Buying advice. Only two winches?

People who rush around on the water trying to achieve an extra knot or need to prove their boat is faster, worry me. I cruise 30/40 mile distances on occasions, enjoy it if I am achieving a fair average, but certainly do not push the boat and worry that it might go a bit faster. I bought a boat to relax, enjoy the scenery other wise I would have bought a Jet Ski.
As they say "Leave your ego at home" I suppose you are one of the many people each season who tack down an estuary river being a hazard to all other river traffic.
30/40 miles is bugger all. You need to sail well to travel proper distances.
 
People who rush around on the water trying to achieve an extra knot or need to prove their boat is faster, worry me. I cruise 30/40 mile distances on occasions, enjoy it if I am achieving a fair average, but certainly do not push the boat and worry that it might go a bit faster. I bought a boat to relax, enjoy the scenery other wise I would have bought a Jet Ski.
As they say "Leave your ego at home" I suppose you are one of the many people each season who tack down an estuary river being a hazard to all other river traffic.
Obviously every one to their own style of sailing cruising or racing. The freedom to do your own thing is most important. This forum provides advice sometimes which may or may not be good but at least gives another opinion for you to consider.
Now my sailing has you may say deteriorated to racing on Swan River which is in fact an estuary.about 2and more Nm from open ocean. Almost inevitably we get sea breeze coming in about lunch time up to 18 knots in summer. The result is that all our race courses end up sailing from the east into the sea breeze tacking down Blackwall Reach. (about 1/2 mile wide 2 miles long) to the finish line So yes we do tend to be a a hazard to other river traffic . I must say ferries (river cruises) are mostly quite gracious and yes you have to look out. With a tack required every few minutes typically 10 tacks to finish line. I love it a real challenge with any boat nearby to just go to windward as well as possible. (the essence of sailing)
Now "Tack down an estuary river" took on a different meaning on Saturday as our club hosted "Rumble ion the Reach" an event for sports boats. ie racing boats up to 8m long (UK folks might be familiar with Viper 640 ) several in the fleet. The wind was uncharacteristically from the east (contrary to sea breeze making weather hot)
So these boats were tacking down wind with huge asymetric spinnakers going faster than the following wind. So yes tacking down the estuary disrupting traffic and quite a spectacle. Everything is formally and legally coordinated by authorities.
So "ego", well it is a sport. ol'will
 
Each to their own. I have little left to prove to myself so enjoy my casual, 40 mile exhilarating cruises and strangely enough, even in challenging weather, everything in the cabin is usually still in place and not spread all over the cabin sole. I often come across grown men, (it is mainly men) racing dinghy's around a fairly small circuit and the look of desperation on their faces as if their lives are in jeopardy, they do not seem to be smiling or enjoying themselves but more a case of pure panic in case they come in last. And for dgadee comment that 40 miles is a joke, I like to get to my destination in one tide and then find a suitable anchorage, not a suitable mind numbing marina, but an anchorage. True cruisers tow a dinghy and the rest go five miles, turn around and go back and there are others who seem to think they are always in the Fastnet race, usually in a narrow channel.
 
Top