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Top end limit finally reached.. |
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ellistine
Really should get out more Joined: 06 Mar 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 762 |
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Topic: Top end limit finally reached.. Posted: 07 Jul 12 at 4:57pm |
Whilst waiting in the club house for the Weymouth Keelboat regatta to eventually be canned today, we were lucky enough to watch the Swedish 49er launch from Castle Cove with the anemometer showing an average 30kts gusting 37. Their first couple of tacks were a bit cautious as they made their way through the moorings and I've never seen a 49er with so much pre-bend in it's mast but they seemed relatively comfortable and stayed upright.
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G.R.F.
Really should get out more Joined: 10 Aug 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 4028 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Jul 12 at 6:19pm |
Weymouth in 30knots and Hythe in 30 knots are two entirely different sailing experiences, trust me I've been in both places, 42knots at Weymouth last time I went.
Edited by G.R.F. - 07 Jul 12 at 6:20pm |
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pondmonkey
Really should get out more Joined: 12 Aug 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2202 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 09 Jul 12 at 11:44am |
I've been sailing dinghies for over 25 years, I can hand on heart say I have only experienced a sustained 35 knot squall once in my life, although I've come ashore several times to folks claiming that the wind we sailed in was '30-odd knots' in the gusts.... I never believe them. 20 knots (sustained) has most dinghy sailors in panic mode in my experience.
I was sailing a 420 in a mixed handicap event on the East Coast at the time. Nearly every other boat was blown flat, wayfarers, a 400, 505s, Lasers all gone... my sister was taken ashore by the RNLI after capsizing a Miracle and being unable to recover- the rescue cover was that stretched. I mean nearly every one was over when the squall filled in, including most of the 420s I was racing against. Only a couple of twinkles stood up and one 505, who really wasn't that much further ahead of us. The race was abandoned, but we deep out in the estuary by that point after a survival lap and still needed to get back in. I was very fortunate in that I had on board an exceptionally experienced crew, he called all the shots, wired slightly high to keep visuals and I just pointed us where he told me to. My eyes were shut solid 50% of the time from salt spray and sunglasses were useless. It was scary, but adrenaline, experience and survival instincts kept me as alert as possible. We only peeved it in once on the kite hoist as I got washed out of the back of the boat when we took a wave over the bow- I was leaning back with my calves against the transom just to keep the nose out. We went for the kite hoist again, against my better judgement/instinct, but my crew was right, it stabilised us downwind. I think this was my first experience of apparent wind sailing, although it wasn't as technically defined as that, I simply recall the weird sensation of easing the guy forward dead downwind as I felt the hull drive forward faster and faster- all probably what 18 knots max speed???
It was NOT fun, but we made it in without any gear failure or injury. I can't believe that racing can genuinely be sustained for club level sailors in that wind and I am truly skeptical whenever anyone claims to have finished dinghy races in that amount of breeze.... the committee boat couldn't hold anchor for starters, unless there were fixed mooring buoys. But there was a sense of achievement- I guess being 16 years old helps with that. Would I want to be out there again. No, no thanks. Even in a 420.... which is a damned sight more seaworthy than an RS200 or 29er. |
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robin34024
Posting king Joined: 03 Jan 12 Location: Lincoln Online Status: Offline Posts: 116 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 19 Oct 12 at 10:18pm |
on the way back in from some youth squad training in some pretty windy stuff in weymouth (25ish kts) a squall peaking at 46kts came through, perfectly manageble upwind, but gybing was somewhat troublesome. then again, i suppose a topper is a bit different to an alto...
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