CP16 in the Texas 200 ?

[Al]

Hi All,

After two years of searching for a seaworthy trailerable yacht, I finally purchased a CP16/3 - nice boat that appears to be very stable & easily handled. Is the CP16 capable of weathering the high winds & waves of the Texas 200  ?

Al

[Salty19]

I can't answer your question as I'm not familar with these waters.  I've read about the event and it does sound hairy.

Compared to other similar designs the CP16 is a very stable boat.   With that said, finishing and surviving will likely be a function of the captains' abilities, preparation, foresight and prudence as much or more than the boat.   How much experience do you have sailing?

Obviously you'll have to inspect every detail of the hardware to make sure everything is ready for bad conditions and up to snuff.  Prior owners sometimes have a way to make things unsafe (for example using a hardware store, undersized or overloaded pin to connect the chainplates to the shrouds when marine grade needs to be there). 

Keep us informed, sounds like a real adventure and future story.

[rwdsr]

Go to duckworksmagazine.com and fire off a note to Chuck Lineweiber, he's the guy that organizes the Texas 200.  There was a Potter 15 last year that got dumped and the owner couldn't recover her.  Eventually she was recovered by a local guy and she was adoped and re-named.  Her original name was Tetra.  But there are links to the past two 200's and all the types of boats that ran in them.  Was thinking of running my 16 in either the 200 or the OBX 130 next year.

[Al]

I've read several of the stories on the Texas 200 website and found the adventures intriguing. I don't recall ever seeing a CP16 in the event, but did see several M15's (comparable boats that completed the journey). It appears that high winds, following seas, & shallows are the most challenging obstacles. Has anyone sailed a CP16 in Corpus Christy Bay or any other large body of water under extreme conditions ? Any pointers on handling a CP16 in those conditions ?

Al

[JBC]

Can't answer questions directly about sailing a C16 in Corpus Cristi bay, but I have sailed several boats there (a Potter 15 and a Holder 20), so I have some knowledge.  Shallow bay that in a good wind can get choppy pretty quickly.  The Holder has a drop keel with a heavy bulb on bottom, and that felt pretty good in a stiff breeze.  The Potter was a boat I was drawn to, like so many others, by Larry Brown and his books on the boat.  Loved the easy trailering and set up, and sailed it on Galveston Bay in a stiff breeze once without concern (it is also pretty shallow and can kick up a chop in 15+ knots. 

Once, my wife and I took our Potter out 4 or 5 miles into the Gulf from Aransas Pass.  We had steady wind that wasn't too much, but we also had 4' swells and while the boat rode over these confidently, it also, due to its very light weight, felt somewhat like a cork bobbing around on the waves.  Coming in we had some pretty good following seas (plus a flood tide), and I was very appreciative of the fact that the stern of the little Potter would bob up enough so that no wave actually broke over it.  Still, to be frank, I decided to try out a Compac 16 if I ever bought such a small cruiser (which I've now done) precisely because I thought the Potter was just too light, too little for that kind of sailing, given my recreational sailing skills.  I like the heavy keel under the Compac!

I too read SCA and other mags that cover the Texas 200 and other such events, and read about the Tetra experience.   As I happen to sail a Daysailer also, and follow some things on their website, you might want to check out the pics and story on the FL 120.  A Compac Sun Cat participated in that one, though there's little info beyond that on the boat in that race.  http://www.daysailer.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3276

[JBC]

FYI.  I noticed that my link to the Daysailer site in my discussion of sailing Corpus Christi Bay returns an error message.  In fact the Daysailer site is down apparently. 

[newt]

JBC- are you talking about this forum or another that has a section down? I looked on this forum just in case, but cannot seem to find what you are referring to...

[JBC]

Newt,

The link in my note about sailing in the Corpus Christi area is a link to another forum, the Day Sailers Association.  The link was to a discussion about the Florida 120, an event similar in some ways to the Texas 200, mentioned in this CP16 thread.  But the link is broken for now and the DS Association site, www.daysailer.org, seems to be down.  Hope that answers your question.

Jett

[Al]

Hi All,

Thanks for the tips. I will check my rigging & practice sailing in high winds. Being a north Texas lake sailor, I'm not ready to venture into blue water via the Port Aransas Channel yet & plan to tackle the Texas 200 next year. In the meantime, I would like to spend a few days sailing Corpus Christy Bay (from either Mustang Island or the Corpus Christy L-head) & ready the boat (& its skipper) for next years event.

Al

JBC: Where is a good place to launch & sail in Corpus Christy Bay ?

[JBC]

Al,

You can launch from one of the T-heads, essentially across the street from downtown!  Google the Corpus Christi city marina and you should get some good info.  Used to keep a boat dry docked  on one of the T-heads (permanent ramps you can drive on to get to the docks, restaurants, etc.), and the ramp was very close (and free 15 years ago...don't know now).  Docks, slips, marina and T-heads are protected by jettys from the bay itself, but it's quick access to get out into the bay from there, and if you don't sail out too far, easy to get back to protected water if winds really kick up.  Great sailing most of the time.  Hope this helps!

Jett

[JBC]

Hi All,

The link I provided in a recent post above to the Daysailer Assoc. forum discussion of the FL 120 is now working.  Might be of interest to C16 sailors.

Al: After thinking about it, you may be right that the boat ramp in Corpus Christi is probably on the L-head, not one of the T-heads.  Anyway, I found sailing the bay from Corpus side to be much more fun than out of Aransas Pass, because of lots of big boat traffic (tankers, etc.) coming through that channel from the gulf into the bay at Aransas Pass.

[Al]

Thanks Jett,

Based upon a local fishing map of the Bay, it appeared that launching from Port Aransas would be much more challenging (ship channels, amplified wakes in the shallows, reefs, navigation aids, etc.) than launching from the City Marina (open water, sandy beaches, no reefs, no channels, restaurants, bathrooms, etc). I think I'll follow your suggestion: launch from the L-head in the morning before its get too hot, sail south along the beach into the wind, return to the marina for a late lunch, then hit the pool. I'll let you know how it goes (mid summer).

Al

[jpfx]

Why don't you see if you can crew with someone else the first time?
This is more a challenge for the crew than it is for the boat.
Personally, I wouldn't use a CP-16. I'd opine that the CP-16 with 18" fixed draft has about 12" too much, really!. I also would not attempt this until I had a couple of seasons of experience coastal sailing. Without experience it would be far too easy to become a casualty in the tx200 and then you're putting others at risk.. your crew if you have one plus the people that will undoubtably try to help you.
I'm trying to be realistic about my own abilities to tackle the tx200, are you?

I don't think the tx200 is something to 'cut your teeth' on. Maybe the fl120 would be a better start; the experience would be a step towards your goal.
Also, join a group like the west coast trailer sailing squadron or the shallow water sailors. i.e. don't jump in the deep end!

[Al]

Hi All,

That was fun. I just completed a 2500 mile motorcycle tour of the rockies where it was nice and cool. From what I've gathered, this years Texas 200 was at the other extreme (very hot with light winds, smooth water, & few casualties). As always, I appreciate everyone's input & will prepare for all conditions.

Al

Update: With respect to joining other groups or participating in the FL120, the Texas coast is closer to my home than Florida, I'd rather find a CP16 group, and the Texas 200 appears to be a better match for the CP16 than the FL120 (I don't have oars and I'd rather not take the mast down to cross under bridges). Furthermore, it looks like the Montgomery 15's (comparable to the CP16) were successful again this year and don't the Potters need to have some of there centerboard down for directional control (more required draft) ?

[Al]

Hi All,

Just got back from the coast: It all started with Small Craft Advisories (20 - 25 knot winds with gusts to 35, 4 - 6 foot waves off Mustang Island, and white caps all over Corpus Christy Bay). These were the conditions that wrecked havoc on boats in last years Texas 200 and too challenging for my first coastal cruise. Conditions settled down after a few days with small craft advisories off the coast and milder conditions further inland (15 - 20 knot winds with gusts to 25). Sailing out of the Corpus Christy Marina was a very good choice. Not only were there restaurants and bathrooms nearby, but the ramp was in protected waters and the breakers made it easy to set the boat up and get sailing. With a reefed main & rolled jib, we exited the protected waters and were meet with a barage of 3 foot rolling waves in the bay. As expected, the CP16 easily tacked into the waves with an occasional launch into the air, spray over the bow, and very little weather helm. That was FUN ! As we got further out, the waves appeared to get bigger, so we tacked towards the southern shore & smoother waters. Beam reaches were interesting with the boat rolling side to side with the waves (nowhere close to tripping, but probably not a good idea with larger waves). Going downwind (broad reaches & wing-on-wing) was relatively easy (no surfing, no weather helm, no airborn rudders). The next day was calmer as we ventured further into the bay. Overall, a very positive experience. Has anyone had their CP16 in SCA conditions like the first two days ?

Al