[Rhodes22-list] R22 and "Burying The Rail"

[Bill Effros]

Lou,

I'm not pulling your leg.  First of all, go out in small craft advisory conditions once you are sure you know how to handle the boat under normal conditions.  (I don't go out when the storm is coming in, only when it is leaving.  I don't fight rain or cold--I just try to learn how to use the wind on the back side of a storm.)

I always go out alone, and I always clip on the whole time I'm out there.  There is no one who's going to rescue you if you get in trouble, and if you get into trouble you want to stay with the boat.  You don't want to be responsible for anyone else under these conditions--but once you master them, it's like a day in the park.

I always sail my boat very flat and very smoothly.  My wife is uncomfortable with heeling, luffing, missed tacks, and near misses of any kind.  She doesn't care how fast we go, as long as her ride is devoid of moments of sheer panic.  Sailing this way, even when single handed in 25 kt. winds has proved highly advantageous.

Look up "cross sheeting" in the archive.  I always cross sheet, and this technique contributes to the ability to single handedly maintain full control under all weather conditions.

Look up "balance" in the archive.  You establish your boat's "groove" by moving things around.  My boat is bow heavy and starboard side heavy.  I prefer to sail from the port captain's seat.  This balance allows the boat to sail upright even when the wind is blowing strongly.  Which allows me to sail with very little helm bias--when I sail in a straight line there is very little drag on my rudder.  

I rarely put the centerboard down, and have gone entire summers without doing so.  Again, this reduces drag.  My motor is light.  I have removed all the junk I never use.  At rest, the boat floats several inches above the waterline stripe.

"Use the Force, Luke...trust your feelings..."

Once you are comfortable with your boat, sailing can be extremely zen-like.  I don't sail to prove I can do it better or faster than anyone else.  I don't particularly care where I go most of the time.  I just like the connection a sail boat makes between me and nature.

You get to the point where you can't explain what you are doing, or why you are doing it.  This ability extends out to the most extreme situations.  Stan is the absolute master, and sailing with him is a treat not to be missed.

Having said all that, we must look at the place where I sail.  Long Island Sound.  Huge amounts of water slosh back and forth through the Sound every 6 hours, creating currents that can sometimes reach 5 to 6 knots in certain places.  The "East River" in NYC is one of those places--and I have gone charging down the East River at 9-10 kts more than once.

However there are significant currents throughout the Sound everywhere, and it is always possible to pick up 1 to 2 knots on any given day.  So I routinely can sail at 7-8 kts. (Over ground) when there is enough wind.  Interestingly, if I cut across the current, and throw my KnotStick sensor overboard, it will say that its speed through the water (which is what it measures) is also 7-8 kts.

In extreme weather conditions the speed of the current is much greater throughout the Sound.

The Sound is also signficantly deep in many places, and I always achieve my best speed over the deep spots.  Barnegat Bay is incredibly shallow.  I'm sure this is a factor.  Roger can explain it.  I can't.

Also, I sail in the narrow end of the Sound.  The land masses on either side keep the wind from creating the same size waves the same amount of wind would create on more open bodies of water.  Most of the time we get swells rather than waves, and my Rhodes will bob on the swells like a cork.  I can surf on the top of a swell for 5-10 minutes at a time, finally slide off it, and then catch another without losing my boat speed.   

I sail with a very small main sail--silly small to look at it--and increasing amounts of Genoa.  I have a 175--and sometimes put it all out there.

The boat is a kick and a half.  It is good for both thrills and safety--single handing and crowds. Enjoy it.

Bill Effros









  










"Conservatives are so afraid of losing their majority
status right now that.they're showing an astonishing
willingness to spend now and dump all the cost in our
children's laps, and an amazing unwillingness to
reconcile the size of government with the amount of
taxes needed to fund it."

Brian M. Riedl
Heritage Foundation
November 24, 2003

Source:
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jay Friedland 
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list 
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 1:50 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] R22 and "Burying The Rail"


Lou, Bill, etc.
Just catching up on the list, and saw the comment more than once. Lou, 
thanks for the opportunity to respond. Bill E., it must have been some 
discussions we've had prior, but I will always try to attain your 
challenge of 'planing' the Rhodes at 6.5+ kts. (7-8?) and have come 
close often. I am at heart a non-racing cruiser who believes in sailing 
balanced and efficiently.

Several times recently we've had up to 5 guys (avg. to 1,000 lbs. on 
the rail and seat) in 25+ winds and found the balance for 5.5-6 + kts. 
average with reefed sails. Rob (Baldi) and I have been known to take 
either one's boat out with an impending storm or blow, and flown with 
the storm finding our groove. Heeling v. burying the rail in many of 
these cases actually had the boat balanced and moving well. There are 
very few cases when I can use the centerboard fully to offset the wind 
with an average depth of 2-3 feet. We have gusts frequently in excess 
of 8-10 kts. and compensate accordingly, but taking any water on hasn't 
happened in years.

I've got to believe it's more perception combined with maybe a little 
oversight on my part when there's extensive conversation with the crew. 
Efficiency with the knotmeter is the best gauge I use of the boat's 
performance and, I do take pains (reefing at the slightest overpowering 
wind) to keep the boat balanced. With an inclinometer on the kickboard, 
typically I don't exceed 15° (mostly 10° standard) and also easily find 
the boat's sweet spot for any reach. This year and last I made a 
conscious effort to use the traveler extensively for quick adjustments 
for puffs, then making necessary sail changes. I have used the boom 
dropping less this year as the first reef point, with many more less 
experienced crews- a lot of demos and lessons for newbies. Looking too 
busy in the cockpit with sail changes could also be overwhelming to 
first timers, but use it only when tweaking for speed is our goal or 
showing the ease of making that move for gaining stability.

Lou, if i remember on our second time out, being on a beam to broad 
reach, intermittent gusts were causing the boat to round up at times 
when you were at the helm. I thought we compensated and then changed 
course across the bay, but we also had limited depth at low tide. So 
like all situations, it's a compromise, but maintaining control and 
sailing efficiently are starting points.

With over 60 different people on board this year, including many young 
kids, and over 800 knots logged, accommodating them all and sending 
each off with them asking for a return visit (or to buy the boat) is 
the best I can do. Sloppiness in sail handling has no place on 
"Wanderlust" and I'd hang it up if efficiency/loss of control weren't 
my top goal here.

Jay


On Nov 22, 2004, at 12:30 PM, Loumoore at aol.com wrote:

> Bill and Roger and others
>
> Thanks for the comments!  The R 22 sounds like the boat for us--we 
> want a
> boat requires input in wind.  (Jay--hope you are not offended about 
> comment about
> rail in water.  For the record, in my view Jay is a first-rate skipper 
> and an
> extremely generous guy!)
>
> I was intrigued by a comment about "planning."  How do you get the 
> R-22 on a
> plane?  9 kts?  Bill are you pulling my leg?
>
> Thanks again,
> Lou Moore
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>

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