Fast

[Subsailor637]

I hear ya Kickingbug!  Looking forward to another great CLR.  Just want to add that Lin and I might have been a little quicker if the pin on the gaff tack hadn't come loose when we jibed at the second mark and caused a nice opening for wind to spill out!  Not making excuses and I'm sure a better helmsman than I would have compensated better.  We sure had a lot of fun so anyone in the Midwest that hasn't been to a CLR; I would highly recommend marking your calendar when the dates are announced for 2016!!!

[kickingbug1]

   hey bob and lin, glad you had a nice time except for the gaff spar issue. the four of us on the audrey j witnessed that and were sure glad no real damage occurred. i betcha next year your crew will be ready and able for more racing. i was thinking that if i could motor to the start quick enough that we might race as well. im already on the hunt for more trophies. gonna be tough to beat the ones this year but im trying.  one pretty boat

[mdueweke]

I agree. My HC is fast I think. And I don't reef now unless it is forecast to blow over 15 knots.
By the way, this is my first post. I have a 2004 HC which I bought last year from a gentlemen in Ellison Bay WI.
I hauled her back and keep her (Das Catboot) at Emerald City Marina in St Clair Shores, MI.
I have sailed her now over 50 times and I would like to invite any sailors who live in SE Michigan over for a day sail.

Lake St Clair is a great place to have a sailboat. Light air, medium air and days above 15 knots are not uncommon.

Great sailing!

[rbh1515]

mdueweke,
I live in the Milwaukee area, but have a house up in Sister Bay, just one town north of Ellison Bay.  Door County is a great place to sail, and I'll eventually move my boat up there.
Rob

[mdueweke]

Interesting. I have an invite from the former HC owner to come up to Door County next summer for a week or two and sail. I would haul my HC up there if I do this. I agree , it does look like great place to have a boat. By the way, my friends name is Ron Hill.
By any chance do you know him?

Mi,e

[rbh1515]

No, don't think I've met him.  If you go out there next summer let me know.  I would love to hitch a ride one day if we are up there.
It will probably be a few years before we move the HDC up there since we are in the Milwaukee area most of the time.
Rob

[Craig]

After reading the thread on "Fast" I had a kind of epiphany re The HC/HDC (and catboats in general)the other day while looking at Sail magazine and some of the new cruising boats. What I saw was plumb bows, lots of beam, broad sterns and flatish underbodies carried well aft. Sound familiar? That which is old is new again! Funny how concepts keep recirculating and old concepts get re-discovered as the "latest thing". Happens in every field of human endeavor. What modern Catboats have is more efficient centerboard,rudders and more efficient modernized gaff rigs and spars.

[rbh1515]

Craig,
It's funny, I have always liked fast sailboats.  In the past I came very close to buying a Corsair trimaran, and I looked very hard at the Wyliecat 30.  When I sold my last boat and bought the HDC, my wife was sure I wouldn't be happy with it.  I didn't really care if it was slow.  I loved the look, and I wanted a simple boat (mainsail and no jib) for day sailing.  The boat has really exceeded my expectations.  It keeps up or is faster than most of the boats its size in my area, and it's a lot of fun to sail!
Rob

[mdueweke]

Hear, Hear. I was out last week in some light and variable, 4-6 knots.
I was playing around with my sail set and sitting on the low side I was able to get to 3.1, 3.2 and I was pretty happy with that, although most of the time I was in the mid to high 2's.   It takes a lot more  concentration to sail in light winds, but I'm learning
Mike

[Craig]

Light air is always a challenge! One of the little things I do in light air is to sit on the lee side of the cockpit to induce some heel. Also I ease the peak halyard and leech line a little. One of the side benefits of the Boomkicker in light air is that it supports the boom and stabilizes the boom and sail. One of the merits of the gaff rig in light air is that it has more sail area near the top of the sail where there may be a little more breeze in light air conditions. Experimentation will tell you a lot about what works under various conditions. It is sort of like solving a puzzle and what makes sailing so appealing to me!

[mdueweke]

Today was not a good day for soiling on Lake St Clair. A lot of wind below 5 knots and 0.0 for wind and gusts the whole afternoon. A good day to catch up with the landscaping for winter.