Scary sailing

[KevB]

Took a few pictures at the beginning of cowes week whilst on out way to Yarmouth and came across this boat.

Looks a bit scary to me. So is it good, bad or just part of sailing?

 

[Athene V30]

Certainly my boat would not appreciate being sailed like that and a slab or two in the main would ease the heel, reduce weather helm, be a lot more comfortable and just as fast with a lot less leeway.

If it is just a gust then why not ease the mainsail to bring the boat a bit more upright?

But then I don't race! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Woodlouse]

They should really have a reef in. Or an extra ton in the keel. Looks good though. Nothing like giving the shrouds a bit of a stretch every now and then.

 

[fireball]

Nah - they were just doing that to enable the crew to scrub the bottom ....

 

[marksaab]

Looks like they already cleaned the port side /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Lovely looking ketch but wow...the forces on the (wooden?) mast etc must have been huge!

 

[KREW2]

Are they aground?

 

[starboard]

Best way to sail over a sand bar!! must have reduced the draught by 3ft.!!

paul.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Worra nice boat! Doubt that there was any weather helm of note; narrow-beamed lead mines like that are quite happy sailing on their ear. However, had it have been me I'd have put in a reef, unless it was just a gust.

 

[KevB]

No, not aground. This was taken Just west of Cowes. They sailed like this at least for the time I was there which I guess was a minute or so.

 

[Auntie Helen]

Pics like that are part of the reason I gave up monohull sailing, too bloomin' scary for wimps like me. No doubt it's great fun for those of the right disposition but even the thought of heeling at half that amount scared me too much!

 

[Master_and_Commander]

Wooooo Hoooooo!!!!!!

Looks like my kind of sailing!!
However, I would have reefed before it got to that point (although I doubt a Bilge Keeled Kingfisher 26 would ever get to that point!!).

Bloody exhilerating even if it's perhaps not the best for performance and speed.

 

[NPMR]

We used to reef our Cutlass 27 when green water started coming over the cockpit coamings. Otherwise it seemed not to make a lot of difference to the speed but it was 'interesting', hanging on the upwind lifelines with your wellies dragging in the water on the 'down' side.

She used to lean a long way, remarkably quickly in very little wind and then no further until, finally, you had to reef. Probably looked similar to the picture but didn't feel awful.

 

[Twister_Ken]

As we manky auld sailors appreciate, with a narrow beamed boat (as opposed to a caravan) you need some heel before the lead starts earning its keep.

 

[snowleopard]

Not dangerous but silly to sail a boat at that angle. Not just a gust because both shots show the same angle. The cause will either be ignorance (not likely in a classic like that) or excess testosterone.

Any boat should be capable of withstanding the strain on rigging of being forced onto its beam ends and then some.

 

[flaming]

[ QUOTE ]
Not dangerous but silly to sail a boat at that angle. Not just a gust because both shots show the same angle. The cause will either be ignorance (not likely in a classic like that) or excess testosterone.


[/ QUOTE ]

Depends...

If they are racing (and they are showing cowes week decals...) and know that they have a short beat and a long run, then hanging onto the canvas will be a winning move.

I actually witnessed this incident though, and what happened was simply the short lived increase of wind (often accompanied by some pretty nasty bullets of pressure) that often occurs just off cowes in a south westerly. As they continued west past the squadron the wind dropped off a few knots and they returned to a more comfortable angle.

 

[NDG]

Hmmmm..... looks a bit fishy to me, nice flat sea...., no bow wave...no other boats heeling in the background....

Reckon this is neither good, bad, or scary....just photoshop....!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[KevB]

Nope, definitely not photoshop. real pictures. I have more of the same from other angles. Boat was like this for over a minute at least.

 

[KevB]

Here's another.

 

[snowleopard]

He'd make a lot less leeway by easing the sheets or running travellers to leeward, not to mention the effect of dragging all the deck hardware through the water.

 

[Lakesailor]

The winter series racers on Windermere sail like that. Perhaps as the lake is narrow there is a lot to the idea of not shortening sail for a short beat. Plus it is pretty gusty.... (Crap piccies as 300mm lens and 20 mph winds)

Usual....

Bit Unusual....

The Class boats, on the other hand always sail like that. They can't reef, as the rules don't allow it, and they have a big heavy keel to help stability.