Twenty Knots

[Bash]

Bash is wondering how cruisers deal with true wind speeds of 20 knots. Throw in a reef? Put up the blade? Go jib and jigger?

Out on SF Bay this afternoon it's blowing 20 knots, AND THEY JUST CANCELLED THE AMERICAS CUP RACE!!!!!!!

Sheesh. Too much wind to race. $100,000,000 sailboats can't handle 20 knots?

Embarrassing.

[boatman61]

LOL... but those are just toys for boys and commercial promo's... truth be told that accident that killed one of the lads has likely got the organisers and sponsors sweating..

[gjordan]

Those are not sailboats. They are wind powered machines. If I read correctly, one of the things that the crew members carry is a minature scuba tank that is supposed to give them 10 minutes breathing time if trapped under water. It makes me think that they are unsafe from the getgo. Most sports are dangerous to a certain point, so why put restrictions on what fanatics want to do? Oh how I miss the 12 meters. ____Grant.

[markpierce]

Those particular AC sailboats are unseaworthy. Conditions need to be benign.

[boatman61]

Funny how easy it is to cock up what used to be a fantastic event... still... it sell Bacardi and other crap... and keeps the irriuts happy..

[markpierce]

What! No race today?

[SVNeko]

True n all, but seeing them go is an amazing sight.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Bash

(...) Sheesh. Too much wind to race. $100,000,000 sailboats can't handle 20 knots?

Embarrassing.

And you ask an F1 car to drive country roads too?

These boats are built to sail round the cans fastest. It is called racing.

These boats are a finger pointed to the moon.

The quoted USD 100,000,000 is likely a campaign cost, not the cost of the sailboat.

I love to watch but hope there will be some more racing action too - as it is now it is fantastic boats but not much match racing.

The future is now.

Cheers,
b.

[Blue Crab]

It was blowing like stink coupla days ago. Marina like a graveyard. Liveaboard couple down the way went day sailing.

[barnakiel]

It depends.

Upwind we are already reefed. If we are in for an extended bash, blade will be up (well, sort of blade).

Downwind, we will be still under full main and possibly a kite too. But not at night. At night we will have one reef in the main and partly furled genoa.

b.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

It depends.

Upwind we are already reefed. If we are in for an extended bash, blade will be up (well, sort of blade).

Downwind, we will be still under full main and possibly a kite too. But not at night. At night we will have one reef in the main and partly furled genoa.

b.

Pretty well this. I am under the impression that wind makes the boat go, and I am generally prepared to use it without much worry under 30 knots, at which point on the 33 footer I start reefing down the main, and on the 41 footer I roll up the Yankee and keep the staysail flying.

[zeehag]

20kts is nothing on this coast--they are wimpish those arent sailboats.
a GOOD cruising boat can handle anything its owner can handle--jib n jigger in this boat so far--60 kts actual wind with 8.4 boatspeed. they call it a chubasco. they happen off baja and inside golfo de california. short warning of less than 30 min.
those dont happen here--instead we get ts and furycames that either form right overhead or come back into here as did jova innov 2011. normal daily winds in lagoon here are 20-35 kts .

daysailing with my boat--wind would have to be a good steady 20 kts to start with so we could actually leave the bay......

[SaltyMonkey]

You're kidding, right?

What's considered the ideal wind conditions for this stupid event?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Bash

Bash is wondering how cruisers deal with true wind speeds of 20 knots. Throw in a reef? Put up the blade? Go jib and jigger?

Out on SF Bay this afternoon it's blowing 20 knots, AND THEY JUST CANCELLED THE AMERICAS CUP RACE!!!!!!!

Sheesh. Too much wind to race. $100,000,000 sailboats can't handle 20 knots?

Embarrassing.

I put in a reef. Is that even possible on those "boats"?

[Capt Rottnest]

If AC went back to slow heavy boats no one would watch it. Its good to see cats performing at their true potential, considering they used to be banned. Now they are actually flying. Amazing stuff.