The wind has been honking here all week. Not quite the Florida tropical storm honking, but 50+kph (31mph) most days.
I went out in the 5.0 three days ago, & barely survived. I ended up crossing our bay pointed as high as I could make headway. The wind/waves were so ugly I didn't dare try to turn for home. Eventually I got into a bit of a lee behind the trees as I closed on the shore, & drove it up into a small creek, where i could wait out the thunderstorms, & survive big wind from any direction. Two hours later I ran for home as conditions improved considerably.
Next day I took the 5.7 out, but with 2 daughters on the wire. We still could not power fully up as they were not heavy enough to hold it down, though I did clock 21 mph.
Today, I was itching to sail, no rail meat available,somehow everyone seemed to become invisible or had "something important" to do. I hoisted the rags on the 5.7., max downhaul I could achieve, & blocks hooked into the furthest forward hole. Once I got ready to push off the dock, I had second thoughts, it really was windy. Went back inside & checked both forecasts. Both stations a few miles each side of me were recording 33 gusting to 53 clicks,(22 gusting to 33 mph). I decided to go as it was forecast to drop in the next 3 hours, thinking if I had to I could make my way to one of the upwind beaches & wait. I also decided to leave the jib furled.
Solo, under main only, the GPS showed a top speed of 20.5 mph, & one sustained segment of just over 1/2 mile where the speed never dropped below 18 mph.
I have not broken 20mph before while single handing the 5.7, or at least not while I had GPS recording. The boat tacked just fine, I only blew it once, but it backed down OK. The secret was to push the rudders over quite hard, from a position of speed, & stay on the upwind hull til it came through the wind. I was surprised at how quickly it came around, & I was scrambling as the sail came across.
The other point of interest was how much the wake varied. I never thought I was over 15 mph, as the wake was so small, it didn't look fast. With only my 170 lbs on the boat, the visuals are quite different from 2 days ago, with the two girls on the wire. The roostertails that day were impressive. Today the lack of water flying off the transoms was deceiving. The GPS showed constant segments of 18-19mph, but it just didn't "look" that fast.
I covered 12.5 miles in 1h 05m, & that included time still attached to the dock while I finalized gear at the start, & time walking the Cat from my neighbours beach back to the dock, tying up & getting the sail down before I stopped the GPS.
What is the fastest you have ever made a legacy Cat go, using "old" sails? I would like to know what is realistic to try & obtain. It seems the 5.7, even though it is a 2 man boat, doesn't go much faster with 2 than with only myself on the wire. I seems depowering & solo is about the same as powered up, but carrying more weight.
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Personal Best
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Posted: Jun 26, 2012 - 08:35 PM
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Posted: Jun 26, 2012 - 09:34 PM
well done
for displacement multi's my rule of thumb is 1knot per foot should be possible in big air on a broad reach
5.7 is 19' i think but well done holding it all down on your own! -
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Posted: Jun 26, 2012 - 09:44 PM
I think the highest sustained speed (20+ seconds or so) I recorded on the 5.2 was 19mph. I haven't had a GPS on anything else...seems like almost any larger boat would be considerably faster, though...the 5.2 really likes to plow the bows.
Much more important is the relativity to the boats around (hopefully behind) you.
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Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 08:44 AM
Goodness gracious, there's nothing like being scared out of your wits, on that edge of control vs utter chaos, and somehow bringing it all home. Very cool post. On something of a tangent, I have been fascinated with the America's Cup boats, the AC45's. They just always seem to be on that razor's edge....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAVnp7xRK1E
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Karl, Captain of Stayin' Thirsty
2011 Hobie 16SE
Atlanta, GA
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 08:53 AM
my top speed is right at 20knots with 2 on board... about 400lbs total crew weight -
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 07:11 PM
my top speed the only time that i had a gps was 18 with 4 people
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Angelo
1983 Hobie 16 Cat fever #55697
2008 laser 4.7/radial #190471
SARASOTA, FLORIDA
S.S.S
S.Y.S.P
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 09:30 PM
Sometimes it's a pretty blunt razor.
http://youtu.be/f_cU4jWYPHQ
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Daniel T.
Taipan F16 - USA 213
Clearwater, FL
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 11:05 PM
I went out again today, with a noob on the 5.0. (sans jib) & myself on the 5.7. The wind was pretty strong to begin with, that's why I sent him without the jib.
It dropped off to where we were only heading up and/or slipping the sheet in sustained gusts, so I let the jib fly. (5.0 does not have furling, we did not rig jib on the 5.0 today). The GPS clocked top speed of 21.2 mph. I was solo,(19' boat). We did 20 miles in 2 hours, that included time launching, recovery, & several instances where I hove to while my buddy sorted out how to get out of irons, & one case of having his main down hual lock,(the fork near the mast head ) let go.
The biggest thrill is to see my best friend, whom I introduced to sailing via the SS Minnow 2 years ago, now soloing the 5.0 in 20 mph, sometimes eating it, but today anticipating the results of gusts, & keeping things blunt end forward, shiny side up. He works way harder than I do, but is loving it, & has 2 twin daughters to mine that we utilize as rail meat.
My goal, before this summer ends is to make 23 mph,(GPS speed), with a 1984 Nacra 5.7, with original sails.
I still don't believe the "max speed" on the GPS is accurate, I want to see it shown on a "leg". I did just under 20 mph over a course of 1/2 mile, when the GPS shows 23 for a "leg" I'll believe it happened.
NACRAMAN, what is the best you have got from your 5.7? As soon as my buddy get enough confidence to solo the 5.7, I'm going to swap, & see what I can get from the 5.0...damn, it's a good boat!
Edited by Edchris177 on Jun 27, 2012 - 11:07 PM.
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Posted: Jun 27, 2012 - 11:35 PM
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Posted: Jun 29, 2012 - 07:15 PM
Ed,ran across your post and thought I would bore you to death with a reply. The weekend of Aug 4th 2006 our local Hobie Fleet 291 hosted the Hobie Division 7 North Central Championships at Lewis and Clark Lake in Yankton, SD. One of our traditions is to have an open class Longshot Race the Friday before the regatta. We have a shotgun start off the beach, race to a bouy up the lake, round on a port tack and race back. That particular Friday at the start of the race, winds were 25-30 gusting to 39. Our lake is situated SE to NW so a south wind will allow you to sail a broad reach to the end with nary a tack. We had no business being on the lake that day! My two daughters and I took off at the gun and it was pure chaos from then on. Jen was trapped out at the front beam, Melissa was trapped out and standing with both feet straddling my butt halfway to the shrouds. Jen was watching for gusts and counting them down...5,4,3,2.... so I would know when to ease off the sheet. I was travelled out about a foot . Jen also had my Garmin GPS unit hanging from her neck that she would look at time to time. At one point I heard her exclaim...Holy S___! It was reading 23.2 mph! One caveat.... it only lasted about 30 seconds then we hit a header, the hull slamed down and we all took a bath! The committee boat with the bouy was having a hard time getting ahead of us to drop the bouy and in desperation threw it overboard at 14.7 mi. from the start. As I was to the starboard I completely blew the tack and had to circle the mark. Nonetheless we covered 29.4 mi in 1hr 55min. Fifth out of 17 boats. Our fleet commodore, Dave Rice on his Hobie 20 hit a submerged object with his daggerboard at full speed and effectivley removed the bottom of his hull from the daggerboard well back.Marquis Erikson was coming in off the wire on his beautifully built A-Cat when he was slammed into the raised windward daggerboard. He actually ruptured his spleen and required surgery to remove it a few days later! It was insane!! It still inspires us old dogs to swap tales of that race around campfires to this day! Ironically, a few hours before the race we hosted a sailing seminar by an Olympic class sailor (who will remain unamed) who stressed the fact that if at any time your main is backwinded you are doing someting wrong! Crap!!! My main was backwinded so bad it didn't even have any shape on the bottom half!!! About a half hour before the race she and her husband backed their Capricorn "Frenchy Boat" up the beach because they didn't want to "hurt" it! Our next Old Timer's Regatta is scheduled for July 28th-29th with the longshot on Friday the 27th. So if the wind is howling out of the south and the rollers are crashing onto the beach...do you think this 60 yr. old grandpa is going to risk going out??? Well, Hell Yeah!!
Edited by nacraman57 on Jun 29, 2012 - 08:42 PM. -
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Posted: Jun 30, 2012 - 12:32 PM
25.6 kts on my inter 18. beam reaching, surfing waves, spinnaker up at 20 kts (18 to 20 kts of wind) ... ease the spin just a touch and boom ... you are off with an additional 5 kts. It's happened twice and is absolutely terrifying. No video that day, just the GPS.
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nacra inter-18
CNBP
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Posted: Jun 30, 2012 - 09:46 PM
Wow, 25 kts...it seems evey increment over 20 is a challenge.
Yesterday the wind from both met stations bracketing my place showed 50 clicks,(30mph). My wife is having a big party,with a bunch of cousins up(this is our version of your July 4th W/E).
I rigged the 5.7, with myself & my buddy on the wire, & one of my wifes 200lb cousins sitting on the rail, total crew weight of 550lbs.
The 50 clicks of wind were offshore, so though the waves were every 20', they were only 1' high. The GPS track showed many "legs" of 21 mph, & a top speed of 22.3 mph...from a 30 year old boat, with 550 lbs on board!
I lost count of the times the hulls were under water up to the bridal wires, & one case where it dived up to the front beam, tea bagging myself & my crew...I am installing chicken lines before the next attempt.
With the hull almost completely buried, at 20 mph, the bow waves were being ripped into smoke & blown 20' downwind. Our final approach to the confined dock area was at 29kph,(appx 18mph). The wind had blown the teak chairs into the lake. Thank Christ for roller furling. The entire trip was on the ragged edge of survival. At some point one end cap was torn from the 2 retaining screws.
I think we could have matched Nacramans 23.2 mph, but the 550 lbs of crew handicapped us.
The Hobie 17's just down the point where nowhere to be seen, it was definately a Nacra Day. Now, I just need to squeeze 1 more pmh out of the old girl.
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Posted: Jun 30, 2012 - 09:57 PM
That was kinda what we thought yesterday. We could have drank beer all day, or, blown up the 5.7, got rescued, then drank beer the rest of the day.
We elected to sheet in, the boat held together, & we did 22.3 mph, with 550 lbs on board...plus I have not drained the hulls at all this year, there must be another 50lbs.
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Hobie 18 Magnum
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Posted: Jul 01, 2012 - 09:42 AM
Ed, I have been unable to duplicate that speed in the six years since it happened. Although I had a solid lock on six satellites at the time, I sometimes question the accuracy of those handheld GPS units on those "spurts" of speed. In fact I have rarely tracked over 20 mph since then. I love taking Hobie 16 owners out double trapped and stuff the hulls to the front crossbeams...when they see the hulls disappearing under water they start bracing for the pitchpole and the look of surprise when the hulls pop back up is priceless! A couple weeks ago I called in sick to do some solo 5.0 sailing and I noticed that it seemed more difficult to "horse" it around on the beach. I attributed it to old age and multiple Bush Lites! On my way home I stopped by the local truck scale and weighed truck, trailer, boat and all. Went home, dumped off the 5.0, sails, rudders, etc, drove back, got the tare and found out it weighed 380lbs.! Exactly the same as my 5.7! The 5.0 is an "83 when they were built out of solid fiberglass and the 5.7 is an "87 which was built after they switched to the foam core layup. I remember you saying that your 5.0 is one of the newer ones and I was wondering if you have ever "scaled" it to get a true weight. -
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Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 06:12 PM
Our 5.0 is an '88. I have not weighed it, even using bathroom scales, it is definitely lighter than the '84 5.7.
Two of us, one on each beam picked it up carried it to the backyard fairly easily. Of course there was no rigging, mast, or rudders, but we couldn't do the with the 5.7. We will try to remember to put it on scales this fall, I'll let you know what it reads.
I agree with not totally believing the "max Speed" shown on the GPS. I always want to see it on a leg, even if it is only 50 meters. My Garmin usually shows the "max" at 1-2mph higher than any of the legs.
We have been blessed with 5 solid days of 20-30mph wind. It sat at 20 most of today. I did 20 miles, solo, under just the main, got a max leg of 19.8 mph from the 5.7
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