> There are a lot of advantages of a P-19 over a P-15 as well as quite a few
> advantages of a P-15 over a P-19. Turtleing should not be an issue in
> either
> case as long as the boat is handled in a prudent and safe manner. That is
up
>
> to the skipper a lot more than the weather or water surface.
>
> Lately there seems to be a lot of discussion about the possibility of
> knockdowns. If you go back and look at the description of any of these
> events, the operators of the crafts were doing something, and in most
cases
> more than one something, that precipitated disaster.
Hi Geoff,
The P15 is a wonderful, salty boat, that's capable of handling more rough
than most skippers can. In the hands of a skilled sailor, she's one sweet
boat. I've seen good sailors like Todd Barrileax and Dave Kautz handle them
beautifully in 25-30 mph winds and nasty chop. But , and there is a but
<grin>, I think we could be of more service to novice P15-ers and prospective
owners if we could outline some guidelines for weather conditions that are
NOT good for beginners to go out in. A beginner can turtle even a P19 if
they don't lock the keel down, but it's more likely in a P15.
A story to illustrate my point: Last month at the PY Bruno's Island sail, an
very inexperienced sailor turtled a P14. We had just hoisted sail. It was
blowing about 20 with gusts to 25 mph (16-20 knots). We were sailing our P19
with one reef and the storm jib. He rasied the main on P14 with no reef in
it. He was a beginner, he didn't know better.
He made some wild, out of control jibes/tacks (like beginners do -- have you
ever watched kids learning to sail at a sailing camp? <grin> Talk about
going in circles!! ) which knocked him down sideways. *And* the keel wasn't
locked down. The knockdown turned into a turtle.
No one was hurt and the boat wasn't damaged, but it ended his sailing weekend
and put a damper over the whole morning for everyone. Since then, he's
practiced on a lake, learned how to sail better, and will be joining us on
our clubs sails in the future.
So I'd like to hear from you experienced P15-ers with some commonsense
guidelines. What wind conditions are safe and *non-terrifying* for a
beginner (who locks down the keel <grin> and doesn't cleat the mainsheet).
Maybe newbies shouldn't sail in over, say, 10 mph (8 knots) winds without a
reef. Maybe they shouldn't even go out if the wind is highe than, say, 15
mph (12 knots), even with a reef. I *really* don't know what the guidelines
should be for a P15, since I sail a P19, but I'm sure you experienced P15
skippers can tell us what they ougth to be.
I sail a Force 5 racing dinghy (14 foot, 91 s.f. of main, and 150 pounds) in
winds up to 26 mph (21 knots = Force 5 on the Baufort scale), but I don't let
my daughter go out alone in the Force 5 in over 8 mph winds. She went to one
week of sailing camp, and they certified her for Capri 14.2's up to 10 mph
winds only. There were several swamped Capri's that week at camp in 10-15
mph winds. A Capri is a 14 footer, with 60-70 sf of main (they didn't let
the beginners use jibs) and it weighs about 375 pounds.
It's not the boat -- it's the sailor. Beginners don't learn fast when the
wind is much greater than their abilities and they scare themselves to death.
And they can capsize because they make foolish mistakes (like leaving the
keel unlocked). That's why we call them beginners. <grin>
Best,
Judy B
Judith Blumhorst, DC
P19 Fleet Cap'n, Potters Yachters
1985 WWP19 #266 Redwing, Force 5 #7951 and #1333,
And a pile of windsurfing gear.
Sailing on SF Bay, CA
(5-35 knot winds, 2-4' chop, 2-6' swells, and currents up to 6 knots)
Visit Judy B's West Wight Potter Pages
(http://members.aol.com/jblumhorst/HomePage/index.htm)
and The Official Web Site of the Potters Yachters
(http://songbird.com/potter_yachter/)