[Rhodes22-list] Thank Goodness for Furling Sails

[cowie]

Lee:

I made my first overnight sail Friday and Saturday and enjoyed some of the
same weather you probably experienced on Saturday.  I had been planing this
overnight trip for some time and was discouraged when the weather report was
calling for a weak front to pass thru the area Friday bringing unsettled air
with the possibility of thunderstorms Friday followed by high pressure
Saturday.  I felt that I could make a run across the bay before the storms
hit and anchor in St. Michael's safely.  Everything went fine Friday until
my wife called to say that 60 mph damaging winds, hail and rain were racing
thru washington DC and headed my way.  I was lucky to have the storms skirt
by either side of me Friday night.  the wind blew pretty steady during the
evening and I got an early start to head for home Saturday.  With a light
wind on my nose I motored up the Miles River toward Eastern Bay, pop top and
bimini up.  Pretty soon the wind picked up and I quickly lowered the pop top
and stowed the bimini.  By the time I shut off the outboard and deployed
sail it was blowing a good 14 kts with building seas.  I lowered the boom,
full main, furled genoa sheeted inside the stays.  After tacking up Eastern
Bay I had a nice broad reach with a straight line across the bay back to
Herrington Harbor.  Full sail, center board up, running like hell, I
recorded 6.7 kts while surfing across the bay.  My speed was generally about
5kts but kept running up and down with the wave action, felt like riding a
bronco.  Usually I would turn around and go back to the dock with this much
wind and wave action but this time was committed to making the return trip
across the bay.  I am exploring a few options on how to post images and text
to better document and share the trip and hope to have an update to the list
soon.



Leland wrote:
> 
> Weather forecast called for 6 mph winds, blue skies, and mild summer
> temperatures.  My wife likes to sail with the bimini up and yesterday
> seemed like the perfect day for an afternoon sail and picnic lunch.
> 
> Starting out winds were a little higher at about 7 knots with less than a
> foot of chop; for about 15 minutes.  In an hour the wind was up to 14
> knots with some of the worst chop I've been in.  I had taken in the sails
> but had to put the poptop down because the cabin was getting soaked.  The
> waves were moving us at slightly over 3 knots with no sails and the motor
> down.
> 
> We could have doused the sails on a regular boat but there was no way I
> would have hassled with putting them away in that chop.  Other small
> sailboats would have been safe in those conditions but we wouldn't have
> mentally felt as safe.  My wife said it was comparable to a kiddy
> rollercoaster which was actually true--safe and fun.  The fun got old and
> we eventually went in.
> 
> So glad we have a Rhodes.
> 
> Lee
> 1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
> Kent Island, MD
> 

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