I wish you all joy of sailing your Tenderly.  They sure are mighty fine lookin' boats.  Those videos John put together of a pair of them going at it hammer and tongs is enough to make anybody with warm blood in his veins want to sail one!

.....Michael

 Shoemaker -
When I built my Skerry, I'd never sailed a boat so small. I've crewed (briefly) on square riggers and done a fair amount of sailing on boats in the 40' range, but this business of little tiny boats with no ballast and no keel was completely new to me.
Like Mummichog, my Skerry has a balanced lug, and like Mummichog, I like to launch and move over to a shallow sandy area out of everyone's way, where I can step the mast, remove the sail ties that I've wrapped around the boom, yard, and sail, sort out the halyard, downhaul, and sheet, and haul the yard up momentarily just to make sure everything is right.  I'll slip the circular oarlocks, with oars attached, into the center sockets and drop the blade end of the oars into the open oarlocks at the forward rowing station.  Next I'll install the rudder.  I've rigged a second line to the rudder so I can haul the blade up as well as down.  One jam cleat serves both lines, in turn.  Now I'm ready to hop in, row out against the prevailing wind, which seems to always be in my face, as far as I need to, depending on how windy it is, pull the rudder blade down, insert the daggerboard and secure it with a bungee, hoist the sail, cleat the downhaul, and away we go.  Obviously, if the Admiral is along, she can help with some of this stuff.
My advice to you is to get everything set up so you know it's right, then drop the sail and row out a fair distance from shore before you set the sail.  When you're ready to come back in, drop the sail and row in.  Don't try to master everything at once.  Get to know the boat - how she sails, how high she points, how she tacks, how stable she is.  My first time out I capsized while trying to tack away from a lee shore.  My first time trying to sail out of a cove in a brisk wind I ran into a dock.  I tell you this not to scare you off, but to say I was trying to do things I wasn't yet ready for.
One final piece of advice:  Make sure your mainsheet is long enough that you can let the boom swing all the way out over the bow.  That way you can completely depower the sail.
The Tenderly is a beautiful little boat.  Enjoy her.
hokker

Shoe, Gramps, and Hokker,

First off, I've enjoyed all your comments immensely.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and ideas.  

I've had my just finished Skerry (balanced lug) out twice now. First time was calm to 5, second was 5 to 10.  First time out was, Oh gee, this is easy, we're going to have a wonderful time, me and this boat.  Second time was, Oh my, this sucks, I apparently have no idea what I'm doing.  And I'm not new to sailing - have sailed a Wayfarer, Monty 15, and homemade sloop, easily a good fifty times in the past 10 years.  But never a balanced lug.  

I keep my oars secured by sliding the handles through a 2nd set of horned oarlocks.  So far, no problems.  The rudder, without a stop or a bungee, for some reason hasn't popped up. I'm waiting. And, even when trailering up and down the ramp, the rudder stays turned up, on its own, probably owing to it being a snug fit; so as yet, I've attached the rudder while in the parking lot, instead of out in the water.    

I'm still getting used to the forward/backward motion of the tiller, it not being automatic yet in my head as to which way it's going to make the boat turn.

The second time out, I'd made the mistake of raising the sail without first attaching the downhaul.  Out the sail went, almost horizontally, like a kite, the Skerry obediently following.  People on shore, thinking, "Oh my, that guy doesn't know what he's doing."  Good call.  From now on, I'm raising the sail in the parking lot, attaching all lines, and then lowering it for launch purposes.

Until I'm more confident, I'll be rowing far out into open water, too, before raising the sail. Only people with binoculars will be able to tell that guy out there doesn't know what he's doing.  

So, back to sailing, on the 2nd time.  Winds 5 to 10, and a good strong current, heading downwind.  With sail up, I really couldn't make the Skerry do anything I wanted it to.  I couldn't even manage to jibe, from one broad reach to the other side's broad reach; and this was only in 5 to 10.  The hull seemed determined to go downwind, despite movements of the tiller, downhaul and mainsheet.  The sail just kept laughing at me.  Forget about rounding up into the wind to try reaching.  Not happening.  I finally had to lower sail, and get back to what the Skerry allows me to do, as in, Row, which it seems to love to do, into the wind or with it. 

But, I couldn't row, with the sail up, which was seriously disheartening.  The sail seemed determined to present itself flat to the wind, spread widthwise across the boat, gunwale to gunwale.  No fun there.  It totally befuddled me as well as to why the sail wouldn't just feather, as it had the first time I'd had the Skerry out.  

So now I'm reading posts like you're's-all, to figure out just what I'm doing wrong - or maybe there is no wrong, when up against a strong current - in that, a boat like the Skerry, in a strong current, with only 5 to 10, is going to go with the current, no matter what you do.  But I just don't want to believe that, not yet!  Thanks   - Brad 

I am now “Shoe” - which takes me back to elementary school, appropriate to feeling like a novice sailer again, thanks to Brad, who I see is a fellow alumnus of the Wayfarer, my wife’s most hated sailboat.

Brad’s post, along with certain details of others’ posts, is the reason I asked that first question - which is basically how to prepare for and manage the potential for mayhem in finally getting one’s finished dinghy into the water.  Having no experience in doing so myself as yet, I will not take even a stab at trying to address Brad’s question re winds at 5 to 10, but I hope others will.  And in so doing, it may help to share the details of some more or less spectacular misadventures, along with the 20-20 hindsight that has hopefully prevented them in subsequent sailings.  For example, what exactly happened to Hokker in trying to tack from a lee shore and capsizing?

Perhaps all this should be categorized and posted in its separate place on clc’s website, but for now, I hope we can keep going here.

For Daniel B - Two possible causes for your trouble on the second sail.  First - are you sure that the centerboard was in and all the way down?  Don't laugh, it has happened.  The second, and more likely culprit is that the downhaul was way too loose.  Micheal Storer, who designed the Goat Island Skiff and Oz Goose boats (plus many others) is arguably the leading expert on lug rigging/performance.  He says:

 "The downhaul is used to tension the sail – so is the most highly loaded rope in the boat. It is probably the most important adjustment in terms of creating the correct sail shape.  It needs to be medium firm for light winds – until the boat is moving reliably.  Quite firm once the boat is moving well but is not difficult to sail nice and flat in the water.  Fiercely firm once the boat starts to be harder to hold up – it flattens the sail considerably which reduces power."

On the marconi rigged boats like you have been sailing, the mast holds the leading edge of the sail fixed.  No so on free standing lug rigs.  It takes lots of tension to hold the leading edge in the correct position.  When you don't have that tension, the leading eadge sags to leeward and the sail acts more like a parachute than a wing.

Go here to read everything you ever wanted about lug rigs:  https://www.storerboatplans.com/category/tuning/lug-rig-setup/

On the GIS, he recomends either a 4:1 or 6:1 downhaul. (Technically it is a vanghaul because it acts both as a downhaul and a boom vang.) You first raise the sail all the way to the top and cleat the halyard.  You then crank on the downhaul as required to the required firmness.

First picture show halyard on the right and my 6:1 vanghaul on the left, both rigged so I can control from aft.