Hi jack, Welcome to the C27/270 Association list.
I agree that it's a little crazy to fly a spinny in 30+ knots, but I think you'd be surprised at how much canvas a C27 can carry sailing downwind in those conditions. I've been sailing 49 years, and so far I haven't yet lost a rig, nor twisted any hulls nor put a smile at the front of the keel. My hubby and I regularly fly a 95% (equivalent to a 110% on a std rig) or 135% (equivalent to a std 150%) with full mainsail downwind in 30 knots from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge. That's enough canvas to get the boat surfing on the waves. It's scarey fast. It takes considerable skill to drive in those conditions, because you steer the boat mostly by heeling one way or the other as the waves pass under her, with only minor correction with the rudder. If you over react with the rudder, the boat will round up violently or round down spectacularly and broach. I certainly agree with you that a flat boat is a fast boat on a reach or a beat. We reef and shake out reefs all day long depending on our point of sail if we wanna go fast and flat. We can put one in and or shake one out in under 60 seconds from the cockpit without even rushing. It's second nature to us. I'd go even further and say that a well trimmed boat is a flat boat is a safe boat is a fast boat. Even though we don't race, we can shift gears with the best of 'em. We play the traveller and the sheet leads to put twist in the sails, outhaul to control the lower profile, backstay on for upwind to shape the draft in the jib, cunningham for acceleration or high end speed. That's probably even more important than reefing. Fair winds, Judy B 1977 C27 Tall Rig #3459, "Bijou" San Francisco Bay http://www.blumhorst.com/catalina27/catalinahomepage.htm ________________________________ From: Jack Brennan <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:52:00 PM Subject: RE: [IC27A] Judy - C27 CE Judy: I don't know anyting about San Francisco sailing, but a spinnaker pole in 30-35 knots of wind? That sounds like Racer's Disease to me. In those kinds of conditions, most production sailboats under 35 feet should be running with a double- or triple-reefed main and a spare hanky for a jib. A decent sailboat should right properly if it's carrying the proper amount of sail. Trying to fly a big jib or, god forbid, a spinnaker in those conditions will get you pinned down and maybe sunk. Even if you survive, it's boat abuse. The standing rigging and chainplates will be shot. The boat will twist to the point where doors don't close and hatches leak. If you have an external keel, it will be smiling at you during your next haul-out. An interesting point: Good racers (not me) will tell you that fin-keelers don't sail well at more than 20 degrees of heel. The people who regularly finish first usually are the folks who know when to reef, not those who pile on the sail and bury the rail. -----Original Message----- From: ic...@yahoogroups. com [mailto:IC27A@ yahoogroups. com]On Behalf Of Judith Blumhorst, DC Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 6:08 PM To: ic...@yahoogroups. com; Phil Agur Subject: Re: [IC27A] Judy - C27 CE
