wind was light so I tried sailing a bit sans ballast but again, it’s not really advantageous. Later, the breeze was picking up so I put the ballast in, discovering that a small boat hook makes opening and closing the gate valve a snap. I had a reef in the main and a spitfire jib up, and we weren’t doing too badly for an M, so I left it. Beam reaching across hawk channel. About a mile from the reef line the wind picked up substantially and that sail plan was all she could carry anyway. I thought I could sail out into blue water and then turn off the wind leaving molasses reef to my starboard and then head in from south of the light tower. There was about a three knot northerly set, and the East winds piled up some nice lumpy ground swell maybe 4-5, and the M gamely continued, far away from her shallow water element. She was doing ok and after putting the dog below, I turned a bit off the
wind, and pulled the board all the way up. As long as I was out here I could try the boat in conditions for which I had added the stub keel mod. Off the wind in larger waves. The boat was much better feeling, and felt responsive and in control as she surged down the swells. I had the runners set up, and without worry I could enjoy the ride. The dinghy put an end to the fun though as she rocketed past my quarter on the face of a blue mischief maker. I didn’t have a long painter rigged, nor a drogue, as would be required for prolonged operation in these conditions. The boat felt like a different craft than when I had run down wind in hawk channel that day and could barely keep her together. Nice, but time to head in. Dealing with a swamped dinghy in choppy conditions with a raging current was something I could do without. It was too windy to try a gybe and there was no coming about in this lumpy mess even I though a tried a few times. The motor did the trick, but was pitched out of the water half the time so I was careful on the throttle and shut it off as soon as I
could. Now I had a steep reach back to the reef line, and the dinghy was not as inclined to surf. It was fun out here, but any fubar at all would be dicey by myself. Even sail changes. The boat is a bouncy, unstable platform in these conditions. Back across the reef line with the current streaming by the mooring bouys and the seas subsided to regular hawkchannel whitecaps. Dropped half the board, and anchored by Rodriguez Key not too long after.
Thoughts
Why did it take me ten years to realize the boat hook truck for the ballast valve?
Motoring in conditions that I had a few miles off shore the reef line would be nearly impossible. Each time the boat pitched forward going over a wave, the propellor came out of the water.
going to weather in these conditions will suck or be impossible in any small boat except one’s purpose built for racing. The best I could manage with any speed was just a little above a beam reach. The M just can’t stand up to the sail needed to drive through waves like that. 20 knots in sheltered water is great.
In the Gulf Stream it’s a big nope.
Recovering anything or any one is going to be very problematic.
Ix
