Wansworth
Well-known member
Never seen one of those,where was that?Like this one that passed me while I was at anchor?
Going to windward obsession!
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
Bouba
Well-known member
The name of the boat is ‘I
Var’.......so it was in Var
Bouba
Well-known member
Var is the coastal part of Provence
capnsensible
Well-known member
So football fans hate it by accident?
Bouba
Well-known member
Wansworth
Well-known member
Bouba
Well-known member
Find an organization that are repairing or rebuilding one, that are looking for volunteers.....this gives you an opportunity to work and use a boat without any financial outlay.
For example, if you were a steam train enthusiast....you would volunteer at a historical railway....you wouldn’t look through the classifieds to buy a steam train
Wansworth
Well-known member
Well it’s a thought…….
Bouba
Well-known member
attaboy
Wansworth
Well-known member
Dont get your hopes up yet
franksingleton
Well-known member
We did, we were coming back from France. We still got stuck in St Peter Port.Should have called the French Meto service for a forcast
westernman
Well-known member
Getting a VMG of 4.5kn to windward in a 34 ft boat is incredible. You will be making hull speed through the water with almost no leeway.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Clearly this is why so few people sail to windward. We try not to if there’s more than 25kn in open water as it!s too uncomfortable, not too slow.We’ll get that 4.5kn VMG in 8-9kn of wind, in flat water. That feels vey pleasant, but no excitement to speak of. With 15kn, you are seriously aware of the power in the rig, everything is buzzing, the spray is flying off the lee bow, and VMG will be up to 6.5 or so. I have never considered how much leeway we might make, none that is perceptible in the cockpit, even in waves, so I guess a few degrees.
Blueboatman
Well-known member
My first boat went to windward like a witches broomstick on a full moon clear night.
Well it should have too, William Fife design and 40ft waterline with a tall mast . Unfortunately it was hogged, rotten, leaked copiously and continually and had about enough internal accommodation for two bunks and a sooty paraffin stove. It also gave be a nervous breakdown which in hindsight was not all a bad thing strangely enough. As life changes go.
I have also owned a junk rigged bilgekeeler that refused to beat across the George’s Channel to Ireland all one summer.
But it was so delightful in other ways that I kept it . And after many wonderful adventures and meeting lovely people along the way , I imported into and sold in the USA via the Caribbean, the eastern seaboard and gulf of fundy.. lovely well mannered boat . And it would go to windward but it just took a bit ( alright, a lot) of time
One never learns though, do you?
I bought a fin and Skeg modern boat after that. Which raced ‘ok’ and went to windward but man it slammed and bounced it’s way across an open sea like a plastic yoghurt pot!
And then.. finally My last boat which was actually designed and constructed to go offshore and ‘keep the sea’, R36 that would sail in anything and point in any direction and get-on-with-it . That Frenchman VDH set his up beautifully and went on to nail the GGR reenactment rtw race .
In complete comfort down below and some upwind wet-n-wild discomfort upwind, it was the perfect English channel boat for one or two . And once you arrived it was a delight to live on and in indefinitely , zero cabin fever, irrespective of sun wind cold or driving rain. Lovely for one or two, with wide uncluttered decks..
But of those 4 different boats the wee bilgekeeler that jinked upwind in a stately and slow untroubled way, that produced so so many timeless good memories. Met that bloke in Cangas who’s thinking about buying a wee just too, along the way ..by the by.
Gentlemen don’t sail to windward ( until they have to)?
Well it should have too, William Fife design and 40ft waterline with a tall mast . Unfortunately it was hogged, rotten, leaked copiously and continually and had about enough internal accommodation for two bunks and a sooty paraffin stove. It also gave be a nervous breakdown which in hindsight was not all a bad thing strangely enough. As life changes go.
I have also owned a junk rigged bilgekeeler that refused to beat across the George’s Channel to Ireland all one summer.
But it was so delightful in other ways that I kept it . And after many wonderful adventures and meeting lovely people along the way , I imported into and sold in the USA via the Caribbean, the eastern seaboard and gulf of fundy.. lovely well mannered boat . And it would go to windward but it just took a bit ( alright, a lot) of time
One never learns though, do you?
I bought a fin and Skeg modern boat after that. Which raced ‘ok’ and went to windward but man it slammed and bounced it’s way across an open sea like a plastic yoghurt pot!
And then.. finally
My last boat which was actually designed and constructed to go offshore and ‘keep the sea’, R36 that would sail in anything and point in any direction and get-on-with-it . That Frenchman VDH set his up beautifully and went on to nail the GGR reenactment rtw race .In complete comfort down below and some upwind wet-n-wild discomfort upwind, it was the perfect English channel boat for one or two . And once you arrived it was a delight to live on and in indefinitely , zero cabin fever, irrespective of sun wind cold or driving rain. Lovely for one or two, with wide uncluttered decks..
But of those 4 different boats the wee bilgekeeler that jinked upwind in a stately and slow untroubled way, that produced so so many timeless good memories. Met that bloke in Cangas who’s thinking about buying a wee just too, along the way ..by the by.
Gentlemen don’t sail to windward ( until they have to)?
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Daydream believer
Well-known member
I can imagine the conversation back at workWe did, we were coming back from France. We still got stuck in St Peter Port.
"Did you not check our forcast?"
"No boss, we used Meto"
Bet that would have buggared up the promotion for a while
flaming
Well-known member
According to this calculator my 32 foot boat, which has upwind targets of 7.3 at 42 degrees in 14 knots of TWS, gets a VMG of 5.4. Add in say 4 degrees of leeway, and I'm still getting 5.1.
VMG Calculator - Calculator Academy
To get a VMG of 4.5 at 45 degrees TWA, you only need to be doing 6.3 knots. Which feels like a lowish target for a modern 34 footer.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
The problem is maintaining the target speed. As tiredness sets in or for any reason concentration drops - To take that drink or eat that sandwich- then averages soon drop & you cannot get them back. That is why I hook my Aries up to the tiller as soon as I can when going up wind. However, if one is sensible one will use the tides to ones advantage. Wind against tide will pick the sea up a bit but can make a big difference to progress.
johnalison
Well-known member
Yes, I might have exaggerated a bit and rounded it up and the real figure would be more like 4.2-3, but it is in that region. I generally aim for a water speed of 5.9 when fully driven close-hauled in an average seaway and seldom switch the VMG meter on as it takes too much concentration for ordinary sailing. It can be educational though and it is often a salutary lesson to see how much even a slight deviation from the ideal course can affect the VMG, with even a moment’s pinching, bearing off or being knocked by a wave cause the rate to drop to the mid or low 3s.
flaming
Well-known member
Oh I thought you were under selling it, not exaggerating.
6 knots at 45 TWA upwind in a modern 34 footer seems like a pretty reasonable target to me.
Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
Very much so. You can’t do this whilst mentally picking daisies, nor really while you look about for other traffic. Therefore even tougher for single handers. I usually let Mrs C do this, I sit on the lee side looking for opposite tack boats etc.