With all the conversation about heavy air sailing and capsize prevention I was wondering if any singlehanded sailors were adding any ballast to their DS ?
I use my DSI primarily for cruising. As a solo sailor, in the interest of safety I added flotation but have also added ballast. I believe the added ballast has saved me a from a few near capsize situations. I use two 50 pound sand bags in my DSI. I place a sandbag on each side of the keelson just forward of the center board trunk. The bags form to the curve of the hull (my floor boards end just a few inches into the cuddy) . Under general sailing conditions the ballast has definitely added stability and I believe under heavy air conditions as well as the ballast is very low in the hull. Brad