windy day and uncomfortable coaming

[K.C. Walker]

There's been some great sailing in September here in southern New England. I left out a Barn Island Connecticut with a friend the other day with a breeze at about 15 knots. We had full canvas as my friend Tony didn't believe a Daysailer could plane. Okay, it wasn't as fast as sailing on his Hobie Cat which we had done the previous day. However, we were to Watch Hill Rhode Island in no time. By the time we got to Watch Hill the breeze had picked up to 20 kn so I figured it was time to pull into Watch Hill Harbor find some shelter, have some lunch, and put in a reef.

After lunch we sailed out of the shelter of Watch Hill Harbor and found the breeze had picked up again with gusts somewhere around 30 kn, with the wind whistling through the rigging. Even with the reef in I had to spill air and it was pretty tricky keeping the boat upright. We made it down to Stonington Harbor, again in no time. I probably should have dropped the jib because we really had to spill air during the gusts. We were almost back to Barn Island when a good gust caught us and Tony couldn't snap the jib free. We dunked the leeward rail and took on quite a bit of water. I had Tony drop the jib and we sailed back to the dock with about 5 or 6 inches of water sloshing around our feet. I was amazed at how fast the boat still was moving with the main reefed and all that water aboard! We pulled the boat up on the trailer and opened the drain and it must've drained for about 15 or 20 minutes. http://www.walkerguitars.com/photos/day ... edtail.jpg

Quite an adventure! For 2 or 3 days afterwards my butt and thighs were bruised from hiking out over the coaming. I am definitely cutting it down!

KC

[jdubes]

I agree with you on the coaming. I do a lot of single handed sailing in any conditions. I'll be cutting it this winter. I know and understand the benefits, but I usally don't put a reef in due a mental block, something about not wanting to waste the wind. I really enjoy hanging way over the rail and looking down to seeing the keel in the water. I can't say enough about these sailboats, they are so much fun.

[navahoIII]

KC,

Wow, quite an adventure! I am trying to convince my wife that, yes, the DS can be sailed along the coast, not just lakes, bays and rivers. The more stories I hear, like yours, the more convinced I am!

You mentioned your friend has a Hobie Cat. Does he need a sail? We have a mainsail (with battens) that is in excellent condition, save some cleaning. It is either unused or used sparingly. Don't know what model it is. I can look at it again if he's interested, and give you more info.

[K.C. Walker]

jdubes,

I hear you about not wanting to waste wind. I'm kind of a wind hog myself. The truth is, that day I probably could've used a 2nd reef and a storm jib. I was actually surprised by the boat moving faster with the reef in. The boat balanced better, we were able to keep it more upright, and we didn't need to spill as much air, at least on those screaming broad reaches. Close hauled is where I could've used a little less canvas.

Monday was a gorgeous day with a 10-12 kn breeze. I called a couple of friends to play hooky but got no takers. So, I decided to go sailing solo and I'm glad I did. It was one of those days like you described, hiking way out and looking at the centerboard! And again, it made me think about cutting those coamings down.

I like the way the ash rear coaming looks on your boat. At least it looks to be ash. I was thinking about a thicker coaming so I could get a better round over at the edge of the cockpit. Maybe it would be easier just to replace the boards than try to use the old mahogany.

Hopefully we can squeeze in some more sailing before it gets too cold here in New England!

KC

[K.C. Walker]

navahoIII,

I think if you picked your days, coastal sailing is very doable. That day I would not have wanted to be on big water, though. I was sailing on Little Narragansett Bay that I would guess it's no wider than 3 miles. It was pretty much solid whitecaps but the chop was only 1 1/2 to 2 feet in the worst parts and mostly less because it was an offshore breeze.

I've sailed a fair amount on Long Island Sound and Fishers Island Sound. Fishers Island Sound is pretty doable in our boat, depending on the day. I have to admit that I am much more comfortable on a larger boat, though. It may be less exciting on a larger boat but it's not as much work. The day after I was out on that adventure, the Hobie was beached due to too much swell on Fishers Island sound. Offshore that day it was blowing 45 kn with a 35 foot swell.

I will definitely mention your Hobie sail to my friend. What are you looking to get for it? His Hobie is a 16.

KC

[navahoIII]

KC,

I'm not sure which model it is. I'll look it over again and get let you know what it tells me. I'd take 100 dollars.

Have you ever sailed to Fishers from New London or do you get there from Stonington?

[K.C. Walker]

NavahoIII,

I haven't sailed out of new London. I was at Avery Point last evening and have been on many Thursdays. It looks like a great place to sail out of and Fishers is fairly close. I've sailed some out of Noank and lately Groton Long Point which are quite close to Fishers Island. Where are you located?

KC

[GreenLake]

For 2 or 3 days afterwards my butt and thighs were bruised from hiking out over the coaming. I am definitely cutting it down!

Are you aware of user "Calden"'s design for hiking pads? They are described in some of his posts (search for "hiking pads") To jog your memory, here's the link to his picture:

Calden's hiking pad:

[Click to enlarge]

These, or a similar design would promise to preserve your body parts, but also retain the advantages from having a coaming in the first place.