Hey Sean,
Great video! Wish I was there. We were out on the big pond 2 weeks
ago on a beautiful day. Wind at 15 kts out of the north, 1- 2 ft wind waves
and a 5' to 8' swell. It was almost perfect. We did experience the tendency
to yaw that you spoke of when we finally turned downwind to head home. It
got really bad when we came back into the river with an ebbing tide running
at 2 kts against that swell coming in from the west. We had 6' breaking
waves with the foam blowing off the top as we crossed the bar and every one
of them tried to push the stern around so it could roll us over. Quite a
workout for the helmsman and, I suppose, an entertaining spectacle for the
coasties as we fought our way in underneath their tower. I thought about
raising the board for the same reason you did but we were hard on the wind
in a narrow channel. I was concerned about being pushed onto the rocks and
tacking at that point would have been suicidal. Besides, I was too busy to
do anything but steer until we were across the bar and safely inside. Next
time I'm outside in those conditions I think I will try raising the board
(as long as I have plenty of sea room). It's amazing how much pressure is
exerted on the rudder. I was thankful once again for the stout rudder and
tiller these boats carry.
Fair winds and gently following seas
Mark Dvorscak
M23 Faith
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