by Guest » Mon Jul 17, 2000 12:00 am
Ken,
I second Rod's remark about NEVER letting go of your mainsheet when sailing in high winds. In the past 1 1/2 yrs, I've had at least 5 "just in time" releases where a capsize was imminent but avoided. In several of these I took on a LOT (3-4") of water in the boat.
Before I scare you too much, though, let me tell you about the conditions and my background. I got into sailing via shortboard windsurfing where at 15 knots one is just beginning to have fun. Thus, I tend to take my boat out in winds that most will pass on. Also, I live in Dallas and the winds here are not like the steady sea breezes that many of you enjoy. It can gust from 5 knots to 25 knots in an instant, and if you're caught by surprise you're going to get wet! But in general, the DS is a pretty stable boat, and if you pick your days and hang on to that main sheet you should never have to worry about a capsize.
As to your question about top speed, I've often wondered about this, too. Once planing, the DS can go REALLY fast if you've got the stomach for it. Planing on a broad reach in 15-20 knot winds is pretty safe and you can get the boat in the 10-12 knot range pretty easily. One of the keys to planing is to get your self and your crew as far back as possible. In big gust I'm usually as far back as possible w/ my knees against the rear deck and my crew is right next to me.
The fastest I have ever got my boat going was on a 20-25 knot day last summer. I had one of my 200+ lb windsurfing buddies as crew and on a big puff we took off and had to be going 20 MPH. The wake we were making looked like a ski boat's, and we were almost keeping up w/ the windsurfers for a moment. Another time, about 6 weeks ago, I was running down wind wing-to-wing when a huge gust came up behind us. I'm not sure if we hit 20 MPH that day, but it was scary flying over the chop, and I started wondering what it would be like if we were to pitch-pole! Anyone have any first hand experience here?
Kevin Clark
Dallas, TX
DS 11791
Kevin Clark (clarkr-at-aud.alcatel.com)