Reponse from tiller

[ianmkent]

Hi,

I went out sailing the other day bilge keel leisure 17, I was having a lot of trouble tacking and getting very litle response from the helm when heading towards the wind agaist a strong tidal stream.

I have mostly sailing in larger fin keel vesels, I was fighting the tide and wind for over 3 hours and it seemed hopless with very litle helm control. I was able to tack down wind no problem.

Any advise or suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[JPA Cate]

Ian,

The bilge keels are great for taking the bottom, not so good for short tacking into wind and current. Plan to take advantage of the tides, go with them where possible, and use the slack water when it comes, too.

Sometimes, over-powering it a little will help a boat get through short, square, choppy seas. The bilge keels are at a disadvantage in windward work.

Ann

[mstrebe]

Concur with Ann, bilge keels are a specialty design made for mooring in tidal flats. If that's not your problem, they are not your solution.

Went sailing in Brittany with a friend and was shocked by how poorly his boat pointed. But then he paid nothing to keep it near Mon St. Michel so who am I to judge?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[ianmkent]

Thanks for the replies, I will pay more attention to the tidal streams when I go out in furture.