Back from the 'Banks

[Windward]

Got back about a week ago from a couple of weeks sailing Pamlico Sound and Onslow Bay. Apart from some minor equipment issues, a wonderful, wonderful trip. Only "major" problem was putting a couple of 6" cracks in the rudder cheek plates (both plates), due I think to some heavy rudder english whilst surfing.

After sailing between no wind and 25-30+ knots, flat water to 4-6+ foot seas and open spaces to interesting inlets, I was reminded how much I love the way the Chrysler 26 sails, and what a sea-kindly hull she has. Need to reef early, but then she digs in and fairly flies.

In 5 days of small craft advisories, I think we pounded hard maybe 5 times when going to windward (no pun intended); rest of the time, she just chewed into the waves and went on.

Surfing with the waves between the beam and the quarter was a more interesting proposition, but still manageable (OK, a couple of hard roundups there, but still, none of the other few boats I saw was less than about 35'). Might have gone better, or worse, with the keel up, but was a bit busy with the tiller and thus didn't experiment. Triple reef, part of the yankee rolled out and still making 6.1 - 6.4, surfing between 7 and 8 kt. Life is good!

Awaiting the arrival of some 1/8" stainless so I can get the rudder cheek plates reinforced. I May do a few other mods in this rare out-of-water moment, then it's back in for the fall / winter sailing season. While a bit cool for some tastes, for my money the next 6 or 7 months are the best sailing that the mountains of TN have to offer.

[NYCSAILOR]

What a report! Just the tyep of info I am looking or as I am planning some open water sailing in June and need to prepare.

I am guessing you were singlehandling and at what intervals are your Main reef points a I don't think I have a triple reef on my main.

Also let me know what you are going to dowith the rudder project... I need a new blade and will repace the bearings and make a perm thruhull forthe rudder...

I have the IdaSailor bearings ( pretty simple mushroms cut out of plastic)

BUT... I think since you have failures with the thin metal cheeks I will follow-your reinforcement or simply get a whole new intergraed stainless rudderpost and proper rudder blade made up...it should regatly improve water flow and performance ...

[Windward]

A friend sailed with me for a few days of fun stuff, but the last three days of high wind and steep chop was solo. The vast majority of my sailing is singlehand, and when my wife and son sail with me their role is often as intelligent ballast.

The tillerpilot lost its mind, and I did miss that. Simply tying the tiller generally works well if I'm going to windward, but not off the wind, and not motoring. Not to sound lazy, but got kind of tired hand steering for 8 hours at a whack. Sounds like overkill, but I may get a second tillerpilot for backup before lengthy solo stuff

Reef points on the main are roughly every 48". The third reef leaves the headboard maybe a foot above the spreaders. Need lots of wind to make it reasonable, or you're way underpowered. Also need a small headsail to balance it; shape on a big sail furled down that small is usually crappy, and with such small area you need something that actually provides some lift. I purchased a storm jib for a much larger boat -- maybe 70 sq ft or so -- for $120. I use it more than I thought I would, and it's been money well spent even inland. The family is particularly pleased if I can easily keep the old girl on her feet when it's blowing hard.

A weakest point on the stock boat is the starboard chainplate, which is anchored to the settee back with a couple of #10 wood screws. This translates to the starboard side deck hogging and sometimes developing hairline cracks when the rig is properly tensioned and the loads are heavy. Easy enough to strengthen the mount, and should be done.

If you have a swing keel, do replace the pennant with 1/4" and keep a spare on board. I did an extensive rebuild of the aft end of the swing keel trunk to correct damage caused by the PO having the pennant break from the "up" position.

I sail with guys that have larger, newer boats, but virtually everyone loves to sail on Windward. It's often the hang-out boat during small raftups, probably because the food and music are good.

[Banshi]

I just noticed your location is in Tennessee or I would have made this inquiry earlier. We have friends who live about 20 minutes east of Lebanon and I would like to bring the boat up on one of our visits to take them sailing. Any information you may have on good lakes and ramps in the area would be greatly appreciated. Priest Lake seems like a good candidate and from what I've picked up has the facilities for launching but I've also heard that some of these lakes are drained down 7 ft or more during the winter months. This could make launching difficult if the ramps are not designed to be used that time of year.

[NYCSAILOR]

thanks,

I have the fixed keel, but I take seriously your reccomendation for the starboard "chainplate".... I did notice that set-up ... mine is stock and the screw are slightly pulling up fromt he back of teh settee and I always wondered to myself .. "what where they thinking.." when the designed it that way and " how the hell did they sell them when they wehere new with that design..

anyway.. let me know what you think is holding best for you on Windward for the starboard chainplate and keep me posted on your rudder cheek project..

thanks and kep the food and music good...

BTW where do you mount your speakers?

[ronc98]

Windward,

How did she sail in the 4-6 foot seas? With the V shaped hull and the displacment I would think she would slice right through with out much rocking.

[Windward]

She did wonderfully in the chop... I think it's what she's designed for. Kind of like a skier in the moguls. While the hull shape and relatively narrow beam make her a bit tender initially, she thrives in the chop. Do need to reef early so she's sailing on her bottom rather than her beam ends, off course. She feels very secure, although you need to accept that a near constant 25-30+ deg of heel is a secure position.

Did take water into the cockpit a bit, and several days the cockpit settee on the low side frequently held water, but it wasn't like I was sitting there. One day the residual swells were from the south east but the new breeze was northeast. That made things a bit damp in the cockpit from time to time.

The new Tohatsu does add a few more pounds aft, but doesn't seem to cause excessive hobbyhorsing. Even with quartering seas and the occasional roundup, no problems with getting pooped, either, although the lifesling and anchor rode bag, both hung from the pushpit, did serve as deflectors several times. I like the idea of having that weight low and more forward, as with a saildrive, but also like the fact that the engine's easy to remove, service and replace, cannot sink the boat and does not consume interior storage.

Since the bow's kind of fine it's best to keep it light, though. Punching out the Bogue Inlet -- motoring there -- the short, steep chop came to visit the deck several times, but a buddy who was with me on that leg had gone below and forward, so there was an extra 250+ lbs way forward for a littlel while. When sailing I found that timing was everything when coming about: tacked a bit too slowly once and took some greenwater over the bow. After that, I timed it better so that I turned faster and used the wave crests to better advantage. That's not unique to the C26, though, and would be less of a problem in any case with waves that had a longer period.

I really used this as "baby steps" to get the feel for the boat in the conditions, and to see what those conditions translate to both on the sound and on the ocean south of Cape Lookout Shoals. Very confident of her for this sort of thing, although as I said, the swing keel shoes/pin are still unknowns.