New Personal Speed Record

[irwinsailor]

I have broken my 9 knot speed record in 22 knot winds with a 9.2 knot speed in 20 knot winds! I don't know what I'm doing yet but it sure feels like I'm flying!

[delmarrey]

With a 61'-er you should be able to get more speed than that. I've had mine up to 10 knots and it's only a 40'-er. On a reach to a close reach should be your fastest speed. Are you using a GPS or knotmeter to gage your speed?

[Jeff H]

Congratulations on pushing your speed envelope. As Delmarrey points out, you should have a lot more speed to go until you achieve your ultimate 'personal best'speed. For one thing you have not even hit hull speed at those speed at 9.2 knots. I would expect that the nominal hullspeed for your boat is somewhere in the range of 9.5 knots. In 22 knots of wind you should be able to easily achieve hullspeed and with any reasonable wave action do something considerably better.

As Delmarry was pointing out, reasonably quick cruising boats in the 38 to 40 foot range can easily do speeds above 10 knots in that kind of wind range. (To help put this in perspective reaching in 20 knots of wind, my pervious boat, a 28 footer would frequency see speeds in excess of 9-10 knots in that kind of wind with its 'personal best' just below 13 knots. My current 38 foot boat will routinely sail at speeds between 9 and 10 knots in winds of that range with its highest speed to date being just a few tenths below 12 knots. A sistership of my boat was at 16 knots long enough for it to show up as the highest speed on his GPS but that was in big waves and a little more wind.)

So, while you should be delighted that you have pushed the top speed number upwards, I suspect that your upper limit is still a frontier to be explored.

Best wishes,
Jeff

[irwinsailor]

Kewl! I know that the boat can go faster, hull speed is 10 knots. But you need to remember that I am not a sailor yet. I came from a cal 21 to this Irwin. But I will be a sailor one day and I would think a good one at that!

[bigpuff]

speed is good so is comfort,sail free and easy,iv allways found on bigger boats sailing free,er;dont chock her,seems to get the best out of her,you will be surprized how mush wind you can sail in by sailing with eased sheets and vang eased.......enjoy

[thinwater]

Can you hear it? The poorly muffled yawns coming from the planning dingies and beach cats?

[Blue Stocking]

OP was 2003-he should have got her faster by now
FWIW I sailed Tornado cats in US and Canadian Nats for 15yrs, and now sail a 12ton 1965 yawl--and I love both boats THE best