Island Packet Info

[sailstoo]

I have a close friend that has one and while she loves it, she calls it the "Island Piglet". it goes to weather like a bathtub.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by sailstoo

I have a close friend that has one and while she loves it, she calls it the "Island Piglet". it goes to weather like a bathtub.

I've heard that, and I am sure it doesn't go to weather as well as a real performance boat, but if you look at my Avatar, it was taken from a Lagoon 38 Cat, we were sailing back and forth across the bay, the downwind part, he would outrun me a little, but the upwind part, I ran away from him, so while an IP may not be the best to windward, it is much better than a Lagoon, and while I am no sailor and have never raced, it seems I go to windward about as well as the average Joe out in the bay in just about any average boat.
However in light winds, and loaded down like I am now, she just doesn't go, it takes six kts of wind to get her to move, and ten to get to five kts. They are just not light wind boats. I know it's a sin, but if there is only 5 or 6 kts of wind, I crank the motor and bump it to 1,000 RPM, that with an Autoprop has me motorsailing at 6 kts which is windspeed of course, fuel burn is almost nothing and 1000 RPM it relatively quiet and the alternator is charging well.

[DeepFrz]

but if there is only 5 or 6 kts of wind,

An IMOCA 60 doesn't do all that well in 5 or 6 kts of wind either, judging from Alex Thompson's performance lately, so don't feel to bad. I have sailed an IP 45, many years ago and only for a weekend, but it sure didn't seem slow to me. I don't remember exactly what the wind was, maybe 10 to 15 kts and she moved right along.