full keel are slow to weather?

[s-dupuis]

I owned an S2 7.9 MORC racer for over 15 years before becoming a Cape Dory Owner. Despite the boats racing ability I only cruised her up and down the New England Coastline. Except for Joyfully passing nearby boats on the same course as me, I never had an interest in officially racing.

When I got my Typhoon (and later, a CD 22) I joined the local yacht club which holds weekly races every Sunday on the lake. A requirement for new members is to participate in a portion of the races.

The club typically has class racing for Lightnings, Windmills and a lot of Catalinas, starting 5 min. apart. All others race in open class 5 min. after the Catalinas begin, using the Portsmouth Handicap method for time correction.

Being a 'heavy, full keel boat', I planned on following everyone else around the course and staying out of their way. After all, I had no interest in racing, especially now that I owned a pocket cruiser. I was just going to fill my 'racing obligation'.

Now, here I am, two years later with a first place trophy for open class for two of the three annual racing series. What's more, every week I look forward to racing like an addict looking for a fix. I'm a better sailor as a result and when the race is over I crack a well deserved cold one and cruise around for the rest of the day.

Cape Dories may not have a reputation for speed but there are quite a few sailors at the Massabesic Yacht Club licking their wounds and cursing their O'days, Corinthians, Chryslers, Hunters, and Catalinas (among others). At times I would even catch and pass a Catalina 22 from a class race that began 5 minutes ahead of me!

I'm convinced. The Cape Dory is not only a rugged, capable cruiser but also has a respectable turn of speed. I'm sure that the outcome of this past years races had as much to do with luck (favorable conditions, wind shifts, etc.) as skill, but I doubt the outcome would have been as much fun or looked as good in another boat.

Steve

[rtbates]

This is Simpatico going to weather in a 18-20 kt. breeze with some fairly good chop on Great Peconic Bay, NY. If I wasn't about to round a windward mark, I would have considered more halyard tension or reefing. We were flying the #2 headsail (135) and simply dumped the main in the heavier gusts.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/23846883@N00/327285587/

Nice looking boat Brian

[Carter Brey]

This is Simpatico going to weather in a 18-20 kt. breeze with some fairly good chop on Great Peconic Bay, NY. If I wasn't about to round a windward mark, I would have considered more halyard tension or reefing. We were flying the #2 headsail (135) and simply dumped the main in the heavier gusts.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/23846883@N00/327285587/

Great shot, Brian.

[Neil Gordon]

In theory, at least, equal water line lengths will max out at the same speeds. But... the boat/hull/keel/sail/skipper combination that can steer the straightest, will APPEAR to be faster because they can gain the most ground. Full keels are better at that. With all due modesty, so are we.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Randy,

You are not alone. In the right conditions, our CD32 has overtaken supposedly faster and even larger vessels.


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Neil Gordon]

The weight matters, too. Once you get all that lead, extra thick fiberglass, bronze and all that teak trim moving, plowing through waves doesn't slow you down quite so much.

[Dick Barthel]

Randy,

I've never sailed in any kind of wind with just the jenny. When you burying your rail are you fighting the tiller at all without any main up? Just curious.

What a great thread you started.

Dick

[Neil Gordon]

Randy,

I've never sailed in any kind of wind with just the jenny. When you burying your rail are you fighting the tiller at all without any main up? Just curious.

What a great thread you started.

Dick

Dick,

The hull still wants to turn to windward when it's heeled over. Yes, there's still weather helm.

[John D.]

My wife and I were beating north from the Severn River last year in Lilypad, our CD27, within sight of a Beneteau 30-something on the same general heading. We were pointing higher and had a better distance made good to windward, so we overtook and went under the Bay Bridge first.

I quietly expressed satisfaction at winning the "race" against what I assumed was a faster boat.

My wiser but less competitive wife asked "how do you know he's even racing us?"

To which I responded, "he can see us, of course he's racing us!"

[Carter Brey]

I was cruising with my friend Jim McKean off the mouth of Oyster Bay last August, and could not resist the temptation to call Warren Kaplan and ask him to come out to play. Warren obeyed the call and duly appeared under power with a reefed main and furled genoa. We called him a wuss and acheived the desired effect. He took out the reef, unfulred the genoa, shut off the motor, and as we were busy filling away to the south he bounded off toward Greenwich.

By the time Jim and I got Delphine turned around, Warren was 200 feet ahead and stayed there, just bounding over the waves with impunity in his Cape Dory 27. Waterline length? Sail area? Slippery underbody? I had it all, except one critical factor: familiarity with the boat. I was still learning how she liked to be sailed, while Warren knows Sine Qua Non like the back of his hand. Oh, and she'd just had her bottom cleaned.

The video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxChAhemSBc

Jim's at the helm. Sine Qua Non is off the lee bow. I'm hiding behind the camera.

[Neil Gordon]

Tiller vs. wheel and the resulting more responsive helm.

[Carter Brey]

Tiller vs. wheel and the resulting more responsive helm.

Step away from the thread and approach the arresting officer with your hands in the air.

[tartansailor]

Burying the rail can be exhilarating, and good for speed because you are increasing your water line length.
When your coaming becomes awash however, check your draft. Assuming you are flying a 150%, flatten your main with outhaul and make sure your draft is no more than 55%, with luff tension, because in heavy wind a draft too far aft will cause excess heeling.
If the coaming is still awash, spill air by easing the sheet just a hair to give some twist.
If you have any weather helm with a 150, up backstay tension. If that does not work, ease the forestay to rake the mast. I firmly believe that a "smart" Cape Dory will smoke bleach bottles 4' -6' longer at the water line. This is, in spite of a modest SA to D and a 300+ D to LWL making our boats "heavy" displacement. Why? because we have a functioning board where many excellent sailors have contributed to our body of knowledge of sailing, and I have learned much from that.

Dick

Cedat Fortuna Peritas

[Sailing Soldier]

I love blasting past the fully crewed "racers" on Wednesday race nights in the Summer. I'm single-handed with one hand on the tiller, the other wraped around a Corona.

Life doesen't get any better!

Capt John
CD 28 #177
"Liberty"
RI

[Neil Gordon]

I love blasting past the fully crewed "racers" on Wednesday race nights in the Summer. I'm single-handed with one hand on the tiller, the other wraped around a Corona.

What was that about the tiller?