[Rhodes22-list] High Seas Sailing

[cowie]

I went sailing this past Monday from Herrington Harbor to Thomas Point light
and back.  The wind was blowing pretty steady and over 10 kts the entire
time.  At about 10 kts I found I could reasonably manage a full main with
the boom down and the 175 Genoa out about 1/3 of the way.  Between a close
haul and broad reach I was easily running over 5 kts pushing the gps beyond
6 as I raced down the following sea.  My sail back from Thomas Point Light
required tacking several times on as close haul as I could get.  At this
point the wind was kicking up to at least 15 kts gust closer to 20.  This
much wind out of the South and an outgoing tide made for some pretty
significant sea action.  I found the best I could sail with that much wind
was about 130-140 degrees.  I did position the jib sheets betwen the outer
and inner shrouds back to the winch and cleat and this helped some.  At a
130 degree tack I was able to manage between 2.8 and 3.5 kts pounding into
the building seas.  I began to fall off the wind as I made my approach to
Herring Bay and the shallows of Long Bar aggrivated the seas even more.  A
couple of waves came crashing over the cockpit as I experimented trying to
head up, broadside or run with the increasingly angry sea.  I am curious to
hear how others have managed trying to sail close hauled, broad reach and
run in winds between 15-20kts and with an angry breaking sea in the 3-4 foot
range.  I think I could manage to handle a little more wind than this but
not in an aggitated sea state.


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