All,
I was out sailing this past weekend and the wind was a bit gusty and being
unpredictable. I was sailing in the Baltimore Harbor and the wind shifts a lot
due to the buildings crowding the waters edge. I was on a port tack when a
gust of wind hit the boat and healed us over. I was having problems releasing
the main sheet. Every time I pulled up on the jam cleat, the cleat adjustment
angle would move up one notch. The harder I pulled up, the higher the angle
moved. The boat was healed over so much that the starboard gun wale was 6
inches under water and the cockpit was filling up. By the time we were able to
release the main sheet we had 6+ inches of water in the cockpit. I was certain
we were going swimming. With the exception of our shoes getting wet,
everything else stayed dry.
I can not believe how stable and well balanced this boat is. I'm not sure at
what angle we were sailing (nearly tipping over), but it is far greater then
what I am comfortable with, and still the boat remained upright.
When we got back to the dock and began stowing our gear, I found the starboard
locker full of water. In the end I'm glad this happened on the starboard side,
since the port locker was cut out by a previous owner. Which means the bilge
would have been full.
In the end, it's best to know the limits of the boat. Now I have a better idea
of just how far I can heal over before I go swimming.
Fairwinds,
Skip
M-15 #201 '82
Wild Guppy
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