Anyone had experience with compac16 on the Chesapeake? Would she be too small?
Smallest boat I had during 20 years sailing on Chesapeake was a Venture 21, but a CP16 would not be too small in my opinion.
Just keep a watchful weather eye, stay out of the shipping channels, and have fun!
capt_nemo
tnx cap nemo! I will be sailing out of great oak landing marina which is near rock hall, eastern shore just above bay bridge. I am a very careful person and will only be sailing in fair weather especially since I am new to sailing. So far just one week in a freshwater lake called Kerr Lake in North Carolina. Just learning the ropes..... literally! Dan
Dan,
You'll really enjoy the northern Chesapeake and especially the Eastern Shore. It is one of the best cruising and gunkholing areas in North America.
I'm quite familiar with the area you will be in and around. Bought my Island Packet 35 from Gratitude Yacht Sales in Rock Hall and anchored numerous times years ago up in Fairlee Creek near Great Oaks Landing Marina.
Home base was up on the Bush River, NW of Poole's Island, at a military marina on the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground.
Went through 4 sailboats (21', 25', 32', and 35') and a 36' Trawler on the Chesapeake and loved them all!
capt_nemo
We sailed our 16 on the bay without any problems. The 16 can take more than we can. I would keep close to shore in the afternoon's as late afternoon thunder storms come up quickly. We learned to sail on a 16 and it took good care of us. I would install a down haul as its not always fun going forward in the chop of the bay. You will find in a season or two when to venture out and sail and when to stay in, when in doubt, stay in or at least venture out with a reef in the main.
enjoy
doug
Doug - As you canread I am new to sailing and just getting familiar witht he 16. I have already experieced not wanting to go forward. I am not familiar with a downhaul, can oyu describe what that does and how I might insatll one? Sorry for my ignorance.
Capt Nemo - I am excited to hear of your travels in that area. I am actually putting a contract on a house just a short walk away from the Great Oaks Marina and will have the compac docked there. I am sure that she will be the smallest boat int here! Small and mighty!
A down haul is a line tied to the top of your jib which follows down your forestay to a block attached at the bottom of the jib and is led and back into the cockpit. When you want to drop you jib you release your jib halyard and pull the jib down using the down haul instead of going forward and pulling the jib down by hand. If you search for down haul on this forum, you will find pictures/drawings of down hauls as installed (even though we have now been sailing for 5 years learning the language of sailing is still sometimes confusing).
I am new to the forum but sail almost exclusively on the bay on my suncat. Properly reefed, the boat will handle quite a bit of wind and waves. Prior to the suncat I sailed a windrider trimaran out of Annapolis and that was a fun boat, but a really wet ride! Definitely keep an eye on the weather, but a 16 will do just fine as long as you keep a healthy respect for the elements.
Don't apologize for being a newby...we all were newby's and are reminded of our own days of learning this sport/way of life/mystical experience. We share your enthusiasm and will be more than willing to share what we picked up from others. Welcome.
Sailed that area of the Chesapeake :) for many years. Was a Principal at KCHS in Worton. Great Oak is a great place to sail out of. The entrance channel is one of the most unique you will encounter! The CP-16 will be a great boat for the area!
Doug - Tnx for the info on downhaul. Just installed today and it will work fine I am sure. Going out this Thursday. Dan
doug, going forward to reduce sail on a 16 can be dicey. my wife did it once in a blow and that was enough for her. my conclusion was to make a jib furler. many sailors on the sight have come up with great ideas, mine might be the simplest but it works like a charm. i can send you some pics if you contact me at fordtruck52@yahoo.
enjoy the 16. Its really a great little boat (in fact my wife just tonight said -- maybe we should launch the 16 and go for a sail; we bought a seaward 26 three years ago, its also a great boat but -- your much more removed from the water when you add 10 feet to a boat).
Welcome to the wonderful world of sailing! I've been sailing my CP16 for 2 years now and am as happy as a witch in a broom factory (plug for Geico). The CPYOA web site has been a real boon toward helping me learn virtually anything there is to learn about these boats. Today's lesson was now I know what that little block on the cabin roof is for! Makes so much sense. As a septuagenarian, I don't particularly like trying to balance on the foredeck while under way. Heck, it ain't a lot of fun on the hard either!
Enjoy your adventures on the bay. I've sailed on Barnegat Bay (no real comparison to the Chesapeake) but a decent body of water. My favorite adventures were when the wind was blowing 15 - 18 mph with 3 foot waves. The ComPac sliced through like a hot knife through butter! Lesser boats were bare-masted with iron wind power. Didn't need to reef and used the standard jib. Got a little wet from spray. But, the boat felt really solid even with some daylight under the forward part of the hull! My friend and I grinned so hard it hurt. ;D
Marty K.
Even though I am a 23 owner, I secretly am looking for a 16 to trailersail in different locations. I hope Koinonia doesn't read this!
Don't let Marty fool you- even though he claims to be 70 +/-, I've seen him do astounding balancing tricks in a Walker Bay 8 that lesser men half his age couldn't dream of doing. No lie!
I've never sailed the Chesapeake but it is one of my dream trips- to sail the 23 down the Atlantic, up the Delaware, through the C&D canal and down the Chesapeake...somewhere...sometime.
bob23