[Alberg30] Fw: Handling observation

[Gord Laco]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Gord Laco 
To: alberg30 at egroups.com 
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2001 12:55 PM
Subject: Handling observation


Hi folks,

Yesterday as we were poking along home up Severn Sound we were overtaked by a real blow-the-dog-off-the-chain squall.  Ton of rain and 50kts+ wind for about 1/2 hour.

As we were close to home and in enclosed waters we chose to deal with it under power.  I found much to my delight that with the Atomic bomb ticking over at about 800 rpm and the helm hard down the boat hove to perfectly. We made about 1 to 1 1/2 knot ahead with a pile of leeway, but snug as hell.  The boat heeled a lot (under bare pole) but was never uncomfortable.  As we were sharing our patch of Sound with a large commercial vessel also stooging around and rarely visible in the hail & rain, I "tacked" periodically to allow him privacy on his side of the Sound by increasing the power to swing around, then idling back and reversing the helm.

Interesting to note that our friends, also with A4 inboards had a much rougher time.  One, in a C&C Corvette (31' and same vintage as our Alberg 30, and with furler on genny same as ours) could not hold her head up to the wind even at full power.  The other in a 27' heavy disp wooden boat & no furler had same problem.

I've got the standard two blade prop - both of them have three blade props.

At the end of the squall we were about where we started (geographically) while both of them had been blown away to leeward out of control and had been terrified of being driven ashore.

Interesting, no?

Gord Laco
#426 Surprise
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