GL: Sailboats

[bob Austin]

The thread brings up the point that each of us has to study the charts before
making a trip.  For example, I raced a 6' draft sailboat all up and down the
Chesapeake for 2 years. (Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association series).
Later we took another boat with 6' 6" draft into all of the towns and bays
that we wanted to go to--it just takes some planing.  I never considered the
draft as being a handicap.  Review the charts and Tides.  There are
relitatively few bays which a boat with 6' draft cannot get into. With current
shoaling conditions one has to both plan by tides and perhaps occasionally go
"outside".  But often sending the dinghy ahead with a depth finder will find
the best channel on the ICW or other questionable areas.  This is a technique
not reserved for sailboats, but applies to any boat, especially one with
exposed running gear.

As for "The rips"--around Cape May.  We went thru this area during a wind
against flooding tide situation, and it was rough (please understand we had a
very substantial vessel which survied a number of ocean crossings and 40 to 45
foot breaking seas and sustained hurricane force winds.).  What made "the
rips" interesting is that there was so much turbulance that our depth sounder
lost the bottom as we went thru the breaking seas at the shoalest areas.  No
problem, but there is always that question--do I really trust the chart?  Yes,
and we had no problem.  We never considered going on the New Jersey waterways.

I rarely disagree with Bill Fiero, but I would have said that I would rather
be in a well built, seaworthy small boat, than a poorly designed or built
larger boat.  If all things are equal in quality of build and seaworthyness, I
will choose the larger boat every day.  For example--above I mentioned 40 to
45 foot breaking seas.  In you are in a boat with a 20 foot water line, the
chance of pitchpoling and capsize is very high in those conditions. Our boat
had a 46 foot waterline, and the chance of pitchpoling or capsize was
considerably less.  In fact in that storm, 3 smaller boats sank--there were 3
of us all about the same size within VHF radio contact and we all survived
with minimal damage (but not much rest).

The question is can a sailboat do the "loop"?  The answer is yes.

Bob Austin