[Rhodes22-list] Racers vs Cruisers

Thu Mar 8 14:08:32 EST 2007

No, Jim,

That's what racers call more than one sailboat in the same area.

Cruisers call it annoying.

Bill Effros

Jim White wrote:
> Of course.....
>   You know what they call more than one sailboat in the same area?
>   ......A race!
>   ;-)
>   jw
>
> Bill Effros <bill at effros.com> wrote:
>   Lee,
>
> I think Hank has hit the nail on the head.
>
> What the racers say is true--if you are aiming for a specific point, and 
> you are sailing a specific course that is designed to include upwind, 
> downwind, and reaching legs over a short period of time, constantly 
> adjusting the centerboard is critical.
>
> I think it's important to know how to do this, and to learn from it when 
> you are cruising. But, if all you are doing is cruising, once you know 
> you can get back to any location on sail power alone, you don't have to 
> sail in uncomfortable directions--it's a lot less fun. Also, if your 
> boat is located in places where there is somewhere to go, you will 
> usually choose to sail in a reaching direction at the beginning of your 
> outing, and sail back on a reach if the wind has not shifted.
>
> Cruisers learn to raise and lower their motors more than their centerboards.
>
> Bill Effros
>
> Hank wrote:
>   
>> Lee,
>>
>> You may be going faster with the centerboard up, but you will not be 
>> making
>> better time toward your target due to sideways drift. I big function 
>> of the
>> centerboard is to prevent the boat from drifting sideways when reaching.
>> The only time a centerboard is not really needed is when sailing down 
>> wind.
>> Of course, it doesn't really matter if you are not trying to get to a
>> specific destination such as when racing. If you don't care about the
>> drift, then leave it up.
>>
>> Hank
>>
>>
>> On 3/8/07, KUHN, LELAND wrote:
>>     
>>> Bud,
>>>
>>> I've only sailed the Rhodes for a year, so I hope I'm not giving you bad
>>> advice.
>>>
>>> If I want to point into the wind as much as possible, I'll put the
>>> centerboard all the way down. I'll also use the traveler and inside
>>> leads to flatten the sails. I've found that it's rare that I need that
>>> extra five degrees into the wind to get to where I want to go.
>>>
>>> The centerboard can be used as a depth finder, but even with the soft
>>> mud bottom of the Chesapeake, you never know what you're going to hit.
>>> At the very least it will knock off your bottom paint.
>>>
>>> The centerboard acts as a pivot point, allowing you to make sharper
>>> turns. Don't really need it for tacking but could come in handy
>>> motoring around the marina. The boat turns sharp enough for me without
>>> the board down.
>>>
>>> Depending on your point-of-sail, wind, waves, and current; the
>>> centerboard will help balance the boat and take pressure off the tiller.
>>> I notice this really helps if I have too much sail out. I usually
>>> adjust the sails to balance the boat.
>>>
>>> As a newbie, I constantly check my speed to see what works best in all
>>> conditions. I have put the board up and down in every condition, and I
>>> am convinced that the drag from the centerboard will always slow you
>>> down. In most cases, I believe the centerboard's ability to keep you
>>> sailing in a straight line doesn't make up for the decrease in speed. I
>>> might be wrong on that last statement.
>>>
>>> In my limited experience, the centerboard is a tool that you rarely need
>>> and will slow you down. I guess what surprised me was that most boats
>>> sail fastest on a close reach, due to the opposing pressures from the
>>> sails and keel (squeezing a watermelon seed analogy). On a close reach
>>> with a Rhodes, you will still go faster with the centerboard up.
>>>
>>> If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, reread the first
>>> sentence. :)
>>>
>>> Lee
>>> 1986 Rhodes22 At Ease
>>> Crab Alley (Kent Island, MD)
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Peter Thorn [mailto:pthorn at nc.rr.com]
>>> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 6:18 AM
>>> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] CenterBoard Angle
>>>
>>> Bud,
>>>
>>> I'll add my 2 cents, in short: upwind all down, downwind all up.
>>>
>>> The Rhodes has a very light, balanced helm. With a large (175) headsail
>>> and
>>> smaller (not-newer vertical battened) main there can be a tendancy to
>>> leeward helm in light air. As the boat heels when the breeze picks up
>>> this
>>> is mitigated. So with the sailplan center of effort (CE) forward (the
>>> rig
>>> described above) the underwater fin's center of lateral resistance
>>> (CLR),
>>> which can be adjusted by the centerboard, also needs to be as forward as
>>> possible.
>>>
>>> Another of the many advantages to having a centerboard is that you can
>>> change the CLR while underway by adjusting the board. In heavier air,
>>> when
>>> you would expose less area on the headsail going to windward, you can
>>> balance by raising the centerboard just a little.
>>>
>>> PT
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Mary Lou Troy" 
>>> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" 
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 9:42 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] CenterBoard Angle
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>>>> Bud,
>>>> I think it's just about vertical. Unless you are sailing in a very
>>>> weedy area, I don't think having the pennant exposed is a problem.
>>>> It's just as likely to get fouled by growth in the slot. Our's seems
>>>> to stay cleaner the more we use it. We always pull the board up at
>>>> anchor or when we leave the boat in the slip but sailing upwind it is
>>>> always down as far as it will go. As Wally said, as we move off the
>>>> wind we start pulling the board up.
>>>>
>>>> Mary Lou
>>>> 1991 R22 Fretless
>>>> Rock Hall, MD
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> At 08:39 PM 3/7/2007, you wrote:
>>>>         
>>>>> Thanks to all who responded! Mary Lou - when you say all the way
>>>>> down, you mean the CB is nearly vertical?
>>>>> Do you run into any problems with the pennant line or sheaves
>>>>> exposed in that running configuration?
>>>>> I had thought the sheaves might get "gunked up" if they were exposed.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks again,
>>>>> Bud
>>>>>
>>>>> Mary Lou Troy wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>>>>>> Bud,
>>>>>> Fretless is a 1991. We usually sail with the board all the way
>>>>>> down. Exceptions are downwind or very shallow water.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mary Lou
>>>>>> 1991 R22 Fretless
>>>>>> Rock Hall, MD
>>>>>>
>>>>>> At 09:35 PM 3/6/2007, you wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> Rummy,
>>>>>>> I have a 1990 R22, and I am pretty sure I do not have a "diamond"
>>>>>>>               
>>> board.
>>>       
>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>> -Bud
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> R22RumRunner at aol.com wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>>> Bud,
>>>>>>>> It depends on what year and centerboard design you have?
>>>>>>>> Rummy
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>                 
>
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