Getaway in 20 knots and heavy waves

We had a great weekend with the Getaway. Some family came to visit, and we spent a couple of hours on Saturday out in light winds with 4 adults and 4 children. On Sunday the wind was blowing at 20 knots, which was too much for the kids, so one adult remained on shore with the kids while three of us went out to get wet (and a bit scared). Lake St. Clair is a large shallow lake between Lakes Huron and Erie, and the waves really pick up with the wind. The water is beautifully warm, so falling off a 5-foot wave or driving into one can give a really pleasant soaking. The wind and waves drop off closer to shore, which is where this brief video clip was taken, but it gives a sense of how we were moving. We were really screaming on the points of sail where the waves weren't slowing us down. We could see camera flashes from shore of people taking photos - one person was taking some video of her thumb while we went by, and you can see us in the background of this video

I had the traveller out about a foot - the waves were so large and so frequent, I was trying to power us down enough that I could control the entry of the leeward bow into them; it was about as much as I could handle without risking doing a hand-stand with the boat.

Weekends like this remind me how great the Getaway is - from party-boat one day to thrill rider the next.

how did you measure your wind speed?

Hi Kevin - I used a smartphone app called Windfinder, which claims to use real-time data gathered at bouys located in the lake.

Mark

I use a anemometer (wind gauge), the fastest wind I've ever sailed my getaway in is 35 mph, about 30 knots, it was very difficult to tack and very challenging to control the main sheet. good times.

looks like you have a lot of mast rake going on? Is that what I am seeing, or is it just the camera angle?

Hi Craig,

I have a fair amount of rake - this picture probably shows it a bit better from that same day. I don't like leeward helm, and in the heavy wind and waves, I wanted as much of the boat's centre of gravity to be as far back as possible to lift the bows.

What a great picture!

Very nice! Thanks for sharing...
We were out this weekend in Santa Barbara, and as the winds and swells built (with whitecaps), we noticed how difficult it was to tack through swells AND how easy it seemed to begin submerging the leeward bow off the wind into them. I've read the posts on tacking, so I'll try some of those tips (e.g., weight aft, delayed jib release, release of mainsheet); however, after watching the America's Cup this week, I am wondering if sheeting in tightly on a broad reach actually prevents the tendency to pitchpole (rather than sheeting out, which would move force more forward). The America's Cup cats don't seem to sheet out at all while sailing downwind.
Thanks for any tips!
Scott
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