Enough wind to make me pay attention

Eric Pederson (eric@winternet.com)
Mon, 20 Sep 1999 11:13:06 -0500 (CDT)


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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For the first time all year, we had to reef. Winds were a solid 18-20mph
on Saturday, with gusts onto the high-20s. We started out with a double
reefed main and full lapper, broad reaching up-river. Julie had the helm,
Mandy had the mainsheet and I tended the jib. Dan played with some toys
on his bunk. We gybed our way north for a couple of miles, then winged-out
the lapper and flew dead downwind. We don't have a whisker pole, but the
lapper drew well in the steady breeze.

Don't know what our boatspeed was, but it was fast. When we turned to
head back to the marina, we started taking some spray. I noticed a few
things - the mainsail shape was terrible due to a tight topping lift line,
with the full lapper out and double reefed main, we were not able to
point as high as usual, and I had grown so accustomed this year to sailing
flat that ten degrees of heel seemed excessive. I found myself letting out
the main often. The main was luffing quite a lot, but that was a result
of me trying to keep the boat flat. Mandy does not like heeling (she's
getting more used to it, though), and we've trying to minimize it.

But at a close reach in those kind of winds, there's no avoiding it.
I glanced at the clinometer and was surprised to find myself wanting to
let out the mainsheet at about ten degrees. No wonder the main was not
drawing well. I slacked the topping lift and tightened the vang and just
got used to sailing tilty again. It really felt weird!

We tried to come about, but Julie was a little too timid on the tiller
and the full lapper prevented us from making it through. We fell off
and this time she put the helm hard over and we let the jib backwind
for a second to make sure. I let Mandy and Julie use my foulie jacket
to cover them from the spray as we made out way back. We were not making
sufficient progress to windward, so we doused the sails and motored dead
into the wind. We had to pick up my car from the shop, so we were on
a schedule. Too bad, because everyone had plenty of fun that day.

Once, just once while on a reach heading back, I felt a burst of speed.
I don't know if she came up on plane, but it only lasted a moment - a
powerboat wake ruined the fun.

-- 
Eric L. Pederson
P-19 #970, Necessity
Bloomington, MN