NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Multi-hull sailing
From: Hewitt Schlereth
Date: 2009 Mar 2, 11:44 -0400
From: Hewitt Schlereth
Date: 2009 Mar 2, 11:44 -0400
As luck would have it, I spent yesterday aboard "Wings," the Newick trimaran I mentioned earlier. Winds were 15-18, light chop on an easy swell. We went upwind at 8,5 to 9 knots. Yes the boat has a centerboard - draws 4.5' board down; yes, she out-points standard ballasted mono-hulls and way outpoints cruising cats. (There is a 40' cat in Cruz Bay named "soma" that I have not seen but is said to be carbon-fiber and very light - 4000 # - and very fast. I have not seen her.) "Wings," is 36', weighs 6500# and sail area 800 square ft. She's cold-molded ply; built in 1983; power is a Yamaha outboard. Unlike the cruising cats I've been aboard (but have yet to sail) she's spartan - no galley, just a shelf for a portable stove, 4 berths, marine head forward. She'd be fine for cruising the Virgins. Though the owner doesn't cruise her, he did sail her down here from Massachusetts. She's beautifully made, feels solid underfoot and underway - i.e., doesn't creak, groan or complain in any way - just goes to beat the band. Hewitt PS It's great to see how much interest the Galpook Bygrave has stirred up. Nothing like getting back to basics, is there? HS On 3/1/09, glapook@pacbell.netwrote: > > > > Hewitt Schlereth wrote: > > Hi Gary - > > "I've lived here in Coral Bay for a year and so far about all I've > done > is a lot of snorkeling , some sailing and a great deal of catch-up > reading. Sailing's been mainly on a 36' Newick trimaran which is great > fun. It handles like a Flying Dutchman, goes upwind at 10 knots and > reaches off at 15-17. I may get to Antigua sometime soon if an old pal > decides to go there to have his 40' Morgan hauled and painted." > > Gary writes: > > The only experience I have hS with multi-hull sailing was a week of > bare boating around Majorca and another week of bare boating out of > Raiatea, both times on 43 foot cats rented from the Moorings. The > boats are very comfortable to live on with lots of space on deck and > below and are good for vacations since you spend most of your time at > anchor anyway. But I was disappointed with their upwind performance. > We were trying to round the southern point on Majorca sailing into 25 > knot winds and we made virtually no progress upwind over the bottom. > Tacking offshore and back the gps plotter showed our track almost > exactly across the wind on each tack with no progress toward the > point. We eventually gave up and anchored in a little cove (they are > few and far between on the coast of Majorca) for about 4 hours until > the wind shifted and then we sailed out and rounded the point. > > I attributed this performance to the lack of a centerboard on these > boats. I think the boats designed for the bare boat trade omits them > so that renters don't run them aground. I hope other multi-hulls, with > boards, sail better upwind. What is you experience Hewitt on multi- > hulls like when on the wind? > > gl > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---