Interesting video of how two different yachts handle heavy weather.

Nice to have a video taken in these conditions. I had a 38' hard chine, triple keel steel ketch and always wished I could have had even a photo of her sailing in conditions like that. Heavy weight makes a big difference as I was able to still carry full sail in a force 7 with an average maximum of 15 degrees of heal.
 
An easy reach in a fairly benign sea-state.
I don't think there was much to choose between the two boats, neither looked uncomfortable to be on.
Might have to adopt the simpler lunch menu, but nobody was making heavy weather of anything.
Beating, or being inshore around tides, shallows and all that might be a bit less pleasant.
 
Concerto said:
This is not a new video, nor are the yachts new. The ride on the heavier wooden boat is certainly more comfortable. I wonder what a new AWB would be like by comparison?
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Utter tosh! Both boats appeared to be handling the sea with ease.
 
How bad (I'm sure that it is bad to some extent) is it for my (foam luff equipped) headsail to use it partly furled with heavily reefed mainsail in (say) 25-35 knots of wind?

Should I go to the trouble of changing headsails (I have a heavy #3 jib with slugs that allow it to be used on a furler)?

And what is the sensible limiting windspeed for using my furling headsail (furled or not)?
 
“It’s not the ships, it’s the men* what’s in them!” (Conrad).

* and women

In these conditions (F6 ish) most boats of over thirty feet, and some smaller ones, will be fine, but some in their crews may be thinking about a trip to the lee rail, and deck work becomes harder, so a boat with a steadier gait is easier.

Neither boat is in any difficulty but I’d find the varnished boat preferable.
 
Is 25 knots heavy weather? I wouldn't have thought so. That's been pretty much what we've raced in all summer here. Well... either that or nothing at all!!!
 
Minn said:
“It’s not the ships, it’s the men* what’s in them!” (Conrad).

* and women

In these conditions (F6 ish) most boats of over thirty feet, and some smaller ones, will be fine, but some in their crews may be thinking about a trip to the lee rail, and deck work becomes harder, so a boat with a steadier gait is easier.

Neither boat is in any difficulty but I’d find the varnished boat preferable.
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I couldn't draw any conclusions myself. Both boats seemed fine but I wasn't sure that it was a fair comparison or that the two boats were equivalent. The Comfortina is a decent boat but on the lighter side of AWBs, being mainly designed for local conditions, so I thought that it did well considering. I spoke to the owner of one, about 35' I think, and he told me that he enjoyed it but would not consider doing the sort of North Sea and Channel sailing that I do in my HR. I think he was being over-cautious, not an uncommon trait in Baltic sailors, but for UK sailors it would have been more informative if a boat such as a Bavaria had been used.
 
KellysEye said:
The definition of heavy weather is sailing conditions of 40 knot plus winds with 20 to 30 foot waves. The videos were 25 knots.
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Not sure there are any ‘official’ definitions but whatever the definitions people come up with, I don’t think 25 knots is ‘Heavy Weather’ either.

jimi said:
Thought weather was rather innocuous! If anything the manky auld boat would have been a bit wetter.
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Indeed.
 
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I wonder how many coats of varnish the MAB was wearing? Perhaps sand back and add another couple, to be on the safe side?

I have to agree that it looked like both boats were doing just fine.
 
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