Not in this Weather! Not on this Boat!

[keysskipper]

Well, we did not get very far on our "short" cruise, we left Saturday for Key West to meet up with 6 other boats for our trip to the Marquesas on some on to the Dry Tortugas, it was a rough sail even inside the reef for the 25 mile trip to KW harbor, plans were to provison the boats and beat the approaching cold front leaving at dawn this Monday morning, instead we got a serious case of dingy butt getting back to the bight, in short trip cancelled for most of us, 2 nuts went on, reports from the buoys had seas 6-8 ft. and the ladies all said "NOT" so here we sit at Sloppy Joes while Rag Time bobs on her mooring ball, need a shower about to freeze (still have wet butts) kids are at work, don't answer phone, guess we are sharing a cab for the ride home up the Keys, first I think we'll have another Mojito and a batch of Conch Fritters. Bummer KS

Todays Forcast from the Conch Republic
Winds W/NW at 20-30 Seas very rough High Today 70 Low 56
Not Chamber Weather and not sailing for old salty

[ronc98]

Looks like you have some of the cold spillover from us. It is 11 here today fun fun fun.

enjoy the semi warn weather you got. I would trade my you 11 and frozen water for 50 and heavy seas anyday!

be safe!

[CaptainScott]

I agree!

At least we'll hit 40 degrees today!
Scott

[keysskipper]

after waking up to record low temps this morning..55 for a low and I think we hit 60 today (record low high) we drove down to funky town and took the dingy out to check on Rag Time, plus we left goodies on the boat, we got dingy butt again, nearly froze to death, but at least we had a car, we are facing record low temps tonight about 50....49 is the record, back to a chilly 70 manana, 80's this weekend and next week, getting Rag Time back home is next, I don't sleep well when she is not out back and the wind is howling 25 knots. I now know we are wimps and need a lower lattitude for a better attitude. KS

[EmergencyExit]

Keys,
I've been known to take a very long way home on my commute to check on EE after a big windy winter storm blows thru, so I can sympathize.

Was on EE today removing the now-flooding outboard, and wearing my favorite Sloppy Joes baseball cap. Not sure where I got it, I think it was at a thrift store. Next one I get must be "in person" !

[Bhacurly]

Any sun sounds really good to us!

Not to mention bein out on the water also!! We've had over a week of solid thick fog with highs in the mid 20's... snow forecast for the weekend so were hoping the air gets moving again

[keysskipper]

Beau, I just happen to have a little floating condo moored just a short dingy ride from Sloppys, take the long way home tomorrow and have at it, be sure and look my son up at Fairvilla around the corner across from island dogs, he will have lots of free drink certs....oh still lots of provisions and "goodies" on board we did not get to use, will try to get her home this weekend when the tradewinds resume. KS

[keysskipper]

heard about the bad air you and the Capt. are getting up there, stay warm or come to the Conch Republic and get warm.....talkin bout boat drinks KS

[mainsheetmike]

Hi, I'm considering getting a C26. How do they do in Heavy weather? You must trust them to sail offshore in a blow.. Can you compair the C26 to a mcgreigor25 or a SC26-A? when it blows, thanks, mike

[mainsheetmike]

Hi, I'm considering getting a C26. How do they do in Heavy weather? You must trust them to sail offshore in a blow.. Can you compair the C26 to a mcgreigor25 or a SC26-A? when it blows, thanks, mike

[Guillaume C.]

Hello Mile, the Chrysler do quite well when it blow, but keep in mind this is a 26 footer and can get pretty bumpy when the sea is forming. But for this size of boat, I think it will perform better than a macgregor or modern hull with more interior volume.

On this page of my blog you can see 2 video shooted in the Chesapeake bay, the first is downwind in about 25 knot, the second is motoring upwind.

http://quebec-bahamas.blogspot.com/2008 ... chive.html

[Chrysler20%26]

I have a 1983 25' Mac. An In Heavy Weather, I head for home. An get my C-20 an have some fun sailing. Hope to sail my C-26 this year.

[keysskipper]

we sail our C-26 in open ocean, she has crossed the stream 4 times with us aboard many more with PO, she handles big seas as well as our 30' Hunter did ( may she rest in peace ) they are well built sailing vessels, poorly outfitted but seaworthy. KS

[Windward]

As others have said, the C26 is an extremely seaworthy design, particularly for a trailer sailor. In a blow you'll need to reef early, but you'll give up before she will.

I have had complete confidence in Windward in all conditions I've sailed her in, which include 4-6 footers (avg... some larger) on the ocean, 3-5 footers in Pamlico Sound (steeep! chop), running the Bogue Inlet, and wind conditions of 25-35 kt steady, with gusts we won't discuss. Even when sailing for several days in waves that left her with air from the keel forward a number of times, she came down with a slam instead off a chuf perhaps 4 times. I raced on a Cal 29 on Lake St Clair for several years, and similar conditions on that boat would loosen fillings.

All other things being equal, a longer boat is usually more seaworthy than a shorter one, but length doesn't tell the whole story, and all other things are seldom equal.

Some of the same qualities that make her heel a bit early give her a seakindly motion for her size and a high angle of vanishing stability (the point at which she's going to keep on going rather than righting herself). If set up properly she's easy to singlehand, but comfy enough for an overnight with a couple of other people. Cockpit's not overly large, but for heavy weather that's a good thing.

For many of us, her sailing characteristics, combined with an enclosed head, actual (if minimal) galley, a vberth with a door and standing headroom make it difficult to justify moving up.

I've not sailed a Mac 25, and the one on our lake is not well outfitted or often used; however, there's no comparison between the boats, except that on a good day both use big white things to make the boat move forward. Construction, design, accommodations, performance, construction quality all go to the Chrysler.

You can look at her vitals vs other boats at http://image-ination.com/sailcalc.html . The rule of thumb is that you want a low capsize ratio -- below 2.0 is preferable for a boat used in rough conditions. You want a high motion comfort factor.

The C26 has a capsize ratio of 1.87 to the Mac's 2.45; the C26's motion comfort factor is 20.73 to to Mac's 8.8.

Don't know a thing about the SC26 -- if it's the South Coast 26, I do know that its displacement is at least 1000# lighter, which in a boat this size would probably translate to a much livelier motion in a seaway (read: uuuurrrpp!)

Disclaimer, and a disclaimer on it: we all love our Chryslers here, so we are in fact not unimpeachably objective. However, we know our boats' flaws and readily admit to them -- our shades aren't rose-tinted -- it's just that in the balance the C26 in particular is an extremely satisfying boat.

[lecker68]

Here in mid NY since Jan 1 we have had all but 3 day with excellent wind but the water was frozen except where Kristin Poland (Ice Breaker) kept going through once a day to keep the channel open.