Vega Owners: how well do you heave to?

[KetoNomad]

Hey so just wondering if any Albin Vega owners here have any experience heaving-to in winds above 30knots with breaking seas.

Trying to find out if they require aftermarket equipment for this apart from, obviously, a parachute anchor.

When hove-to were you making headway at all or simply going directly downwind about 50 degrees off the wind like the Pardeys describe in their Storm Tactics book?

What was it like?

Chances are excellent my intro to these charming boats will not be in gentle conditions so a heads up would be great! 😀⛵

[Gene Neill]

We bought a Vega last year, but it hasn't touched the water yet. It's in the driveway, getting refitted as time allows. We plan to sell the house and take her to the Caribbean for a couple years, beginning in 2020.

There's an Albin Vega group at "Yahoo groups", which is a ridiculously antiquated form of communication, but sometimes answers can be pried out of it. It's one step above writing letters to sailing magazines, if you're old enough to remember those days (but still young enough not to have forgotten them!).

FWIW, I have read differing opinions and methods for heaving to on a Vega, but none suggested that a para anchor or drogue was necessary. Hopefully an experienced owner or two will come along and give more information.

[Don C L]

Now, I have not sailed a Vega, but one thing to keep in mind is that if you have a drogue, a para-anchor and storm sails, that is a lot of stuff that needs space in a pretty small interior. You may want to think out the heavy weather strategy with space available in mind. Now I am just guessing, but I think the Vega may respond better to a trysail for heaving-to rather than a triple reefed main, (it will do a better job of keeper her nose up) so you may keep that option in mind too. As far as headway vs leeway, my boat is fairly similar to the Vega and I would expect, especially in 30+ kts, you won't be making any headway, only various speeds of leeway.

[gjordan]

About the trysail vs a triple reefed main. I did many miles in a Contessa 26 and found that the conditions that you needed a trysail made it very hard to set, and the sheets running through blocks that were aft made me nervous. I would much prefer a triple reefed main. I decided that the best use of my trysail was to be a wonderful roll stopper. A trysail will set poorly and wont get you to windward if you need it, whereas a triple reefed main will set better and maybe allow you to claw off of a lee shore. The Contessa would heave to very comfortably with double reefed main and backed storm jib. The Vega is a little lighter than the Contessa and has a shorter keel, but playing with it will probably teach you the right combination. Just my 2 cents worth. Grant.

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by dixiedawg

We bought a Vega last year, but it hasn't touched the water yet. It's in the driveway, getting refitted as time allows. We plan to sell the house and take her to the Caribbean for a couple years, beginning in 2020.

There's an Albin Vega group at "Yahoo groups", which is a ridiculously antiquated form of communication, but sometimes answers can be pried out of it. It's one step above writing letters to sailing magazines, if you're old enough to remember those days (but still young enough not to have forgotten them!).

FWIW, I have read differing opinions and methods for heaving to on a Vega, but none suggested that a para anchor or drogue was necessary. Hopefully an experienced owner or two will come along and give more information.

Hey congrats on the Vega, beautiful in their utility IMO Hopefully I will see you out there!

How many through hulls do you have, out of curiousity I'm guessing three below the waterline, maybe four. I'm thinking of glassing some of mine in and maybe going with a composting toilet to further reduce opportunities for leaks. What kind of seacocks and through hulls will you be installing?

Do you have much sailing experience?

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Now, I have not sailed a Vega, but one thing to keep in mind is that if you have a drogue, a para-anchor and storm sails, that is a lot of stuff that needs space in a pretty small interior. You may want to think out the heavy weather strategy with space available in mind. Now I am just guessing, but I think the Vega may respond better to a trysail for heaving-to rather than a triple reefed main, (it will do a better job of keeper her nose up) so you may keep that option in mind too. As far as headway vs leeway, my boat is fairly similar to the Vega and I would expect, especially in 30+ kts, you won't be making any headway, only various speeds of leeway.

I suspect you may be right about the trysail! I will have to go out and see how it handles the rough weather before I set off on anything super serious. Hopefully a good triple reefed main will suffice cause, yeah, limited space aboard.

[KetoNomad]

Originally Posted by gjordan

About the trysail vs a triple reefed main. I did many miles in a Contessa 26 and found that the conditions that you needed a trysail made it very hard to set, and the sheets running through blocks that were aft made me nervous. I would much prefer a triple reefed main. I decided that the best use of my trysail was to be a wonderful roll stopper. A trysail will set poorly and wont get you to windward if you need it, whereas a triple reefed main will set better and maybe allow you to claw off of a lee shore. The Contessa would heave to very comfortably with double reefed main and backed storm jib. The Vega is a little lighter than the Contessa and has a shorter keel, but playing with it will probably teach you the right combination. Just my 2 cents worth. Grant.

Hey, thanks for posting this! I had an opportunity to buy a Contessa 26 recently but passed it up because the owner seemed to be pretty careless about maintenance. Always wondered how they handle when the going gets real, they seem tough. Sure hope you're right about the triple reefed main, time will tell. I'd rather not have to have a trysail at all if I can avoid it, need room for food and water, too! Haha.

Probably will invest the money in some new, tough sails instead.

Kind of shocked how few Vegas I see are actually kitted out for their full potential. You won't catch me offshore in one with the old rubber framed windows, not a chance, lol.