Fast Planing Boats like Pogo or JPK going to weather in short period seas?

[Augi]

Does anyone have actual experience they can comment about in a fast planing, light boat like a Pogo 30 or JPK 38 FC going to weather in oncoming waves with short period, on a long passage, that are likely to exist doing the Baja Bash?

It is out there that the JPK 38 FC is set up to do better to weather than the Pogo.

The idea would be to not go as fast as possible but maybe go 5-6 knots because of the difficult conditions to be as comfortable as possible while making decent headway.

The other option is make a left turn and head west at Cabo San Lucas to avoid the worst of the conditions far enough to lay for San Diego keeping the wind on your beam the entire way. The pogo or JPK will make very good time keep the wind on the beam or aft of the beam. You might be able to average 8-10 knots, and not have to motor or motor sail at 5 knots. Looks like time difference may not be that much if you make then left turn west and have the typical steady northwesterlies all the way on both tacks.

The third option is truck the boat from La Paz to San Diego.

Both the Pogo and JPK are supposed to be capable blue water cruisers. However, their weaker point apparently is going to weather and the relative comfort they can provide.

The Pogo and JPK and their specified equipment are supposed to be able take the pounding and stress of something like the Baja Bash. But it is still wear on the boat.

[PlaneFun]

I would say that is the weakest area for Pogos. I have a Pogo 30 and have sailed the 1050 and 1250 (never tried a JPK). They sail upwind very effectively but if it is choppy short period waves then the slamming is horrendous. It feels like the hull is about to split open and everything is going to fall out the bottom. However it hasn't to date and doesn't seem to do any harm. Except it is quite unpleasant. In those conditions I try to slow down and bear off if there are particularly nasty ones. Which of course increases the amount of time you spend in those conditions.

If you have an option to to bear off a bit I would probably do that. Pogos are great at reaching and don't heel as much as more traditional designs. It just depends on the angle to the waves. A small change can make all the difference. Sometimes upwind is the only way unfortunately but if you are talking a long passage hard on the wind in chop I would need to be paid a lot to consider it.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by PlaneFun

I would say that is the weakest area for Pogos. I have a Pogo 30 and have sailed the 1050 and 1250 (never tried a JPK). They sail upwind very effectively but if it is choppy short period waves then the slamming is horrendous. It feels like the hull is about to split open and everything is going to fall out the bottom. However it hasn't to date and doesn't seem to do any harm. Except it is quite unpleasant. In those conditions I try to slow down and bear off if there are particularly nasty ones. Which of course increases the amount of time you spend in those conditions.

If you have an option to to bear off a bit I would probably do that. Pogos are great at reaching and don't heel as much as more traditional designs. It just depends on the angle to the waves. A small change can make all the difference. Sometimes upwind is the only way unfortunately but if you are talking a long passage hard on the wind in chop I would need to be paid a lot to consider it.

Thanks for your excellent feedback. Where do you do most of your sailing in your Pogo 30?

[PlaneFun]

West coast of Scotland near Skye. Mostly sheltered waters.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by PlaneFun

West coast of Scotland near Skye. Mostly sheltered waters.

There is a video on youtube showing the delivery of a Pogo 30 to Scotland from Brittnay.

I believe the name of the boat being delivered was Apogee. Is that your boat?

[robert sailor]

Flat bottom boats like the Pogo usually need higher heel angles when sailing upwind in order to reduce the wetter surface..this is fine when racing but not so much for days/nights at a time. The other option is to motor which I imagine you might be replacing some of your fillings.
Personally I'd opt to sail out towards Hawaii and reach north and then East. This is the old square riggers route and has been done many times.

[Augi]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Flat bottom boats like the Pogo usually need higher heel angles when sailing upwind in order to reduce the wetter surface..this is fine when racing but not so much for days/nights at a time. The other option is to motor which I imagine you might be replacing some of your fillings.
Personally I'd opt to sail out towards Hawaii and reach north and then East. This is the old square riggers route and has been done many times.

Thanks for the feedback.

It sounds like the way to go is go west as you suggest far enough to keep the wind as close to on the beam as possible on both tacks while still making headway north especially in a Pogo or JPK type flat bottom, light, planing boat.

Either that or put her on a truck to Southern California or at least to Ensenada. Marina San Carlos will arrange shipment to Ensenada by truck or Phoenix. It looks like in the summer the wind tends to blow from the south in the Sea of Cortez. I am trying find out if there is another good place to take her out further north in the Sea of Cortez than San Carlos and ship by truck to Ensenada or Southern Cal.

[PlaneFun]

Originally Posted by Augi

There is a video on youtube showing the delivery of a Pogo 30 to Scotland from Brittnay.

I believe the name of the boat being delivered was Apogee. Is that your boat?

Indeed. That is the one.

[PlaneFun]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Flat bottom boats like the Pogo usually need higher heel angles when sailing upwind in order to reduce the wetter surface..this is fine when racing but not so much for days/nights at a time. The other option is to motor which I imagine you might be replacing some of your fillings.

You don't actually need much heel to get most of the hull out of the water. My experience vs an X-Yacht is that the Pogo needs much less heel to sail optimally upwind. The X-Yacht just felt slow unless heeled at 25-30 deg. Whereas the Pogo sits at 15-20 and feels fast.

Motoring in a Pogo into waves as you suggest is a slow and unpleasant experience. Normally faster and more comfortable to sail. Perhaps with motor but doesn't usually help much.